Daily Golf Pro

Hitting the ball fat (…when you hit the ground) may not be as common as slicing the ball, but it’s just as frustrating.

Just like other golf swing mechanics, figuring out you’re doing wrong is the first step to making things right.

Unfortunately, this problem often can’t be fixed on your own. You’ll need someone else’s help to see what you’re doing wrong.

Try to get somebody to watch your swing. Ask them to watch out for the following…

Do you drop your rear shoulder as your taking a swing (the one farther from the ball)?

Now just to be clear - For right-handed players, it’s the right shoulder; and the left shoulder for lefties.

If you drop your rear shoulder, your club will hit the ground before it’s supposed to, making a mess of your shot.

A possible reason for hitting the ball fat is swinging too hard which causes the downswing to start with lots of hip movement.

You can try this simple  example to see for yourself. Take your club and address the ball normally.

To test it – start your backswing and stop when the club is at the very top of your swing. Then, slide your hips horizontally toward the target area.

What happens to your rear shoulder?

Naturally, it dips down too!

Do the exercise again with a friend watching. Do it slowly this time, and ask him to watch the movement of your hips and shoulder carefully.

If your shoulder drops, you’ve likely found your problem.

To fix this issue, you need to learn how the proper use of your lower body while swinging.

Even though you need to twist your, don’t let them slide. Focus and practice on using your arms to start the downswing with, your hips will simply follow naturally.

You can also try keeping your forward shoulder down. Practice this over several shots and your body will get used to it making it easier to improve your swing.

Going into your backswing, remember that your forward arm must remain straight.

Once you reach to the top of your swing, think “down” for your forward shoulder, and then start with your downswing. Again, your hips will uncoil, make sure you don’t let them to slide laterally.

Even if the tips listed here are easy enough to use, they will still need some time spent on practicing and experimenting. And the practice range is the best place to do this. If you’re lucky, there might be pros around to help you out.

As you work on your swings, remember to go practice with all of your clubs, and not only the driver.

Lots of players like to start practicing with the short irons and move up the set when learning new skills.

Hitting the ball fat can still happen with any club, and only through practicing with each one can you truly master a solid and crisp hit on the ball.

More Golf Tips and Techniques

Finding golf tips for beginners online may be easy, but many of the articles and resources skip over some of the areas that are important for players truly new to the game.

To solve that we have here a list of lesser-known golf tips for beginners.

First of all, it’s important that you pick out the right clubs. For children and junior players, they should use clubs that are the right size for their height. Many young players first get into the game using their parents’ clubs. Unfortunately, younger players need to master different skills and not using the appropriate equipment isn’t a good start, and this could make for bad swing habits.

Another golf tip for beginners that is usually overlooked is learning and observing the game’s basic rules and etiquette while on the course. Take sand traps for example; a lot of new players don’t know how to walk in and out of one properly. Sand traps have rakes in them for players to use to smooth out their footprints and other marks on the trap.

Most players might not even know what the rake is for. More experienced golfers can be of great help here. So if you play with a new player, help him out as best you can on the rules and traditional course etiquette.

New players, instead of asking for help, will instead try to teach themselves the fundamentals of swinging. If you have the patience, go ahead; but this can be a long and oftentimes frustrating process. One of the best golf tips for beginners is go and ask someone who knows what to do to help you out. Sounds simple right? But most people feel shy about doing this. Don’t! Everyone was new to the game once and we all remember what is was like.  Part of the sport of golf is the way we are competitive with the game – more so than with each other.  Its one of the few sports where we can all have a great game and all win versus our previous games.

So – a more experienced player can and will help newbies get started and set up properly, give a rundown of the proper swing process, and observe the swing on the spot where he can give feedback and make improvements.

For new players, the takeaway is an important aspect to look into. The takeaway is when your club starts moving away from the ball, and this is crucial to the rest of your swing. Many new players tend to use their hands for the swing, whipping the club back. In order to make a good shot, new players have to understand that they don’t need to swing back the club fast.

Proper body rotation is area many new players find problematic.

The proper way of bringing the club back is letting the shoulders turn while keeping club face square, followed by turning the hips. Reaching the top of the backswing, the hips start the downswing, and not the hands.

Here’s another lesser-mentioned golf tips for beginners: the importance of a proper follow through. There are some shots that need a full follow-through, while there are those that don’t. Learning the difference should be a top consideration.

Most players make the fairly common mistake of lifting their head to watch the ball making them stop short on the follow-through. Try to avoid this as it can affect your shot’s overall performance. You can look when you’ve completed your follow through.

And lastly, the most important of all golf tips for beginners is: to practice! Golf is a game that not only needs but demands hands-on training. And don’t master just one club, but all of them.

To truly master the golf swing, you have to invest the time and energy to learning each club and understanding how they react to your swing.

More Golf Tips and Techniques