Classic Golf Tips

Here is some very good advice when talking about classic golf tips from Jack Moorehouse creator of  "How To Break 80".

Jack has a point. I think a famous golf instructor once said something to the effect to not take the whole aspirin bottle when one or two will do just fine.

Here`s Jack`s broader point...

Classic Golf Tips

Don’t Overdo These Four Classic Golf Tips

Golf tips become classics for a reason. They provide an especially good way of capturing a key fundamental, whether it’s a swing adjustment or a course management tip. A classic tip that many golfers follow is “Don’t aim into trouble.” Aiming away from trouble saves strokes. Keeping these classic golf tips in mind when you practice or play is good for your game and your golf handicap. But sometimes we overdo them. When we do, it leads to trouble. It can also lead to back pain. So you need to be careful with them. Below we dis-cuss four classic golf tips that taken too far cause trouble.

Keep Your Head Still

This is probably the most popular of all “overdone” golf tips. This advice is generally given to players who pull up and top the ball. While you hear it a lot from players on the course, you don’t hear it in golf lessons. Why—because taken too far it’s bad advice. Keeping your head locked in place stops the body from turning toward the target. That in turn creates a cramped space for the arms on the follow through, spelling trouble. Instead, release your chin, sternum, and hips together. It’s a good thought going back, but after that forget it.

Turn Your Shoulders Not Your Hips

This common overdone tip is based on the idea that the more torque you create the farther you hit the ball. This idea is partly true. Based on our observations during our golf in-struction session, few golfers can complete a full torso turn while limiting hip turn. The rest of us just aren’t flexible enough. We can turn about 70 percent, and that’s it. If you want extra distance, you’re better off freeing your hips so you can turn your shoulders more. Like all the other golf tips discussed in this article, taken too far this advice leads to trouble.

Keep Your Legs Still On Chips

You want to keep your knees still when chipping. But the thought of doing that can “freeze” you, causing you to mishit your chip. When you rely only on your hands to swing the club during a chip, you create a jerky motion that can lead to tons of missed chips. Every shot you make requires synchronization between the upper half of your body and the lower. Instead of keeping your hips still during your swing, let your hips rotate back slightly at the start, then rotate forward to allow your knees to face the target, just the way they teach it in golf instruction sessions. (Check our video gallery for a golf les-son on the fundamentals of chipping.)

 Stick Your Butt Out

This is a useful tip but going too far with it isn’t good, like all the rest. Posture is a critical component of a good golf swing. What’s the problem? If done in the wrong manner, it leads to an “S” posture, meaning you put too much curve in your lower spine. We see this a lot in golf instruction sessions with new players. An “S” shaped posture not only pre-vents pelvic mobility during the swing, it also leads to back pain. Make sure your posture is correct.

Below is an easy drill to help check your posture: Get into your stance. Then with one hand reach behind you and hold a club along your back. Make sure the shaft is in contact with your spine from your shoulder blades to your tailbone. Now check your setup. If there’s space to wiggle your fingers under the shaft, you have too much bend in your pos-ture and your butt is sticking out way too much.

Don’t over do these golf tips. Taken too far they result in mis-hits and bad shots, both of which can add strokes to your scores and your golf handicap.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 and Shoot Like the Pros!". He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicaps quickly. His free weekly newsletter goes out to thousands of golfers worldwide and provides the latest golf tips, strategies, techniques and instruction on how to improve your golf game.

I hope this advice concerning classic golf tips helps you put these issues in perspective!