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No doubt there are high hopes heading out to that first tee. You feel strong; you can see that ball exploding off the club. That feeling of raw power as the ball soars through the air; that swing so smooth and powerful; your head definitely in the game.

And then for some reason after taking a smooth practice swing and still feeling on top of the world, you address the ball, a little doubt creeps in. You start that back swing with a little sway in the body and before you know it you have over-swung just a bit. Then as you start your downswing your hips shift slightly causing your hands to get too far ahead of the club so that at impact you are coming from outside in cutting at the ball causing a severe slice to the right and the round begins.

From the heavy rough you try to make the miraculous shot only to find yourself advancing about 100 yards with a 4 metal and no better of a lie. By the time you reach the green you have visited the sand and are now putting from 25 feet for bogey with a slight breeze in the brilliant sun but you might as well be playing in the rain – you see nothing but two putts.

You reach the second tee, you are now the last one to tee off and the smoke is billowing. Smack! This time the ball takes an abrupt turn to the left, heading toward the trees, ricocheting off the tall branches and settling softly behind a beautiful Douglas Fir with no way to advance the ball. From here you play straight across the fairway, left-handed by the way, and are then hitting number 3 to this 375 yard par 4.

Finally you lift one up into the air heading directly toward the green and it looks like a beauty and the rest of your foursome yells “great shot”, “at a way partner” but suddenly it comes up short, lands in a soft spot where moisture has collected from last night’s 5-minute shower storm and the ball is plugged.

All of you look for a good 5 minutes but there is no ball to be found. Soon, reluctantly, you pull out another Titleist take your lost-ball stroke, then shank it onto the green leaving yourself another long putt but now for double-bogey – oh-oh, another two to get down. Two holes completed and you are now 5 over par.

Smoke is now coming out of your ass.

“Where’s the golf strategy, sweetheart?” Any hopes you had of “this being the day” have just vanished in the first 13 meetings of your clubface and that little white ball.

Of course we all know that this has nothing to do with you. There is obviously something wrong with the golf clubs or the ball is out of balance or they did something to the golf course. This just can’t be. You felt too good. You had this all planned out in your mind and you were told by that latest article that all you had to do was visualize the shot and that is exactly what you did.

Where is the justice??? Somebody call the sheriff and get his fat buns out here.

Golf is always full of surprises. And to many of us that is probably what makes it such a great game. But just once, wouldn’t it be nice to be hitting on all cylinders and having that ball land in just the right spot on every hole? And then have every putt break just as you had planned and end up perfectly in the middle of the hole? …probably not going to happen.

The above scenario is not so far fetched as most all golfers know. In fact, you play this game enough and you will have many of these sorts of stories of your own. Most of us have one or two every round.

But this is the very reason why golfers need to think more about “Golf Strategy”. It is too easy out there over a period of 4 to 4 ? hours for things to get out of control. And if you don’t have something written down to help you get back on track you can turn one mistake into many very quickly and that is what can drive up the score.

The written strategy does not have to be complicated at all. It is just a reminder of what you intend to do on each hole. Where do you want the ball to land? What club selection makes sense off the tee? What do you need to consider giving you the best chance at par? What do you definitely want to avoid? And what are the distances from certain landmarks so you know what to do if things don’t go quite as planned?

Most golfers try to do all of this in their heads. But when things go a stray, plans start to get abandoned. And that is not good. It is better to only have one bad hole as opposed to many if you can prevent it. And the quicker you can get your mind off of the bad shot or the missed putt the better off you will be.

The concept behind a written plan in golf is no different than a written plan in business or your personal life. It helps to solidify the plan or strategy in your mind and then keeps you on target – you have something to refer to when distractions get in your way. It is also a great tool for evaluation. You are not just remembering what you did that was good or bad but you have your plan to see how you are doing against your strategy for each hole.

In time this will pay dividends with more consistent play.

Think about it: Get that “Strategy” out of your head and onto some paper for better results.

About the Author
Article by Jeff Gustafson – the creator of the Pocket Pro Personal Game-Plan and Strategy System http://www.the-sixth-man.com

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The Diary of a Golfer

If you have decided to take up golf, you are probably in search of free golf tips. Good news! You’ve found them! These free golf tips are designed with every golfer in mind, and they are beneficial to anyone who reads them.

The first tip is to beware of tips! That’s right. Many well meaning golfers will offer you a great deal of advice. What many people fail to realize is that what works for one golfer probably won’t work for others. These tips, however, are for all golfers.

Enjoy the game. Getting mad isn’t much fun. If you aren’t enjoying the game, you need to find out why, and fix the problem. Getting upset over bad swings or problem areas won’t fix anything, and it will only serve to take all of the fun out of the game. This is a game that tests your skill and technique – but it is still a game, and games are meant to be enjoyed!

Be a great sport – even if you aren’t great at golf. Be respectful to the other players. Be still and quiet when they are taking their shots. Don’t criticize or make fun of the way they stand, shoot, or grip the club….no matter how good you think your own game is. Good sportsmanship is everything, and without it, you won’t have any golfing companions in a very short period of time.

Golf responsibly. Do not litter the course. If the grass is loosened and turned when you shoot, use your foot to replace it. Wait your turn if you come upon a group at the next tee – don’t rush them. Use caution when driving golf carts, and use caution again when you take your shots to avoid hitting houses, buildings, animals, or other golfers. Leave the course better than you found it.

When you practice, practice at the hardest holes on the course…don’t take the easy way out, practicing only on the easy holes, thinking you are making headway – you aren’t. Practice on the hardest tees, and the hardest putts. Put yourself in the traps, and practice getting out of them. Imagine worst case scenarios and set them up. This is what will make you a better golfer.

Play miniature golf, and take it more seriously – but still have fun. Playing miniature golf is a great way to improve your putting skills. Many seasoned golfers laugh at this suggestion – but its true! Good miniature golf courses provide really challenging obstacles that you must put through, under, around and over….some even offer more challenges than you will ever find on your local golf course greens!

Keep your eyes open for used training aids. If they are reasonably priced – buy them! Not all training aids will help you, but unfortunately, you won’t know which ones will unless you try them out first. Get together with golfing friends and go in together to buy golfing aids that you can share. The aids that are available on the market today will help you improve your game a great deal, in a short amount of time.

Read a lot – and play even more. There are lots of techniques that you can learn from golfing websites, golf books, and golf magazines – but you will learn them faster out on the course! Read it once, and then go try it. If you need to, print it out and carry it with you – but go put the theory into practice – and practice, practice, practice! You can learn the concept sitting in your living room, but you will never make that concept work for you if you don’t take it out onto the course with you!

If you can’t get on the course, and you have some spare time and enough room, practice your swing. You don’t need a ball for this. Consider using a training club during these times to help build strength as well. If you take the time to practice your swing several times a day, you will find that you have a perfect swing for you in short order! If your golf game gets rained out – use the time to practice your swing, or practice your putting indoors…but don’t let that time go to waste! The best free golf tips you will ever receive will all include the word ‘practice!’

About the Author
We provide you with information on the best golf tips available, instructions on how to get your strokes down and much more. Dozens of free golf tips waiting for you, come and take a look! http://www.golf-game-tip.com/

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Free Golf Tips – Beware of Bad Advice

All the beginners at first feel frustrated playing this game. Really, looking at golf professionals we think, why, it’s so simple. I will learn to do it without big efforts’. But when you start, you understand that the game is rather complicated. This article is mainly devoted to the beginners, who need some good golf tips.

The First Experience

It may make you really upset. You are disappointed in your score, your putts are done badly, to put it mildly. You start to think you will never learn bunker play. Little by little, your mood is worsening, you lose sense of humor and, finally, you become so irritated that you want to swear out loud. Some mates who play with you may try to explain to you what is better to do. But such golf tips are not professional, and sometimes they are mutually contradictory. So, rely on yourself and start with following…

Some Golf Tips for the Beginners.

So, what to start with? No doubt, you need some good quality instruction at first. You should look for several instructors and talk to them. That is necessary, for you shouldn’t choose the first instructor you find, because his teaching style may not match your style of learning. That is why you need an opportunity to decide between two or more variants.

The next thing is attending series of lessons. One or two studies will not help. You need to practice under the direction of the instructor as long as possible. If you can’t afford it for this or that reason you may resort to self-education with the use of DVD’s and books, which also offer some useful golf tips. Nowadays there is also plenty information on how to learn to play golf on the Internet.

Appropriate equipment is also sufficient. First of all, it applies to the set of golf clubs you hit the ball with. You need different types of clubs for definite purposes during the game. The clubs should be qualitative and solid. It must be said, that a set of brand new clubs costs a lot, so you may buy some used clubs for the first time.

You should pay more attention to your pitching, putting and chipping than to the driver. And finally, you should have a mental game plan. It is important to realize that golf is a game where you should limit the amount of bad shots and enjoy the good ones.

In conclusion it should be said that following golf tips you are given will help you to determine your own counsel on how to play better. You will learn what you manage to do sumptuously and what your weak points are. You will be no more frustrated for you will know what exactly you should work on.

About the Author
If you want to learn more about Golf including free information, reviews and much more, or you want to join our free weekly newsletter then please visit golf shops (Recommended) or for more free articles all about golf visit www.GolfShopReview.com/GolfShops

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The Secret Golf Tips For The Amateurs

How many golf putting aids do you have? I’ll bet you have one even in your office right now. Even though putting bores me (and my putts per round show it), it is a critical component of your game if you want to shoot lower scores.

Practicing your putting can get monotonous and boring; and a training aid specific to your putting problem can make all the difference in the world. In fact, by keeping you interested in practicing, these aids can hone your putting leaps and bounds ahead of your playing partners and competitors.

Don’t waste your time trying every putting aid on the market. It is easy to get caught up in the trap to go store to store trying every one you can get your hands on. While I commend you on your persistence and willingness to thoroughly research before you buy, there is a point at which you need to make a decision and get on with it!

The the first step to getting a golf putting aid that will help you, is finding out what your putting deficiency is.

There can be many issues/problems in your putting. For example you can have excess head and body movement. Poor putter path back and through; inconsistent contact with ball and putter face; erratic tempo throughout stroke, and many others. The list can go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

Figuring out what your issue is will give you direction on what putting aid to look in to. These training aids can get very expensive, so you do not want to be hasty and premature in your purchase decision. In fact, sometimes you can make your own golf putting aid if need be.

Try it before you buy it! Now I know early on I said don’t go hog wild trying every training aid in the store, you definitely need to narrow down your choices and then go into a local golf store to try it out.

Many of these training aids for putting can be demoed right in the store. Why not try it before you buy it? What a novel idea eh? If you give it a go first, you will have a better idea of whether it can help your putting or not.

I’ve gone into the golf shop looking at these, tried one, and was blown away at how different it was to actually use it first. Never…I mean never buy it without trying to find it locally! You’re throwing your money out the window!

Now comes the make-or-break point! To be successful, you need to “use it consistently!” Let me say that one more time, “use it consistently!” The ONLY way you will see improvement is to practice with your new aid as much as possible. If it can be done in your home, do it daily. If you need to go to the range, try to do it at least 2 times a week.

So many golfers buy something on a whim, only to use it once or twice and that’s it! Not a smart move if you want to see results. So remember…consistency is the key to success!

About the Author
Mike Pedersen is the founder of 8 golf performance and information websites. For more golf putting aids advice, visit his site today.

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Golf Putting Aids Can Shave Strokes Off Your Score