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by ralphseo
By: Jack Moorehouse
I usually talk about lightning in golf lessons and golf tips because it's important. Lightning claims more lives every year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined, according to some reports. That's a lot of people. And golfers with their hand held lightning rods, as I mention in my golf instruction sessions, are as likely to be killed as anyone, unless they're careful.

How deadly is lightning? If you're hit by lightning, you probably won't get another chance to lower your golf handicap. A typical shock from lightning sends several thousand amps through your body in an instant. Unfortunately, it takes only two amps to stop your heart. So your chances of surviving after being struck by lightning aren't good. That's why you should know exactly what to do when you're on the course and lightning strikes.

Here's a short golf instruction session on what to do.

- Get off the course immediately

If you see lightning or hear thunder, even in the distance, get off the course immediately. Squalls and thunderstorms bearing lightning move quickly sometimes. Before you know it, they're right on top of you, catching you unprepared. If you see trouble, get off the course instantly. Don't worry about your clubs or the cart. Just get to shelter.

- Find a dense wooded area

Don't seek refuge under a lone tree. That's extremely dangerous. Thickets of short trees, On the other hand, are relatively safe. Also, avoid isolated shacks, unless they are grounded with lightning rods. Many are not, so be careful. Don't enter one unless you know for sure that it's been grounded. One golfer who took a golf lesson from me was surprised to find out after a storm that the shack she took shelter in wasn't grounded.

- Fall to your knees

When caught in the open, fall to your knees. Lightning strikes the highest point in the immediate vicinity. So if you're caught in the open and you think you're going to be struck by lightning, go down to your knees. Get as low as possible, but don't lie down. You want as little of the ground touching your body as possible. Lightning often travels through the ground

- Take off you spiked shoes

Not many golfers who take golf instruction sessions from me wear metal spikes these days. But some do. If you happen to be one and you get caught on the course when lightning strikes, take your shoes off. The metal attracts electricity. You're better off getting your socks wet than being hit by lightning.

- Get rid of your umbrella

Most golf umbrellas are made of fiberglass, making them less likely to attract lightning. However, lightning will strike an umbrella occasionally, because lightning tends to strike the highest point in the immediate vicinity. Never carry an umbrella except during a light drizzling rain.

- Stand away from your clubs

Stand as far away from your clubs as possible and never get caught holding one. Golf clubs are natural lightning rods, and nothing attracts lightning faster than a golf club. When Lee Trevino was hit by lightning at the Western Open in 1975, the same bolt hit Arnold Palmer's golf club 40 yards down the fairway.

- Stay away from water

Get as far away from ponds and lakes as you can. Water is a great conductor of electricity. If lightning strikes a lake or a pool, it can move through the ground and hit you where you stand. Remember few people are struck directly by lightning. It almost always strikes something near by and conducts through the ground.

- Golf carts are not safe

Forget what you've heard about golf carts being safe during a storm. Rubber tires do not ground electricity. That's a myth. It's not unusual for lightning to bounce off a tree and go right through a car's roof, killing the car's occupants. Golf carts are even less safe. Lightning strikes the highest point on the ground and that might just be the top of your golf cart.

- Avoid the green

This is one time on a golf course where it's better to be in a greenside bunker than on the green. Greens are often a bit higher than the surrounding terrain, making them more likely to be struck by lightning. In addition, the flagstick is especially likely to be struck by lightning. So the last place you want to be is on the green. Forget what you've been told in golf tips about how bad it is being in a bunker. This time it's good. Move to a greenside bunker and kneel down.

Newspapers publish stories about golfers being killed by lightning about 150 times a year. But lightning is much more dangerous than that. Follow the advice given above when lightning strikes and it's a good bet your name won't appear in one of those stories. We want everyone around to be able to take more golf lessons, read about golf, and continue lowering their golf handicaps. Be safe.
# by ralphseo | 2013-09-09 14:44
By: Jakobus Nel
One of the fundamentals of having an effective downswing and follow through is the backswing. So let us first discuss this very important aspect of the swing. The backswing gets your body in the correct position to complete the downswing and your follow through. So one small tip to improve your backswing is give yourself enough time and not to rush it.

Don't be in a great hurry to get to the top of your backswing and start your downswing. Just keep your rhythm and tempo nice and smooth. This will help you to make a good shoulder turn and fully complete your backswing. The perfect position to be in just before starting your downswing is to turn your back on the target with your club parallel to the ground and pointing at the target.

A very important part of swinging the club is the correct shifting of weight through the swing. If this is done right you will see a drastic improvement in the timing of your strokes. If done incorrectly you will lose a lot of power. The thing you should remember is to let your weight move in the same direction as the club head when swinging the club. By doing this you will synchronize your body movement with the swinging club and use your body weight to put more power and momentum behind the ball.

Now for the downswing and follow through. The best way to complete your swing is to sweep through and hold your finish. This is done by rotating your body through the ball and completing the swing with a well balanced finish. A very important principal is to keep your head down until your right shoulder comes through the swing and raises it naturally.

Using the sweep through and hold your finish principal you will learn to keep your balance and momentum through the swing and keep your swing tempo smooth promoting a solid strike.
# by ralphseo | 2013-09-07 14:27
By: Jakobus Nel
One of the fundamentals of a good golf swing is for your body to be correctly balanced and aligned to your target and doing this properly is a skill that will definitely improve your golf by a few shots every round.

There are various methods that are used by people around the world to line up accurately. Some people believe you should put a golf club down on the ground, making sure that it is pointing towards your target and then lining your feet up along the shaft before hitting the ball. Other people stand as they usually would when addressing the golf ball and try to visually align their feet to the target. Neither of these methods work very well.

I decided to do some research on this particular topic and this is what I discovered.

The best way to balance and align your body correctly consists of the following steps.

Step 1: Stand where you normally do when addressing the ball, upright and in a comfortable position. Hold your club with your left hand (assuming you are right-handed) and let your left arm hang at your side. Look at the head of the club resting on the ground and ensure that it is perpendicular to your body. Doing this helps you to correctly align the club in your hands.

Step 2: Place your right hand on the grip and hold the club ready to hit the ball.

Step 3: Take your hind foot and place it in the middle of your stance, leaning forward slightly, and place your front foot behind the back foot. You should be standing perpendicular to the line between the ball and the target with the golf ball directly in front of your toe.

Step 4: With your arms hanging straight down place the club head behind the ball. The ball should be in the centre of the club face and you shouldn't be stretching to reach the ball. If you are, then move your feet slightly forward or backward to reach this position. Test this by dropping one of your hands from your grip. If it swings backward you are stretching to reach the ball and should move closer and visa versa. Your feet should still be in the middle of your stance, one behind the other.

Step 5: This is the most important step of the whole routine and where the amazing power of your brain comes into play. Staying in the same position as you were, one foot behind the other, stand up slightly straighter and look at your target. Then, without taking your eyes off the target (You must not look down at the ball while doing this), move your feet a shoulder width apart into a golf stance position until you feel comfortable. Your brain will balance and line your body up perfectly towards your target. It will automatically take all your surrounding circumstances into account and make the necessary adjustments to put your body in a balanced position and align your feet to point directly towards the target.
# by ralphseo | 2013-09-07 14:27
By: Jakobus Nel
One of the ways to drastically lower your score is to improve your golf course management. This basically means improving the way you approach and play each hole on the course.

So lets get started.

Do you get on to the tee box of a par four or a par five and automatically reach for your driver? Do you look at the layout of a particular whole and decide which club will be best suited to the teeshot? Do you ever look at the obstacles ahead of you when teeing off or playing your approach shot towards a green and decide on the best position to be in for the following shot? When hitting approach shots to the green, do you always go for the pin?

If your answer is no to all of these questions then you struggle with golf course management.

There are two very important things to think about when playing your shot.

1) If I hit the ball to a certain position on a hole, what will my next shot be like and what is the chance that I will be playing the next shot from the fairway or the green?

2) Where is the best position for my ball to be in for the next shot?

That is basically what it all comes down to.
From were will I be hitting my next shot?

Don't get me wrong, I like hitting my driver as much as the next guy. The problem just comes in when I don't hit my drive straight or the landing area of the drive is riddled with hazards. My next shot will then most probably be a recovery shot from the hazard, which basically is a waste of a shot and after playing one recovery shot on every hole I end up playing 18 more shots than I should have.

So here is how to improve your course management and to get rid of those extra wasted shots.

1) Before hitting the ball analyse the hole ahead and identify all possible hazards.
2) Select an area on the fairway to hit to that hasn't got too many hazards and a relatively large room for error.
3) Select a club that you feel comfortable with hitting to that area.
4) Hit the ball and look forward to a hazard free next shot.

All this method will help you do is select the right club for the shot and leave you in the best possible position to play the following shot. Sure, you might have to hit a 3 wood instead of a driver or aim towards the wider part of the green, but I'd rather sacrifice a bit of distance or accuracy than playing my next shot from a hazard that will cost me an extra shot on that hole.
# by ralphseo | 2013-09-07 14:27
By: Jakobus Nel
As we all know, putting is very important when playing golf and the aim of all golfers is to hit as few putts as possible. Here is a simple tip that will drastically improve your putting.

One of the most common mistakes amateur golfers make when putting is moving their heads during the putting stroke. This occurs because most golfers want to see the result of the putt and the path the ball is taking before completing the putting stroke. This occurs especially on short putts, where there is a tendency of golfers to take an anxious peek and establish whether the ball is going into the hole.

There are a couple of things that happen when you move your head during the putting stroke.

1) You don't complete the follow through, giving you a putting stroke that is short and stabs at the ball resulting in inconsistencies in length. It also reduces the purity of the stroke.

2) When you move your head before the ball is struck your shoulders move out of position, causing the putter to leave the intended path of the stroke, leading to a crooked stroke and a missed putt.

The above results are results that none of us want and can do serious damage to our confidence which is especially important when putting.

To cure this problem you have to do the following.

For long putts, look at the ball during the entire backswing until contact while the ball is stationary and keep your eyes on that stationary position even after the ball has been struck. Count to at least two after striking the ball before lifting your eyes to ensure that you complete your follow through.

For short putts, keep your eye on the stationary position of the ball until you can hear the ball drop in the cup after impact.

This should ensure that you keep your head still during the putting stroke, will greatly increase your confidence and the consistency of your putts.
# by ralphseo | 2013-09-07 14:27