5 Important Golf Lessons

Here Neil Tappin and Alex Elliott go through the 5 most important golf lessons.

5 Important Golf Lessons

Neil Tappin is joined by PGA Professional and YouTuber Alex Elliott, and they go through the 5 most important golf lessons every golfer can benefit from. They cover many areas of golf and what they discuss can be easily implemented into your game, which will help make a difference to your game!

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5 Important Golf Lessons

5. Posture and ball position

The key here is to stand to the ball athletically so that you can maintain good positions and control. How do you achieve that athleticism?

Stand over the ball with legs straight  and the sole of the club pointing up, then lower the club until its parallel to the ground. You then use your hips as the pivot point to lean forward and then slightly bend the knees.

This will give you a good posture which is one of the key building blocks to a good golf swing.

Ball position is also important. The rule of thumb to use is to have the ball in the middle of the stance for a pitching wedge and move it forward half a ball width as you progress through the bag.

4. Pitching

Point number one for pitching is to have a narrower stance whilst keeping the shoulders parallel to the ball. The hips should be slightly open to help you swing it slightly shorter on the way back and it helps you open the hips on the follow through.

A common problem for players when pitching is not clearing the hips properly and a slightly open stance helps here. Also remember to keep weight on your left side or right side if you are a left-handed golfer.

The final thing to mention in terms of feel is to make the club feel light which is best illustrated below.

3. Chipping

How chipping is taught has evolved in recent years with past focus being on putting the shaft forward and digging down at the ball. However these days there is more of a focus on using the bounce and less shaft lean to try and stop the leading edge digging which is a common problem.

In terms of setup, having a middle ball position is best and make sure the shoulders are still parallel to the target. Like the pitching setup, it is  good to have slightly open hips and also have your hands on the golf ball, not ahead of it.

A good analogy for describing how to strike the ball and use the bounce of the club is to imagine the sole of the club is an airplane coming into land. The aim is to just brush the turf with the club in the same manner a pilot will look to smoothly land the wheels on the runway.

2. Rhythm

Having good rhythm is a sure fire way to hit good golf shots but how do you achieve it?

A good way to achieve a consistent rhythm is to use a song or a mantra that you can use every time. This can be anything and in the video Alex uses Manchester City player Sergio Aguero to help him maintain his swing all the way to the top and through.

1. Driving

Hitting it well with the driver in this day and age is huge especially in terms of hitting the ball on the up to maximise distance.

The key building block to achieve that is setup. Alex likes to put his feet together in line with the ball, and then he moves his right foot to make sure he has his ball position in the right spot.

Having it further forward in the stance means the driver will meet the ball later on in the arc of the swing which means you are more likely to be hitting it on the up.

Then put your driver in between your chest and just tilt your body until you feel your driver tap you on the heel. This is now the ideal posture and position for a shot with the driver.

And finally in terms of tee height this will depend on the shot but a general rule of thumb is to have half a ball above the face.

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