PLAYING GREAT GOLF by KIKO GOLF . COM

This weeks Golf Tips

2008-01-29T20:23:00.000-05:00

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Jan 16 Newsletter

2008-01-19T12:38:00.000-05:00

January 16, 2008 - Vol I - Issue 7

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Assuming Your Golf Stance

In this months newsletter we will be looking at your golf stance.
Your posture and balance have a direct affect on
making solid contact with the golf ball. Your stance and golf grip
are the foundations of your swing.

Click on any of the links below to learn more about positioning
your golf stance.

Hips

Shoulders

Flexibility

Your Back

Your Head

Did You Miss Last months Newsletter?

Read it here:

Gripping the Club
The Simple 2 Step Process to building a proper grip.

Finding Right Grip
How much pressure should you place in your grip on the club?

Matching up Grip Pressure to Your Shot
Certain situations call for different amounts of pressure. Learn more...

Your Best Grip
What is the best type of golf grip for you? Learn more about the most common golf grips.

Improve your Golf Swing
through Wrist Control. Straighten your slices
and hooks INSTANTLY with the #1 golf tool to
keep the lead wrist flat.

ORDER - Includes Bonuses!

Learn More

January Golf Newsletter

2008-01-09T16:38:00.000-05:00

January 2007 - Vol I - Issue 6

View Full Newsletter On KIKOGolf Web Site

Gripping the Club

The Simple 2 Step Process to building a proper grip.

Finding Right Grip

How much pressure should you place in your grip on the club?

Matching up Grip Pressure to Your Shot

Certain situations call for different amounts of pressure. Learn more...

Your Best Grip

What is the best type of golf grip for you? Learn more about the most common golf grips.

Improve your Golf Swing
through Wrist Control. Straighten your slices
and hooks INSTANTLY with the #1 golf tool to
keep the lead wrist flat.

ORDER - Includes Bonuses!

Learn More

Canadians on Top - Weir and Ames

2008-01-05T17:02:00.000-05:00

Mike Weir, A Canadian Pro Golfer, who only 10 weeks ago qualified for the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship, holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 6-under 67 which gave him a one-shot lead over Stephen Ames and Jonathan Byrd.

Ames, the only player in the field who actually lives in Canada, fixed a flaw in his putting stroke and also shot 67, making birdie on three of his last five holes despite missing a 6-footer along the way.

Weir, at 8-under 138, and Ames will be in the final group at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii.

Canadians Mike Weir and Stephen Ames in charge in Hawaii | Tours & News | Golf.com

2008-01-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

Weir finished his round with an 18-foot birdie that left him at 8-under 138. Another shot back was Ames and Byrd, who made birdies on his last two holes. Sixteen players were separated by five shots going into the weekend, with a forecast again for moderate trade winds and enough of the occasional showers to keep the Plantation Course soft and long.

Canadians Mike Weir and Stephen Ames in charge in Hawaii | Tours & News | Golf.com

How to Read a Golf Score Card

2008-01-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

Every golfer has to learn how to read a golf score card, irrespective of their handicap. In its simple form, a score card is simply a note of the number of shots you took to complete each hole. You generally add up the total for the front nine and the back nine separately, and the total for the two is that for your round.

So what is difficult about that? Well, there are some refinements which might not appear on every score card for every golf club, and some municipal golf courses open to the public offer only the simple score card with a box for every hole and a few lines for the different players. However, let's have a look at what you could expect to see on a reasonable detailed score card.

The first thing you will see is the name of the player and then a box for each of the holes, set out in two lots of nine, from holes 1 - 9 on one side of the card, and then 10- 18 on the other side. There is a column for the total scores of each set on nine on each side of the card, than a box for the total score and a line for your signature.
You will also find a number of tee boxes, with those for the men at the top, and the women's at the bottom. Black is normally the color allocated to the championship tees, with the next easier listed below in order. Most males will play white tees, and the player ticks the tee box from which they are playing. Ladies normally play the red tees and juniors the green. If you look at the card, the tee the player has been playing from will be ticked.

After the name of each tee box you will find the distance of each hole: this is greater for the black tee, and reduces as you run down the tee list. Some courses can have a few different tees, while others might just have a normal tee, a championship, and a women's tee. You might find an indication of the course rating and slope rating for each set of tees. You don't get this on all score cards, and if they are provided, they occur after the color of the tee, and before the hole distance boxes.

These are provided so that handicapped players can play on equal basis from one course to another. The rating is expressed in strokes and is based on the difficulty and yardage of the course. If the par is 72, then a rating of 71.9 from a certain tee would indicate it more difficult that a course with a rating of 72.9 and easier than one of 69.9. The slope rating indicates the degree of difficulty for the bogey golfer. An average slope rating is 113, and anything above this would be more difficult. It will tell average golfers if they are playing easier or harder courses than their regular course.

Then come the boxes for each hole that tell you the par for each hole. If there are two par figures, then the second will be for ladies only. The first is for men and juniors. One box contains the distance from the permanent market at each tee to the middle of the green. The actual distance will vary according to where on the tee you play from, and the pin placement on the green that can change from day to day.

There then might be a line with the 'handicap' listing for each hole. This is a relative figure, so that if a hole is awarded a figure of 11, it means that of the 17 other holes, 10 are easier and 7 harder. These are used to determine handicaps and at which holes a handicapped player can get strokes taken from their score.

You will then have a box for each hole. All score cards have this, no matter how simple they are otherwise. This is where you write your score, which is your net score with any penalties added. The box at the end should be the total of your first nine holes. There may also be a box at the end of the par boxes for each hole, where you write your score relative to par. Thus, for a par 36 front nine, if you shot a 40 write down +4, or -2 for a score of 34.

You might also see a box marked 'OUT' or 'IN': that is the direction in which the course is played, and you play the 'OUT' holes first. There will also likely be another box with the total distance of each nine holes, with an accumulated total on the back side of the card (the 'IN' side).

There should also be a box for your handicap, and if you are applying that in a particular game you enter it in the box and then subtract from your total score to provide a net score including handicap. Some courses provide you with free handicaps according to your scores on the course, while others will charge to keep a record of this for you.
Many golfers have various ways of marking their scores relative to par. You might see the scores on TV shown in some way, such as in various colors, as to whether they are above or below par. A bogie could be in red, and a double bogie in black for example, but there is no convention for this. Many golfers will have their own way of marking these scores on their score sheet, but many will not bother.

These are the salient points of your score card, and should cover the most of what you are liable to find. It is not difficult to read a golf score card once you know what to look for, and not all score cards show all of these features. You might find some completed cards with strange figures showing, and these are likely to be found where players are using non-standard scoring systems such as Stableford where points are awarded for scores relative to par.

However, this does not change the basic look of a score card unless it has been customer designed for a particular scoring format. Such cards are rare, and if you understand how to read a standard score that should be all that you need.

How to Read a Golf Score Card

Three Secrets of A Consistent Golf Stroke

2008-01-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

What you are about to read... will change your golfing life forever! What are these three "secrets"? If you knew how would they effect your game?. These three "secrets" are what the worlds best players do. Every player MUST know these "secrets" if they are to have a powerful, repeating golf stroke.
The problem with the majority of golfers is that they don't know what to do. Oh their friends, well wishers at best, tell them that they are "bending their left arm", "raising up through the shot", "coming over the top" and host of other swing faults. But these are the same people that shoot the same scores you do! What could they possibly tell you that would improve your game?
The information you are about to receive is not theory or conjecture but science. Ooooh, you say, this sounds complicated. Well it isn't, it is simply the laws of force and motion that govern our entire lives and day to day living. Once you understand these simply laws your golf game will forever change...for the better!

Secret #1: A Flat Left Wrist
Because the golf stroke involves a golf club, a left arm, and a wrist in between, it is called a "lever system". The left wrist acts as a "hinge pin" much like the old time "flail" used to beat wheat. This "hinge pin" can rotate, cock or uncock but NEVER Bends!
Golfers however routinely bend the left wrist causing the clubhead to reach the ball before the hands do. This causes a "quitting" motion, adds loft to the clubface, points the face to the left of target, makes the clubhead swing upward disrupting the downward motion that ALL good golf shots MUST have. Good players DELOFT the clubface at Impact. Poor players ADD loft to the clubface costing them distance, direction, and trajectory.
A 5 iron, for example, has approximately 8 degrees for "forward lean" when soled properly. At Impact with good players the "lean" is approximately 15 degrees. This turns the 5 iron into a 4 iron. Poor players reach Impact with a "backward" leaning clubshaft thereby ADDING loft and turning the 5 iron into a 6-7 iron!

Secret #2: A Staright Plane Line
You only have two choices when it comes to the swing plane, you are either on or you're off. There is no middle ground!
What exactly is the swing plane? The plane is the angle of the clubshaft as it sets at address - period! It is NOT Hogans plane of glass as many would have you to believe. There are only three planes available;
1. Horizontal - a wall2. Vertical - the floor3. Inclined somewhere in between
As golfers you and I use the Inclined Plane to swing the club back up and end, down out and forward, up back and in making the Golf Stroke three dimensional.
The clubshaft, actually the sweetspot of the club, may travel to any other plane angle during the swing as long as it DOES NOT cross the base of the plane. Here is a simple way you can know if you are on plane or not. Whichever end of the club is nearest to the ground MUST also point at the base of the plane from horizon to horizon. If neither end is nearer then the clubshaft MUST be horizontal to the ground and parallel to the base of plane.

Secret #3: A Lagging Clubhead
Lag by definition means "trailing". When the clubhead passes the hands coming into Impact there is no "lag". Without "lag" the golf ball cannot be compressed, we cannot hit downward, and we have a tremendous power loss. Clubhead lag promotes a steady and even acceleration giving us a dependable way to control distance.
Look at any picture of your favorite player at Impact. The left arm and clubshaft are in ONE LINE! Never two lines. This means that the player is utilizing "lag". When a ball is struck with "lag" it explodes off the clubface! Without this "lag" the sound turns into one of mush, a soft Impact instead of a driving Impact.

If you follow this outline, learn these three "Secrets" you will be hitting the ball with more compression than you ever thought possible.
For example, a Driver striking a golf ball with a 2 degree "backward" leaning clubshaft at 100 mph with 9.5 degrees of loft produces a launch angle of 6.4 degrees and a carry distance of 230 yards.
By changing Impact to a 2 degree forward leaning clubshaft the player produces a launch angle of 10.4 degrees and a carry of 251 yards. A 21 YARD INCREASE WITHOUT buying a new Driver and simply having clubhead lag!
YOU can improve your game dramatically by following the steps outlined above. Become the best player YOU can be and start winning those 4 way presses! If YOU really want to elevate your game, hit it farther, straighter, and nearer the hole then practice what I've shared with you.

About the Expert
------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D. @ www.chuckevansgolf.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Evans is one of only 31 Teachers in the world to hold the designation of "Doctorate in Golf Stroke Engineering", he is one of the most highly sought after instructors in the world not only by players but other teachers as well and is known as the Teacher of Teachers!
Chuck has appeared on numerous golf talk shows, written and published instructional articles in local, regional, and national golf publications. His DVD, "60 Days To Game Improvement" has sold in excess of 10,000 copies and his new eBook, "How To Build YOUR Golf Swing" is in the library of amateurs and Teaching Professional alike. He has also appeared as the featured instructor for education classes regarding the golf swing at various PGA Sections and Chapters around the country and has been nominated numerous times for Golf Digest's Top 50 Teachers and Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.
In addition Chuck has held the positions of Director of Schools for the PGA Tour Golf Academy and the Director of Instruction for the United States Golf Institute.

Three Secrets of A Consistent Golf Stroke

Pagendam Brothers Swing in New Direction

2007-12-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

Pagendam Brothers Swing in New Direction

Golf Digest » Golf And Your Wrist

2007-12-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

By Dr. Vince Gomez
Recently, the wrist has become the subject of some golf chatter surrounding the pro tour. For those who follow Jennifer Rosales (our own JRo) closely, they know that her wrists were the source of many problems and injuries requiring her to modify her swing to prevent injury and help her game. Michelle Wie fell while jogging and hurt her wrists. Although she was supposed to have recovered, she still couldn’t play well enough to break 80 and she had to withdraw rather than risk losing her card due to the dreaded “88” rule. And, most significantly, there was Lefty (Phil Mickelson) who hurt his wrists and has been playing dismally since.
Many of you golfers have also had your share of wrist problems. The most common complaint I get in my clinic regarding the wrist is pain after grounding the club or hitting a branch, rock or root. The pain is usually in the leading arm, in the ulnar side of the wrist. The pain is worse when the wrist is rotated or when the wrist is cocked back and carries the club. This pain can be very disabling and can make playing golf impossible. If you have a back spasm, you can still play with a corset brace. If you have an ankle sprain, you can still take the cart practically up to the ball and play it. If you have golfer’s elbow, you can still swing the club and hit the ball as long as your swing is shorter. But, the wrist? If the wrist hurts, you can’t pick up the club but if you can pick it up to swing it, you are so afraid of hitting the ground that in most cases, you flinch or drop the club. So, you can’t play and this, in many ways, makes the wrist the most important area of the body as far as playing golf is concerned. A study conducted among the top 226 American players in the PGA and the LPGA showed that 93 (24%) had left wrist problems with the right affected in only 3%.

What is interesting to note is that in elite golfers like Tiger and Vijay (and Phil M), the wrists do not uncock. The forearms rotate and this causes the rolling over of the wrists.
So how do you hurt your wrist?
The main injuries when your wrist is hurt playing golf are divided into two types:
1) Tendinitis from overuse. This is from repetitive microtrauma. Due to bad golf mechanics or inadequate strength, too much stress is placed on the collagen fibers of the tendons around the wrist causing a micro-rupture of the fibers. The tendons don’t tear but they become stretched out causing pain tenderness and inability to move the wrist without pain. This is not necessarily from too much practice. If the mechanics of the swing are wrong meaning your grip is wrong, or the wrist tendons work too hard to hang on to the club and this causes tendinitis.
From a practical point of view, avoid three things:* Overswinging, letting your wrists break at the top of the swing and the club drops.* Casting the club rather than controlling the club through the swing, you throw it through the downswing and you try to flick or lock and unlock the wrists as you hit the ball.* Weak grip. Women often have tendonitis if the grip is weak. This is because the tendons work harder to keep the wrist steady during the swing.
2) Ulnar-Carpal (wrist) joint injuries. The ulnar bone is the long bone of your arm that starts at the point of your elbow and ends where the 5th finger is on the hand. The ulna is slightly raised at the wrist and you can feel it. There is a ligament you can feel, like a band between the ulna and the bones of the wrist. This is called the TFCC (triangular fibro-cartilagenous complex). It is the link between the forearm and wrist at this point. If it is strained from overswinging or from grounding the club forcefully, you can tear or overstretch this ligament causing pain most especially when you roll your wrists. As long as your wrists are locked when you hold a club, it doesn’t hurt but once you swing the club, the TFCC presents with pain. Another thing you will notice is that when you rotate your forearm from a palm down position, the small bone (the ulna) pops up and becomes more prominent than on the other side.
Most women and beginner golfers have not yet developed adequate forearm power and thus have weaker wrists and grip strengths. Many beginners are taught to hold the clubs in more neutral positions and if they do not understand the concept of “grip strength” or how hard to hold the club, the wrists will break through the course of the swing. This is the basic underlying problem in the grip that causes injury.
Why?:
* If the grip is weak, there is adequate control of the club and as the club flaps around, the wrists are under a lot of strain.* Stronger grips lock the wrists and neutral grips only work if proper grip strength is applied.* In an attempt to get more power and distance, there is a conscious attempt to hinge or cock the wrist and then rapidly uncock them through impact. This is the “misconception” of the delayed hit. What delivers the speed at impact is not a delayed uncocking but an acceleration by a quick rolling of the forearms at impact.* People try to break this down into components. The mistake is that all of these parts should come together in one complete motion.
Knowing your pain and keeping it away
Whenever you get this type of pain, no matter what you do, you cannot play through the pain. It is important to rest the wrist. Apply ice on the pain area and, if the pain is really bad, benefit from wearing a wrist brace or splint. Pain relievers such as anti-inflammatory tablets or topical creams can give immediate relief. If the pain persists, then you may need to have treatment in the form of physical therapy, ultrasound, or paraffin. You should see a doctor, preferably an orthopedic surgeon but more specifically, one who understands the golf swing. The reason for this is that, resting the wrist and therapy will relieve the pain but if you go back to your old swing habits, then it will only be a matter of time before the pain comes back. Your doctor should be able to identify what your problem is and help you with it. Personally, I have a shortened club in my clinic and I ask the golfer to grip and go through the motions of the swing so I can identify the flaws.
Many fitness professionals prescribe wrist flexion and extension exercises in golf training programs. This is wrong due to a poor understanding of the golf swing. During the golf swing, there should be very little through range wrist movement except in the thumb up to thumb down positions. All programs should aim to provide symmetry and a smooth transition from thumbs up to thumbs down to create good rolling of the forearms. Strengthening does not need to work on bringing the wrist up and down with weights but should focus on grip strength and left versus right balance. If no assessment has been done and your program includes these exercises, seek advice from a golf-trained physiotherapist or a knowledgeable coach.
Published on Golf Digest Philippines, August-September 2007 issue

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2007-12-02T19:34:00.000-05:00

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