Golf Swing Teaching Aids - Do You Need Them?

There are so many golf swing training aids available today and so much hype that you might buy one after the other and still not find one that improves your golf swing. The first thing you need to do is figure out what aspect of your golf swing needs attention. It is vital that you understand what your weaknesses with your swing are and concentrate on finding a solution for that particular problem. Then, and only then, should you consider searching for a golf teaching aid that will address the swing fault that you have identified.

The best thing you can do to start with is make sure you have the fundamental elements correct that are necessary for a good golf swing. You need to make sure that you have the right grip to start with. Next, the address position and your body posture have to be in alignment to the target. Your balances at set up and throughout the swing, as well as your weight transfer have to be correct or you will never achieve a good golf swing. And finally, you have to maintain a perfect tempo and plane to achieve the right impact position for hitting the ball with distance, accuracy and consistency.

So how do you know which of the above elements you are doing wrong? Well, if you can afford it, get a golf instructor to analyze your golf swing and identify your fault; although, from my experience, having someone tell you what you are doing wrong, then showing you what to do to correct it, did not work for me. But at least you will know what your fault is and therefore make a more informed buying decision of a golf teaching aid. Another possibility for identifying your swing fault is to video tape yourself. By watching a replay, especially in slow motion, you should be able to spot your swing fault; if not, maybe a golfing buddy that is more experienced than you can watch the video and tell you where you are going wrong.

After identifying your fault you will then know what type of golf teaching aid you need to correct it. I have found on the internet that the teaching aids are conveniently categorized into the following swing aids: full swing aids, swing plane aids, swing tempo aids, swing alignment aids, balance aids, grip aids, impact position aids, fitness training aids, and weight transfer aids. Some of these aids overlap in different categories - in other words, one type of swing aid might correct two or three different problems.

So, if you know you have a golf fault and you have identified which area of your needs attention, then you are in a position to choose the right golf swing teaching aid. Search the internet for reviews for particular teaching aids or look for testimonies from known golf professionals or golf instructors. So, do you need them? Well, if you find the right teaching aid for you and it improves your game - then yes!

Mick Euan Tait is the webmaster of http://golf-online-tips.com/swing where you can find more golf swing tips and resources. Also, check out http://golf-online-videos.com/golf-swing for free golf swing videos and http://golf-online-tips.com/blog/golf for various golf reviews.

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Personalized Golf Tees

Tee Time Personalized Golf Tees

A golf gift that fits to a TEE!

Create a truly unique gift for your favorite golfer with Custom Printed Golf Tees.
You choose Any Personalization (up to 4 lines, 20 characters per line)!

Perfect for birthdays, retirement, bachelor parties, holiday gifts, corporate events, and more! Personalized Golf Tees also make great party favors too!

Top quality tees measure a standard 2 1/8", and available in 20 tee colors, printed in black ink.
White imprint color also available for $5.00 extra fee. (White imprint is recommended for green and red tees.)

Sold in various quantities from 150 to 1000!

More Info


Tee-Time Custom Printed Golf Tees - Pastel Assortment

Top quality wood tees measure a standard 2 1/8", and come in an assortment of tee colors including, light blue, sage, pink and peach, printed in black ink.
- Sold in quantities of 150 to 1000.

More Info

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Golf Swing Jacket Review

Train your body to consistently execute a great golf swing out on the course.

Golfers of all levels can now know how a golf swing should feel with the Swing Jacket golf training aid. This product is the ultimate golf swing vest to improve your game and golf's first learning technology!

Arm cuffs on The Swing Jacket slide along scientifically positioned rails, guiding the golfer through the full range of motion of a complete golf swing. It is the only golf swing jacket that golfers can use while they are actually hitting full golf shots just as they would on the golf course.

The Swing Jacket is for Right Handed & Left Handed players and adjusts to fit players with 38""- 50"" chests.

Tour Edition Swing Jacket The new Swing Jacket Tour Stops ensure that every swing is on plane, approaches the ball from the perfect inside path AND releases like a Tour Pro.

The adjustable Tour Stops snap onto your Swing Jacket's rails giving you the ability to customize your Swing Jacket for your game.

The Tour Stop on the left rail puts you in the perfect position for an on plane, on path downswing by preventing your right arm from getting trapped behind you.

The Tour Stop on the right rail at your address position will stop the right arm chicken wing, will encourage a more complete rotation of your torso through impact and will force you to release the club at impact.

The Swing Jacket Works!

This high tech golf swing vest is being used on the practice tee at PGA Tour events by many of the top golfers in the world today. Some of the largest teaching academies in North America are making this golf swing jacket a part of their teaching programs because it makes teaching professionals more effective, and gets immediate results for students.

Why does it work?

Actual Results: When you practice with your Swing Jacket you get instant feedback on how you are doing from the flight of the ball. You will not hit the ball solidly if you are not practicing properly. The Swing Jacket will make it difficult for you to swing improperly and if you do hit the ball poorly your body will feel the swing flaw and know how to correct it immediately.

Consistency: As the Swing Jacket guides you through each successive swing you begin to practice with the consistency of a Tour Pro. Experts in biomechanics agree that the more consistently you practice a given athletic motion the stronger your auto nervous response (muscle memory) will be and thus your ability to repeat that motion out on the course.

Focus: When you practice with the Swing Jacket you do not focus on swing mechanics so your mind is free to focus on the feel of that perfect swing.

Great Shots: Once you adjust to the Swing Jacket (which may take anywhere from 2 to 15 practice swings) you will begin to hit the ball with power and accuracy. The sensation of hitting beautiful shot after beautiful shot sends a powerful message to your body.

Practice Perfectly: When you practice with your Swing Jacket you know you are practicing correctly. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Use it anywhere: You can use the Swing Jacket anywhere you can take a swing - with or without a golf club. It is going to allow you to improve your swing even when you can't get out to the driving range.

Your own personal swing teacher: The Swing Jacket is like having your own personal swing teacher coaching you through each swing ensuring you are swinging perfectly.

A product for life: As your game moves to each new level the Swing Jacket will be your teacher, guiding you to better and better results.

More Info > InTheHoleGolf.com Is The Source For The Latest Golf Training Aids

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Tiger Woods Nike Golf Commercial

This commercial was actually a 1 take shot. What had happened was tiger was bouncing the ball on his club and they decided to roll camera and used that footage rather than what was planned.

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Golf Aids To Improve Your Game

There are many training aids out there to help you improve upon your golf swing. Some are very effective and others are rather silly. The ones that are worth the purchase can be determined by a simple observation: they really work. That is to say, using them will actually result in the improvement of your swing skills. As you can probably imagine it would be nearly impossible to try and account for every different swing aid available, here are some of the ones I have found to be the most effective.

Get The Right Grip Gloves

These gloves are definitely one of the easiest and cost effective tools to help you improve your golf swing. The idea behind of the gloves is to correctly place the player's hands into the proper position on the club for a better swing. As some of you probably know, when you don't have the correct grip or hand positioning on your club, there is no telling where that ball is going to end up.

How about a Swing Jacket

Swing jackets, you've probably seen them, and mistaken them for bullet proof vests. If you show up to the golf range in one of these you are likely to get plenty of attention, but in all seriousness these jackets are a great way to improve your swing. They work on the same principle as the previously mentioned gloves, they improve the alignment and posture of your entire upper body. Yes they are rather bulky, yes they may take a little bit of time to get comfortable in, yes you will be the source of a couple laughs, but they are well worth all of that in the end and will increase your swing performance immensely. Use one enough and you'll be the one doing the laughing at your next match.

Can't forget Putting Arcs

As much as Putting Arcs are blown off by many novice golfers, they are in fact one of the simplest ways to improve upon your putting skills. Don't make the mistake of thinking the put is any less important than any other skill, improving your putting is one of the simpler ways to have a better game. Putting arcs are wooden pieces that serve as a buffer zone between the golfer and his putter. Putting arcs are great for perfecting your alignment.

The Inside Approach Device

This device resembles those strange looking splits stretching machines you see in health clubs and gyms, but shrunken. Well, as odd as it sounds somebody found a way to use them when they applied them to their golf swing. The Inside Approach training device basically helps you to improve your golf swing by making it follow a clear path.

Wether you use one of these aids, or all, you will definitely see an improvement in your game. Find out what works best for you, talk with people that have used them, get out there, and have some fun on the course.

Thanks for reading. If you found this article helpful you can check out more golf tips, information, and more articles on my website: http://www.playingwinninggolf.com

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Tiger Woods - 2005 Masters - 16th Hole

The heated duel between Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco raged on during the final round of the 2005 Masters. DiMarco was on the 16th green with a viable birdie chance while Tiger was left with a challenging 2nd shot off the green. Guess what happens next...

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Junior Golf Is Becoming More Competitive...Why?

How do you get the edge when you're playing junior golf? To keep up with the top junior golfer’s means getting stronger both physically and mentally; and almost perfecting your golf swing. That’s how competitive it’s become.

There are big bucks at stake. Full scholarships are now worth up to a hundred thousand dollars, and for some of these to junior golfers, becoming a professional golfer can mean millions...

We have started to see a dramatic change in the caliber of junior golfers. They are getting fitter, stronger and are hitting it as long as the PGA and LPGA players. This is a combination of personal coaching on swing mechanics and getting stronger.

Junior golfers like Ty Tryon, Michelle Wie and the Song sisters are a perfect example of what junior golfers are capable of, given the right approach. Parents are now realizing the investment in their kid’s golf pays off big when they receive partial or full scholarships for college. The difference between junior golfers and adults is typically strength - not flexibility. I've worked with hundreds of junior golfers and within a very short period of time, doing strength training, their drives increased as much as 50 yards.

Participating in a strength training program doing the wrong exercises can hurt junior golfers not help them. The exercises have to compliment the golf swing from a dynamic standpoint and a stability standpoint. If this is not taken into consideration, improvement will not happen.

The age to begin a strength training workout for juniors is between 12-13 on up. Having a professional oversee the program at the earlier ages is crucial. The upside is a rapidly improving game and who knows...a scholarship for college.

Too many parents and juniors are going it alone and aren’t seeing the results they hoped for. This can be a long and frustrating road to take. Why not save years of searching and hundreds if not thousands of dollars, by doing a little research? Do some talking around your town to see if anyone knows of a fitness trainer who understands golf.

They are a rare breed, but if you look hard enough you can find someone somewhat qualified. Even talk to some of the teaching pros. They might know of some golf trainers who are acceptable. If not, hit the book store. There are several golf fitness books out there, but be on the “lookout”.

From what I’ve seen, most of them are NOT golf fitness books, but only “general” fitness books in disguise. If you see any pictures of a golfer sitting in or on a machine, don’t by the book. That is a telltale sign of a general fitness book. Remember, golf is played on your feet, not sitting down.

So get the edge, by getting stronger for golf! Who knows…you may be the next Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is a respected golf fitness expert, and the author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, numerous golf fitness tips and founder of several online golf fitness sites. For more information on his new, cutting-edge golf fitness e-book, go to http://www.ultimategolffitnessguide.com

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Guide To Buy Used Golf Clubs For Beginner Golfer

If you are just starting out to play golf, you should never buy a new golf club set immediately as you may discover that this game is not for you later on. Furthermore, you are yet to find the type of golf clubs that fits you during the learning stage. The good choice is to start with cheap used golf clubs. And here are some guidelines to help you to hunt down your first used golf club set:

Golf Rental Clubs

First, you may want to play with the rental clubs at a driving range. During this time, don't be afraid to ask your friends or other golfers to try their clubs on the range. This is a good opportunity for you to judge which type of clubs is right for you. After hitting for a period of time at the driving range and you think it is time to buy your own clubs, then ....

Rely on golf expert

When you go out to buy used golf clubs, you should always rely on people who know golf equipment well. You can look for your local pro at your local municipal course as a source of information and advice. Or you can consult the experts at the golf shop or even your friend who plays well or who knows anything about golf clubs. Alternatively, you can search the Internet for used golf club reviews. You can always ask people for advice but keep in mind that what suits them may not necessary prove good in your hands. Therefore, it is more important to identify the golf club set that suitable to your ability yourself.

Golf beginner's half set

As a novice golfer, you are advised to learn with a half set of clubs with all matching iron of the same model. The half-set could be made up from a few combinations of clubs. In general, the half set combination consists of five iron clubs, including 4, 6, 8, pitching wedge and sand iron, in addition to 3 and 5 woods plus a putter. The driver is not recommended in the beginner's half set because it is the hardest club to control. Majority of beginners would achieve better results using a 3 wood on the tee box. Likewise, 1, 2 or 3 irons should be avoided at the early stages of the game, as each of these long irons requires an accurate strike from the middle of the clubface with plenty of club heads speed in order to achieve good results. In contrast, a 5 wood with distance almost equivalent of the 2 iron - the ball can still travel a fair distance despite being hit off-center. Besides, a lofted wood is more forgiving than the thin blade of an iron club heads.

The half set combination not only sufficient for most novice golfers on the golf course for every situation but also makes club selection much easier. It is a good combination of clubs to help the novice to improve their swing technique until they are good enough before they advance to the full set golf clubs. Therefore, you have to make sure to select a golf model for your half set from a reputable manufacturer that can be added to at a later stage.

Golf Feels

The best way to purchase a used golf clubs is to actually hold them in your hand and swing them to get a feel for what you want. The feel of a golf club clearly seems to be all-important. But, what is 'feel'? There is no scientific formula that defines it. In general, feel can be described as the way a golfer feels a club when he or she swings it depends on its swing weight and the flexibility of its shaft.

Iron Club head

Look for club head that made of stainless steel and avoid inexpensive alloy heads. For beginner, you should select the 'heel-and-toe' (or, perimeter-weighted) club head design, cavity backed (hollowed out in the back) and over-sized golf club. You should get bigger club heads because they are more forgiving with enlarges 'sweet spot' that can produce maximum distance even with off-center contacts.

Golf Shafts

Graphite shafts is ideal for beginner even though it is more expensive that steel shafts. Its lighter overall weight allows beginner to swing the club faster even with enlarged clubhead.

Golf Grips

If you have purchased used golf clubs where the condition of the grips could be less than perfect or the grips don't fit properly for you, then make sure you replace them. Grips are fairly easy and inexpensive to change by a pro or club repairman. Ensure all the grips are replaced with same size and design.

Finally, if you are just starting out with golf, chances are your swing is more likely to let you down rather than the golf clubs itself. Having said that, it is still important to try out the golf clubs before buying them in order to find a golf club set that suits your swing, body and game. Most importantly, makes you feel confident when you use it.

Andrew is the owner of Used Golf Clubs Guide, a website that provides complete guide to used golf clubs - where to buy/sell/trade in used golf clubs, what to check before buying a used golf clubs, how to choose a used golf clubs set... and more. You can visit his website at:http://www.used-golf-clubs-guide.com/

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Golfing Isn't Just for Guys

If you love golf, you enjoy the sport because of the skill it requires. You also love it because it gets you out onto great golf courses to get some fresh air and exercise. But it is also a wonderful sport because women have distinguished themselves in the game. It's a fact--golf is not just for the guys.

Famous women golfers play in the LPGA Tour every year in the United States. The Ladies Professional Golf Association offers tournaments for the top women in the sport. It got its start in 1950, with Babe Didrikson Zaharias, famous for her talent in the areas of golf, basketball, and track and field, leading the charge, and it is the oldest professional women's sport organization in the United States.

There are four major championships in the LPGA Tour. They include the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the McDonald's U.S. LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, the U.S. Women's Open, and the Weetabix Women's British Open. Women players from all over the world flock to these championships to test their skills.

The Kraft Nabisco Championship was started by singer Dinah Shore in 1972, and was added to the major championships in 1983. Morgan Pressel of the United States won this great championship this year.

The McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola is held on different courses from year to year. Last year it was played at the Bulle Rock Golf Course, located in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The winner was South Korea's Se Ri Pak, a professional golfer who has had twenty-nine professional wins over the course of her long career.

The U.S. Women's Open is the oldest major championship of the four games. This year the championship will be played in Southern Pines, North Carolina at the Pine Needles Lodge and Country Club. Last year's winner was Annika Sorenstam from Sweden, a hugely successful golfer who has won ten majors.

The Weetabix Women's British Open is unique in that it is the only major tournament that is found in the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Last year's winner was Sherri Steinhauer of Madison, Wisconsin. This year's game will be held at the famous St. Andrews course in Scotland.

It's easy to see that many talented women have taken the lead in women's professional golf, and they come from all over the world and from all walks of life. Golf is the unifying force that brings them all together, and so too can you enjoy a game of golf with your girlfriends. You can find lovely golf courses where you can hone your skills so that perhaps one day you will join the golfing greats at one of the majors on the LPGA Tour.

Jonathan Blocker is an avid golfer and pro golf instructor, he travels all over the world to many golf courses all over the world and participates in golf tournaments

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How to Play Winning Golf

First of all there is no secret about how you win a handicap golf tournament. You win because you have the lowest Net score. The Net score is your Real score minus your Handicap Index. The USGA handicap system allows players with different skill levels to be able to compete with each other. It is the fairest way get two players to a level playing field. The system is not perfect. Mainly because your handicap is a mathematical formula that takes and averages your last 10 best scores. If you as a player can turn in one of your better than average rounds of golf you stand a better than average chance to win the tournament.

This is my winning strategy. Try to play a round of golf equal to or better than your average score for your last 10 best rounds. You should know what this score is before playing in the tournament. If you can post this score or better you have a good chance of winning the tournament. I know that I may have over-simplified this winning strategy. But, If you just follow my suggestions you may just find yourself in the winners circle at the completion of your golf tournament.

It is a fact that the average scores for golf tournaments are usually higher than a normal round of golf. This is a good indication that most players put more pressure on themselves during tournaments.

The better player understands this phenomenon and adopts the following philosophy - Take What the Golf Course will Give You on any Hole. This means that if you make a mistake on a hole don't turn that mistake into a disaster. Accept a bogey or even a double bogey as the best that you can do on that hole. Don't try to make an impossible shot in an effort to save par. Most of the time this only compounds the mistake and creates a disaster hole. If you do this just once in the tournament you could loose the tournament. Do it twice and you will definitely loose the tournament.

In my opinion, this strategy may be the difference between winning or loosing the tournament. When you play conservative golf you are more likely to score at or below the average of your last 10 best golf scores. Just remember that your competitors scores are likely to be higher than normal because of tournament pressure.

This is a very simple strategy and ironically most players never use this approach during tournament play. Everyone thinks they have to play their career best round in order to win. Most of the time this just isn't the case. Although, if someone does shoot a career best round you haven't a chance to win that tournament.

I based this strategy on the experience of playing quite a few years as a member of the Northern Illinois Mens Amateur Golf Association. NIMAGA hosted handicap golf tournaments monthly during the golf season. A high percentage of the over 500 regular members never in their life time win a tournament. I was fortunate to have won 4 times, tied and lost in a playoff 4 times, and finished in second place numerous times. Although not foolproof, I can attest first hand that without adopting my tournament strategy I wouldn't have won a single tournament.

Here is my challenge to you. Eliminate triple-bogeys or worse from your tournament and see if you can break through into the winners circle.

I have over forty years experience playing amateur golf and being the winner or runner up of numerous Handicap Golf Tournaments, I have a theory about what it takes to be a golf tournament winner. I am certain my theory will help you get into the winners circle.

Sam Novak http://www.bestgolfgear.net

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