By Yasmene Warren
National Golf Month is just around the corner, so let’s hit the next level of golfing skills before you hit the fairway. These six tips are sure to turn up your game.
1. Get in Shape
Getting in shape for National Golf Month may seem like an obscure tip since a golfer’s physique isn’t the same as other athletes, but a golfer is still an athlete who needs the support of good muscle strength and endurance.
Proper and regular exercise can strengthen your golf form. Think about it: Physical strength allows you to exert less energy and force when hitting the ball, improves accuracy, and increases stamina.
Great areas of the body to focus on include the glutes, back, shoulders, core, and forearms. Build up these muscles with squats, lunges, rows, shoulder presses, and wrist curls. More on abdominal workouts in the next section.
2. Work on Your Alignment
Golf is much more than a simple game of point-and-shoot. You must make sure your head and body are in line with where you want the ball to go. For beginners, you can improve your alignment by using a golf alignment stick or one of your clubs. Either will pose as a guide for ensuring your eyes, arms, and feet align with the left of your target.
Proper alignment goes hand in hand with training your muscles to play golf. Working on your core helps you maintain good posture and balance with your swings.
You can build a strong core with exercises such as planks, Russian twists, and bird dogs. A strong core is key in perfecting your alignment to celebrate National Golf Month.
3. Practice Hits with a Tee
Pro golfer Jack Nicklaus himself said a golfer should always take advantage of the opportunity to “tee it up,” so it’s good practice to use a tee when polishing your aim.
You’re more likely to get a better hit out of using a tee, which is why it’s typically allowed — and encouraged — on par 3.
Start off by perfecting your hits with tees and work your way up to hitting the ball from the ground. Both practices are essential in shaping your golf skills this National Golf Month.
4. Don’t Be Afraid of Playing Practice Rounds
Practice rounds are your best friend when it comes to improving your golf game. Playing golf by yourself allows you to learn from your mistakes. You get to see firsthand what works and what doesn’t, without the penalties.
Practice rounds encourage consistency and help you perfect your swing technique, just in time for National Golf Month.
During practice rounds, it helps to do things such as picking a target, switching up your club selection, and setting goals for each game. Practice is most beneficial with a purpose behind it.
5. Perfect Your Short Game
While your long game is what you’ll play most frequently in golf, your short game is where you’ll find the most improvement in your golf skills. A good short game helps you score lower and relieves pressure off your long game.
Every master of the game started with the basics. There are 10 rules of thumb and things to keep in mind for the short game, according to golf.com, and they include:
- Stay still when putting.
Limiting your movement while putting promotes good distance control, which is essential in golf. - Lean into chips.
Keeping your weight just a little forward can help keep the ball lower and ensure you make ball-first contact. - A square clubface looks open when pitching.
A higher pitch shot tends to make a square clubface look open. - Use a shorter swing and narrower stance for less distance.
A narrower stance can help you control small swings and shorten the distance your ball travels. - Hit the ground to get a true launch.
Hitting down on the ball allows you to make a divot and get the ball in the air. - Dig into bunker shots.
Digging your feet into the sand helps lower the bottom of your swing, helping you hit a good bunker shot. - Swing length controls natural speed.
Make sure both your swing and stroke are of fairly equal size and rhythm. - Pivot for pitches.
Pivoting allows the ball to launch high and spin. - Have a centered club position.
Centering your club to your body’s position can keep your short-game shots consistent. - Write down your calibrated short game.
Writing and charting your distances with each club can help you make a plan for your short game.
This National Golf Month, get a grasp of the basic rules and guidelines of each shot, and let what you learn help you develop new techniques and strategies to turn you into an expert golfer.
6. Learn from the Pros at Shingle Creek Golf Academy
If you’re not quite sure how to put your skills to the test, head to the Shingle Creek Golf Club for a lesson from the experts at the golf academy during National Golf Month. You can try one-on-one golf lessons to improve your technique, golf club fittings, youth golf training, and adult/corporate golf clinics for the perfect mixture of business and pleasure.
Whether you need one hour or five hours, the Shingle Creek Golf Academy has just the right lesson plan to get you in shape. You can also get three hours of personalized training from our Mini School and customized training at our Half Day Academy programs.
Stay & Play at Rosen Shingle Creek This National Golf Month
While you’re practicing swings on the lush greens of Shingle Creek Golf Club this August, you’ll need somewhere equally as serene to rest. Rosen Shingle Creek, home to the Shingle Creek Golf Club, is your go-to destination for a luxurious stay in Orlando.
Indulge in high-class fine dining and resort-style amenities while being at the forefront of all of Orlando’s happenings when staying at our hotel.
