Friday, August 04, 2017

#Golf Training Aids Spotlight: The Delta Putt

Do you consider yourself to be a strong putter or do you feel you could improve your make percentage on the green? Most amateurs could use help with the flat stick!

Poor lag putting, missing on the low side, 3-putts, the yips...all are solvable.

The art of putting comes down to two concepts, speed and alignment. If either one of them is off, your putt won't go in the hole...it's that simple.

How do you sink more putts? Practice, practice, practice.

You can try training aids if your visual skills or feel are off; Golf for Beginners has tried many types of training aids over the years and most of them are effective but you have to use them in order for them to help you gain positive results.

This brings me to a training aid called The Delta Putt by Gsix Products. I received this putting trainer recently to test and will give you my honest opinion with regards to its functionality. First, a product description.."

The Delta Putt comes with two components - a lined mat and a triangular "puck" with "amateur", "pro" and "tour" markings on the flat sides with a bump out near each of the markings.

Place the triangular puck onto the mat with the "amateur" in line with your putter face and make a putt. The puck should slide straight on the mat and land on its intended target - the "hole" - a picture of the puck at the end of the mat.

Any veering or spinning of the puck means you have not hit your putter face on its sweet spot (the toe was closed or open at impact). Don't move onto the next level, "PRO", until you have mastered the amateur side of the puck, which means straight down the intended line without spinning or veering left or right.

As mentioned in the Delta Putt video instruction guide, "If you can make it to the "TOUR" level, "you have developed yourself into one really fine putter."




Although Golf for Beginners does not endorse any one product, I can say that The Delta Putt has the ability to guide you to a better stroke if you use it. After a few putts, I noticed the Delta Putt "puck" began to move straight down the line. Yes, I did try it on the "PRO" and "TOUR" levels, and I quickly backed down to AMATEUR! The only way I can truly tell if this training aid works is to continue to use it and then to test my putting in a real-life scenario.

READ: Easy Golf Tips to Inspire Confidence on the Putting Green

Which training aids do you use to improve putting? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Friday, July 28, 2017

If You Only Take Away One Golf Tip from The Open...

There are more golf tips from The Open than you can shake a club at, as Barry Solomon states in his article (below). One major takeaway can lead you to a win as it did for Jordan Spieth.

Read Barry's tips below and apply them to your next round.

Article this week written by Barry Solomon

There is one thing golfers can take away from last week’s (British) Open tournament.

NEVER throw in the towel.

Whether playing alone, with friends or in a competition, you should never give up.

Golf is a game of errant shots; it’s how you handle them that can turn your game around.  Here are a few tips that can help you stay "in the zone":

- Sometimes it’s as simple as putting on a new glove or retying your shoe laces.
- Take a deep breath before addressing the ball.
- Try to forget your last shot.  Concentrate on the shot in front of you.
- Before you take your next shot, remember when you’ve hit a similar shot with a great outcome.
- Never allow yourself to give up on the possibility of a win.  Your playing buddies can run into difficulties and give up strokes while you sink that par or birdie putt.

Jordan Spieth showed us the way this past weekend at The Open.  Although we are not pro golfers, these are things we can all do just as well.

And last but not least: Play happy golf.  It’s a great game.

In case you missed The Open Championship 2017, here is the final leg:



Which tips can you share from watching The Open? Tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and leave your comments in the section of our golf blog below.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Golf Tips to Keep Players on the Short Grass

Getting out of trouble and back into play may be a fundamental of golf but wouldn't it be nice to improve your chances of success? Staying in the fairway involves not only a repeatable golf swing but also playing smarter, not harder.

Golf for Beginners offers a few tips to help golfers of all skill levels keep the ball on the short grass.

1. Club Selection: If you hit a bomb of a drive grumbling, "I shouldn't have taken out my driver!", you chose the wrong club...a common problem among amateur golfers.

Instead of always reaching for the driver, think about the hole which lies ahead - note the distance to water, traps, and trees to determine whether or not you should pull out a different club.

2. Straight Shooter: If you know you are slicing or hooking the ball during the day, it is better to compensate than to change your swing. "Set-up to play the fade," according to Keiser University's College of Golf and Sport Management.

3. Center Your Shots: Don't try to "place" your ball in a certain spot - instead, aim for fat parts of both fairways and greens.

4. Playing it Safe: Golfers have a tendency to "go for it" when playing it safe could keep you in play and, with a nice lie. Although you may have some great shots in your bag, you are not Phil Mickelson or you would be playing in The Open this week. Use wise course management and minimize your penalty strokes.

5. BREATHE!!! - Before every round, my husband always reminds me to take a deep breath while over the ball; it relaxes my body and hands and the overall result is a more comfortable, lazy swing. Think TEMPO. Try it next time you are standing over that little white orb.

What creative ideas can you share to keep your golf ball in the fairway? Let us know on this Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.