Home Based Instruction, Lessons, Training, Aides, Guides, Tips and Clubs

For The Beginning Player

I've been there and done that. Hi, my name is Walter. I am an amateur golfer who shoots in the high 80's and low 90's. How would you like to take 20 or 30 shots off your average round? I LOVED IT.

Let's be honest, you need to make changes to your grip, your stance, your take away, your back swing, your down swing, and your follow through. This is going to take time and work on your part. I'm here to offer some thoughts and some products that can help you achieve your goals if you do the hard part, the work.

"Golf is a funny game, you swing down to make the ball go up."  Tina Michelson quoting her father.  Please go back to the Stack and Swing video at the top of this page.  Notice how they tell you to make your swing bottom out in front of the ball.  Every product you find here will ask you to make the same commitment. 

Right now you probably have the following things in your bag: a putter, a set of clubs (3 iron through pitching wedge), a 5 wood, a 3 wood, and a driver. That's 12 clubs and you are allowed 14. What club would you like to add to help solve your problems? The answer is NONE!

Do not even consider spending $100 to $300 for a new super driver, putter, or any other club!

Your swing stinks and no club is going to help you until you make changes to that swing. It isn't your driver's fault, you can shank, top, chili dip, or just miss the ball with every club in your bag. A little elastic wrist band isn't going to solve your problems either.

You need to see what a good swing looks like.  You need something to read and study: a book and or a video.  You need one or two swing aids that will help you practice and learn a better swing. 
 

You are going to study and then practice with the swing aid(s). You are going to watch some useful video's to help you understand a good swing.

You are going to see several links to other web pages. Please remember to add this page to your favorites list or use your back key to return to this page.  You should return here automatically, but I want you to be able to come back again tomorrow and the next day.  Anything you see in red you need to read and remember.  Anything you see in blue with a yellow background is a link that you may follow to a suggested product.  Finally, I want to make you another offer.  If you choose to buy anything from vendors listed on this site, I will provide you with over 20 free golf tip e-books.  Simply send a copy of your purchase confirmation to reply at fix-my-slice dot com.  I will gladly send you the site where you can down load the e-books.  I am sorry, but to avoid spam I have to write out that e-mail rather than make it clickable. 

There are several different ways for you to learn a better swing.   The list is in decreasing order by cost and increasing time to success.

1. Commit yourself to several weeks of lessons with your local pro
2. Purchase the Stack and Swing Video product and the Medicus hinged driver
3. Purchase the Stack and Swing Video product by itself
4. Purchase the Medicus hinged driver by itself
5. Purchase an e-book or physical book 
   

There are many reasons why so many of us do not start by visiting the pro.  Maybe it is costs, or pride, or a lack of time.  If you have decided not to visit the pro, then you must decide how fast you want to improve and how much money you can commit to the learning process. 

Video courses are my first choice to learn anything as complex as the golf swing.   You have the advantage of verbal and visual instruction and you have a permanent copy to review as many times as you like.  (Try that with your local pro, the lesson is over and what did he say again?)  The Stack and Swing product by Medicus comes with the recommendation of touring pros who use it.  The Medicus hinged driver is compatible with the Stack and Swing product allowing you to combine the best of both products.

There are three swing aide systems that have stood the test of time:  Momentus, Medicus and Explanar.  Each has a loyal following and used properly will help you improve your swing.  The Momentus iron is a weighted club with a contoured grip that forces a single grip.  Repeated use teaches the feel of the correct inside out swing path.  Momentus is the least expensive of the three.  Explanar is a large circular fixed construction of plastic pipe that surrounds you (the golfer) and guides your club around a smooth swing path.  Explanar is the most expensive by far and requries a very large area to set up.  This is a great teaching tool for professionals at the range.  (Is your significant other going to enjoy seeing this in the back yard?)  Medicus starts their system with their hinged club that breaks down whenever you make a swing mistake.  Repeated use defines the weak spots in your swing and helps teach the feel of a proper swing.  This system costs more than Momentus but far less than Explanar.  Both Momentus and Medicus are portable and can be used easily in your back yard, basement, on the range, or in the parking lot just before a round.

I prefer Medicus for several reasons.  First I represent them.   Unlike Momentus, Medicus works with any grip.  Golfers change their grips over the years depending on how their swing develops.  Momentus has the molded/contoured grip that really forces their choice not yours.  You really want to practice with your grip while you correct swing flaws.  The Medicus corrects your swing rhythm as well as shape problems and allows you to actually hit the ball to confirm feedback.  Finally the Medicus club works with their Stack and Tilt golf swing training which makes an intergrated system.

You should consider any of these books THE SIMPLE SWING ,  GOLF SWING EUREKA or STOP SLICING DOT COM.  The traditional golf swing takes a long time to master. Learning a simple swing will reduce that time and allow you to enjoy this great game much sooner.  Any of these great products will knock shots of your score because each will introduce you to improved swing thoughts and mechanics.  Remember the hard part is your time and dedication.  Please visit their sites and decide which product fits your needs.

Golf Swing Fundamentals by Medicus Golf

Working on your golf swing fundamentals is crucial to lowering your score and improving the quality of your play. A better golf swing will make your game a lot more pleasurable and a lot more consistent. Whether you're a golf pro looking to improve his game in order to improve his career, or an amateur golfer just looking to take her game to the next level, refining the fundamentals of your swing is a great place to start.

At Medicus Golf, our goal is to help you "master the basics" as simply and effectively as possible. Using our golf swing trainers and general golf aids is the next best thing to having a master golf teacher analyze your game. In fact, many fans of the Medicus claim that our golf swing trainers are better than a professional teacher. After all, teachers are human beings with highly subjective views on technique; Medicus golf swing trainers, on the other hand, are perfectly objective and therefore perfectly consistent.

It should come as no surprise that the Medicus Dual Hinge Driver, Medicus Dual 2000 5-Iron, and Medicus Dual Hinge 7-Iron are the best selling golf swing trainers in the world. Our patented dual hinge trainers will help you "incorporate" proper technique. They'll literally help you absorb technique into your body.

Muscle memory is a powerful force, and our golf aids ensure that your muscle memory is recording perfect technique free of any flaws. With a 60-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by ordering our trainers. Order online now.

Improve your game visit Medicus Golf by clicking on their logo above.  Watch their complete selection of product and training videos.

After Medicus there are many other books, aides, and videos. If you would like to see a wider selection, visit the following sites.  These companies are also excellent sources of used and reasonably priced golf clubs.

First Things First

You need to learn to hit the back of the ball.  Many beginning golfers put the ball too far forward in their stance and then try to sweep it off the grass with little or no divot.  You can see this setup if you stand in front of the golfer.  Every club seems to point straight up and down from the middle of the golfer's face.  Almost every bad thing you've ever seen a golf ball do was caused by this stance.  "Golf is a funny game, you swing down to make the ball go up."  Tina Michelson quoting her father.  If your swing is going to bottom out in front of the ball then you must take a divot.  Every iron and hybrid in your bag was made to line up with the ball behind center in your swing.  That means the bottom of your swing is in front of the ball and you almost have to make a divot.

Most beginners also swing from the "outside, cast, or come over the top".  What does all of that mean?  It all means the same thing.  The golf swing involves rotating your hips around your spine while moving your weight from one foot to the other.  Most beginners don't get all of that.  You stand flat footed and don't rotate your hips.  Since your swing is all arms and no body, you throw the club at the ball rather than swing it around your body.  The club comes down at the ball from the top of your back shoulder.  The closest thing to compare this motion to is fly casting when the tip of the rod goes back and forth over your shoulder.  (Maybe this is where the word casting came from.)

This swing brings the club at the back outside corner of the ball.  (I know a round ball doesn't have corners, humor me!)  Better golfers hit the back inside corner of the ball.  That means you hit the ball about 1/2" away from where a better golfer hits it.  It is a small ball so 1/2" is a big difference!  (Get a ruler out and check it yourself.)

Your ball starts to the left (right handed golfer) and then curves to the right.  A better golfer's shot starts to the right and curves back to the left.  It all happened because of where and how you hit the ball. 

Move the ball back in your stance behind center.  You will find it increasingly hard to swing from the outside and much easier to take a normal divot.  Which ever swing improvement product you choose on this page, you will learn to swing more around your body.  This will bring the club into the ball at the back inside corner. 

Good things will begin to happen for you after you master this change.

Suggested Additional Clubs

Here are several suggestions that should help you learn to enjoy this game. First, don't think about buying new clubs until after you have become comfortable making a better swing. Once you feel ready to buy better clubs, consider buying used clubs from one of the four sites show below. Some golfers must have the newest and best each year. They trade their slightly used clubs back for a discount. You can buy top end clubs that are a year or two old for about the same price as lower quality new clubs. 

I have used Callaway for the last 12 years.  They have an excellent selection of their own used clubs in full sets.  They also maintain a supply of individual clubs for each style in case you break or lose one.

Next, try replacing your three iron and four iron with cheap hybrid irons.  If you find that these are easier to hit out of long rough or easier to swing, then make sure your next set of clubs include hybrids instead of traditional irons.   The four sites above should give you a wide selection of additional irons and hybrids.

When you are comfortable with your new swing, buy a cheap sand wedge (54 to 56 degrees) and a gap wedge (50 degrees). Dave Pelz has a great short game discussion in which he points out that the traditional club set has nothing to help you from 100 yards in to the green. My pitching wedge carries 120 yards with a full swing and 100 with a controlled swing. Most pros carry at least a gap wedge, a sand wedge, and a lob wedge. You aren't ready for a lob wedge (60 degrees) yet, if you try one right now you won't hit a thing. After you learn to use the sand wedge around the green and from the fairway you will be ready to try a lob wedge. Learn how to hit the ball with a short back swing and follow through. (Gap wedge 80 yards, sand wedge 60 yards, and lob wedge 50 yards)

Short Game

Right now if you missed a green by 10 yards and were sitting behind a sand trap, you would fly the ball right over the green. That's because all you have is a pitching wedge (45 degrees). Learn to slide the sand wedge under the ball with a short back swing and follow through. The ball will fly over the trap and land on the green. Do not take a divot with this shot. Eventually you will learn to hit this shot with the lob wedge also. This shot will save you 6 or more strokes for every 18 holes because you are now on the green and not over it.

There are three things I like to do with my lob wedge: short approaches to the green, short chips over obstacles, and hard clay sand traps. We discussed the first two before. If you play on a golf course with real sand in the traps, then you must learn to hit the traditional sand shot. There are plenty of videos and articles about this shot available to you. (Click here to. visit In The Hole Golf)  Practice this shot and you will get out of the sand. If your course is like several around my home, there is no sand in the traps. The native clay has been raked or is still firm. There isn't enough loose material under the ball for a traditional sand shot. If you try the sand iron will bounce off the hard clay and drive the ball across the green, probably into another hazard. You must hit this shot with your lob wedge. Try to hit the clay just behind the ball and swing like a normal sand shot. The sharp edge of the lob wedge will cut into the clay and throw the ball out of the trap much like a sand wedge in real sand. When you are ready your lob wedge will save you several strokes per round.

Putting

Now let's discuss putting. Dave Pelz is the master of this skill. Buy his videos and even his training aides. (in the hole golf link) I only want to add one thought to every thing I have seen the masters discuss. Your friends will chide you with:” “Never up never in!” That normally means don't leave the ball short of the hole. On side hill or breaking putts you should add a thought to those words. You missed the put and the ball rolled past the hole, but were you UP?

Great players try to make every put. Tiger never misses a put from inside 10 feet. You and I will miss from inside three feet. If your first put missed the hole on the low side it wasn't up. It couldn't fall in the hole if it tried. You must miss on the high side to be up. The punishment isn't that you missed, it is that your ball is too far from the hole and probably has more break than if you had missed on the high side. Try it yourself. Hit two puts with the same speed. The one that goes above the hole will continue breaking towards the hole while the one that misses low is breaking away immediately. The low put will always be farther away and have more break coming back. Make your side hill breaking putts miss above the hole and you will have fewer three putts. This will also save you several strokes per round. Don't hit it harder, hit it higher. You will love 6 inch tap ins.

Philosophy

You are not trying to break par. You are trying to save strokes.  Some of that is new skill. Learn to hit the ball cleanly every time.  Don't worry if you never hit a perfect draw.  Many pros prefer a fade.  You always want to be near the fairway and always be many yards closer to the green than when you used to hit that big slice. You won't hit every green, but your next shot will be closer and easier.

Add some extra tools and some different tools. The traditional golf set doesn't reflect today's game. My bag has driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 4 hybrid, 5 hybrid, 6, 7, 8, 9, pw, gw, sw, lw, putter. Try some cheap hybrids and extra wedges to learn what you need and are comfortable with.

Now let's talk about thinking your way around the golf course. If you start a round trying to break 90. That is 18 strokes above par. To do that you must average par plus 1 on every hole, that is you must average bogey on every hole. If you par one hole you can double bogey another. you don't even pay attention to par, you count strokes above par for each hole and keep score as plus 1, plus 2, etc. If at the end of the round you are plus 18 or less you made your goal. Don't even carry a score card. If your goal is to break 100 then you have 28 strokes to spread over 18 holes. If you are trying to break 80 then you have 8 strokes.

Right now a par 4 is an adequate drive with a decent second shot and a chip on the green. Two putts will lead to a bogey. A par 3 is a shot just off the green, a chip on and two putts. A par 5 is a decent drive followed by two decent shots and a chip. Two putts will lead to another bogey. Sure you will make pars and even birdies. Some times you wll get on a green in regulation but find that you have a very long first putt. Since your goal is bogey, three putts in this situation still meets your goal. You will also make double bogey more than once. Your goal is consistent fun golf within your skill level.

This is important because you will not hit every green in regulation, and you will not always two putt. You can remember to stay focused on your personal goal. Losing focus and your temper will not make golf more fun, but it will allow your score to increase. You can't change what just happened on the last hole, but you can focus on the hole in front of you. Play your game not your friend's or Tiger's.

Right now you will not hit every shot just the way you wanted to. Some shots will be too wide, too short or even too long. Forget it! Focus on the next shot. Make it the best shot you can hit from here. That is all you can ever control. Learn to hit short irons from anywhere around the green. If you are inside 100 yards then the next shot should be on the green.

Remember the pros love par 5's because they can nearly always birdie them. You will do better on par 3's. It takes three good shots to get on a par 5 in regulation, but only one for a par 3. Right now can you hit three good shots in succession? Until you can, accept six or even seven stokes on a par 5 and make your best holes par 3's and par 4's. These holes offer few opportunities for a bad swing to increase your score.

As you game improves you will find that your third shot into a par 5 is frequently a short wedge. Then you will begin to score on par 5's, but right now par 5's expose your inconsistent swing.

Don't lose your focus. Your goals right now are to enjoy the game, enjoy your friends, and improve your game. Golf gives us the first two almost free and the third if we are willing to practice and be patient. It is a great game that you will be able to play for most of your life. Enjoy the game and be good to the game.

THE

SIMPLE SWING 

GOLF

SWING EUREKA 

STOP

SLICING.COM