Ten Tips Every Golfer Should Know

This article will show you ten golf tips that will help you to become a better golfer. I realize that you get golf tips all the time, but with any luck you may not have heard about some of these and they will in turn make you a better golfer. If you're anything like me, every little bit helps.

1) Keep your eyes where the ball was - the goal here is pretty self explanatory. We want to avoid the urge to follow the ball with our eyes. As you hit the ball, keep your eyes focused on the ground where the ball was. This is especially true with short puts.

2) Putt with your eyes closed - When you practice puts with your eyes closed, you feel your body's movements. You'll begin to sense your shoulders working like a pendulum, and you'll keep your body in line better.

3) Keep your head still - head movement is crucial for solid contact. Don't follow the ball with your eyes and head after impact.

4) Use the toe of the putter - many pros hit the ball on the toe of the putter, rather than the sweet spot. This will tend to stop the "jump" of the ball.

5) Putt to the "high" side - when lining up a putt that's going to break, favor the "high" side of the hole rather than the "low" side. This way gravity will work with you. And if you favored the "low" side, gravity would work against you. It's pretty simple, but it works!

6) Reading the Green - reading the green is a can of worms all by itself. The most important things to read are break and speed. Practice on the putting green is crucial. Remember, it's much better to make adjustments on the practice green than on the first hole. When reading the green get behind the ball (and many people squat). This way you can see the contours of the green. Also alternate views tend to help you gauge the distance. And don't forget to watch your partner's putts. How does the ball act on the green? All of the pros do this.

7) Practice swings - put a tee in the ground sticking up approximately one inch. You should be able to hit the tee consistently without touching the ground at all. Remember - the longer the club, the more precision that is required. Practice this exercise until you can consistently clip the tee without touching the ground in any way.

8) Get the ball rolling - when chipping onto the green, you want to keep the ball as low to the ground as possible. Many average golfers try to pitch the ball up in the air and this is a mistake.

9) The right equipment - for the average golfer, having equipment that's fitted to physique and capabilities is crucial. Highly skilled players can get away with just about any equipment, but the rest of us need a little help. You must like the "feel" of your equipment. Many retailers will let you test equipment before you buy it. This is a great idea.

10) Snap a line - practice your putting with a chalk line. You can purchase a chalk line at any hardware store for five or six bucks. Find a putt on a practice green that's straight and snap a chalk line from about five or six feet to the middle of the cup. Now make sure that the line (marked on your putter) is lined up exactly on the chalk line. Start making putts. This will train your eyes to "see square", which will help you immensely.