Bobby Eldridge Golf

Written By
Bobby Eldridge
Founder of Golf Download Fixes

I have a couple of drills that are perfect golf swing drills-just for your game.  Let’s start with my favorite full swing drill of all time.  The main reason this game is so tough is because we have to stand to the side of the golf ball to hit it.  If you are going to play this game you have to understand that the golf club has to swing around your body not above it.

Any time the hands and arms separate from the upper body and swing away from you-you are in trouble.  This is why my favorite golf swing drill is-ball above your feet.  The great thing about this drill is you don’t have to hit golf balls.  When you find a lie where the ground is higher than your feet, you can just swing away.  Of course I have to share a couple of things with you about this drill.

Most amateur golfers swing the club too much up and down.  It is almost impossible to change the shape of a swing that is too much up and down without using some sort of aid.  The reason it is hard to change is because you can’t see what’s going on behind you in the backswing.  That is why this drill is awesome.  You stand on the side of hill and you swing away.  With the club above your feet the has to swing around you.  It is next to impossible to swing the club up too much.

If you have the luxury to hit balls from this type of lie the better off you are.  I have to warn you about one thing, if you hit some shots fat it is because your old swing keeps creeping in.  Because the ball is closer to you the club will smack the ground if you don’t swing it around you.

I want to share one more drill with you that will give you the feeling of turning through in the follow through.  The next time you are at the practice facility and after you are wamed up, I want you to try this drill.  Hit a short pitch shot and after you have finished the swing, lift your right foot off of the ground and tap your toe three times.  The first time you try it you might fall over.  It is the best drill to teach yourself to turn through and stay in balance.

Once you have perfected the short shot then move on to a full wedge shot.  Same thing, hit a shot and tap your toe.  Now I have just give you a couple of perfect golf swing drills for your game.

Tags: Full Swing, Perfect Golf Swing Drills, Solid Iron Shots by admin
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Written By
Bobby Eldridge
Founder of Golf Video Fixes

I often wonder when a person takes up golf if they think there is such a thing as “beginner golf swing instruction”.  In other words do you think they take one look at Ernie and say to themselves “I can do that” I am going to cut through all of the red tape and go straight to the top.

Even if they think that, I believe there are some parts to the game that the new golfer has to learn and know why we do it.  The single most important thing is for them to realize you have to aim in golf.  You not only have to aim correctly, you have to aim the club and the body.  You can not believe how difficult it is for a new golfer to aim the golf ball.  Maybe I shouldn’t say new golfer.  It is very difficult for someone like me to aim the golf ball where I want it to go.  Trust me-parallel left is a concept from outerspace.

The next part that is on my list for beginner golfer is the grip.  The new golfer really struggles with holding the golf club.  It is awkward and the concept is foreign to them.  The clubface has to open in the backswing and close in the downswing.  If the grip is not correct the club will not open and close during the swing.  The other part of the grip that is extremely difficult to learn is grip pressure.  The new golfer feels as thou the club is going to fly out of their hands.

Posture, posture, posture.  Oh my this is a top three for sure.  The combination of measuring yourself from the ball the correct amount and then combine that with the correct amount of tilt at the waist and you have a real problem on your hands at the beginning.

Lastly, the golf swing.  If you can remember back to the first time you picked up a club…you might recall the pain this game can bring.  Let me get this right-you TURN your shoulders as the club swings UP and then you swing the club back DOWN as the shoulders TURN again.  Don’t forget, that is the top half, you still have the bottom half to think about.

The next time your on the golf course with a spouse, friend or playing partner and they are new to the game, keep in my when you were a beginner.  Golf swing instruction for them is much different than for you.

Tags: Full Swing, Golf Instruction by admin
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Your knee action (lower body) is critical to proper golf swing sequence. I see so many golfers who don’t know what the knees should do, so I put this golf video tip together to help you get a better understanding of lower body (knee) action in your downswing.

Tags: Full Swing by admin
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There is one thing about the game of golf: score cards don’t lie.  Ok I will agree with you on one point.  I have played a number of rounds in my life where I hit the ball very well, putted great and got nothing out of the round. 

On the other hand there have been many rounds where I couldn’t find the golf course.  I was lucky no one got hurt.  However at the end of the day when I added up the score card I was very pleased with the number. 

You have to keep in mind that golf is NOT one round.  It is a lifetime experience.  The only way you are going to improve is to continue to punch holes in your score card and find out what part of your game needs work.  That does not happen in one round of golf.

I know you are wondering where you should start.  There are a couple of stats that jump out at me.  Start with the driver.  You have to track every tee shot.  Keep a blank score card in your pocket and after every tee shot record whether you hit the fairway or missed to the left or right. 

The next statistic that will help you lower your score is did you short side your approach shot?  It doesn’t matter if it is the first, second, third or even fourth shot of the hole.  Did you short side yourself?  The definition of short siding is when you leave your approach shot in a position where you don’t have any green to work with. 

Everytime you prepare to approach a green you have to ask yourself the 10 million dollar question.  What side is the short side?  The safe side might leave you with a 30 yard pitch shot with nothing but a tiny fringe and then the putting green in front of you.  The short side might leave you with a 7 yard LOB shot over a bunker with a 12 foot lip and a slope running straight down hill to the hole.  You do the math.  It doesn’t take many of those a day to ruin a good round of golf.

Lastly, grade your attitude before you tee off, when you make the turn and when you walk off of the golf course.  It is a great stat to keep track of.  If you can maintain an upbeat and fun attitude your scores will reflect it.  I have gone on record for years as saying that I haven’t found a more enjoyable place to spend four hours than a golf course-when I am playing well and having fun.  On the other hand it is the most miserable place to be for four hours when you are struggling and not having fun.

Remember, if you use them correctly, score cards don’t lie.

Tags: Chipping, Driver, Fairway woods/Hybrids, Full Swing, Golf Instruction, Green Side Bunkers, LOB Wedge, Pitching, Putting, Short game, Solid Iron Shots, Trouble Shots by admin
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During my younger years playing golf in Southwest Florida I struggled with a swing mistake early on.  I use to slide-sway my right hip and (legs) back in the backswing and then slide-sway my left hip and (legs) towards the target in the downswing.  I am convinced to this day that it was due to my size.  I was tiny little guy growing up and back then we didn’t have junior golf clubs.

The only way I could get the golf club to move either way was to use my legs sliding back and forth.  Don’t get me wrong, I could really play with that method, until I lost my timing.  Once there was a little heat on me and my timing changed, my shots were going LEFT and I mean way left.  My lateral move had to be in sync or I was in trouble.

Once I realized my mistake I began to practice at home in the living room at night.  I would move my mom’s favorite rocking chair next to the couch and then stand between them.  WIth the rocking chair on my right and the couch on my left I would practice TURNING without touching them.  I would stand there forever until I could make a backswing and downswing without (sliding) touching them with my hips.

On the practice range there was an old aluminum garbage can that I would stand next to and hit balls.  I placed the garbage can next to my right side and hit balls without touching the can.  As the years passed I carried to golf shafts in my bag with me at all times and I would place one in the ground just outside my right foot and one in the ground just outside my left foot.  Using the two stakes trained me to turn in the backswing and not slide.

In recent years I keep two plastic stakes in my bag.  I rarely hit balls without using those stakes as a training tool to remind me to not allow the right side to slide in the backswing and to make sure I turn through in the downswing.

Bobby’s bit of wisdom:  The golf swing is a turning motion not a sliding move.  For immediate feedback stick two sticks to insure a TURN and not a SLIDE.

Tags: Full Swing, Hybrids, Solid Iron Shots by admin
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There is a lot to be said about the amount of pressure you use to hold onto a golf club.  As a matter of fact there is grip pressure can also apply to most sports.  Keep in mind whether you are swinging a baseball bat, shooting a basketball, hitting a tennis ball or swinging a golf club; the tighter the muscles the more loss of speed and touch. 

Since there is no measuring device to gauge how tight you are gripping the club, you are going to have to go OLD SCHOOL with me on this one. 

If you slice the golf ball or hit shots to the right, you might be gripping the club too tight. If you grip the club too tight then your arms and shoulders will not be relaxed.  When you swing the golf club with a grip that is too tight you will not RELEASE the clubhead on time or with much speed.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that you might grip the club with the correct amount of pressure during your weekly round of golf with your friends.  Unfortunatley when it is tournament time, that might change.  Standing on the 17th tee with a one stroke lead in your club championship might cause the old “white knuckle grip” to raise it’s ugly head.

I want to leave you with a great way you can practice gripping it lighter.  Take out an 8 iron and after you address the golf ball and grip the club, I want you to grip it as tight as you possibly can.  Now I want you to hit three shots.  Make sure you keep the tight grip during the address, backswing, downswing, impact and follow through.  (That is how you grip it on the 17th tee.)

On the fourth shot I want you to go through the same routine, grip the club as tight as possible and then relax your grip as thou the club was going to come out of your hands.  I want you to hold it as thou you were holding a babies hand.  Now hit three more shots and compare the results. 

Remember:  Grip it as thou you were holding a babies hand, not holding on for your dear life!

Tags: Driver, Fairway woods/Hybrids, Full Swing, Hybrids, Solid Iron Shots by admin
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The most common shot selection for amateur golfers when they are in between clubs is to take the longer one and swing slower.  There is one big problem with that method. 

If you’re normal clubhead speed is 75 miles per hour and you decide to take the longer club and swing 65 miles per hour, that takes a tremendous amount of practice to get the timing down.  On the other hand if you decide to go with the shorter club and swing faster, you will be faced with the same challenges. 

The method that I have taught for years and is easy to apply.  All you have to do is choke down an inch or two on the longer club and make your normal swing.  If you are faced with a 150 yard shot, slightly uphill and into the wind, you might pull your 5 and 6 out of the bag.  You think to yourself that you could jump on a 6 iron or smooth a 5 iron.  In both situations you have to change your timing, tempo and pace of swing to match the impact of the club and ball.

I recommend you take out the 5 iron and choke down an inch or two and make it a 5.5 iron.  There is one final step, you have to stand an inch or two closer to the ball at address.  Once you have done that you can swing away at the ball with your normal pace and tempo of your swing.  The ball is not going to travel as far as your standard five iron but it will travel further than your six iron. 

Keep in mind to choke down an inch or two, stand an inch or two closer to the ball and makie your normal swing.

Tags: Full Swing by admin
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I have heard so many cliches about what to do with your full swing shots from deep rough that I thought I would share a few thoughts with you that will help.  First, there are three kinds of lies in deep rough.  You could have a buried lie (all sitting down), a teed up lie (ball sitting up) or a somewhat normal lie.

Let’s start with the buried lie.  Remember the Rules of Golf states that you are not allowed to press down on the grass behind the golf ball.  When you walk up to your ball and determine that the leading edge of the golf club is resting above the equator of the golf ball, that is a buried lie.

When you have a buried lie in the rough, the chances of you making solid contact with the golf ball are very small.  It is time for you to grab a wedge and hack the ball out.  If the lie is really bad you might have to aim sideways, back to the fairway.

To insure a decent shot, #1-place the ball back in your stance, #2-weight on your left side, #3-swing the club up in the backswing and chop down in the downswing.  Keep one thing in mind.  Your number one goal is get OUT.  Hitting a quality shot is probably not going to happen.  Don’t take any chances with this shot.  Using a wood is out of the question.

Let’s move on to the teed up lie.  Every once in a while you will hit a shot in the rough only to arrive and find the ball sitting up as thou it was on a tee.  A very tall tee.  This is a tricky shot to hit solid.  Most of the time you will swing the golf club too steep in the downswing and the clubhead will slide underneath the ball.  The result will be a high lofted, short shot.

To hit a solid shot from a lie that is sitting up in the rough you have to do three things.  #1-Make sure you are sitting back on your heels at address.  #2-During the backswing the club has to swing around you and not up and down.  #3-During the downswing the arms have to release before the right shoulder turns.  One last thing, you can hit any club in your bag from the sand wedge to the three wood.

Some times when you are in deep rough you will have a lie that is your standard deep rough lie.  Not to buried and not sitting up.  When you are faced with this shot there are a couple of things to remember.  The chances of you getting the clubface on to the back of the golf ball squarely are pretty small.  Most of the time you wind up hitting these shot fat.

Remember to do a couple of things for a solid shot out of deep rough.  First, take a lofted club.  The flatter the face the more difficult to get to the bottom of the ball.  The second thing to remember is to choke down on the club.  By choking down you have to stand closer to the ball and this will alow the club to swing steeper.  The last thing to remember is to follow through low.  By finishing low the clubhead will have a chance to find the bottom of the ball and not the top.

Golf Resource

If you’re having trouble hitting over high trees you’ll want to check out my trouble shots section of my new site over at IGolfFixes.com today!

Tags: Full Swing, Trouble Shots by admin
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There are a couple of things I want to share with you in regard to the position of the legs at address and the role the legs play during the golf swing.

Believe it or not the most important part of the leg action during the golf swings happens at address.  That sounds kind of odd doesn’t it?  I am referring to your feet and knees.   As you are addressing the golf ball the first thing you have to check the width of your stance.  For a full swing your feet have to be slightly wider than your shoulders, this will insure a proper shoulder turn in the backswing.

The second part, you have to pay close attention to the left foot.  If you place your left foot perpendicular to the target line (straight), you will not be able to turn the left hip out of the way in the downswing.  What I like to see all golfers do is point the left toe out an inch or two.  By doing this you will be able to turn through quicker in the downswing.  Placing the foot straight will block your left hip in the downswing.

Let’s move on to the knees. The knees have to be flexed at address and not locked.  If the knees are flexed you will be able to make a bigger turn.  Secondly, the right knee has to be SLIGHTLY leaning in towards the golf ball.

By addressing the ball in this manner you will be up some torque in the backswing and the right knee will be activated in the downswing.  When the right knee is activated in the downswing it will help transfer your weight to the left side faster.

Are you tired of hitting all your iron shots to the right? This causes a loss of distance and obviously a decrease in your ability to hit the green on your approach shots. I’ve got a fix for it if you want to rid yourself of the hitting your irons to the right, click the image below.

Tags: Full Swing by admin
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I know why some of you stand over a golf shot for what seems like an eternity.  You don’t have a routine that includes the one or two swing thoughts that would get your engine going so you can swing the club back.

Let me tell you one thing I know for sure.  If Ernie Els had the same thoughts running through his head that you have running through yours, he wouldn’t be able to make a back swing either.

Come on now, I know you can do this.  Let’s get a couple of things straight.  The clubhead has to swing on an arc as it goes back to the top of the backswing.  The best way to do that is to make sure the clubhead, shaft, grip, your hands, your arms and your shoulders all start TOGETHER IN ONE PIECE.

As you address the golf ball you should take dead aim at a blade of grass in the fairway where you want the ball to land, then take a couple of waggles to relax the upper body.  Now it is time to start the club back.  You have to develop a smooth and relaxed start of the one piece takeaway.

Keep in mind that the first 3-5 feet of the backswing dictates what happens at the top of the swing.

The best way to practice this is to see if you can go to the 9:00 o’clock position for starters.  You can check to make sure the shaft is level to the ground, parallel to your feet line and that the toe is pointing to the sky.  You don’t have to use a golf ball for this practice session.

After you arrive at 9:00 o’clock and check your positions you can start from the beginning again.  If you freeze up during the address, back away and start again.  Do not allow yourself to stand there until you start your engine.

Remember:  Aim the shot and then start your engine.

Tags: Full Swing by admin
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