A Girl's On-Course Survival Guide to Golf

Thomas Nelson

Contents

FundamentalsGrip.............................................................................................13Posture be athletic, girls.......................................................................18Stance and Ball Position.........................................................................22Alignment square for more pars...................................................................32Pre-Tee-OffStretching vital at every age....................................................................38Range Play.......................................................................................42Chip and Putt....................................................................................44On The Tee BoxPre-Shot Routine.................................................................................47How and Where to Tee It Up.......................................................................52I Want More Distance and I want it NOW!!!........................................................56Bad-Shot Fixes uh, ooohh, my ball went right AGAIN $!!%!!?.......................................72Swing Sequence...................................................................................90On The FairwayIrons more accuracy, more greens.................................................................91Woods sweep it...................................................................................94Know Your Divots they are your friends...........................................................96Utility Clubs to the rescue......................................................................98Know Your Distances..............................................................................102Bad-Shot Fixes when bad shots happen to good people..............................................104Specialty and Tough ShotsThe Sand Divot...................................................................................121Shaping the Shot.................................................................................122Over and Under a Tree............................................................................130Out of the Rough don't let the rough, rough you up!..............................................134Flop Shot no green and over a bunker, what's a girl to do??......................................136Uphill and Downhill Lies the world is not flat, and neither are golf courses.....................138Wind and Rain messes up more than your hair......................................................142Around The GreenClub Selection...................................................................................151Chip and Pitch what the heck is the difference?..................................................152Lie Assessment and not the fib you told..........................................................154Chips all sorts..................................................................................156Pitches all sorts................................................................................166The Roll Ratio Formula...........................................................................170Alignment........................................................................................172Bad-Shot Fixes uh, oh, I skulled AGAIN $!!*!!?...................................................174Bunker PlaySand Shot setup and such.........................................................................184A Sandwich? no, a sand wedge!....................................................................190Long Greenside Bunkers...........................................................................192Tough Lies.......................................................................................194On The GreenPutting setup and such...........................................................................205Pre-Putt Routine.................................................................................208Distance Control lag it close....................................................................210Breaking Putts...................................................................................212Short Putts and Long Putts.......................................................................214Bad-Putt Fixes when putts go wrong...............................................................218Reading the Green................................................................................232Course Management and Mental StaminaFear of Water Syndrome...........................................................................233Think Like a Pro.................................................................................234Good Nutrition...................................................................................236Get Out of Trouble ego, step aside...............................................................238Jokes when all else fails, laugh.................................................................243Rules and EtiquetteTen Most Common Rules............................................................................250Know Your Etiquette..............................................................................260Glossary of Terms what the heck is a square?.....................................................274

Chapter One

GRIP LEFT HAND

The shaft is placed in the base of your fingers for optimum hinge, clubhead control, and feel.

STEP 1

The shaft runs diagonally from just below your pinkie across to the base of your forefinger.

DO THIS

DO grip down at least an inch from the butt of the shaft for more control.

STEP 2

Now just wrap your fingers excluding your thumb, around the shaft so it feels like the club is in your fingers.

STEP 3

Drop your thumb into place. When the left hand grip is complete, your thumb should sit just right of center, and the shaft should fit securely in the heel of your palm.

GRIP RIGHT HAND

The shaft is placed even more in your fingers for optimum clubhead speed.

STEP 1

The shaft runs diagonally from the base of your pinkie across to the center of your index finger.

STEP 2

Close your right hand. Your V should point to an area between your right ear and right shoulder.

FINISHED GRIP

A Neutral Grip

YES

Both V's created by your grip point to an area between your right ear and right shoulder, resulting in a square clubface at impact. Most common grip.

A Strong Grip

NO

Both V's are pointing toward the outside of your right shoulder, and the back of your glove is almost entirely visible. This will cause a closed clubface at impact, which tends to make your ball go left. An anti-slice grip.

A Weak Grip

NO

Both V's are pointing toward your left shoulder. This will cause an open clubface at impact, which tends to make your ball go right. An anti-hook grip.

GRIP PRESSURE

is one of the most important aspects of your grip. Grip too tightly and you will not be able to hinge properly. Valuable clubhead speed and control will be lost. Grip too loosely and you will lose control of the club during mid-swing, accidently sending your club flying and knocking your buddy across the head.

STEP 1

Hold the club vertically, and notice how light the club and your grip feels.

STEP 2

Hold the club horizontally, and notice how heavy the clubhead feels.

STEP 3

Hold the club at a 45-degree angle. Your grip should feel firm enough to control the club, yet loose enough for proper hinge with relaxed arms and shoulders.

POSTURE

I see many women set up to the ball hunched over, their back and shoulders rounded and their chin pinned to their chest. You cannot swing freely in this setup.

YES

You can see that there is good space between my chest and chin, allowing room for my left shoulder to rotate freely on the backswing.

The shaft to spine visualization is a good method to use to feel consistent posture and to maintain that posture through the swing. As you turn into the backswing and come down through impact, visualize turning around the shaft without changing the shaft's angle. This will help you feel the correct spine angle and stay in your posture.

DOES YOUR CHEST GET IN THE WAY OF HITTING THE BALL? THERE IS A SOLUTION.

Just because you are well-endowed doesn't mean you cannot hit a golf ball like your smaller-chested peers. There is a simple solution for large-chested women. At address, don't stand too upright; instead round off your shoulders. This allows your arms to hang away from your body, allowing more room to swing freely around those puppies.

POSTURE FLEX-IT GIRL!

YES

POSTURE FOR POWER

A slight flex in your knees creates an athletic feel. A straight spine allows for your arms to hang down naturally. I feel centered, balanced, and ready to rip it.

NO

TOO RIGID, GIRL!

If you lock your knees, you take your legs out of the shot. To make matters worse, your posture will fluctuate in the backswing and downswing, resulting in power failure. You need your legs!

NO

If you flex too much, you will likely be too close to the ball, your arms will not hang freely, and your ball will not go very far.

YES

JUST RIGHT WITH MY DRIVER!

I am slightly wider than shoulder-width for good balance. For your mid-irons, your stance should be slightly narrower, and with your shorter irons even narrower.

STANCE WITH YOUR DRIVER

A solid foundation is key to a balanced and powerful swing off the tee. If you are too narrow, balance will be jeopardized. If you are too wide, you will restrict your movement throughout your swing. If power is what you want, then a proper foundation is key, right, girls?

HAND POSITION WITH A DRIVER

YES

With your driver, your hands should be about an inch behind the ball, with the shaft in line with your hands. This promotes an upward strike.

NO

With your hands ahead of the ball, you will deliver a descending blow that results in a lower trajectory or pop-up.

ABOVE INSET PHOTO

For a mid-iron, your hands should be in line with the ball. With shorter clubs, it is OK to have your hands slightly ahead but not more than beyond your pants/skirt pocket.

YES

A 7-iron. The stance becomes narrower as the clubs become shorter. Why? The longer the club, the more stability and balance you need.

ABOVE INSET PHOTO

The driver stance is the widest.

YES

A sand wedge. As you can see, the stance becomes even narrower as shorter irons require less rotation. For chips and pitching, it will continue to narrow.

ADDRESS CHECK

HEAD IS CLEAR OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, FOCUSED ONLY ON THE TARGET

RIGHT SHOULDER LOWER THAN YOUR LEFT, A RESULT OF GOOD POSTURE AND GRIP

TENSION-FREE, ARMS ARE RELAXED AND YOU ARE NOT DEATH-GRIPPING THE CLUB

BOTH KNEES SLIGHTLY FLEXED WITH YOUR RIGHT KNEE POINTING IN TOWARD TARGET

BALANCE CHECK

To check if you are properly balanced at address, set up to the ball and take your stance, then have a friend give you a little shove. You should feel solid and not budge. If you do fall off balance, then check your setup. You might be too much on your toes or heels, or your stance might be too narrow.

YES

With your driver, be sure to play the ball off your left heel. I see many women tee the ball too far back. If you play the ball too far back, you will be striking the ball on a descending blow, making it very difficult to get the ball airborne.

BALL POSITION

Improper ball position will lead your ball astray. If your ball position is not correct, your club will bottom out in the wrong spot, or you will compensate with your body to adjust, which you don't want to do.

ALIGNMENT

When determining your target and landing, always pick a specific target. This may sound like a simple task, but I see very few players do it.

Pick a specific target, as shown here. The second palm tree from the left is my target.

DO THIS

Pick an intermediate target. It makes the aim and alignment process much easier. Select a specific target. The more specific, the easier it is for your brain to register and get the ball to the intended target.

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Excerpted from A Girl's On-Course Survival Guide to Golfby Christina Ricci Copyright © 2007 by The Media Game, LLC . Excerpted by permission.
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