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The X-Factor Golf Swing.

Written by Aidan Sugrue

As the ol’ song goes…”Just do the Twist”… well not quite…but the right “little twist” will set you on the right track to turbo-charging your drives. We’ve all heard of the famous X-factor and how crucial it is to turbo-charging the range of your drive. We’ll, here’s an amazing tweak that you can apply for immediate results that will help you master your X-technique. You can look forward to more power and greater distance in those long drives and with a whole lot less effort..

A Little Twist - Isolate your hips from your shoulders for a longer drive. The power in your stroke is directly related to the angular difference between your shoulders and your hips at the outer range of your backswing. The more the merrier. We’re talking about the famous X-factor as first coined by Jim McLean back in 1992. The “X” refers to the cross created by an imaginary line through your hips as it intersects an imaginary line through your shoulders when viewed from above.

At the top of your backswing – You should have the biggest differential between your shoulders and your hips, typically about 30 degrees. The differential lessens as you move through the downswing. Your power is directly related to this maximum differential and not to the overall angle that you generate between the club and the target line at the extreme of your backswing. It’s doesn’t mater how far you turn If there’s no twist between your shoulders and your hips you’ll have no power. And that’s no fun.

Your X-factor angle decreases through the downswing to about 20 degrees at impact. It’s crucial that your hips continue to lead your shoulders through the full range of motion or your swing. Your hips should end up turned about 30-40 degrees towards the target at impact. About three quarters of your body weight will naturally transfer from your trailing foot to your leading foot as you complete the stroke. If your hips do not have enough twist at impact (say they’re square at impact) your shots will tend to shoot off to the right (if you are right handed golfer) because the path of the club-head is obstructed. So avoid this by being intentional about your twist.

Here’s a Useful Image. Think of your torso as a coil spring. Imagine your shoulders at the upper end with your hips at the lower end. Do you have the picture? Now grasp your spring at the upper (shoulder) end and rotate it around its longitudinal axis without securing the lower end. As you might expect, you’ll encounter no resistance because the bottom end is not attached to anything. Now repeat the twisting action. But this time, secure the bottom end of your spring with your other hand. Notice that the more you twist the more resistance you experience as the twist (or X-factor) increases. This coiling is the mechanism behind a power swing. Now imagine suddenly releasing the shoulder end of your imaginary spring. Can you see the speed and power as your shoulder unwinds like a sling shot whipping towards the ball.

Turbo-Boost Your Drives - You can consciously increase your X-differential by turning your hips towards the direction of the target just as your shoulders complete the backswing. If you are right handed, you’ll turn your hips counter clockwise and the reverse if you are a leftie. By accentuating your hip action in the direction of the target you will “turbo-boost” your drives. That extra “little twist” acts to give your more torsion through the unwind phase of your stroke with a noticeable and effortless increase in speed and power at the club head.

You’ve heard of air-guitar? Well there’s also air-golf. Practice turbo-boosting your drives whenever you have a few idle minutes during your day. Hold your hands together as if grasping an imaginary driver (your air driver). Move your arms to the top of the back swing position. Use your legs, turn your hips in the opposite direction. You’ll experience a nice stretch in your abdomen and what’s more it feels good. It won’t be long before you become a master of isolation and you enjoy those longer drives from the get go! And with longer drives you will hit more greens and score better.

About The Author:
Aidan Sugrue is a Golf Enthusiast and creator of Hot Golf Secrets the Internet’s hottest resource for free golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

Golf Handicap - Honest, Sandbagger or Hollywood, Which One Are You?

There are 3 types of handicaps out there. They include: (1) honest handicaps; (2) sandbagger handicaps and (3) Hollywood handicaps.

Thankfully, the most common type of handicap is the honest handicap. This is a handicap that is determined by using a standard and accepted formula as defined by the governing golf body in a particular country. The golfer who carries an honest handicap is conscientious about keeping accurate scores, adhering to the accepted rules of golf and of considering all rounds played when applying the handicap formula.

The golfer who can be considered to be carrying a sandbagger handicap goes out of his way to make sure that his “official” handicap is somewhat higher than what it should be. The reason for doing this is pretty obvious. When competing in Net Score competitions (often involving money or prizes) he can have a distinct advantage.

A proper handicap, as mentioned above, must be based on all rounds played - good or bad. One “not so subtle” way to achieve the status of an elite sandbagger is to conveniently forget to enter good rounds but to be diligent to the extreme when it comes to entering bad rounds. If the golfer is “on a roll” with nothing but good rounds being shot, it may be necessary to make the supreme sacrifice and actually purposely play a bad round. “Gee, I just couldn’t hit a fairway today!”

The third type of golfer is the one who carries a Hollywood handicap. This type of player is extremely interesting. This golfer has his heart in the right place - he takes the game seriously and desperately wants to improve and, perhaps more importantly, to be recognized as an accomplished player by his friends and peers. For the typical Hollywood handicap player, the handicap is everything. He would rather carry a low handicap and lose money than carry an inflated handicap and win money. A rare, but interesting breed!

To make my point, you should understand that the first step in computing a handicap using the standard USGA formula is to convert the Gross Score to what is called the Adjusted Gross Score (AGS). The AGS is equal to or lower than the gross score with an adjustment made by reducing unusually high hole scores. For example, in the US a typical bogey golfer (with a handicap between 10 and 19) cannot take more than a 7 on any hole.

OK, so you should now understand the difference between the Gross Score and the Adjusted Gross Score. Well, for the Hollywood handicap golfer, there is no difference. In fact, the concept of a gross score becomes obsolete. If the player happens to balloon to a triple bogey or worse on a par 5, he will typically say “just put me down for a double”, knowing that anything higher will not affect his handicap. And of course, the “put me down for a double” statement will have that unmistakable inflection of “surely you would not expect a player of my stature to put down a number higher than that”. Hmm, I have to wonder what would happen if Tiger, participating in a PGA event and after playing a rare bad hole, were to say “just jot down a par for that hole”. It wouldn’t be pretty.

The final interesting thing about the Hollywood handicapper is that he will enjoy a cold beverage after a round of golf and discuss nonchalantly his final score. It would never occur to him that his 9 on the eighth hole should have any bearing on the validity of the score he discusses - a result where a 7 appears on the scorecard.

Still, when all the dust settles, I would rather play a Hollywood handicapper than a sandbagger in a heads up battle. Hey, who wouldn’t?

Written by Brian Yager

About the Author:
Brian Yager has keen interest in golf and his software development skills led to the creation of CaddieMasterPro, a personal handicap and performance analysis software program available at his website, CaddieMaster Golf Software and in North American retail outlets.

Written by Savannah Durbin

With the sport of golf gaining such mainstream popularity, it is no surprise that more and more women are starting to pick up golf clubs and head out to the course. Whether you are a young lady following in the footsteps of your parents, or a wife joining her husband for a few holes, there is no doubt that you will soon become an addict. But before you head out to the tee, keep these few fundamentals in mind.

The first step in swinging a golf club is properly gripping the club. First, rest the club on the ground, and then place your left hand on the club (if you are right handed). Make sure the thumb on your left hand is placed on top of the club’s grip so that it is pointing towards the ground. Your thumb and index finger will make a ‘V’ that should be pointing towards your chin. Then place your right palm on top of the thumb of your left hand. The ‘V’ of the thumb and index finger of the right hand should point towards the right shoulder. Don’t grip the club too tight; in reality you should place relatively little pressure on the club.

One of the most common errors I see women beginners make, is flexing the left elbow on the takeaway. This is wrong! On the takeaway, your left elbow should ALMOST be locked straight, and remain this way until the end of the follow-through.

I also see a lot of women bend their wrists when making contact with the ball; perhaps to try and help the ball into the air. Do not try to use your wrists to help the ball in the air. In reality, swinging DOWN, not up on the ball, is what carries it into the air.

Another thing women should keep in mind is that most of the power in your shot comes from your core. This means that gaining distance can be achieved by generating a good body turn at impact. Do not just use your arms in your swing. Use your whole body. Turn your hips as you are making contact with the ball.

These are just a few tips that I thought would be useful for beginner women golfers. Keep these in mind before teeing off. To really build a strong, fundamentally sound swing, I recommend going to a golf-pro in your area for lessons.

Savannah Durbin is an avid golfer and aspiring computer engineer. To read more golf tips and articles, visit: Beginner Golf Tips.

An increasing number of women are now playing golf and manufacturers are beginning to realize this and target women golfers specifically in their advertising campaigns. This previously untapped market has mushroomed in recent years and is no longer dominated by men golfers. Suddenly, it is extremely lucrative for sellers to focus on selling womens golf apparel and even womens golf club sets. Male golf enthusiasts have always known that their game can be highly improved by the proper golf club sets but what should women look for when choosing their own set?

See a professional golf club fitter

A professional golf club fitter will be able to steer you towards the set which is right for you. They will guide you in your choice and can advise you on what to look for. There are several areas which should be taken into consideration when choosing golf club sets.

The cheapest thing in a womans golf club set is your grip. This is determined by the size of your hands. Grips have a tendency to harden, get slick, oxidize, and then lose their hold as time goes by. Therefore, the safest option is to buy the highest quality grip with a greater than normal longevity. This way when you do not change your grip regularly, you will still have good grips.

Golf club sets need to be maintained just like a car needs the oil changing regularly. It is recommended to change your grip every 3000 rounds or six months. This will have a positive effect on your game.

The length of your golf club sets is also an important consideration. This will affect both comfort and swing momentum. The longer the golf club the further the ball will travel, but the tradeoff is that it will then be very difficult to control. Beginners should find the right length that is proportionate to their height and the distance between their wrist and the ground when in an astride position.

Finally look at the flex. Stiffer shafts are usually better for stronger hitting golfers. The professional golf fitter will need to assess the strength of your swing.

As you get older you may need to change from steel golf clubs to those made from graphite. Do bear in mind that some fitters will be motivated by commission rather than what is best for you. Trust your judgement and instinct when meeting with a fitter.

Do not be fooled into paying for very expensive golf club sets. Expensive equipment does not equal better playing. Consult an expert fitter and be reassured of leaving with the perfect golf club set for you.

Written by: Nazima Golamaully

For a comprehensive guide to golf clubs visit The Golf Clubs Website.

32 year old Tiger Woods is in his prime! Seizing his 15th World Golf Championship, Tiger Woods won today’s Final Match at the WCG Accenture Championship at The Gallery Golf Course at Dove Mountain in Arizona.

Over the entire championship, Woods played 117 holes with 47 birdies and two eagles. In this match play tournament he was always ahead over the last 62 holes. Shooting 14 birdies today had Woods winning this match play tournament early against Stewart Cink, who had no chance of coming back. This makes Woods’ third win at the WCG Accenture Championships.

This victory brings Woods’ total career win to 63, surpassing legendary golfer Arnold Palmer. This win also moves him into fourth place on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour’s Career List;at the moment, first, second and third place goes to Sam Snead with 82 wins over a career span from 1936-1965, Jack Nicklaus with 73 wins over a career span from 1962-1986 to and Ben Hogan with 64 wins over a career span from 1938-1959.

When asked how he felt to be between Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods had this to say, “It’s a pretty good place, those two are some of the greats that have ever played the game…to be associated with them in the same breath is pretty cool.”

Tidbit of Info:

An Eagle is a shot that is 2 strokes under the par* for the hole. (i.e. - a golfer that records a 3 on a par 5).
*par - number of strokes expected of a golfer to finish a hole.

“I felt like I was in control of the match all day,” commented Tiger Woods on Saturday on his win at the World Golf Championship (WGC) -Accenture Match Play Championship Semi-Final played at the Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Arizona.

He claimed victory in today’s Accenture Championship over Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in a battle that resulted in 12 footer clutch birdie putt for Woods on the 601-yard par five 17th hole and a concession by Stenson at the 18th hole when his third shot spun off the green.

In tomorrow’s 36-hole final against Stewart Cink, Woods’ is looking to clinch his 6th straight tournament win in addition to $1.35 Million dollars. Tomorrow’s win will also bring a sense of accomplishment for Woods who previously won the Accenture Championship in 2003 and 2004, but hasn’t been able to make it out of the third round since then until now.

Tidbits of Info:

A match play golf tourney is a head to head competition played over 18 holes; the player winning the most holes, wins the match. This differs from a standard stroke play tourney where the game is played over four rounds and the golfer with the least amount of shots wins.

“Clutch Birdie Putt” - when a golfer makes one of these, he/she is under pressure to make a one stroke under par for the hole.