Golf, like any other career or vocation, has certain fundamentals that constitute the basis of a long-lasting and successful endeavour or practice. The fundamentals may seem trivial, dull or mundane at times, but to take them for granted is to wave goodbye to a solid, reliable golf swing. Issues as basic as grip, set-up, and posture cannot be exaggerated in successful golfing.

It is a well-known fact even among the world’s best and top-class players that most attention must be paid to the pre-swing factors. Historically, most faults in golf can be traced back to an incorrect address position in golf swings.

The Perfect Grip: The following are the three basic types of grip in good golf games:

• The Overlapping – This is the most popular method;
• The Interlocking – This is favoured mostly by players with relatively short fingers; and,
• The Two-Handed, or Baseball Grip – as it is often referred to, which is ideal for juniors or players who have arthritis problems.

Correct Set-Up For Action: In this game, a golfer can only hit consistently good golf shots if his/her setup is correct. Correct setup includes a perfect parallel alignment of the golfer’s position to the target, the correct ball position depending on the golf club being used, and a secure posture – that ensures a good shape to the golf swing.

The Six Unforgivable Sins in Golf Games

The player who usually wins in golf is the player who makes the fewest mistakes. It must be noted, however, that it’s not just making the fewest mistakes that counts, winning is also about avoiding the really serious howlers. A good golfer tries to avoid those killer shots that cause double and treble bogeys, the nightmare of every mid- to high-handicapper’s life. In order to avoid these killer shots, a committed golfer needs to know exactly how they happen. Below are a quick overview of the six unforgivable and deadly sins in golf:

Deadly Sin One: The Persistent Slice – This is golf’s public enemy number one. The slice is the scenario where the ball curves severely from left-to-right through the air. It is an infuriating shot as the golfer watches apparently helplessly. Slicing is caused by a combination of an ‘out-to-in’ swing path and an open clubface. The degree to which you slice the ball is dictated by these two determinants.

Cure To Sin Number One: In order to cure the sin of golf slice, you need to swing the club from the inside.

Deadly Sin Two: Too Many Skied Drives… The sliced Drive is where the club head chops down, striking the bottom half of the ball and sending it virtually straight up in the air. This can be caused by a number of factors.

Cure To Sin Two: Work on a flatter plane. To eliminate the sky and make sure to hit the ball solidly, the golfer must shallow his/her downswing attack.

Deadly Sin Three: Hurt By A Violent Hook – While a hook is not quite as common a fault as a slice, it is no less destructive and is equally difficult to shake off. It results from the club head approaching the ball from inside the target line. When coupled with a closed clubface, this causes the ball to start right and bend severely to the left.

Cure To Sin Three – Violent Hook: The golfer must get his/her swing back on track. To cure the hook snag, a wise golfer has to engage in the opposite exercise to the slice – by twisting slightly to the left.

Deadly Sin Four – Fluffed Chip Shots – This can be very embarrassing and costly. Being very close to the flag and just off the green and the golfer fluffs the chip shot three feet. How can this costly mistake be prevented?

The Cure To Sin Four: Always let the left of the club do the work – Think ‘arms and shoulders.’

Golf Deadly Sin Five: The Reverse Pivot – The reverse pivot occurs when the golfer’s weight shifts in the opposite direction to that which it should during the swing. This fault can cause complete and an embarrassingly utter power failure in the golfer’s swing.

Cure To Sin Five: In order to address this, the golfer has to hit a golf ball as far forward as possible. S/He must learn to transfer body weight correctly.

Golf Deadly Sin Six: Too Many Three-Putts – The real cause of ‘three-putting’ in golf is an inability to get approach putts close enough to the hole. No facet of a golfer’s game is as vulnerable to self-imposed pressure as the short game. Once the trouble starts, it can take a long time to cure. Ironically, majority of golfers’ tales of woe often revolve around the number of short putts missed during the game.

Cure To Sin Six – Establish Your Range On The Course: A good golfer would learn to develop a better feel for distance – dropping the three-putt ratio dramatically. Unfortunately, there’s no short-cut to achieving the discipline required for this aspect of the golf game.

Conclusion: In general, golf is the only truly self-governing sport there is. Although tournaments are graced and monitored by competent officials and referees, it is always a different story at the club level. A serious and committed golfer would endeavour to familiarise him/her with the rules of golf, which, fortunately are mostly intended to help you get the ultimate satisfaction, enjoyment and fulfilment out of every game.