When playing golf and hitting the golf ball, you want to get yourself into the correct impact positions and alignments. The goal should be to swing “through” the ball, not “at” the ball. Get a proper set up, and align yourself toward the target. Make sure your feet are shoulder width apart, and allow your arms to hang infront of your body. Start in the address position, with your leading hand pointed at the ball. When you start your golf swing, you want to make sure you are arriving at the same position at impact. Your hands will actually be a couple inches ahead of the ball at impact, which is called compression of the ball. Another way to check if your impact position is in the correct position, your belt buckle/belly button should be forward into the follow through position. Move your left knee toward the target (right knee if you're a lefty). Take your stance, then take your back swing, and once you have started making the downswing, you want to make sure the club is driving forward and hitting down on the ball. What does hitting down on the ball mean? Well, mostly these shots are for your iron shots. You need to compress the golf club into the ground, squeezing the ball into the air. The leading edge will lead into the ground causing the ball to release up into the air. Focusing in on the leading edge staying low will allow you to control the ball much easier. It's very difficult to let the club do the work when your body is over compensating. By using your lower body and allowing the club to swing through, you maintain your spine angle- leading the club to do the work. A checkpoint to determining whether you are doing the right thing or not, is by looking at where you finish. Your stance should be following through onto your left side and there shouldn't be any weight on your right foot. In regards to your follow through, you want to make sure both of your hips are pointing straight to the target and your arms/ hands have finished in between your left ear and shoulder. These are key tips to helping build and enhance the impact and path of your swing.

Full Swing Tips Plant your feet on the ground and think of your legs being strong as a tree trunk. Put your feet shoulder width apart, allowing the inside of your feet to be in line with the outside of your shoulders. The key is balance. Think of the golf swing in concepts. To build a solid golf swing is to start with the waist down first. To produce a consistent and straight shot, the club needs to stay on the correct plane. Rotate and turn the club around the body, allowing the club to turn on an arc- NOT on a straight line. The problem with thinking the swing is on a straight line, is you will allow steepness and coming over the top. The earth is round and your golf swing should be too. In order to hit the ball straight, you must keep the clubface going straight back and straight through. Return the clubface through the ball, as you have it at set up. The face position should open on the way back and square up at impact, then closing on the way through. NOT straight on the way through. Under rotation causes a block/slice and over rotation causes a hook/pull. If you are just starting in the game, remember that the club should rotate around as your body turns in the golf swing. Think of the concept and allow your body to follow. To start, try rotating in a smooth motion and then work into a more powerful swing. Baby steps in golf can be more productive than trying to achieve all your goals at once.

Hit the ball further, get fit, and lose some weight that may be holding you back. In order to build strength and power in the golf swing, there are a series of training steps to help with your progress. Following a strict diet and staying committed to your daily work outs will be vital to your success. Do you want to remain fat and out of shape? If not, get with the program! Go for a jog to get the blood flowing. You don’t need to run a sub 4 marathon, just jog enough to get your heart rate moving. Run for two minutes. Side Steps. Start with your right side and switch to your left side. In golf, it is important to have strong hip flexors and this exercise will help with that. I know it sounds old school, but do 50-100 Jumping Jacks. Not only does this stretch out your entire core, arms, and legs- it allows for a constant motion and momentum gain. Laying flat on your back, lift your butt in the air. These are called hip raises. Do it One of my favorite exercises is the spine angle test using a stick or broom. Holding it with both hands above your head, go down into a squat- keeping your chin up and back as straight as possible without falling forward. This is a great way to test your flexibility and strengthen your hamstrings, back, neck, and core. This is also known as the overhead squat.

Love or Hate Golf? When playing a round of golf, you can either choose to love the game that makes you so mad or hate it all together. We all know that golf is one of the most demanding games in existenstence, so I’m going to share some ways to improve your enjoyment and learn new skills along the way! FIrst off, I would say to choose a positive state of mind. Understanding that you are only as good as your missed shots, is crucial in warding off unwanted thoughts and tendencies. Next, think of your golf swing and body as being a connected machine that if one part comes loose, the rest has to compensate. This is the normal order of things in this game, but being able to limit your over-compensations, can lead to less errors in your golf shots. Another way to make the round more enjoyable, is too look at it as a FUN activity, not a life or death situation. Even the tour players that are in contention to win, know that a mistake is bound to happen. Making the most of every situation in golf will lend to a more enjoyable experience all together.

“Empowering Wounded Warriors, One Fairway at a Time” Mission: The SMGA's mission is to provide rehabilitative golf experiences and family inclusive golf opportunities for post 9/11 wounded war veterans in an effort to improve the quality of life for these American heroes. Eligible veterans include those wounded or injured in post 9/11 military operations, including those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The SMGA is a fantastic organization dedicated to helping our countries heroes. They offer numerous programs to get the soldiers involved. Clinics Designed to help wounded soldiers with PTSD, this includes men and women designed, group instruction. American Golfer Program This program affords wounded veterans the opportunity to participate in SMGA, who are not located close to a SMGA facility. Charity Golf Classic Each year this tournament is the main fundraiser for the SMGA. Golf Course Partnerships To facilitate golf course access for warrior golfers, the SMGA has forged a number of partnerships with local golf courses and country clubs. Special playing opportunities for SMGA members are available at local courses. Tournament Playing Opportunities Over the years, the SMGA has excelled in providing post-9/11 wounded and injured service members with golf course access. In a typical year, more than 100 playing opportunities will be provided to veterans in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Tournament and playing opportunities are also available through our other chapter and affiliate locations. For more information: http://www.smga.org/

Mental Golf Do you ever hit the ball great when you are alone, or when you have a second try at the shot? It’s nothing surprising to say that this is highly likely attributed to the mental side of the game. Just like the physical game of golf, it’s important to have a strategy with the mental side as well. There are many ways to develop the mental game in golf and they might sound silly! Many players will connect their level of play with their self image. Negative self talk is not good in daily life, let alone a performance sport like golf. Before stepping up to hit a shot, talk positive to yourself. Be happy regardless of situations and outcomes. Success comes to those who have patience and persevere through difficulties. Focus on one shot at a time, engaging in your pre-shot routine. Fake it until you make it. Try not to be self critical and use your swing thoughts as triggers to accomplishing your chosen shot. Here are some great swing thoughts to say to yourself before hitting the shot: 1. I CAN hit this shot, I’ve done it many times before 2. I WANT to hit the ball _____. 3. I AM a great player, even as a beginner, I KNOW it’s possible. 4. No matter who is watching, EVERYONE makes mistakes. 5. I WILL continue to get better, even with poor shots from time to time. *Think of DO’s not dont’s *Focus on where you want the ball to go NOT where you don’t won’t it to go

Drills to Help Improve Your Chipping 1. Hit shots in practice like the ones that will resemble those during a round. Give yourself bad, good, side and buried lies. If you miss a chip shot, leave the ball where it lies and hit it again. 2. Try to hit all your practice chip shots within a specific diameter around the hole. For example, tour players will focus on hitting each ball within a 3 foot circle around the hole. 3. Pick a target and try to hit shots that are close to it. You can get your feel developed by working on the distance of each shot. Hit 10-20 shots in a row to get the feel. 4. Hitting it out of the rough, with a hinge and hold method taught by Phll Mickelson is a great way to hit lob shots, where you don’t have any green to work with. Put your weight forward and allow the ball to pop out and land soft. See his video here: http://youtu.be/AaZ-Ka-AQGc 5. For consistency and distance control, concentrate on where you want the ball to land, NOT where the ball will finish rolling. Pick a spot and focus on hitting it there. Place a towel or a couple tees where you want the ball to land, and practice landing it in that zone.

Technique is Everything The feel and distance is controlled with the proper technique. Sometimes you may be standing to far away, so make sure you are standing in a comfortable position with your arms hanging comfortably infront of you. Hitting it short and chunky are the two mishaps of the chip shot. -Keep the V of your arms consistent through the shot -Don’t break down your hands/wrists because that will lead to a chunky shot -When you decelerate, it will lead to a chunky shot -Return the club head back to where you started when hitting the ball, this will stop you from hitting too much grass behind the ball -Weight on your left foot -Keep the V, going forward with your shoulders controlling the ball

Chip and Run the Ball, don’t leave it short. When you are chipping, first check out how much green you have to work with. Get a good idea of how much fringe or rough you have in between you and the golf hole. Think about how far you want the ball to go, and how much it will roll. Here are some tips to help the ball get moving in the right direction: -Put the ball in the front of your stance. -Push your hands forward prior to hitting the shot -Wrist hinges on the back swing, and holds on the follow through -The butt of the club will hold in the same position back and through the shot -A chippng motion, does NOT have a release in the club head through the ball

Working out the proper way is crucial in the sustainability of your golf career. Whether you are the weekend warrior or the golf professional, being physically fit is just as important as a solid swing. In fact, it is one of the ways to build that exact thing because the weaker the body is, the more prone to injuries. Even if you are a weekend golfer or only play a couple times a month, it would be smart to take your fitness into consideration. Golf may not seem taxing on the body, but it can do damage long term to the smaller joints in the body. Your body serves as the vehicle to gaining the proper swing, so why not treat it with the utmost care? Develop a strength program . Believe in or not, walking does magic for golfers. If you get the time, when you play your next round, try walking and carrying your bag. Not only will you feel stronger cardio wise, you will build stamina. Jogging, Swimming, and light cardio like walking are all great for golf. If you are into Crossfit or boxing type work outs, I would just take it easy and not get too bulked up. I used to think the stronger the better when I was playing golf, which is true- but the correct amount of strong, is vital. Bulking up will tighten and shorten your muscles if done the wrong way. Build a foundation for your fitness before going too hard at a workout. Your body will be glad you did.

Golf is not like any other sport you will play. It is not about being aggressive/going after every shot with full force, it is about finesse and touch. There are three key movements in the golf swing, that you want to pay attention to and build. These three things include the body's movement and rotation, the hinge of the wrists in the back swing and the follow-through. Allow your spine angle to create an angle which allows your body to rotate in a circular pattern. The laws of physics definitely plays a role in the golf swing, and most of the time you are going against what the mind thinks should be occuring. Hence, the reputation of golf as the "Game of opposites." The body starts with the take away of the arms, the core and shoulders follow, then once you start your downswing, the rotation creates a whipping action and the release your hands and arms through the shot is accomplished. Think of the baseball swing, but on an angle. When I speak of angle, I'm talking about the spine angle. To develop the proper spine angle, you want to make sure that you're bending at the waist and slightly cracking your knees. What you don't want to do, is squat down or stand too upright because this will affect the path of the club. It seems like a lot to remember, but think of it as building a house brick by brick, it is not easy but with hard work and it can be accomplished. You want to build your golf swing step-by-step, until you see the finished product and then once that is occurred you can then update and fix as time goes by.

The release Many people try to swing their entire body to get the golf ball in the air. It is no secret, that the release of the golf club is one of the most impactful aspects towards the trajectory and distance of your swing. The release is when you allow the club to rotate through the hitting zone, staying square to the golf ball. I like to think of it as the toe up in the backswing and the toe up in the forward swing. The release occurs into your downswing and out through your follow through. At impact, your body would be square/facing the golf ball, this is where staying square is crucial. If the hips are not square and they are to the right, that means you're going to push the ball or release the club too soon or hook it. Allowing your hands to release the club properly, will also allow your body to be in the correct position and stay square. This is the period of time that last seconds before impact and your follow through. If you do not release the club face properly, and you leave the face open with a slow release, you will end up with a slice or block (a right shot). If you obtain these two positions, you will have the proper release and nothing will be compromised. If you would like to build your release, I suggest going to see a local golf professional or by watching videos of tour players. A slice is due to no release in the golf club, which is occurring in almost 90% of beginners. I trained eye will be able to help build a proper foundation. For more information on the release of the golf swing, stay tuned.