**Please welcome our first guest author**

Eric Wilson Ph.D. is a PGA Master Professional and the Vice President of The College of Golf at Keiser University in Port St. Lucie, FL.**

Let's sum up the conversation about perfecting your golf stance and make it simple, direct and without complication. One of the first things taught in pro golf school is the importance of the golf stance and how everything is developed from that point.

Basically there are 5 types of shots in the game.Additionally, there are 3 ways to address the ball. As with most things in life and in golf, variations can and do occur. Circumstances will dictate morphing these generally accepted rules to answer a specific challenge of the moment.Without a clear understanding of the basics, however, your game will likely never get beyond an amateur level. Remember though, “Golf Pros are the Same As Amateurs”….’nobody is consistent”. Trying your hardest to be consistent plays a large part in your success, and of course understanding the basics can help you with consistency.

Addressing the Ball

Generally speaking you will align your toes parallel to the intended flight path you hope the ball to take. From this position you'll adjust your stance based upon the specific action the shot may require in order to be most effective.

Initial drives and long wood shots lend themselves to a closed stance. By this, you'll start with your feet parallel and then move your right foot (for right handed golf swings) back a few inches away from that flight line. Also, you'll want to turn the toes of your right foot out slightly to enhance the effect of closing your hips and overall stance.

The reason for the closed stance is that by turning just slightly to the right your natural swing arc through the ball will now foster the ball to slightly hook. Considering that most golfers tend to naturally slice the ball, applying a slight hooking action tends to counteract that  action.

The longer the shot, the more you'll want to close your feet positions. Closer approach shots, chips, sand shots, etc. require that you open up your stance. The less distance to the hole the more open you should stand while addressing the ball.

Open Your Shot

To open your shot, you'll first address the flight path of the ball by standing parallel, again. Then opening your stance means you will inch your right foot forward of the parallel line while sliding your left foot back a bit. Visualize your body as you face the flight path on a vertical pole and when opening your stance you simply rotate from the center of your stance.

One of the mistakes commonly made when moving into an open stance is thinking it only means you need to pull the left foot backwards and shift the toes out, or to the left. Instead of an even rotating which keeps your club head the same distance from the ball, by only moving your left foot back you now pull your club head back and have to adjust for that when you perform your swing. Even the best golfers can have challenges with this type of in-swing mechanical adjustments.

Once you have a clearer understanding of the importance of addressing the ball you'll be better prepared to deal with the 5 types of shots your golf game should include. Those 5 are:

·        The Drive

·        Fairway Wood Shot

·        Long Iron Shots

·        Pitching

·        Chip Shots

The Drive

When driving you should place your left heel just slightly ahead of the ball by an inch or two. Your stance will be slightly closed, so your right foot will turn out to the right and be behind the flight path of the ball by an inch or two. Finally and naturally your hands should be just behind the perpendicular line between the ball and its intended flight path. Here, behind means to the right.

Fairway Wood Shot

When hitting off the fairway with your woods, you're stance will be more square to the flight path. Additionally, you'll now move your hands just ahead of the ball at the start of your swing.

Long Iron Shots

While extremely difficult, long iron shooting can be made easier if you keep the ball even between your feet while maintaining a square stance. Your hands will need to be several inches ahead of the face of the club as you start your swing. It is good to also place more weight on your left foot as you begin this swing.

Pitching and Chip Shots

Pitching and chipping are very similar. While you will open your stance on your pitch shots, when you chip, you'll want to be a bit more square. With both of these shots at least 60% or more of your weight will be on the left foot and your hands are going to be several inches ahead of the ball at swing start.

In just this quick, informative article you can see why a pro golf school would place so much emphasis on teaching these foundational basics to its students. Maybe you'll find that ingraining this knowledge can help your game of golf as well.

Still have questions about your golf stance? Share them with us in the comments below.

About the Author

Eric Wilson Ph.D. is a PGA Master Professional and the Vice President of The College of Golf at Keiser University in Port St. Lucie, FL. You can find The College of Golf on Twitter (@CollegeofGolf)or on Facebook.

    

We're Back!  Let's consider last week our Sunday, we needed a break.  Normally I prefer to talk about amateur news as that topic brings a twinkle to my eye, but I read an article on Golf360online which made me take notice.

A 5th major has been suggested and is being considered.  No, it's not the self-proclaimed Players' Championship, 5th Major kind.  A tournament to the winner gets the major spoils.  One to be held in Asia.

At first, the mere suggestion sounded a bit far fetched.  I dare say I was a bit appalled in the split second of hearing the news.  But, in reading and then considering the idea a bit, it would make sense in this global golf market.  Asia is filled with golf fanatics, cash and some pretty nice looking courses (based on what I've seen in unsolicited travel magazine sales ads). 

What about tradition you say?  There was a time when there were no majors and the schedule has since evolved based on demand.  The biggest tournaments of the year brings the most interest and a lot of money to the game and its providers.  It makes dollars and sense if it continues to grow the Asian market while adding more juice to the current schedule.  More money in golf is good for all in the golf business.

I came away from the Golf360 article feeling a 5th Major in Asia is going to happen.  Is it really a matter of "if" or a matter of "when?"  If the money is there to be made, it's a matter of when!

    

The game is unforgiving even to those that play it the best.  If you've been following the tournaments with a critical eye as I have (because it's an obsession, sadly) you've seen a player shoot a great score of say 6-under on Thursday then a 5-over on Friday.  If you play fantasy golf, it's maddening.

But, the solace we amateurs need to take from watching even the top players is that nobody is consistent.  The word doesn't exist in golf.  Tiger for a long time was about as consistent as we could expect.  I know you crave consistency in a game that doesn't allow it.  You are never in the same position in the fairway, rough, tee box, or green.  Not to mention the wind and pin positions are changing like, well, the wind.  If all of these variables are changing, how can we expect to be consistent.  We probably shouldn't believe the pros should be either, but we do.

If you play with someone and they tell you they are a 10 handicap, you'll expect them to shoot in the low 80's-ish.  If they go lower, you'll think of them as a sandbagger, if they go higher, they are some hack posing as a decent player.  Unless, as a golfer, we show consistency and meet expectations, we are in a lose lose situation in the eyes of the players we play with.  It's a natural phenomenon in human nature that can't be stopped.

What are we to do?  There's a classic line from the movie Wedding Crashers that says it best, "Nature versus Nurture Lodge, Nature always wins!"  And with that, we will continue to believe consistency is somewhere to be found in golf.  Let me know when you find it!

Tees to Greens and All that's Between!

    

I have a Callaway uPro and I've seen some of the other devices in the hands of some friends and foes alike.  I have grown fond of the uPro especially its pro mode capabilities where I can zero in on the pin and get the yardage to the flag.  If you're not familiar with the device, in pro mode you get a satellite view of the course and greens (not in real time) with distances.  It's very handy in knowing how far trouble is or what exact distance is needed to get you where you need to go.  The draw back is the cost is $10 a course to download to the device.  Not cheap if you like playing a lot of courses.

There is a regular mode which is free to download to the device which gives basic yardages such as front of the green, back and middle.  Generally the device can cost upwards of $300 and more but I've seen deals for around $200.

I was playing a fun 9-hole with a friend recently and as I reached for my trusty uPro, he in turn was looking at his smart phone.  I made some lame crack about leaving the phone and distractions in the car, but to my surprise, he showed me the yardage to the green from his phone.  The same yardage my uPro was showing.  Apparently for a minimal fee, you can download apps to your smart phone and your phone will do basic yardages the same as the expensive GPS devices on the market.

Sure, there are some bells and whistles the uPro has that I enjoy, but many of us know we need to watch our spending, especially with a double-dip recession being discussed as a not so distant possibility.  With that in mind, if you've been thinking of getting a GPS device for the golf course, you may want to look a the low cost alternative you may already possess.

Tees to Greens and All that's Between!

 

    

In directing a tournament this past weekend, I had the great opportunity to talk with a bunch of guys getting ready to do battle on the links.  Was there a grand prize to be had?  In some ways yes and in some ways no. 

I don't mean to be cryptic, well maybe a little, but the fact is pride is a big part of a guy's ego.  We want to compare ourselves in competition and golf helps provide competition, especially later in life as we age during a time where more and more sports become harder and harder to play or even dangerous to participate in.  The guys I talked with said how great it was to be out and taking a break from home life or the rigors of life in general.  For 4 - 5 hours they get to compete and satisfy the internal itch to see if on this day, at this time, they are a better competitor than the next guy.  It's in our DNA.

This tournament didn't have a large pool of cash to the winner.  Certainly some money was up for grabs and some prizes, but those are secondary to the lighting of the competitive flame as we tenderly stroke our egos.  I listened to plenty of trash talking which was humorous to say the least from this bunch.  The prizes tend to be more like trophies we can look at from time to time and relish the time we were better than the next guy or anyone else on that day at that time.

The key is to remember when it's not your day and not your time to salute the guy next to you who did get his day.  A tip of the cap and the acknowledgment of a better day will be returned again down the road.

What a game!

Tees to Greens and All that's Between!

 

    

There were no shortage of complaining/whining about the course conditions during this past week's US Open at Pebble Beach.  You'd think it was the first time the USGA decided to host such a tournament.  Even the casual golfer knows the course is going to be tough.  There will be long rough, faster than fast greens and diabolical pins because the prize to the winner is so great.

I can understand the frustration as every player who plays in this tournament thinks they have a shot to win.  And, when they don't play to their expectations, they look for someone else or thing to blame.  It's not everyone, but these guys knew coming in the course was going to be rough and it would be a grind.  Tell you what, if you don't like the conditions, don't play in the tournament.

It seems almost every other year, some guys come out and complain.  It's wasted breath and merely speaking up about it makes the player look like a whiny kid that didn't get what he/she wanted, which of course was to win.  The USGA has been directing this tournament for a long time and they want the scores to be representative of the toughest test in golf.

Funny, you normally don't hear the winner complaining.  Usually they are telling the story on how tough it was but how sweet it is to come out on top under the circumstances.  That's why it's such a coveted title and that's why anyone who wants to complain about the conditions should let someone else have a shot at playing in the US Open who might love the challenge instead of bashing it.

Tees to Greens and All that's Between!

    

If you haven't heard about the 19th hole at Legends Golf and Safari Resort in South Africa, it's not a place to get a cold beer or after golf refreshments.  It's a longest par 3 in the world and you'll need a helicopter to tee it up.  Get a hole-in-one and you'll get a million bucks.  Words can only do so much, check out the video.

    

The crew at Golf Die Hard loves to do research.  We really do!  We've helped many friends and readers with finding as much information about a trip, golf related and otherwise.

We've launched a new service.  Anyone looking to take a trip but really doesn't want to do all the research in finding the best information to have that dream trip with as little hassles as possible, contact us.  Depending on the scope of the project, we will charge a reasonable fee to help you out.  We'll send the information to you in a very concise manner via email and you can make the decision.  We'll give you recommendations but in the end, it will be your choice.

Many of our readers don't have time to do the research we enjoy doing.  If this is you, contact us at info@golfdiehard.com

Your time is valuable, why waste it?

Tees to Greens and All that's Between!

    

While I have not personally been to Souillac Golf and Country Club, certainly based on what I've read, it looks to be a place I should.  I received an email asking for a mention.  While I don't normally do this, I have family in France and thought I would pay if forward and spread the good word.  Plus, we have readers from all over the globe and a solid concentration from Europe where a brief article like this could pave the way for some families to take a holiday, and enjoy a new adventure.

As I said, I haven't been there so I will not give my stamp of approval, however, I will provide some links and let the faithful readers of the Golf Die Hard blog, decide for themselves.  Below is the information they provided us:

www.souillaccountryclub.com - Souillac Country Club is a child friendly resort in the Dordogne Regionof France.  Perfect for a long weekend for two, offers a magnificent venue to eat, drink, play around or two of golf, or just relax around one of the nine swimmingpools.

Here are some informational links:

www.souillaccountryclub.com/pdf_files/Souillac_G_CC_Page_10.pdf

www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187081-i2144-k1582635-Souillac_COuntry_Club-Dordogne_Region_Aquitaine.html

Golf Die Hard does provide a service if you have a trip in mind but don't want the hassle of doing the research yourself, contact us at info@GolfDieHard.com and we'll do the research for you for a small fee of course.

Tees to Greens and All that's Between!

    

Cancer seems to effect everyone today either directly, a relative, a friend or someone you know.   We try to find ways to help and when we find people taking on challenges, we want to help spread the good word.  If you're reading this, we implore you to take part or let others know who may.  A.J. Ali will be taking his swings and he's looking for playing partners.  The details below are taken directly from the web site:

Time: July 1, 2010 to October 31, 2010
Location: United States
Web Site:  www.SwingForSurviors.com
Phone: 443-463-5009

FOR GOLFERS
A.J. Ali is playing 100 rounds in 100 days with golfers all over America. He will be joining two foursomes at each of 50 golf courses to play 36 holes.Each golfer needs to raise a minimum of only $250. Individual golfers get prizes based on how much money they raise, including golf equipment,apparel, trips to top resorts and more! Each golfer will get special recognition on the Swing for Survivors website through the end of 2010.

There are ways for golf courses and sponsors to be involved as well.  Check out the SwingForSurvivors place on the web for all the details.