The Golf Slice

Golf is a very old sport but there is no conclusive evidence about its origins. According to one version it originated between 1424 and 1457AD in Rome as the game Paganica. However, the Chinese claim that golf is a form of Chui Wan or ball-hitting game prevalent in 3rd century BC China. Whatever be the source of golf there’s no denying the fact that it is fast emerging as a very popular sport.

Like most other sports, golf too has undergone many transformations on the journey to acquire its present day form.

Initially played with gutta-percha balls, the game began to be played with feather balls in 1848. In 1899 Col. W.N. Hskell of the USA invented rubber-cored ball which was introduced later in 1902. Even the steel clubs are not too old. They were authorized in the USA in 1925 and in Britain in 1929.

It was in the eighteenth century that organizations centered around the game of golf made their first appearance. The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers formed in 1744 was the first club of the game. Ten years later the Royal and Ancient Golf Club took shape. But it was not until 1764 that any organization was recognized as a supreme authority in golfing matters. The St. Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club has since then been the torchbearer of the golfing fraternity. In less than a century since golf became an organized sport, Indians too were playing it. With the formation of the Royal Calcutta golf club in1829 and then the Royal Bombay Golf Clubs in 1892, the British had left behind a legacy which would yield fruit in the form of world class Indian players, towards the end of the next century.

Since the very beginning, golf has not strictly been a ‘gentleman’s game’. There are instances of remarkable women players Mary, Queen of Scots was known to be a keen player herself. Almost a century after the St. Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club became the chief authority on golf clubs; ladies clubs were also springing up. In 1972 the first ladies club was formed in Mussel burgh followed in 1893 by the first Ladies Golf Union (British).

Here’s a few more tips for those of you working on your swing and posture:

Visiting a golf course
Visiting the nearest golf course and country club and finding out whether they offer instruction on improving golf swing can also work wonders for you. It has often been observed that many amateurs had actually benefited a lot from the valuable guidance provided there.

Surfing the web
Surfing the web is another good option and you will be surprised by the number of websites offering free tutorials on improving your golf swing. Some of the sites even lets you the option of accessing videos, which in turn helps you to review your performance from time to time. These sites are extremely valuable in improving the three essential pillar of golf swing – stance, grip and posture.

Are you confident about your golf swing postures? If not, then you must be having trouble in achieving the perfect golf swing. Many golfers face problems in adjusting their postures, but care little about it. Instead they are more conscious about their forward tilt, weight distribution and other such factors.

However, this is not the right way for achieving a perfect golf swing. You should be extremely careful about your posture. Keeping the club in its exact swing path is impossible without a perfect posture. It can be also said that if you are the best in your posture, then developing club head power and speed is easier. Let’s discuss some tips for attaining perfection in your golf swing posture.

Importance of maintaining a perfect balance
The foremost feature of an ideal posture is allowing a balanced motion in all directions, for which you should have to be dynamic and athletic in your approach. Center your entire weight on to your feet and flex up your knees to allow an ease to the movement. Keep the upper body lean a bit from your waist forming an axis. This axis will facilitate your shoulder twists. Now, keep your hands relaxed, and let them hang naturally from the shoulder sockets. Now you have the perfect posture. Continue practicing in this form, you will definitely achieve your goals.

Here are two more very simple tips that can help you improve your golf swing. As the fall approaches, little drills and tips like these are things you can do at the driving range or in your backyard when your local course is in no condition for a round of golf.

Pausing at the top
A common mistake made by most of the golfers is increasing their pace at the time of swing. You must always remember that it is good to swing with acceleration and power but at the same time you must also focus on the rhythm. If you wish to accomplish this in a successful manner then always pause slightly at the top of your backswing before you change the direction and go ahead with the downswing.

Hitting at a low pace into the wind
There are many golfers who think that hitting hard into the wind is perfect, but that only leads to more spin to the ball and subsequently it goes out of control. Always keep in mind; your swing remains perfect when you hit the ball with ease into the wind.

A lot of high school golfers are probably interested in pursuing the game competitively in college. Unfortunately, there aren’t many resources available online today to help connect amateur athletes with college coaches or experts that can help them take the next step with college recruiting.

Thankfully there’s a new site called SportsGist.com that can help high school golfers connect with like-minded individuals that are interested in our favorite sport. Members of SportsGist can sign up to interact with other golfers or get involved with the site’s college recruiting video features to help them get their names out there to college coaches and programs throughout the country. There are also interviews and podcasts with college coaches from a variety of sports that offer you tips and advice on improving your game and your chances of receiving a scholarship.

Aside from its abilities to connect amatuer athletes of all sports, SportsGist also offers some other exciting features for sports fans. They offer high school sports live on their site for anyone who’s got time to check out some sports action. This is a great way to keep up on the high school sports scene in areas you aren’t familiar with. It’s also a great way to keep track on highly touted high school recruits in many different sports, aside from just golf.

If you want to become a better golfer then you must also make sure that you are aware of the basics of the golf swing. Mastering a golf swing is all about bringing perfection in your swing posture, positioning and aim. Here are a few simple tips to help you improve your swing:

Rotating of hands through the ball
Did you ever think of the significance of your hands and forearms at the time of impact? If not, then it is high time to concentrate on the role of your arms as well as forearms to get that perfect swing. It is always considered better to make an effort to get solid contact with the ball. The impact position will always help you to understand the appropriate way to flip your hands through the ball.

Focusing on the left knee
During the backswing, the majority of golfers let their left knee break into a collapse position towards the right. To fix this problem and bring stability in both your knees, you can very well imagine that your left knee would go out in the direction of the target on the backswing.

I’ll post two more tips later this week for you to improve your golf swing. Check back in a couple of days.