Plan to participate in this years Greater Columbus Amateur Championship? It will be two full days of golfing and meeting new people which promises to be lots of fun. There will be up to $5,000 in gift certificates (based on the number of entries) for up to three places in each flight. Flight winners will receive pro shop gift certificates and plaques.

More info and application available here.

Golf Tips is a show that will make your drive longer, your putts more accurate, and your game better. PGA Professional Golf Instructor Joe Beck drives home tips and advice on the links with humor and a determined eye to make viewers’ games better. From Hook Shots to the Rockport Stinger, Joe can help.

There is no doubt that the golf swing is a relatively complex mechanical action that requires a specific sequence of movements in order to create a dynamic impact position.

One of the top swing flaws is ‘paralysis by analysis’ which destroys the natural flow of the swing. I think the very worst thing that a golfer could do is purchase golf magazines or instructional books with the intention of getting the club into 3 or 4 positions in the back swing and 3 or 4 positions in the downswing.

The golf swing is meant to be a natural movement. It should be a nice fluid, free flowing movement from start to finish.

With this in mind let’s commence with the 5 steps necessary to create the perfect golf swing;

1. Develop a pre shot routine A pre shot routine is the sequence of events that occurs right after you select the club from your bag to the moment just before you begin your backswing. You need to develop a consistent pre-shot routine which serves the purpose of keeping you relaxed and focused as you commence your golf swing.

I recommend you commence by placing your golf club behind your ball and visualize a line running through the center of your club, through the ball and dissecting the target.

Ensure you place the club behind the ball with the hand furthest from the target and stand open to the target when you are squaring the club. It is easier to align the club square to the target by standing in an open position.

Once you are satisfied that your club is square to the target, set up your stance, hips and shoulders square to the target line, ensuring all the time that the original club head alignment is maintained.

Next put your other hand on the grip and maintain light grip pressure by giving your club head a few waggles.

2. Commence a smooth one piece takeaway Become aware that your arms and the club head form a natural triangle i.e. there is a triangle formed between your arms and the golf grip. You need to swing the triangle back until your back is completely turned to the target.

Do not consciously try to cock your wrists at any stage; if your grip pressure is light these will cock naturally toward the end of the backswing. The only thought occupying your mind should be nice smooth rhythm.

3. Retain the flex in your right knee As you reach the top of your backswing, you must ensure that your right knee has not straightened. The best way to ensure this does not happen is to setup at address with a nice flexed right knee and tilt this slightly in towards the ball. Focus on maintaining the inward tilt throughout the swing.

4. The down swing is initiated by your legs. Feel your down swing commencing by a slight movement of your left knee towards the target. This will cause club head lag in which your wrists are pulled down on the back of the ball while retaining the full wrist hinge from the top of the backswing. A nice thought to bear in mind is ‘butt of shaft to back of ball’.

This ensures you have a late release coming in to the back of the ball and deliver a powerful, crisp impact with the ball.

5. Think Rhythm When you swing a golf club you should visualize your favorite golf pros swing in your mind and think rhythm. Try to duplicate their rhythm and think of nothing else. This single swing thought will ensure a nice smooth swing and you will begin to swing the club naturally and thus powerfully.

So to summarize develop a consistent pre shot routine that incorporates square alignment, a few waggles and light grip pressure. Swing the triangle back with light grip pressure and turn your back on the target. Commence the downswing with the leadership of your legs and finish the swing in balance.

The single greatest swing thought to focus on is ‘rhythm’.

Do this and stop breaking a natural motion down into its component parts. You will be delighted at how consistently you begin to strike the ball for every club in the bag.

Martin O Flynn is a director of Hobeze.com and has a 3 handicap.

Hobeze.com is offering a limited number of FREE Golf Membership to its Golf Social Network. Claim your free membership by visiting http://www.hobeze.com

Hope to see you soon!

Golf Tips is a show that will make your drive longer, your putts more accurate, and your game better. PGA Professional Golf Instructor Joe Beck drives home tips and advice on the links with humor and a determined eye to make viewers’ games better. From Hook Shots to the Rockport Stinger, Joe can help.

Even with the high winds and cold weather, the Eagle Eye Shamble brought out 9 teams (36 players) to the event. Below are the top 3 placing teams and combined scores.

Jeff Kovalchik - Eagle Eye G.C. - Hole 8

1st Place Team: Ray Thompson, John Ingwersen, Don Elizondo, Bob Eversole.  SCORE: 141

2nd Place Team: Dave Glieco, Whit Dillon, Ben Newton, Ed Franklin.  SCORE: 142

3rd Place Team: Jeff Kovalchik, Jan Thompson, Cindy Sheets, Shawn Augustson.  SCORE: 148

Upcoming events at Eagle Eye G.C.:

• 5/16/2010: 3 BB on Par 5′s, 2 BB on Par 4′s, 1 BB on Par 3′s
• 6/12/2010: Beat the Pro
• 6/26-6/27: Member-Guest/Flighted Matches
• 8/21-8/29: Memorial Day Blind Draw 1BB/ Pick Your Own Partner

About the Author

Steve Smith has published hundreds of articles on a wide range of topics, including cars, travel, lifestyle, business, golf, weddings and careers. His articles, features and news stories have appeared in newspapers, consumer magazines and on various websites, including Trails.com and eHow.com. Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism from University of New Hampshire Durham.

Last weekend was great for me! I got to do what I love best,and that is playing a round of golf with my friends. Being for most of us in our foursome it was the first time playing after the winter break. Most of us weren’t very good. We hit a lot of bad errant shots mixed in with some good ones. We kept score but, we were all higher than our normal scores.

What I noticed the most however, because the golf course was playing long due to standing water and some wind. That we were all overcompensating by swinging harder than normal to make up for the extra yardage, and because of it bad swing flaws was quite evident. Instead of swinging natural and with good rhythm.

Instead we were rushing our golf swings, and the timing or tempo of our golf swings were totally out of sync. The erratic tempo we were exhibiting was due to hitting solely with our arms and trying to blast every shot as hard as you possibly can.

In your golf swing, your arms move relatively fast compared to the rest of your body rotation, and the odds of being able to replicate the same exact same hitting motion consistently with your arms is next to impossible. By rotating your body at the same rate of speed to your arms and shoulders it becomes relatively easier to control, because your mindset tells your arms how fast to swing in relationship to the rotation of your body. It is much easier to make the same movement consistently every time thus giving you the correct tempo you are after.

Another thing you will notice between the pro golfers and amateurs is their golf swings always seem to look effortless. They are not making the amateur mistake of trying too hard and wanting to blast the ball. This only leads to errant golf shots and less control. In order to become successful at golf, you need to understand the proper way to swing a golf club.

Trying too hard can cause your golf swing tempo or timing to get off balance or become too rushed. This will lead to many possible problems. So make sure to spend a little bit of your extra time on the driving range getting your tempo or rhythm down and you’ll get rewarded out on the golf course for it.

Obviously, you have to practice to get better. Unfortunately, the average player never practices the same way a pro would practice. The pro is not out on the practice range to hit every shot perfectly. They are there to work only on a part of their golf swing mechanics. This means they know exactly what it is they need to be working on for every possible golf shot they will face. They will take their time trying to master the one element of their golf swing they feel is the weakest part of their game.

They also know that working on a certain position in their golf swing may take them months to master. The next time you go out to the practice range have a game plan. Know exactly what you are going to be working on and take your time working on your own bad swing flaws.

Create a smooth golf tempo for consistently great golf swings. Having good tempo is a huge asset for any golfers game. All of the touring professionals have great tempo in their golf swings. Good tempo does allow you to stay balanced in your golf swing, and direct your golf club where you want it to go.

The tempo of the golf swing becomes more consistent when you allow the club head to swing naturally. In order to keep proper golf swing tempo, you want to make sure that you swing the golf club the same pace on the way back and on the way through to the finish. If you are suffering from any particular bad golf swing faults, focusing on getting your tempo down will benefit you in the most positive way.

Swinging with proper timing will make your club swing on the correct swing path and eliminate or greatly reduce your golf swing faults. When I feel my golf swing starts to get off track by my lack of timing when I’m rushing or swinging too fast. I always try and focus on getting my tempo correct and naturally my golf swing starts to improve.

Why is learning the golf swing so tough? If you find learning the proper way to swing a golf club is so tough, you’re not alone. There are millions of golfers who are in the same boat. If you have been reading my golf tips you’ll probably know that at one time, I also thought it was tough. I tried every golf tip in the books and videos and hit thousands and thousands of golf balls in my quest for the perfect golf swing.

For us amateurs there is no perfect golf swing that we can duplicate.There are certain things we can do to improve, and here are 5 golf tips that will help you along the way to better understanding what you need to do to improve.

1.Finding the golf swing that you’ve always wanted. The average golfers swing doesn’t look like the pros. The reason why the average golfers swing doesn’t look like a pros is because the average golfer is using their arms to hit the golf ball instead of using your body. Unfortunately, the golf swing is not as easy as just hitting it with your arms. Try working with your lower body in coordination with your upper body (arms, hips,neck and shoulder rotation).

2. Lack of Knowledge. It’s amazing the conversations you will hear when working out at the practice range. They believe they have the secrets to their success. This is the talk that I find interesting because I know from my own experience what works and what doesn’t. I find it interesting because I can relate to what their talking about, and it gives me some perspective from another average golfers point of view. It tells me how people perceive certain golf tips and lessons and how they try to incorporate them. Instead of trying every golf tip that someone tells you, try to stick with the one method and become an expert about that one method of properly swinging a golf club.

3. Buying New Golf Equipment. That is not your #1 problem solution. Bad swing flaws with new golf equipment will always mean bad golf swings period. The amateurs who invest heavily into their golf equipment almost have this swagger about them thinking that they have solved the secrets of their golf game. Two weeks later they aren’t talking about it anymore. Unfortunately, you cannot buy your golf game. Clubs are important but if you have a golf swing that doesn’t work, nothing is going to help make it improve. Putting in hard work at the practice range can only do that for you in the long run.

4. There is a group of teaching students not teachers who have no clue what their talking about, and yet they are teaching beginners how to swing a golf club. This is very frustrating because I know they’re going to give their students all sorts of bad advice and habits. I realize that this person means well but, relating the golf swing to someone in a way that they can understand it is very difficult. This is the most critical starting point in time for a beginner who is serious about wanting to learn. They have no bad habits and no re-conceived notions. The beginner would be much better off learning from a qualified licensed professional. Obviously, if anyone could teach golf there would be a whole lot more pros out there on the practice ranges.

5. By investing your time and energy at the practice range. Make it become a habit of yours visiting the driving ranges at least 2 to 3 times per week. Working on your golf swing flaws until you feel comfortable enough to take the golf swing out on to the golf course with you. Invest into training aids that will help you to groove the golf swing your looking for. Practice alone doesn’t mean improvement it makes permanent. Practicing with the right golf mindset will instill confidence in your own ability, and this will contribute to more success with having the correct golf swing memory that will enable you to shoot better golf scores.

About the Author:

Scott E. Kowalski

Having good timing or rhythm starts with learning how to have a proper way to swing a golf club. In order to do that you must first analysis your own golf swing, and then understand what must be worked on as a game plan to get better. Then finally, implement the necessary changes to improve.

Website: http://www.A-Zgolfswingmechanics.com

The focus of our group is:

FIRST: To stimulate interest in golf by bringing together a group of golfers desirous of forming a golfing organization.

SECOND: To promote and foster among the members a closer bond and fraternity for their joint and mutual benefit, and to promote and conserve the best interests and true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions.

THIRD: To encourage conformance to the USGA Rules of Golf by creating a representative authority.

FOURTH: To maintain a uniform system of handicapping as set forth in the USGA Handicap System and issue USGA Handicap Indexes to the members.

FIFTH: To provide an authoritative body to govern and conduct club competitions.