Finding the right golf tips for ladies can be a tricky task, especially if you want advice on all aspects of the women's golf swing. This article, from Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins, aims to remove some of the confusion and set you up for the season...
Golf Tips For Ladies
She’s a lady, but she means business. Yes, it’s true, the guys may have the upper hand when it comes to strength, but confidence is a powerful tool. Here’s how to up your game and show everyone who is boss.
The Confidence Code
We often suffer from imposter syndrome, thanks to tradition swamping us with where we can and can't tread in the golfing world. Having a really solid and failsafe pre-shot routine is essential, so decide what yours is and stick to it.
This will help you to stay in your zone, focusing on your game and your game only when out on the course.
Build Explosive Power
Men generally have a larger skeletal structure meaning their bodies can hold more muscle and larger bones to facilitate greater leverage. They also have a greater amount of fast twitch muscle fibres, which gives them more explosive power.
To improve your game, work behind the scenes for extra yards and clubhead speed. Start by working on three elements to build your power and improve your core strength.
It might also be a good idea to see a professional PT who specialises in Golf Fitness. Personal trainer Hattie Lawrence recommends you do a warm up before playing that involves squatting, hinging and jumping. All of this will not only engage your glutes and fire up the muscles that you need to hit the ball further and efficiently, you will also be working out in 'mini' form.
Little and often is proven to work just as well as prolonged work outs in the gym. So get multitasking, get warmed up and notice how much more solid your drive feels off the first tee.
Set Up For Success
This brilliant 'tea pot' drill will help you get set for success. At address, ensure the ball position is forward in your stance. Take your right hand off the club and rest your fist on your right hip. Now use it to bump your hips towards the target. That's right – you look like a tea pot!
Add that hand casually back onto the grip and settle into that reclined spine angle that’s been created. Your weight has gently settled on the back foot and you are square with your shoulders to the target. This set up primes you for a sweeping up on the ball and collecting it off the tee peg.
Grip It And Rip It
I cannot reiterate enought the importance of the correct grip. Women generally have weaker hands than the guys, which makes maintaining correct hand positions tricky for some. Add arthritis and other issues into the equation as life ticks on and many women can suffer a serious power leak due to a poor grip. Get this part right, however, and you can really maximise power.
When the club is held in the palms too much it will require you to squeeze, and it also locks out the wrist hinge. Ensure instead that you have the club sat in the channel created by your fingers.
My favourite quick tip and swing feel once your hands are positioned correctly is to feel like you get your thumbs up half way back. This coincidentally creates a positive message and it will ensure your wrists hinge correctly. If this happens they're likely to unhinge and release correctly too.
Bunker Psychology
Don’t be scared about the ball going too far with bunker shots. The sand will cushion all your energy, and bunker practice totally qualifies as stress relief. Get good at hitting the right bit of sand and you’ll find you not only escape every time but also start to get the ball close.
Attitude when walking into the sand is also key, but this is where the practice will pay off. You need to have seen yourself succeed enough to trust your ability to get out of that trap, so put the bunker practice in.
The Short Stuff
Build your armoury of short game shots around the green and perfect your landing spot to get up and down from anywhere. I’m talking pitching and chipping, and we really shouldn't fear taking a divot.
We sometimes don’t like making a mess, so almost actively avoid hitting the turf. You have to hit what’s under the ball, otherwise that ball isn’t going up and over the bunker.
Put some “homework” in and get some practice in on the lawn. Use an upturned umbrella and a selection of clubs, and get used to bruising the grass each time. If you love your lawn too much, then go to the practice ground. There are no flags or holes involved here. This is you getting that ball to pop up by hitting down on it.
You’ll start to be more at ease with making a mess and you’ll soon see those shots dropping and stopping on the green.
Putting Perfection
Putting is an often neglected in practice, but it might be the most important. Many golfers hit putts harder to get the ball to go further, but this isn’t a reliable method at all. Try the putting ladder drill the next time you are on the practice green.
Line 4 balls up and putt them up the green with the same tempo each time, varying only the length of stroke. Start with a small 'tick-tock' motion, then lengthen it each time with smooth acceleration.
Try not to peak at where the balls stop, as looking will tempt you to hit it harder or softer. The idea is you should look up to see a perfect ladder of balls on the green.
