  
| 
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fix your game with CNN's golf guru
 Chris Meadows -- 25 years experience as a golf coach. GOLF MAILBAG
RELATEDON CNNI TV
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Golf Mailbag gives you the chance to put your golfing questions to CNN's resident professional, Chris Meadows. Whether it's a putting problem, an etiquette issue or a query about the professional game, Chris can help. E-mail him at golfmailbag@cnn.com. Q: Hi, I'm a senior that's going to be trying out for the team again this year. All of my friends on the team make fun of me because I can't check the ball on chips. I've asked many many people but no one can seem to help me. If you could help me with this I would be forever grateful. A: Hi Jim, Getting check on your chips isn't easy even for low handicappers but there are a number of things you could try. 1. Ensure you play your chip shots with a sand wedge (around 56 degrees). Practice with this club and you'll begin to find that your ball begins to get check. 2. Make sure your sand wedge is manufactured from mild steel. This is sometimes called "raw" these days and will tend to rust if you leave wet in your bag overnight, but if you look at the clubs from the early days they were always rusty and it never affected the shot. 3. Play a ball with a soft cover (something like a Pro V1). This will help with spin. 4. When you play the shot ensure that your hands stay ahead of the clubface as you go through the ball and your weight remains on your left foot. Write back and tell me if your friends stop laughing!! Q: Hello, My query about my golf game is that lately I have been getting a curve when I hit with my driver. I´m right-handed, and the ball makes a left curve motion sort of like the motion a soccer ball has when it´s kicked from a corner kick. Thank you in advance for your help. A: Hi Ivan, It sounds like you've got the dreaded "snap hook." This can be caused by a number of reasons, so lets start from the top!! 1. Check that your grip hasn't become too strong. A strong grip is when the hands are positioned too much under the grip. The easy way to assess this is to position the hands so that the back of the left hand and palm of the right hand are both facing towards the target before placing your hands on the club. 2. Check your alignment -- Often a player who has been hooking will begin to aim too far right. This has the effect of making you pull across to the left as you try to get the shot on line. 3. When you take the club make sure you're not taking it too much on the inside. An easy way to check this is practice your takeaway by placing the club on a skirting board and keeping the club against the skirting board for the first six to eight inches. This will give you width. 4. Finally, swing slowly. Often a fast swing results in the hands working too quickly and thus the clubface closing at impact. Q: Hi Chris. I haven't golfed in over two years and plan to start again very soon. Is there anything you might recommend I consider doing before hitting the links? A: Hi Wendy, Yes there are a number of things I would recommend. Firstly get flexible. Maybe go to a few yoga classes and do some good stretches. This is perfect preparation for golf and will prevent any injuries occurring. And then look at your general fitness. Getting a squash ball and squeezing it 100 times a day builds up your wrists, forearms and finger strength very quickly -- and this is so important in golf. I would recommend you book four to six lessons in order to get you back on track. This is an ideal opportunity to get rid of a few bad faults as well develop a positive direction for your comeback. And finally of course do some practice on the range. Work through all the clubs including the putter and when you emerge on the golf course you may just take your friends and yourself by surprise. Good luck! 
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © 2007 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
 |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
