Yardage Books Explained: How to Use a Course Guide
A yardage book, sometimes called a course guide or strokesaver, is a small booklet with a diagram and distances for every hole. Professional caddies make detailed books for each event, and many…
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The Golfdrive.org Blog
Instruction, equipment advice, course guides and the rules of golf — practical reading for every handicap.
Playing Golf in Fog: Safety, Rules and Strategy
Morning fog can roll across a golf course and leave you unable to see the fairway, the green or the group in front. It's eerie, sometimes beautiful, and it raises real questions about safety and how…
Shotgun Starts Explained: How They Work and What to Expect
A shotgun start is a way of starting a golf event with every group teeing off at the same time, each on a different hole. It's common at golf days, charity events, society outings and some…
Risk and Reward in Golf: How to Make Smarter Decisions
Every golfer faces decisions: go for the green over water or lay up? Cut the corner or play safe? Aim at the flag or the middle of the green? Good decisions save more shots than most swing changes…
How to Control Anger and Frustration on the Golf Course
Golf can be infuriating. A three-putt, a duffed chip or a ball that bounces into the water can turn a calm golfer red-faced. Anger is natural, but it rarely helps: it tightens your muscles, speeds up…
Golf Swing Positions Explained: The 10 Key Checkpoints
Coaches often divide the golf swing into a series of positions, sometimes labelled P1 to P10. Breaking the swing down this way makes it easier to understand, analyse on video and improve one part at…
Grip Pressure in Golf: How Tightly Should You Hold the Club?
Grip pressure is one of the most overlooked fundamentals in golf. Most golfers grip too tightly, especially under pressure, which tightens the forearms, restricts wrist hinge and release, and slows…
How to Use the Bounce on Your Wedges
Bounce is the angle on the sole of a wedge that stops the leading edge digging into the ground. Many golfers fight their bounce by leaning the shaft forward and digging, which causes fat and chunked…
Making Practice Swings Count: How to Rehearse Like a Good Player
Watch club golfers and you'll see all kinds of practice swings: lazy waves of the club, aggressive slashes, or none at all. Good players use practice swings with purpose: to rehearse the shot, feel…
Irons vs Woods: Do You Need Different Swings?
Many golfers hit their irons well but struggle with woods, or vice versa. It often leads to the belief that you need different swings for different clubs. In fact, the motion is largely the same…
Golf Tips for Bigger Golfers: Set-Up and Swing Adjustments
Golfers come in all shapes and sizes, and many of the game's longest hitters are big, powerful people. But standard instruction doesn't always suit larger-bodied golfers: arms may not hang the same…
Golf Tips for Tall and Short Golfers: Set-Up, Swing and Clubs
Standard golf clubs are designed for golfers of average height. If you're notably taller or shorter, standard clubs can force you into awkward postures, leading to poor contact and inconsistent…