Ultimate Golf Pointers: From Beginner to Winner!

By Ron Strickland

Not only will this book take you from beginner to winner, but it will also help you anywhere along the way. This book gives you the pointers you need to improve your golf game, in the order you need them. The author presents these pointers in a direct and precise way, allowing you to quickly grasp the concepts behind each and every pointer. Whether you read it from cover to cover or just focus on the topics you need, your golf game will thank you. Every golfer is looking for the same thing—that one pointer that will put his or her game over the top. So whether you are a beginner golfer, or somewhere in the middle, let’s get started because it’s a proven fact, “The more you know, the farther you will go.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: May 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665719087

Ron Strickland

Ron Strickland is founder and CEO of Trainers Extraordinaire. Among his greatest attributes are his organization and communication skills, as he has amply demonstrated in his book, Ultimate Golf Pointers: From Beginner to Winner!. Ron is also known for his positive nature and his enthusiasm for the game of golf (and life).

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Ron Strickland.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained

in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Bram Hagen, Lisa Strickland

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1909-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1908-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022903215

Archway Publishing rev. date: 5/5/2022

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1     Getting Started

First Things First: Study, Practice, Play

Obtaining Golf Clubs

Checklist of Items Needed for Golf Outing

Chapter 2     Mindset

Chapter 3     Grip

Gripping the Club with the Lead Hand

Grip Options for the Trail Hand

Grip Firmness (or the lack thereof)

Grip Strength

Chapter 4     Setup

Aim

Alignment

Ball Position

Stance-Width

Posture

Weight Distribution

Trail Leg

Head, Chin, and Eyes

Shoulders, Arms, and Hands

Shaft Lean

Chapter 5     Ball Flight Laws

Ball Flight Laws Diagram

Chapter 6     The Golf Swing

Swing Plane

Swing Path

Weight Shift

Hands in the Golf Swing

Tempo and Rhythm

Additional Thoughts about the Golf Swing

Chapter 7     The Golf Swing (Broken Down)

Backswing

Top of the Swing

Downswing

Impact

Releasing the Club

Follow-Through

Finish

Chapter 8     Drawings

Chapter 9     Club Selection

Chapter 10   Pre-Shot Routine

Chapter 11   Hitting Different Clubs

Hitting Driver

Hitting Fairway Wood/Metal

Hitting Hybrid (aka Utility and/or Rescue Club)

Hitting Long Iron

Hitting Short Iron

Chapter 12   Hitting Specialty Shots

Tee Shot

Straight Shot Straight Down Your Target Line

Fade (Curve to the Right for Right-Handed Golfers)

Draw (Curve to the Left for Right-Handed Golfers)

High Shot

Low Running Shot (Stinger)

Downwind Shot (with the Wind)

Upwind Shot (against the Wind)

Over Trouble

From the Rough

From Deep Rough

From a Divot

From Hardpan

With Backspin

Approach Shot

Chapter 13   Hitting from Uneven Lies

Uphill Lies

Downhill Lies

When the Ball Is Above Your Feet

When the Ball Is Below Your Feet

Chapter 14   Hitting from Fairway Bunkers

Chapter 15   Hitting from Greenside Bunkers

Playing from an Uphill Lie

Playing from a Level Lie

Playing from a Downhill Lie

Playing from a Buried Lie

Chapter 16   The Short Game

Putting

Chipping

Pitching

Chapter 17   Golf Wisdom

Chapter 18   How to Get More Distance

Chapter 19   Practice Thoughts and Drills

Practicing Your Short Game

Practicing the Rest of Your Game

Practicing Your Game Using Plastic Balls

Additional Thoughts Regarding Practicing

Chapter 20   Faults and Fixes

Chapter 21   Quick Pointers

Chapter 22   Golf Etiquette

Chapter 23   Closing Comments

Glossary

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my uncle, Billy Elmore, for introducing me to the game of golf. I would like to thank Tiger Woods for showing the world what a golf game could look like.

I would like to thank my dear friend Bram Hagen for his outstanding work on the book cover and the Ball Flight Laws Diagram. What an awesome job on both!

I would like to recognize and thank my darling (and beautiful) wife, Lisa, for everything she did in contributing to this book. She provided the drawings, the editing, and the computer expertise, and she also knew enough about the game of golf to call my hand when I did not make a pointer clear enough. Great job!

I would also like to thank my family, friends, and golfing buddies for all of their support and encouragement during the long process of writing this book. What a great group of people. To my golfing buddies—thanks for all the fun we called research!

To all of you, I am very grateful. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Sincerely,

Ron Strickland

PREFACE

I am writing this book in an effort to reach three distinct groups of people. The first group I am trying to reach is the individuals who have never played the game of golf. The second group is those who have played the game of golf for some time yet still somewhat struggle with their game. The third group is anyone who is associated with the golf industry and/or anyone who would love to see their business and community grow/prosper.

Group 1

In this group are the individuals who have never played the game of golf for one reason or another. Maybe they have just never been around anyone who played the game so they had no earthly idea where to start. Maybe they have always heard that it is an expensive game and they didn’t know whether they wanted to make an investment in something they might not even like. Maybe they are just a little uncomfortable going out and trying something new by themselves. I, personally, can fully understand all of these maybes because at one time or another, I had them all myself. I would like to start out by addressing these maybes.

Maybe #1, as to where to start? Why not check around with your family, friends, co-workers, or fellow church members to see how many of them play golf. Maybe they would be willing to help you get started in the game. If not, just go to your nearest public golf course and introduce yourself. I guarantee you the owner/manager will be more than glad to help you get started.

Maybe #2, as to the expense of the game? If you will take the time to read Chapter 1: Getting Started, I believe that you will be amazed at how reasonable the game of golf can be. You can probably get your hands on a set of used clubs for close to nothing, and it doesn’t cost you a cent to practice golf. Usually the more you practice, the better you get. Another good thing about practicing golf is that you can do it for hours on end or for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. What a cool option!

Maybe #3, going out and trying something new by yourself? See the response to Maybe #1.

While speaking with individuals who had never played the game of golf, I came across some more concerns:

1. If I wanted to play golf, how would I get my hands on some clubs?

2. What clubs would I need?

3. How in the world would I ever hit that little ball with those big, long clubs?

4. What else would I need other than golf balls and golf clubs?

5. What else would I need to know before playing so that I would not embarrass myself or accidentally kill someone?

For the answer:

• To Question 1, see Chapter 1: Getting Started.

• To Question 2, see Chapter 9: Club Selection.

• To Question 3, see Chapter 3: Grip, Chapter 4: Setup, Chapter 6: The Golf Swing, and Chapter 7: The Golf Swing (Broken Down).

• To Question 4, see Chapter 1: Getting Started.

• To the first part of Question 5, see Chapter 22: Golf Etiquette.

• To the second part of Question 5, see the rest of this book.

Group 2

If you have been playing golf for a while but still somewhat struggle with your game, please take the time to read this book because there are numerous pointers here that can positively impact your game. Furthermore, most of these pointers can impact your game overnight. For an idea about what is covered in this book, take a close look at the Table of Contents.

Group 3

If you are associated with the golf industry or are just an individual who would love to see your business and community grow/prosper, I believe that you, too, can greatly benefit from this book, by not only reading it, but by sharing it with everyone in your community. I firmly believe that this book has the potential to grow the game of golf by growing the number of new participants as well as growing the skill level of all current golfers. Along with this increased skill level usually comes more play. More play, whether it is from new golfers or from increased rounds by current, regenerated golfers, equals more profit. More profit equals more desirable neighborhoods. More desirable neighborhoods equal better schools. Better schools equal, well, I believe you get the point. In my book, or perhaps because of my book—and your willingness to share it with your community—what a win-win situation. Not only does the game grow but so does your community and business.

Note: If you don’t believe that this book has the potential to grow the number of new participants and/or the skill level of all current golfers, I challenge you to turn to any chapter in this book and spend two to three minutes glancing over the material. Go ahead—I dare you!

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and/or share this book.

With great appreciation,

Ron Strickland

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to what may well be the best golf instruction book ever written, for this book will take you from beginner to winner. Not only will this book take you from beginner to winner, but it will also help you anywhere along the way, from beginner to winner!

In this book, rather than having you look through hundreds of pages of pictures, humor, and golf pointers, I have tried to cover all aspects of the game in a direct and precise way. For those of you who learn best through pictures, I suggest the following: Each time you read one of the pointers in this book and need further clarification, simply google that subject and then you can look at as many pictures as you like. Study those pictures, along with the pointer, and once you feel that you have a pretty good understanding of that pointer, move on to the next pointer in this book.

If you are going to need to google pictures to help you with these golf pointers, why do you need this book, you may ask. In my humble opinion, you need this book because it contains the pointers that you need in the order that you need them. In addition, I have included a vast amount of golf wisdom, golf principles, and general thoughts on golf—information that you could spend years gathering. Believe me, that is how long it has taken me to gather and organize this information.

For those of you who, at first glance, think that this is too much information, please know that I have put all of this information together because I know that not everyone has the disposition, time, or money to attend full-scale golf clinics. This book may be the only way that a lot of people can get their hands on this information. By having access to the information in this book, you can study and/or practice golf any time you like and/or any time you have time available. I truly believe that is an awesome deal for everyone!

To get the best and quickest results out of this book, do the following:

• First, check out the Table of Contents to get an overview of what this book offers.

• Second, glance through any of the chapters to get a feel for the book.

• Third, start back anywhere in the book that you think would do you and your golf game the most good. If you want some cool, yet practical, ways of looking at the golf swing, see Chapter 6: The Golf Swing. For great drawings regarding the fundamentals of golf, see Chapter 8: Drawings. If you want specific pointers for hitting the different clubs, see Chapter 11: Hitting Different Clubs. If you want information on how to hit specialty shots, see Chapter 12: Hitting Specialty Shots. For information on how to hit from uneven lies, see Chapter 13: Hitting from Uneven Lies. For pointers on how to escape bunkers, see Chapter 14: Hitting from Fairway Bunkers, and Chapter 15: Hitting from Greenside Bunkers. If you just want general, yet valuable, golf pointers, see Chapter 17: Golf Wisdom. If you want information on how to get more distance (and who doesn’t?), see Chapter 18: How to Get More Distance. For great thoughts and drills regarding practicing, see Chapter 19: Practice Thoughts and Drills.

• If you are a beginner golfer, I strongly recommend that you start at the beginning of the book and work your way through it. If you come across a term and/or jargon you are not familiar with, look it up in the Glossary, which is located at the back of this book. If the Glossary does not fully explain the term and/or jargon to your satisfaction, google it, because the better you understand the terms and jargon, the faster you will learn the game.

• If you are a golfer who has been playing for many years but still tends to somewhat struggle with your game, I highly recommend that you, too, start at the beginning of the book and work your way through it. I cover a lot of things in this book that you may have known in the past but may not have thought about in a while.

• No matter where you are in your game, I suggest that when you are looking through this book, you use a pen and notepad to jot down any pointers, principles, and/or wisdom that jump out at you. Put these pointers, principles, and wisdom into your own mini-book so that you can readily get to them. If you prefer, use your smartphone or any other electronic gadget you have available.

• Next, I suggest that you take this book and/or your mini-book with you when you go to practice golf or when you have a few minutes to study golf.

• In addition, I suggest that you put key pointers and/or thoughts on index cards or your smartphone so that you can refer to them when you play. Having a few pointers with you to jog your memory can truly make a difference in your game. You may want to have a few key pointers regarding how to hit the different clubs, how to hit specialty shots, or how to hit from uneven lies. Maybe you want a few key pointers for how to hit from the different lies in greenside bunkers? By all means, note the pointers that mean the most to you at that point in time.

Beginner golfers who follow these suggestions will be blown away