Tiger Woods is the undisputed king of professional golf. With a smooth technique you could set your watch by, he makes winning those championships look like a walk in the park.

Imagine if you could sit with Tiger for a few minutes and pick his brain to help improve your game. Here are some great golf tips from Tiger Woods.

It’s All About Rhythm

Every player has their own natural rhythm. Some players are energetic and full of motion; others are stoic and deep in concentration.

Tiger says that when he’s playing his best, everything he does is just second nature. He just goes with the flow, and there’s little else involved. That’s because he’s found just the right groove that suits his natural rhythm.

If the rhythm’s off, Tiger misses a swing or two. When things are flowing for him, he has to work a little to get it back into a natural rhythm.

So, how do you learn to keep your natural rhythm? There are a few ways Tiger suggests to help you find your groove and keep it.

Stick To Your Routine

Rhythm and consistency are important, so how you get ready both physically and mentally for the game is essential. Tiger has a practice routine that he does before every single game. He uses the same clubs, and the last club he uses for his pre-game warm-up is the one he plans to use for the first hole.

The point isn’t to practice swinging, but to get into your groove.

The First Hole Is The Most Important

Long before he swings for that first hole, Tiger plans the whole game ahead. He prepares himself for the game mentally and emotionally. This involves relaxation, and deciding his game plan beforehand.

An awkward, uncertain first shot is a sure-fire rhythm-killer.

Keep Things Steady

To keep your rhythm going, you have to keep the tempo steady. When you get stressed, you start to speed things up. All that nervous energy makes you hurry to the next hole, and you end up making silly mistakes you wouldn’t have made otherwise.

The next time you watch Tiger play, pay attention to the way he walks to the next hole. Even after a great shot, you’ll never see him rush on to the next one. He’ll pump his fist, smile, and stroll to the next hole with the same leisurely pace.

Tiger recommends a good pre-routine warm-up that helps you get into a relaxed frame of mind. This will get you started on the right foot. For more info see http://www.getgoodatgolf.com/ on golf course.

Posture Means Perfect

When asked for practical golf tips, Tiger Woods always mentions posture. Tiger always stands straight and tall, a decent distance from the ball so that he can keep his chin up. Lots of golfers (including Tiger when he was a beginner) put their address position too close to the ball, and end up having to bow their head down too much. Tiger says to keep a good distance away so you don’t have to lean over the ball.

Tiger Woods is not only one of the best players, he’s also one of the most reflective. Perhaps the key to his success is his ability to look at his mistakes and shortcomings, and work to improve them, instead of getting frustrated. This is why his golf tips are so helpful to his fans. When you blow it, think about why you did it. Then, correct it next time, and you’ll see improvement.

What kind of golf clubs are you playing with these days? Are they the golf clubs that you should have chosen? Really? Do you even know? There are many different kinds of golf clubs out there and if you did not check them all out before you made your final decision you have no way of knowing if you choose correctly.

Purchasing golf clubs is one of the most important things, if not the most important thing that you will ever have to do when it comes to playing golf. Your golf game is going to depend on the golf clubs that you choose to play with. Your swing is everything to your game and without the right golf clubs you will not be able to swing the right way.

When choosing the right golf clubs you need to take a good long look at the shaft. The flexibility of the shaft of any golf club is going to tell you a lot about the club. Not everyone is comfortable with the same amount of flexibility and you need to find the golf clubs that you are the most comfortable with. Try out many different flexibility levels to see what suits you the best. The golf stores will let you do this. Even if you plan to buy them for less online you can still visit a golf store to see how the golf clubs feel in your hands. I recommend everyone do this before they commit to any particular golf clubs.

While you are in the golf store get your swing measured. This will also help you to find the best possible golf clubs for your golf game.

Different golf clubs have different lengths and not all lengths suit all golfers. You need to check out the different lengths to see which will suit your body and your game the best. In most cases a standard length is the way to go but short people and tall people will need a different length when it comes to their golf clubs. You do not want to have to bend in order to hit the ball, the length of your golf clubs is another essential aspect to a good golf game.

You will also want to take into consideration your handicap in golf. This too will have a bearing on the golf clubs that you should be choosing the next time you are in the market for new clubs.

Your ability in golf will have a direct bearing on your choice of golf clubs as well. There are golf clubs that are made for those just beginning to play golf and golf clubs made for pros. If you are just starting to play the game and you are not even sure that you are going to like it yet then you do not want to go out and spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your golf clubs do you? That would be crazy. What if you end up hating it? It is a far better idea to start out in a more affordable price range with your first golf clubs.

A good golf swing will not only lower your handicap, it will make the game more enjoyable. Now that you have cured your slice and can keep the ball in the fairway most of the time, you can now start working on controlling the ball. Putting the proper spin on the ball will allow you to draw or fade your shots. Drawing the golf ball causes it to hook to the left and fading the ball cause it to slice slightly to the right.

If you have worked hard to develop a good golf swing so why in the world would you want to develop a hook or slice? Most golf courses have dogleg fairways as well as complex set of obstacles that you must navigate around. One way to accomplish this is to use a draw or a fade. For a right handed player developing a draw is much harder than a fade. This is due to the natural ball spin that develops as the club face strikes right to left across the surface of the ball. The amount of spin is caused by how much the club face is open or closed as the hands release and the club face impacts the ball.

Controlling your golf swing to develop a good draw or fade requires a consistent good golf swing. Only with repeatability will you be able to confidently draw the ball on a left dogleg with your irons or hybrid. In order to develop a good draw shot you should use your normal address position, take a practice a swing to waist high through your follow through. Make sure that your arms are fully extended in line with the club shaft. As you look down the shaft your club should be pointed about 10 to 15 yards to the right of your target. If your target is obscured by trees or other obstacle then you will have to make a mental picture of your target location. Most importantly you the blade of your club should be pointing up. Move your club through to the top of your back swing. As you do so will notice that your club has to move inside around your body. This will allow you to make your swing in an inside to outside move. Taking a couple of practice swings will allow you to gain a feel for the correct motion. Now address the ball and repeat your golf swing motion. As a result you should observe a left draw to the ball in flight.

Practicing this golf swing motion on the range will allow you to develop a feel for what it takes to accomplish the draw that your desire. One additional tip to increase your draw is to lighten your left hand grip pressure through impact thereby allowing a more rapid release which will give the ball more draw spin. Another trick is to slightly close the club face to add further draw spin.

Developing a good draw shot first requires that you have developed a good golf swing that is consistent and repeatable. Only then will you be able to step up to the next level of play. Remember to plan your practice with a clear objective. To avoid confusion it is best to deal with one objective per practice session. Keep a log of your practice and include details of techniques and their results. Always start your practice session by reinforcing the skills that let you develop your good golf swing. Remember golf is supposed to be fun and the better you play golf the more enjoyable your golf game will become.

The golf swing is arguably one of the most difficult athletic actions to perform. The golf swing requires you to draw the golf club through a long range of motion with proper technique and exact timing.

Any error in swing plane, timing, or sequence will cause your golf swing to suffer, and suffer it will. Unfortunately, the result of your golf swing suffering will be errant shots, poor golf scores, and frustration on the golf course.

Often the amateur is at a lost for why their golf swing results in errant shots. Countless hours are spent at the range in an effort to improve their golf swing. Hundreds or even thousands of dollars are spent on lessons each year, and not to mention the purchasing of new equipment.

It all adds up to a lot of time and money spent on improving the golf swing. Unfortunately, for many amateur golfers their handicaps and score never improve. Leading to the question “why is my golf game not improving?”

If this is you and this question lingers in your mind. The answer to your question could easily be staring right back at you in the mirror. The failure of improvement may have absolutely nothing to do with the driver you are swinging, the teaching pro helping you with your swing, or even your practice routine. It could all do with you! Yes you, the physical body swinging the golf club.

Keep in mind the golf club does not perform the mechanics of the golf swing. Nor do the mechanics of the golf swing execute themselves without you. It is you and your body executing the mechanics of the golf swing. The point to make is your body directly affects the mechanics of the golf swing.

Additionally, the golf swing requires your body to encompass certain physical qualities to execute the mechanics of the golf swing correctly. These physical qualities are certain levels of flexibility, muscular strength, balance, and power. If you are lacking the minimal amounts of flexibility, balance, strength, and power to execute the golf swing correctly. Compensations will occur even before you swing the golf club.

For example, let’s look at your flexibility. The golf swing requires you to draw the golf club through a large range of motion. The backswing requires a full shoulder turn to set the club in the correct slot for the downswing, and the finish position is almost a mirror image of the backswing.

In order to perform these parts of the golf swing correctly, the muscles of your body must be flexible. An inflexible body in which muscles are “tight” creates restrictions in movement. Restrictions in movement in relation to the golf swing will undoubtedly result in limitations pertaining to golf swing. The limitation will impede you from creating a full shoulder turn and balanced finish position. This causes compensations in the mechanics of the golf swing.

The entire body needs to be flexible for the golf swing. Certain muscles more than others are involved in the golf swing, and if these muscles are “tight” they will directly affect your golf swing. One such set of muscles is your hamstrings.

The hamstrings (back side of your upper leg) are often “tight” and cause problems to many people, not just golfers. However, they have a profound effect on the golf swing and it is not a good effect. Hamstrings that are “tight” are in a shortened position. The shortened position of the hamstrings has a direct effect on the position of your hips. Your hips will be “tucked”, directly affecting your posture. This in itself can hamper the ability to place oneself in the correct position at address within the golf swing, not to mention maintaining a proper spine angle during the swing.

Additionally, “tight” hamstrings place an undo amount of stress on the lower back. Large amounts of stress on the lower back cause fatigue, soreness, and increase the possibility of injury. If you are a golfer that has ever experienced lower back pain you know the effect it has on your ability to swing the golf club correctly.

A combination of a postural change and undo amounts of stress on the lower back, just begin to scratch the surface of the effect inflexible muscles can have on the golf swing. “Tight” muscles change the kinematics of the body. As a result, the biomechanics of the golf swing must be altered. These alterations usually lead to compensations in the mechanics of the golf swing resulting in errant shot patterns on the golf course.

And no matter what you do in terms of practice or instruction these alterations will not go away until you address them. Just as you address swing faults, you must address flexibility faults. Flexibility faults can be addressed through golf stretches.

Golf stretches enhance the flexibility of your body in relation to the golf swing. Golf stretches often times return muscles that are “tight” such as the hamstrings to their proper length. This results in the ability of your body to perform the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly. If you are one of many golfers who are not finding their golf swing improving through practice and instruction. Take a moment and look at the body swinging the golf club. This very well may be the root of your golf swing problems. Fix your flexibility faults through golf stretches and find yourself on the road to lower golf scores and more enjoyment in the game of golf.

Today’s marketplace is flooded with training aids. You can find one for nearly every part of the game. And more and more are being introduced every day. While a training aid won’t lower your golf handicap overnight or replace golf tips, it will help improve your golf game if you work with it faithfully.

Below are five training aids golfers often ask about in my golf lessons. Designed to improve your swing or a phase of your swing, these products help correct faults, groove mechanics, and/or ingrain the feel of swing. The key, as always, is finding a training aid that works for you before investing your hard-earned money.

(And incidentally, I am in no way affiliated with these companies nor do I make money from these reviews.)

Amazing Assist Swing Trainer (www.matzie.com)

Available from Gibas & Matzie Golf Products, the Amazing ASSIST training club improves your swing and increases strength. It’s like getting a golf lesson free of charge. Its weighted head and bent shaft teaches the correct hand action. The ASSIST improves muscle memory, extension, and weight transfer as well as tempo and timing.

As the club is swung, the proper release action is exaggerated to eliminate slicing, increase clubhead speed, and produce straight shots. In addition, the training grip places the thumbs and index fingers Vs of your hands in the traditional 11 o’clock and 12 o’clock positions. You can use it at home, on the range, or before your golf lessons.

The Amazing ASSIST is ideal for pre-game or pre-practice warm-ups or for everyday use to improve your swing. The ASSIST is available for men, women, and juniors, and for right-handers and left-handers. An instructional video comes with the product. The cost is $70.

The Elbow Tac-Tic (www.4golftraining.com)

Maintaining one’s left elbow (for right-handers) as straight as comfortably possible determines the width of your swing arc, as I’ve explained in my golf tips. The wider the swing arc, the greater the power. The Elbow Tac-Tic sleeve clicks when the elbow breaks down, providing the instant feedback needed to correct the swing and keep the left elbow extended. The Tac-tic also works on the right arm, clicking when the elbow bends at the proper point in the backswing. Cost: 39.95.

The Speed Stik (www.speedstik.com)

Most golf instruction will tell you that clubhead speed determines the distance a ball is hit. The faster the clubhead speed, the farther the ball goes. Working out with the Speed Stik increases a golfer’s clubhead speed and trains proper balance and on-plane swing. Swing the Speed Stick in a continuous motion back and forth, keeping it about 18 inches off the ground. Start slowly at first, and then build momentum. Check the speed gauge for your MPHs. Every increase of 1 MPH equals three more yards of distance. Repeat a few days a week and chart your distance. Cost: $99.99

The Impact Ball (www.theimpactball.com)

The Impact Ball develops the feel of hitting a ball properly. Available from To-M-Pact Golf, Inc., it’s easy to use and understand. It’s based on the idea that many recreational players have certain swing faults (chicken wing, flying elbows, etc.) or that they try to scoop the ball off the ground when hitting. Sometimes, even the best golf instruction can’t rid a player of certain faults.

The Impact Ball works. It’s placed between the forearms and held there through your swing. The ball is bi-colored, and the only thought to focus on is to getting the ball to change colors as the club moves through the impact area. The product trains golfers to strike the ball solidly with a square clubface, eliminating any attempts to flip or scoop the ball during the shot.

The Impact Ball addresses every phase of the game—chipping, pitching, putting, driving, and bunker play. You can hit balls on the range with the Impact Ball or practice swinging the club with it at home. The cost: $39.95 + shipping and handling.

The Swing Magic Driver (www.swingmagic.com)

Training with Kallassy’s Swing Magic Driver ingrains the proper motion into your swing. Designed to improve timing, tempo, and rhythm, the Swing Magic synchronizes the movement of your arms, hands, and body. A sliding training clip enables you to separate your right hand (for right handers) during the backswing. By separating the right hand on the backswing and reconnecting it on the downswing imprints an on-plane golf swing, essential for consistent ball striking. It prevents you from coming “over the top” as well. Cost: $89.95.

Remember, a training aid is not a panacea, as I often mention in my golf tips. It won’t dramatically improve your game overnight. It won’t make up for good course management. And it won’t take the place of a one-on-one golf lesson. But it will ingrain the fundamentals of a good swing, cut strokes off your scores, and lower your golf handicap, if you practice with it faithfully. Just make sure the training aid is right for you before buying.