Jim McLean - Eight Step Swing

I have been reading books from Jim McLean. What is your take on his eight step swing theory?

I like what Jim McLean has to say. One reason is that teaches you to go in to zones as opposed to VERY specific positions. Not all of us are built the same way thus, it gives everyone the freedom to use their swing and not a "canned" golf swing. As I have watched him many times on TV as well as listening to different presentations that he has given, he seems to make it easy to understand.

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Junior Golf Guide For Parents

I have two kids that enjoy playing golf. My oldest is going to be a freshman in high school this year. Do you have any suggestions of junior golf guides that would help us if they keep getting more serious about the game?

I would highly recommend to contact your local PGA section office. They will likely have the schedule of junior golf events for the summer. You can find a contact number for the section you are located in at PGA.com. In addition, Jacqui Nicoletti has authored The Golf Guide For Parents And Players. This golf book for junior golfers will take you through Junior Golf all the way to the highest levels of professional golf.

Where Should My Shoulder Point?

I have a question about alignment. As silly as it sounds, how do I make sure that I am lined to my target correctly? I have heard that I need to aim my forward shoulder at the target and I hear that you need to line up like railroad tracks. Which is correct?

Great question! We find that many of our students do not understand this. On the range, line up a shot and place a club just outside of the golf ball that is pointing at your target. As you get into your setup and posture, place another club between you and the ball. this club should be parallel to the first club that you placed on the ground. This is what people refer to as the railroad tracks. This places you square to the target.

I have heard other instructors say that if you point your shoulder at the target and hit it perfect youwill only have a three foot putt. That might seem logical however without being square that you will have to make extra compensations during your swing.

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Where Should My Shaft Enter My Putter?

I have been reading about different putting theories. I have decided to use the Dave Pelz method of moving the putter straight back and straight through. Should I use a center shafted putter, a rear shafted putter or does it matter?

Not to avoid answering your question but, I have done to many putter fittings to say one is better than the other. I suggest that you take many putters to the practice putting green. Narrow it down to a couple you really like. Now that you have it narrowed down to a couple, ask your pro to spend just a few minutes with you to get his or her opinion. Believe me, they will be happy to help you and sell a putter!

How Should I Hold The Club?

I have just started playing golf and am 12 years old. I am pretty small for my age. How should I hold the club? Should I use the ten finger grip until I get bigger?

Yes you can!!! There is nothing wrong with the ten finger grip which is also known as the base ball grip. There still are some "grip laws" that you need to follow with any grip that you use. Read the article Clap For Your Golf Grip to make sure that you are properly using the ten finger grip. It is GREAT that you are playing golf now. Make sure you are spending time on your short game and your putting and you will enjoy the game for a long time. Keep asking questions here and Wireless Golf Coach will help you however we can!!!

How Do I Improve My Distance Control With My Putting?

I have been playing golf for a long time and carry a 14 Handicap. I have not been able to get any lower than this the last couple of years. I am looking to improve my putting this season to lower my handicap. It seems that I am pretty good at starting the putt on line however I can not control the speed. Any suggestions?

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you are hitting each putt solidly. Read these articles and you should be well on your way to a lower handicap this year!

Use Three Tees To Better Your Putting
Look Mom!!! I am putting with one hand!!!
Set Up To Make More Putts
Three Putting Musts

In addition, roll balls under-handed to holes on the practice putting green and hold the finish of your arm. Notice the shape that your arm takes, short back and longer through. This will be the same shape that your putting stroke should take. Remember, hold your finish!

Pin In or Pin Out?

While chipping or pitching from just off of the green should I take the pin out or leave it in? I see the pros doing it both ways. What is your suggestion?

We ALWAYS take it out. As Kenny Venturi used to say - it just makes more room for the ball to go in the hole. The rare time that I would leave it in would be if I had a shot that was lighting fast, down hill, down grain, down wind, etc. You get the idea.

Should I Be Taking A Divot With My Irons?

My golfing buddy has been on my case because I take divots with my irons. He is a good player and rarely takes a divot. The divots that I take are not deep and I do not see anything wrong with it. Can you settle this for us?

What I can do for you is give you the theory of The Wireless Golf Coach and that is to hit solid iron shots with your irons you should be taking shallow divots. Taking a divot tells us that you do not have too much tension in your shoulders, elbows and wrists during the golf swing. A divot will also tell us the angle of impact as well as the path of the club through impact. So to answer your question, YOU WIN!

Remember -

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Where Do I Look At The Ball?

I just started playing golf and wanted to know, where do I look at the ball? I have heard three or four different stories. What is the truth?

Weeeellllllllll, they might all be correct. However, we highly suggest that you look directly at the back of the golf ball. This will give you the best chance to hit a good golf shot. When you have a swing flaw, sometimes you will look at other parts of the ball to try to make a compensation. We would only sugest this as the last resort.

The Wireless Golf Coach offers golf products under the categories of General Interest Golf Books, Golf Art, Golf Calendars, Golf Fitness Books, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction Books, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Instruction Training Aids, Golf Journals And Logs, Golf Picture Frames, Inspirational Golf Books, Junior Golf Books, Ladies Golf, Mental Golf Books as well as Wine and Golf. We ship from different locations throughout the US allows us to service you in timely manner no matter where you live such as Houston TX, Jacksonville FL, Seattle WA, Atlanta GA, San Diego CA and Las Vegas, NV.

Should I Always Tee In The Center Of The Tee Box?

I have noticed on TV that many of the professionals tee their balls on different sides of the tee. Is there an advantage to this and should I be doing it as well?


No matter what your handicap, you should move around where you tee the ball on the tee box. Let's say you are playing a straight hole. Wouldn't it make sense to tee in the middle of the tee box? NO! If you slice the ball, tee up on the right side of the tee box and aim at the left/center of the fairway. This will give you the best chance to hit the fairway. Oviously, if you draw or hook the ball, you will want to tee up on the left side of the tee box and aim at the right /center of the fairway.


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Where Should I Stand On A Small Tee?

I live in the desert and sometimes the tee boxes are very small. While on one of these very small tees, where should I stand?

If possible, try to stand to the back of the other players while they are swinging. If they can not see you then you can not be bothering them. I have been on tees in that part of the country where I waiting to go up onto the tea until my turn because the teeing area was so small.

If the tee is wide enough, you may be able to stand facing the player. Be careful here though because, you do not want to distract your fellow competitor. I know you are never supposed to say never, but NEVER stand behind the player looking down their target line. This will bother them and is not good etiquette.

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What Do I Aim My Putts With?

I am confused. I have always putted with an open stance however, I have been pulling a lot of my putts lately. How do I know if I am lined up correctly with using an open stance?

The putting stroke is so short that you should use your shoulders to detemrine your alignment. My guess is that your feet have become too open and your shoulders have followed. With the short stroke of a putt, the hands and arms will have a tendency to follow the line of your shoulders. This should get your putts back on the correct line!!!

To find free golf instruction articles on putting or to find putting golf training aids go to Wireless Golf Coach.

How Do I Stop Chunking My Chip Shots?

I have a single-digit handicap. Unfortunately, I have started chunking a lot of my chip shots. Many times the ball gets half way to the hole and the blade just digs. What can I do to get this to stop?

Being a low handicapper, we will assume that you are keeping a flat left wrist/bent right wrist at impact. Check your set up. Many times better players get away from a proper set up. With opening up and doing this and that, they get out of whack. As you address the ball, make sure your hips and shoulders are level. It is omportant that you feel this throughout the chipping motion. This will shallow out your swing and will cure you of the chunks!

To find informative articles on the full swing, putting or the short game go to Wireless Golf Coach.

How High Should I Tee The Ball With My Driver?

I just started playing golf last year. How high should I be teeing the ball with my driver?

Let me start off by saying that this will vary for every golfer. With that being said, place a tee in the ground. Make a swing and hit the tee so it comes out of the ground. On the next swing, lower the tee a bit and make another swing. Keep doing this until you are not able to clip the tee out of the ground. This will allow you to find the perfect tee height for you.

To read free golf instruction articles about the full swing, short game or putting go to Wireless Golf Coach.

How Do I Clean My Golf Club Grips?

As I am sitting in the snow, I am wanting to give my clubs a good cleaning. How do you suggest that I clean my grips?

Assuming you have a rubber, half cord or full cord grip, you can simply use soap and water. I usually use dishwashing soap, a wash cloth and a really good scrub.

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What Is a Cadet Glove?

When looking at golf gloves, what does a cadet golf glove mean?

A glove that is a cadet fit simply means that the fingers are cut a little shorter. You will find cadet in all sizes from small to XXL. The proper way to refer to a cadet glove is to say cadet and then the size. For example "I need a Cadet Medium Glove."

For free full swing, short game or putting articles go to Wireless Golf Coach.

Where Do I Hit My Putts On The Putter Face?

I have a question about putting. How can I tell where I hit my putts on the putter face?

This is a good question. We are always talking about how to improve putting and here are a couple of simple ways to do it. You can buy a product called a strike-n-swipe. It is a reusable piece of impact tape. It is a really neat product.

Another way to do it is to sprinkle some baby powder on the golf ball before you make your putting stroke. You will be able to identify where the golf ball made contact with the putter face and easily wipe the excess powder off and putt again.

Help With My Putting

My putting is very inconsistent. I rarely hit two putts in a row that would go the same speed or distance. It seems like every single put is a new experience. Do you have some suggestions for some check points that I can use as I practice and as I play?

You can learn from every single putt that you hit no matter how bad or how good you feel the stroke was. The basic 5 questions that you should ask youself after every single to improve your putting are:

1. Pay attention to the length of your backstroke and forward swing. Which is longer? Your backstroke should be shorted than your forward swing. This will allow you to accelerate on the forward swing. You MUST do this in order to be a good putter.
2. How did the ball roll? Most good players draw a line on their golf ball to use to help align their putt. Some others use the logo of the golf ball to make sure they are on the correct line. If your are not doing one of these two things, you should be doing one or the other. When you stroke the putt, the line that you drew or the logo should roll in a straight line. The line should not wavier if a true roll has been put on the ball. On a putt that is not struck well, this indicator will roll to the right or to the left. If the line starts to wobble to the right or to the left then we did not hit the ball solid.
3. Did the ball end up short or long of the hole? This is pretty self explainatory.
4. Did I read the putt correctly? Hit or miss, in correctly reading the putting line, it should not be a surprise where your ball finishes.
5. How was my finish position? I would like you to be able to hold your finish for a count of least three seconds? This usually means that many good things have happened during the stroke.

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