Anyone here play golf and/or tennis?

[Noni]

Got any tips?

Golf- Im generally bad all round, any tips would be good, I seem to have something always wrong.

If its not one thing its the other, also I seem to slice the ball to the right most of the time.

and tennis,

My backhand is very weak, and my forehand aint the best either. How do i improve? any key pionts?

thanks.

[MD]

I play off 16 at golf - although am struggling with hitting that just lately.

If you are slicing right alot you would be doing a number of things, coming across the ball when you swing through, letting the club move in your grip on follow through, moving your head the list is almost endless....

Get down your local range, get the pro for an hour or two, they will give you the pointers to get started...

Matt.

[autopilot]

Got any tips?

Don't get the two confused. For some reason, people don't like having golf balls hit at them on a tennis court

[machinist]

Tennis - backhands are a problem for me too.....some hand weights to improve strength are a must

[rainbow]

use top spin the neverything goes in

get a decent racket **** ones really are **** tbh

[luke313]

Definitely look at getting some professional lessons, especially for golf - I have no experience when it comes to tennis, but in golf, you can have a good day and be glad you saved money on not having a few lessons, and then the next time you play you are totally awful - and having lessons, picking up little things, changing your swing etc increases the consistency of your performance.

I don't want to suggest anything as I know there could be 100+ things that are wrong. Any changes and tips should be left to a professional, as they have much more experience than 'a mate who has had x no. of lessons' - something they have been told to do might not be the solution for you.

Lessons are about £15-£20 per half hour around here, but it does depend on the reputation of the course/range/pro.

[bigblue]

Only thing I'd say about golf is for the love of God don't get bitten by the equipment bug I no longer have the money or the space for the gear !

That said, a lot of folks problems can be solved by a change of equipment.

Anyway, I could hopefully be of some help on the golf front but I'd need a bit more info. I don't want to offer anything only to sound like a plonker. If you have a particular bad shot or trait, tell all ! I am relatively well qualified to give advice... honest ! I was once a young and naive 16 year old planning to become a club pro and realised a) there isn't much dosh in it if you're not lucky, and b) I wasn't dedicated enough. So now I've spent 14 years in various golf related jobs and have come to the conclusions that a) there's no feckin' money in this either and b) I should have practiced more 14 years ago. D'oh !

Any questions though, fire away !

[edavies87]

Have you tried two handed backhands, i did this just to get used to power etc then i noticed i was dropping the 2nd hand and was getting them in. Again every shot i hit is with topspin.

With regards golf, i found that when I slice it i am swinging too hard and trying to do all the work where the local pro said the club will do all the work, also try a 3/4 swing until you are hitting it right, I play off 21 (well 20.5) and I find that slowing down is better, i may not hit 300 yard drives on every par 5 but im avoiding the 8/9 shots i was taking before.

Ed

[kempez]

I play Golf and Tennis (occassionally). Golf you really need a couple of lessons with a pro - it REALLY helps.

Tennis I have always managed to do fine without lessons, but I am quite string in general. Deffo worth going to a tennis club and seeing about lessons if you're weak at it

IMO with Tennis practice makes....not-being-rubbish

[davidstone28]

I know nothing about golf but used to play a fair bit of tennis.

The thing is though, its practically impossible to make suggestions without seeing you play. My suggestion would be that find a GOOD club and starting joining in with the 'drop in' sessions run by coaches. At the club where I used to play they would have 2 hours sessions on Wed and Saturdays with about 10-15 people run by a coach. You would do drills for about 1.5 hous with the coach making suggestions on different aspects of your game and then you'd have about 30 minutes at the end to play some doubles. Each week would be focused on a particular aspects eg. one week on the serve, another on the backhand, another week on the smashes etc. He would do group coaching but also give you individual tips and suggestions. It's also a good way of meeting people to set up games to try out your new moves

You get alot of practice, you get some coaching and its alot cheaper than lessons. They key though is to find a GOOD club. Not sure where you live but Rocks Lane in SW London is excellent. David Lloyd also do something similar.

[Noni]

Thanks for the wealth of replys.

Ill try to explain whats wrong-

Golf- It amazes me how many things there is you have to have right to get a decent shot. I suck with a number 1 driver, and the 3-4 clubs. I dont know why. Basically who I was playing with told me that with my practice shot I dont move forward enough so that then I slice the ball to left (I think I lost around 4-6 balls in a 18 hole game).

Am I also wrong to think its not about power at all? its all technique? Because as soon as I try to add power my swing goes crap. Also, I let the club do the talking?

Also, sometimes when I swing I hit my bicep (sounds weird I know). That means I know Im doing something wrong.

I had a breif lesson with some guy at Walton Hall some time ago, he was great. I learnt so much in that 45mins.

I would get some lessons but I'm skint. Maybe when Im older I will look into it.

Tennis- Basically how do I do a good backhand? lol.

Thanks.

[davidstone28]

Forehand
http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/instr...and/index.aspx

Backhand
http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/instr...and/index.aspx
http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/instr...cles/backhand/

[99Flake]

I play tennis and backhands are hard to master. Firstly don't try too hard, make sure you are getting them in first then try and add power later. Keep the racket head nice and flat and use a nice smooth swing from behind, best bet is to be taught though, very hard to describe by text end everyone will have a slightly different technique. Forehands are a lot easier, top spin does help but can put you in danger of sending the ball into the net all the time as the ball will dip lower (idea being it will bounce less and faster upon landing). Remember that a lot of power for the forehand comes from the waste as well as the arm. You should be side onto the ball and turning into the shot as you bring the racket to meet the ball. Just standing there and hitting it with a nice action will work but you will get nowhere near as much pace.

Remember to bring the racket back for both kinds of shot (unless it is a half volley but they are tough to control).

[Lowe]

I've recently started Golf and most of the time I hook shots off to the left. Saying that it comes in handy since the course I play on has doglegs to the left...

I can't hit a driver to save my life, but I'm getting there with a 3 wood Raylor. 3-4 irons are even less likely to go anywhere useful, usually resulting in catching the edge of the club pinging it off at a near right angle to the right.

Luckily I'm not too bad at the short game and that saves me. Got a par for the first time the other day. Not bad for a months play

[Steve B]

tennis is good, but real men play squash!

i cant really offer any advice on how to play golf, as at the driving range i usually manage to hit them off the rood and/or sides.

[Noni]

I've recently started Golf and most of the time I hook shots off to the left. Saying that it comes in handy since the course I play on has doglegs to the left...

I can't hit a driver to save my life, but I'm getting there with a 3 wood Raylor. 3-4 irons are even less likely to go anywhere useful, usually resulting in catching the edge of the club pinging it off at a near right angle to the right.

Luckily I'm not too bad at the short game and that saves me. Got a par for the first time the other day. Not bad for a months play

Lol exactly the same here. 5 irons + go right. 5 Driver I love, I hit in the sweet spot. The 1 driver just does not work lol.

david- Thanks for the links!

Flake- Will keep that in mind, I normally just stand there lol.

SteveB- Unlucky for me, but the only place I can play squash is at a centre a few miles from here. I normally go golf with someone (its a rarity) and tennis is at a local park (FREE).

Thanks for the replys