Binks Forest Golf Club

Archive for the ‘Golf Regulations’ Category

When people are interested in improving their golf game they need to invest time into practicing chipping and pitching. Over sixty percent of your shots are from inside 100 yards of the hole.

Chipping and pitching are both similar shots that if done successfully will drastically lower your score. The set up and game plan are both very similar. The ball is intended to land on the green as quickly as possible and roll towards the hole.

1. A chip is where the ball is rolling on the green the majority of the way towards the hole. A pitch is where the ball is in the air the majority of the way.

In addition, a pitch will be a bigger swing where the wrist will hinge in the backswing. A chip is a smaller swing with no movement in the wrist. Both shots require careful planning on where to land the ball and how the ball will release and roll towards the hole.

2. Set up with a narrow stance, feet can be slightly open and less than shoulder width. Bend the knees slightly and at the waist. The ball position is placed in the middle of the stance. The hands are set slightly ahead of the ball at address.

3. Chipping requires the arms and shoulders swinging the club back and through towards the target. Both wrists remain firm throughout the shot.

The pitch shot is a bigger swing where the wrist will hinge once the club reaches waist high in the backswing. The follow through is at least equal to the backswing and the trajectory is much higher than a chip.

4. Initiate the swing with the arms and shoulders. The body should stay fairly still throughout the shot. Hit down on the golf ball when chipping or pitching. The club will lag behind the hands through impact.

Flipping the hands will cause the club to swing up on the golf ball, leading to thin and topped shots. The proper swing hits down and through towards the target.

The game of golf features many complex elements, but perhaps none are as important as the so-called short game. The short game comprises of putting and chipping, the areas where many golf shots go to waste.

A golfer may cover 275 yards of a golf hole in one drive from the tee, then take two or three shots to get the ball in the hole from just a few feet away. In these precise and short shots a good golf score is earned or lost.

Par

Every golf hole includes a par standard. Hole classifications include par threes, par fours and par fives. The commonality between all par standards is that par allows for two putts on a green. Thus, a par three anticipates that a golfer will reach the green in one shot and need two putts to complete the hole.

Likewise, a par five suggests that a golfer will need three shots to reach the green, but is still afforded two putts on the green. A skilled chipper is able to chip the ball close enough to the hole that only a slight tap-in is left with the putter.

Putting Definition

A putt is simply a golf stroke taken with a putter. Unlike other clubs, a golfer does not take a full swing with a putter. Instead, he uses the club to gently roll the ball across the green. Putters have flat faces designed for this task. To prepare a putt, a golfer attempts to read the slope of a green.

He estimates whether the ball will break to the left or right, takes into account whether he is putting uphill or downhill, then estimates where to aim the ball. The putting stroke is made by lining shoulders and feet to the hole, bringing the putter back and hitting through the ball toward the hole.

Putting Rules
Once a ball reaches the green, golfers are allowed to mark their ball, pick up and clean their ball, and replace it back where it was marked. This tactic is especially useful when a ball collects a great deal of mud in wet conditions.

However, a golfer may not substitute his golf ball on the green. He must putt the same ball with which he reached the green. Golf balls may also be marked and lifted when a ball obstructs another golfer’s line to the hole.

Chipping Definition

A chip shot is used around the green when a distance is too close for a full swing, but too far to putt. From a swing standpoint, a chip is very similar to a putting stroke. The golfer attempts to slowly bring the club back and then make just enough contact to land the ball on the green.

Once on the green, a chip shot rolls much in the same way that a putt rolls, thus golfers must also take into account the slope of the green when chipping.

Chipping Approach

When playing a chip shot, golfers tend to stand with the ball positioned near the back of their stance. This makes it easier to make contact with the ball and eliminates the risk of striking the ground before the ball.

Chip shots are usually taken with wedges, such as a pitching wedge, sand wedge or gap wedge. In some instances, when a ball must be elevated quickly, a lob wedge is used.

Have you ever been walking through a park and you see some crazy-looking guy throwing stuff at a metal basket filled with chains? He might not be as crazy as it seems, for he is actually playing an organized sporting event–disc golf.

Obstacles

It is illegal for any player to move, alter, break or bend any natural obstacle (trees, signs, benches) between the lie and the basket.

Teeing Off

Every player must start off from a designated tee-off area. When the disc is thrown, at least one of the player’s feet must stay inside the area.

The Lie

The lie is considered to be the point at which the disc lands after a throw. When throwing from this point, a player’s foot may not pass the lie.

Losing a Disc

A disc is considered to be lost when the player has arrived at the point of its landing and searches for three minutes without finding the disc.

Putting

A hole is completed by putting a disc into the basket. The only way for a putt to be valid is if the disc lands in the chains or basket–not on top of the basket.