Golf Tips from the Mercedes-Benz Tour
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Over the past two years the Mercedes-Benz Tour has seen some outstanding performances from young professionals who are destined to become the stars of the future in Asia. Mercedes-benztour.com has decided to learn some key tips from these players and in particular get to grips with some of the basics which can help golfers of all levels. As many of you may know, the one thing you must not do when working on the golf swing is overcomplicate it. Keep things simple and do not clog your mind with too many thoughts. Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing, Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Artemio Murakami from the Philippines below outline three basics of the golf swing which are well worth your time to work on.
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 Lam Chih Bing – Lining up putts:
An outstanding season in 2008, saw Lam win the Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia, the Singapore PGA Championship and the Asian Masters on the Asian Tour. Many factors contributed to his breakthrough year but let us target one area of importance which is so clearly demonstrated in this picture with Lam and his caddy. It is imperative you do not rush your putts and take your time to work out the line. See how they have both got down low behind the ball to work out how much the ball will break and also how hard he should stroke the ball. Good putting is crucial in order to score well. Do not just line up putts as it looks cool because the professionals do it. Step back, get the line and concentrate on the feel you need to roll the ball into the cup. |
 Kiradech Aphibarnrat – Head behind the ball at impact
Arguably Thailand’s most exciting young golfer at the moment Kiradech Aphibarnrat won the Singha Pattaya Open on the Mercedes-Benz Tour this year at the age of 19. The beefy young player has a free-flowing swing without any tension. Many fundamentals are in place to make this swing so effective but one basic that stands out so clearly in this picture is the position of his head through impact.As you can see he is an extremely powerful player and what an impressive impact photo this is. Pay attention to where his head is and you’ll see that although he has connected with the ball and it has been launched like a rocket his head and eyes are still looking down and have barely moved.Clearly this is all very natural for him but if you can visualize this position when you play it will help you to stay down through the ball and lead to straight and more consistent ball striking. |
 Artemio Murakami – Balanced finish
Many golf coaches say a balanced finish is one of the most important areas to work on. Filipino star Artemio Murakami demonstrates this beautifully in this photograph. He has a big extended follow through and although he is probably trying to hit it hard with a driver his balance is perfect. Whether you are hitting a driver or just a short wedge it is crucial to keep your balance and not wobble or even worse try and fight from toppling over. Lose your balance and so many things can go wrong. When making practice swing always try and ensure you finish nicely balanced and then hold that balanced position for a few seconds. How fast you swing the club will have a huge influence on your balance so swing slowly and smoothly and finish in a nice comfortable position. |
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Golf Tips