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Par Fundamentals: Balanced Finish

Good balance is essential for success in all sports, but particularly golf. Often players struggle to maintain balance because their body is out of sync. The upper and lower body need to move at the right time; working together instead of against each other.

There are several reasons for incorrect timing, but the typical cause is a player trying to hit the ball "hard" instead of "fast."

The correct order of motion begins with the upper body leading the backswing, and the lower body leading the downswing. This is true of other sports as well. A good throwing motion has the shoulders turning first on the way back, with the hips first on the way forward.

Watch a slow motion video of Rory to get an idea of how to improve your timing:

RORY MCILROY FAIRWAY IRON SLOW MOTION GOLF SWING 1080 HD

The First Tee's influence has multiplied in the Tri-Cities over the past five years - from 1,200 juniors reached to over 3,700 in 2019! This includes certification programs as well as outreach and in-school programming.

Par Yardage Book: Exploring The Game

Par level students need to know and understand the difference between stroke play and match play. Today, the most common type of golf is stroke play. This is where a group of golfers play their own ball for one or more rounds and count all strokes. The lowest total score is the winner.

Match play is different. It involves only two golfers at a time, competing head-to-head. The player with the fewest strokes on a hole wins it, or they might tie (called a "halve.") The scoring is different as well. If your opponent has won three holes, and you have won five holes, you would be "2 up," and your opponent is "2 down."

Also, match play can end before 18 holes are complete if there are not enough holes remaining for the golfer who is down to catch up. For example, if your opponent is "3 down with 2 to play," the match is over. Or, if you are down the same number of holes that you have left (2 down with 2 to play,) you are called "dormie," which means you must win both remaining holes to tie.

Match play is fun because you can have a few bad holes and still be in contention to win. Try it with your friends!

Rules of Golf Explained:

When to replace a ball that moves on the putting green