I’m not a big golf guy, but with the Open earlier this year and the fact that some of the worlds top players (are they called players?) come from our wee country I felt duty bound to pass on this useful info from 3 of the worlds best. Also if you like gold then I’d say this Golf Expo is right up your street. For golfers I’d assume this is their equivalent of a chicken wings, wrestling and Coffee expo.
Golf fever swept across Northern Ireland earlier this year as the Irish Open descended on County Down and it’s not over yet, The Irish Golf Expo is back in its second year as Ireland’s only dedicated golfing exhibition.
Taking place on November 28 and 29 at the new multi-million pound Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn, the expo is an interactive event with a packed schedule from demonstrations and free golf lessons to PGA professionals as well as an indoor driving range with custom fitting and club testing.
And with 430 clubs across Ireland and Northern Ireland with almost 200,000 registered members, it’s no surprise golf continues to be one of the most popular sporting activities in the country.
If you want to perfect your swing before the big event here’s 3 top tips from Northern Ireland’s favourite golfing stars:
1. Rory McIlroy “Hit irons with your left knee”
Speaking to golf.com Rory said: “When I’m hitting driver, reaching a solid top position is my only goal. If I’m good at the top, all I have to do is unwind and the ball will go far. When the ball’s on the ground instead of teed up, however, there’s an extra step.
“To hit solid irons, move down and forward from the top as you unwind, so that the bottom of your swing occurs slightly in front of the ball.
“It’s easy to do if you start your downswing by driving your left knee toward the target, then straighten it as you approach impact.
“This gets your energy and swing power moving in the direction of the hit, so you leave nothing behind.”
2. Darren Clarke “Don’t throttle the club”
“If you grip the club too tight obviously your muscles and everything contract and you lose the feel” said Darren.
He added: “If I’m gripping the club it’s almost dropping out of my hands. That way you let the club move a little bit more as it should be.
“Don’t throttle the club. Most amateurs try and grip the life out of the club and you see their knuckles go white. You rarely see that with a pro.”
3. Graeme McDowell “My takeaway thought”
“Like many good right-handers, I fight hitting it left and have for all of my life. To avoid those hooks, my takeaway thought is to make sure during those first three feet the clubhead works away wide and outside my hands, with a nice bit of loft on the club.
“When I get it wrong, the club sucks back behind my hands on the takeaway, and from there the club gets stuck behind me.
“Once the club is stuck on the inside, the only way I can go from there is out and away from me. That’s going to put a lot of right-to-left spin on the ball – the dreaded hook.”
For more information and tickets for the Irish Golf Expo taking place at Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn on November 28 and 29.
