Many golfers learn to play with a single club - often a six or seven iron - and this remains their favourite club throughout their playing years.

If you can play this shot well, you can play any shot well as the short iron swing is the bedrock of all golf.

The only variation between clubs is the ball position and width of stance.

As a rule the higher the club, the narrower the stance and the further back the ball should be in the stance.

Step One.

Take an open stance with the ball in the middle with the hands slightly ahead of the ball.

Pick a specific target - for instance don’t just aim in the direction of the green, aim for a specific point on the green.

This will help you visualise the shot.

Step Two.

Swing normally, concentrating on a nice smooth takeaway and a full turn of the shoulders and hips.

Step Three.

On the downswing make sure your hands remain ahead of the club as you drive your knees, hips and shoulders back towards the ball.

Aim to clip the ball first then the turf as you make contact.

Don’t forget to ‘hit’ the ball.

Attack it as you unleash the power stored in your swing.

From bbc.co.uk

You won’t get very far in a car without knowing how to use its controls. And it’s exactly the same for golf.

It’s really no more complicated than feeling comfortable and balanced over the ball.

The first place to start is making sure you aim correctly. As a general rule, you should keep club face square to the target.

The exception to this is when you are deliberately trying to hook or slice the ball.

It should be square to your body - wherever you are in your backswing.

Try stopping your club at a variety of positions in your swing.

The most important thing to remember is that the club head should be square to your body at all times.

From www.bbc.co.uk

The safest way to approach the green is to keep the ball reasonably close to the ground.

But occasionally, when your path is blocked by something like a bunker and you have very little green to work with, you need a much higher ‘lob’ shot.

Tiger Woods has perfected this shot and makes it look easy.

But it can be risky as it is technically difficult.

So if the ground is bare, forget it.

Here’s our guide to the lob. Remember, you need to get the clubface under the ball to have any chance of playing this shot well.

Step 1

Set up with your shoulders square to the target but your feet wide open pointing to the left of it.

The ball should be slightly nearer the front foot.

Setting up like this will enable you to cut the club underneath the ball - the key to getting it high in the air.

Practice twisting your grip slightly so the clubface looks more open.

But adjust your stance to make sure the club stays square to the target at impact.

Step 2

Swing the clubhead back along the line of the feet - it should feel like you are swinging well outside your normal line.

Unlike a normal chip, you must hinge your wrists quickly to get a steep angle of attack.

Do not be afraid to take a full backswing.

If you play the shot correctly it will go high but only a short distance.

Step 3

Accelerate down across the line of the ball.

Though you are swinging the club shaft almost diagonally across your toes, the clubface square should still be square to the target and the ball should fly high towards the flag.

If it shoots left, you may be releasing the club too early or not setting the clubface square when you address the ball.

Step 4

This shot works best from the rough as it creates enough space beneath the ball necessary for the club to get under it.

That means you need a firm follow through to get the clubhead through the grass.

Concentrate on taking the club as far forward as you did back.

from bbc.co.uk

Putting is arguably the most important skill in golf.

Forget about reading the green until you have mastered pace. Getting this right comes from developing a smooth putting rhythm.

There are no hard and fast rules about how you address the ball - develop any style you like as long as it delivers a smooth and reliable stroke.

Step 1. 

Very few top golfers break their wrists when they putt.

Instead they let their arms hang loosely and hold the putter lightly so both hang like a pendulum from the shoulders.

Ben Crenshaw is one of the world’s finest. He holds the putter so lightly he sometimes drops it - but this is how he achieves the ‘touch’ behind a smooth rhythm.

Set up with the ball near your front foot, the club face square to the target line and your eyes over the ball.

It is important to keep your hands level or ahead of the ball through the stroke.

Step 2.

Move the putter away smoothly, the arms hinging from the shoulders not the elbows or wrists.

Keep the putter head as a low to the ground as possible.

Keep the putter on a line square to the target as you swing it back and then forth.

Step 3.

Maintain your tempo through the swing, accelerating slightly into the ball.

Watch the putter head strike the back of the ball on the upswing, feeling almost as if the palm of your right hand is striking it towards the target.

The best putting strokes look smooth because the club is swung back and forward at the same speed.

Step 4.

Follow through to the hole with your club, not your eyes.

It is good to practice keeping eye contact on the spot where the ball was rather than trying to see where it has gone.

Practice counting two seconds in your head before you allow yourself to see how well you’ve done.

From bbc.co.uk.Pig Hunt ipod