Golf Tips
BE STRAIGHT WHEN IT COUNTS
What it is: Tee-shot strategy
- Stand behind your ball on the tee and pick out a 10- to 15-yard landing area, then picture an imaginary line from that spot back to your ball.
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As you address the ball, focus on an intermediate target a few feet in front of you. Align your ball square to that point, and don't worry about hazards, distant mountains or anything else.
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Right before you pull the trigger, take one last look at your landing area. Take a cue from the Tour players, who by this point are only thinking about getting their ball to that spot.
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Make a confident swing, knowing that you've done what it takes to line up the shot. Practice this on the range, and you'll be ready to conquer any intimidating visual tricks.
TURN UP YOUR POWER
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You feel like you make a big turn, but you don't hit the ball very far
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You hit a lot of weak slices
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You don't know what coil is
While it's important to keep from over-rotating your hips, it's essential to turn them enough so you can create a balanced stance at the top of your backswing, with your weight over your right foot.
To find the correct amount of hip turn (somewhere between not enough and too much), begin your swing and stop when your club is parallel to the ground in your backswing. If a person directly behind you on your toe line can't see your left knee pop out from behind your right knee, you haven't turned your hips enough (make sure you keep both knees flexed like they were at address as you do this). The right amount of turn should allow the person behind you to see your left knee, and you should feel balanced, stable and in position to turn your right shoulder behind you to complete your backswing.
YOUR BALL POSITION
New basic: Position the ball relative to where the clubhead bottoms out in your swing. For every club in your bag, the bottom of your swing is in the center of your body. Use that belly button again as reference point! For a wedge, you should place the ball about an inch behind the bottom of your swing so that you catch the ball and then the turf with a descending blow. For a mid-iron, place the ball even with the bottom of your swing, so you can pinch it off the ground. For a driver, you want the ball even farther forward relative to the bottom of your swing so you can catch it on the upswing. Another way of thinking of it: Trap the ball with a wedge, pinch it with an iron and sweep it with a driver.
PUTTING TIPS
Change your grip to produce a smooth putting stroke.
You pull three putts in a row, and then push the next two, or some similarly distressing pattern. No matter what you try your putts won't start on line consistently.
The solution
Stop putting with the grip you use to hit power shots. You don't want to hit putts. Instead, angle your wrists slightly downward and move the putter grip out of your fingers and into the lifeline of your left hand.
Why it works
Gripping clubs in your fingers allows your wrists to hinge freely and add power to your swing. That's great for your long game, but not for your putter. On the green, excess power is a big negative, so you should keep your wrist movement to a minimum. When you angle your wrists downward at address and grip your putter under your lefthand lifeline, your putter becomes an extension of your forearms. This neutralizes wrist movement and produces a much smoother putting stroke.
HOW TO THROW OUT YOUR SLICE
This tip is for you if...
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You usually slice or pull your tee shots
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You don't know when your backswing ends and your downswing begins
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You lack power
The Fault
You figure that if you turn your upper body and your lower body in unison during your downswing, you'll be in a solid position at impact. What you get instead are weak slices and pulls.
The Fix
Think of your downswing as a chain of events, not a unified motion. Move your lower body first and then your upper body, with your arms and clubhead bringing up the rear. This may sound a little complicated, but you've done it every time you've thrown a baseball, leading with your front leg and finishing up with your arm. Try the following drill to learn how to do it consistently in your swing.
HOW TO STOP LEAVING SHOTS IN THE SAND
This story is for you if...
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You're not confident playing bunker shots
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Your clubhead digs too deep into the sand
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You leave bunker shots short — and still in the sand
Fault: You hit most of your bunker shots heavy and leave the ball in the sand.
Fix: The next time you're in a bunker, imagine you're standing in a pond of shallow water. Set up with your weight slightly forward, position the ball halfway between the center of your feet and your left instep, and lay the clubface open. Now, instead of thinking about burying your wedge into the sand and exploding the ball out, imagine you are smoothly skipping the sole of the wedge off the water.
Why it works: It gives you the proper feel of gliding your sand wedge under the ball — just like skipping a flat rock off water. This image will help you take a shallow, splashing divot that will carry your ball onto the green.
HOW TO CHECK FOR A PERFECT GRIP
This tip is for you if...
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You're an inconsistent player but never think about your grip
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Your approach shots often miss short and right
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You lack any real power
The problem
You feel like you're never in control of the clubhead.
You're not gripping the club correctly.
There's more to taking your grip than pointing the Vs formed by your thumbs toward your shoulders. You must establish consistent pressure in the right spots to properly set the club and control it from start to finish. Take your grip and make the following three pressure checks. Get them right and you'll hit shots with maximum control and power.
Grip check
Look at the top of your grip. You shouldn't see any voids between the thumb and forefinger on each hand. If you do, pinch those digits together. Pressure there ensures a more connected grip and greater control of the clubface.
HIT SOLID CHIPS
For solid contact on chip shots, try this simple drill to get you in the ideal position
