Jay Bowden, a PGA member, is the
director of golf instruction at Pine Hill
Golf Club. He heads up the golf
school, clinics and private instruction.
Reach him at (856) 435-3100 or at
jbowden@empiregolfmgt.com
I guess it works, but the real question is how do you handle it at your club.
By far the biggest mistake golfers make is trying to advance the ball too far. When they do this, they use a longer club, swing harder and consequently leave themselves in just as bad a position as they started. So the first rule of thumb is not to bite off more then you can chew when attempting a shot from the rough.
The second rule of thumb is don't bite off more than you can chew.
The next step is to look at the lie. The lie will give you another indication of how far you can move the ball. Light rough is easier than the thick stuff. The light stuff might allow you take one less club than normal because you may get a flyer. A flyer happens when you get a little grass between the clubface and ball. The ball tends to fly like a knuckleball, without much spin and generally flies longer than expected. So you need to adjust accordingly.
The tougher lies occur when the ball nestles in the rough barely visible. Here are a few things to remember when hitting this shot:
Open the club slightly before taking a strong left-hand grip. The club has a real tendency to close because the rough catches the hosel and twists the club. The next step is to play the ball slightly forward in your stance and stand a little closer to the ball keeping about 65 percent of your weight on your front foot. This set up will promote a more upright swing, which will help with contact.
Last but not least, firm up your grip pressure. The swing will feel as if you're swinging in wet cement.
There will be a tendency to overswing, so watch out. If you overswing it will throw you off balance, which in turn will ruin contact. Take a few practice swings to get the feel of what is about to take place. Once you feel comfortable with your practice swings, go ahead and set up putting your club as close to the ball as possible without disturbing the lie. Then make your swing.
These set-up keys and a little luck should get you back in the fairway and on your way to the next hole.
Someone mentioned to me that a professional boxer really knows what a punch is. I also heard someone say that a punch is just a punch, but practiced over and over correctly, a punch is really a punch. So what does that have to do with a golf swing?
A once-a-week golfer has a golf swing that is probably about 60 percent effective. The reason is that it requires lots of coordination to get the body and arms to move together to deliver a club square at impact. In order to get your swing motion correct, you have to make lots of swings correctly so your brain adjusts the rhythm and timing of your swing.
In talking to anyone who has been to a PGA event, most of the comments about a tour player's swing revolves around how easily they swing. Golfers always are astounded at how effortlessly they swing and how far the ball flies.
Let's say for the sake of argument that every swing a tour player makes is like a knockout punch in boxing. Everything gets to the right place at the right time. So, is there anything the average, once-a-week golfer can do to get everything at the right place at the right time to increase his or her efficiency? I believe the answer is yes. The next couple of drills will help.
The first is the two-club drill. Take two clubs … for instance the 5 and 6 … and put the longer one in your left hand and the other in the right. Start the clubs about 3 inches apart and swing them back, maintaining good golf posture. Immediately, one arm will take over and you will swing one longer and one shorter. The idea is to get them to swing back together without them touching.
Do this exercise about 20 times a day, and it will get both arms working together. This is also a great warm-up exercise.
Next on the list is to get an impact bag. An impact bag is a bag that can be filled with old towels. Set the bag in the same spot where the ball would be. When you swing down you will reach the impact point or the moment of truth. You should feel in a very powerful position as your club strikes the bag. Your brain will now sense what the impact position should feel like and then you should be able to repeat it. You will be pleasantly surprised as you make a swing without the bag and watch the ball catapult off the club face.
Last but not least, double-check your grip, stance and posture. With those things correct make some swings at different speeds to get the feel of everything working together. Within a few days, you will develop a swing that will be sure to deliver a knockout punch to the golf ball more often than not.
1. It is the hardest club to hit.
2. You have not made one swing yet and your body is not warmed up.
3. Golf is a game of coordinating the movement of your arms and body. A long club like the driver slows the process; it does not enhance it.
4. The driver consciously or subconsciously makes you swing harder.
The common sense approach to warming up tells us that it is different with each individual and depends on his or her time frame. Here are a few things to consider when warming up.
1. Arrive early enough to warm up. Dashing from the car to the first tee will result in no warm up, higher scores and an unfulfilling day.
2. Do a few stretches for your back and arms.
3. Swing your 6 iron a few times both right-handed and left-handed to further loosen a few muscles.
4. Now hit every other club in the bag a few times to get your feel. Start with the pitching wedge or 9 iron. There is no rush, take your time.
5. As you are hitting different shots change the pace of your swing. Hit some at a 25 percent pace, then 50 and 75. This change of pace will heighten your golf club awareness.
6. Remember when using the driver on the range never swing it more than 3 or 4 times straight. Always alternate between a short iron and the longer clubs to keep your rhythm. Most players lose their rhythm with their driver by swinging it too many times in succession trying to hit the ball further and further.
How important is it to warm up before your round?
Common sense tells us that you should probably warm up before any physical activity. Warming up before golf makes good sense. Experiment with different routines before playing. The one that works is the one that produces the best results.
I will hazard a guess that your warm-up session won't start with a driver, unless you fail to use some common sense.
Have you ever stood at a tee box and watched a number of players out of each group hit basically straight shots, but they never hit the fairway?
This happens because the tee box and the whole teeing ground are not oriented directly down the fairway. The way to overcome this is:
First, realize that the tee box is not pointed in the right direction.
Second, use an intermediate target when setting up so your alignment isn't influenced by the parameters of the box. The reason golfers have trouble setting up is that during their pre-shot routine the tee box parameters catch their peripheral vision, which causes an adjustment with their shoulders which causes the misalignment. The key is to use an intermediate target about 3 feet in front of the ball.
Once your alignment is taken care of, use the tee box to your advantage by teeing up on the right side if you fade or slice the ball. If you draw or hook the ball tee up on the left side.
Another bit of information that will help you hit the ball in the fairway more often is to remember that during your pre-shot routine, whether you hook or slice, always take your last look down the fairway, where you want the ball to start, not where you want the ball to end up. So many people take their last look where they want the ball to end up consequently either opening or closing their shoulders slightly, which increases or decreases their shoulder turn and disrupts the shot.
In looking down the fairway where you want the ball to start, this will keep your shoulder adjusted correctly for your intended ball flight. Last but not least, sometimes I use the tee markers as a swing aid. I tee up close to the markers to aid in my swing path. Teeing close to the markers just reminds me not to come over the top. Remember that your feet can be outside the teeing ground when ready to tee off.
Sometimes teeing outside the rectangle allows you to shape your shot better. Remember the ball has to be in the box. Using the tee box to your advantage is what separates the good golfers from higher handicaps.
A student came to me with a problem of inconsistency. This is a problem that haunts many golfers. In my opinion, but it's nature, golf is not a very consistent game. There are so many variables involved that to get everything right all the time is virtually impossible.
That being said, there are some things that we can do to make the game somewhat consistent. My first thought when watching this student hit balls was to find out what is the root of his problem. In this case his grip was changing with every swing. Even though this was obvious to me, it certainly wasn't to the student. What I had him do was put a tee between the last three fingers of his left hand and the grip. Of course, when he swung back he let go of the tee and it proved to him that one of his problems was holding on to the club.
Once we identified and fixed that problem I asked him about grip pressure. He mentioned to me that he had recently been reading an article about grip pressure and he was trying to hold the club with a little less pressure.
Here is point for all of us to remember. In this case, my student's grip pressure was probably all right until he read an article on grip pressure. When he started to experiment with it, he got into a little trouble. Reading lots of articles in the newspaper, on the Internet, or in major golf publications is fine, but it is probably not too smart to introduce each topic into your game.
Experimentation is fine but do it with a purpose and sometimes under the watchful eye of an experienced player or professional.
As we continued to monitor this gentleman's grip and grip pressure I had him hit balls at a 25-50-75 percent pace. In some cases this will also alert you to any changes in your grip.
Different swing speeds on the practice tee will help you find your swing speed for the day and also be helpful in identifying any grip problems.
We also discovered that this gentleman needed to pay a little closer attention to swing speed in that he had only one swing speed and that was the old swing-as-hard-as-humanly possible which further clouds the consistency problem.
Tour players generally swing about 90 percent. If they go much above that their consistency also suffers. Good luck with the game this week. Read as many articles as you want but be leery about introducing lots of things into your golf swing. You really want to ask yourself, `Is this piece of information really good for my swing?'
Last week I wrote about the severe analytical golf bag. This week we take a look at the exact opposite kind of bag. The person who owns this bag does not have an analytical bone in their body. Their bag is a little different looking.
First, nothing matches on the bag and generally the clubs are just lying in one big heap because the dividers for the clubs are broken. Head covers are non-existence and if there is one it doesn't match anything because it is one they found. The zippers on the bag are rarely zipped and some are broken. Clubs would be on the dirty side because they forgot the towel they were going to use. Neat and tidy would not be the words to describe this bag.
If your bag approaches this standard these are a few things you could do to help your game.
1. Practice a little more because generally you like to play more than practice.
2. Develop a pre-shot routine and stick to it. You are a little haphazard in your set-up and routine, which can cause wayward shots.
3. Pay a little more attention to yardage markers as they do tell you something. They are not out there for decoration.
4. You don't have to use your driver on every hole announcing to your foursome that you just love to grip and rip. It is not a sin to lay up.
5. Quit borrowing gloves, tees and balls from your friends. Plan ahead and get a little more organized. You are always on a dead run to the first tee because most times you are running late.
6. Slow down your pace of play. Generally you are in a rush and this leads to tension, which translates into poor shots. Slow down and smell the pars.
Obviously, the way your golf bag looks really does not amount to a hill of beans if you are shooting the kinds of scores you like. If you are not then begin to take a better look at your bag and I believe it will tell you a little about yourself and give you some insight into your golf game.
Use plenty of sunscreen if you can find it and hit it down the middle.
You have taken lessons and you are swinging well at the ball but for some reason the game is just not there. Here is something to consider: Grab your golf bag and take a good hard look at it.
Sometimes if you know what to look for you can right your listing ship. I have found two extremes when looking at golf bags. The first is a super analytical bag. It looks very neat and tidy. Here are some other things to look for:
1. There are head covers for the irons.
2. Matching head covers for the woods with a string attached to each cover so you don't loose the matching set.
3. Small brush to clean clubs.
4. Rulebook or mini instructional manuals attached to bag.
5. Tubes for each club, often a dead giveaway.
6. All zippers on bag closed.
7. Towel on bag never used.
If your bag has most of these features watch out for these traits in your golf game.
1. Your pre-shot routine is too long. Friends are not calling you to play. You may need to change your routine to grip and rip.
2. You pay too much attention to yardage markers. Just look and get a feel for distance. You are calculating too much which stifles your swing.
3. Stop eating in front of the TV with The Golf Channel on.
4. Cancel one of your golf magazines, you are on information overload. Your mental hard drive is running over.
5. You have too many clubs in your bag. Sometimes play with part of a set of clubs so you have to invent shots.
6. Remember this is a game, not an extension of work. Have some fun.
7. Stop talking about golf for a while. Your friends and spouse are tired of all the minute details that you find fascinating.
8. Play with a little reckless abandon on the course. You are a little conservative laying up on par 3s.
What I have noticed while teaching for many years is that this person often likes to practice more than they play so they need to reverse the trend. Go out and play more. It may seem like I am splitting hairs here but good golf is about subtle differences. Golf like life requires a balance. You will have to figure what you need more or less of.
Next week I will talk about the non-analytical player. You have seen this bag before. No dividers for clubs, most zippers unzipped because they are broken and you know the rest of the story.
So you would think that if you know the distance, your shots would somehow make it to the green. Why then, when I play with mid- to high-handicap players, do they always end up in the front bunkers? I rarely play with someone who hits it over the green. So what do the yardage markers leave out?
To answer those questions realize that the average golfer has a set distance on how far they hit certain clubs. The problem with a set distance is that the golfer fails to factor in the following information, hence they are generally always short.
Factoring in some of the info will help you understand that you don't hit your 7 iron 150 yards all the time.
Yardage markers are great in that they give you an idea of the yardage to the center of the green. What I find fairly amusing is that golfers tend to forget other things that you need to figure into the equation before you make your shot.
Here are a few things to put in the equation when calculating distance:
1 . How do you feel at this moment? Tired. Worried. Excited.
2. What kind of lie do you have? Tight. Fluffy. In a divot.
3. Wind? Steady. Gusting. None at all.
4. What game did you bring to this spot? A game. B game. No game.
5. Down hill, up hill?
All these factors play an important part in club selection. What if you are standing in the 16th fairway, tired because you didn't get much sleep, the wind's blowing slightly in your face and a guy in your foursome just hit a 7 iron to the pin? Is this really the right time to say I always hit my 7 iron here? Maybe it is time to factor other things into the equation and hit that shot right in the middle of the green.
I believe the important thing to do is to play one shot at a time. Evaluate each situation, considering all the important things not just the yardage but also all relevant factors and then get up and make the shot. Far too many times we rely solely on the yardage markers for club selection and forget that there are other factors.
When you find the right mix of factors for your yardage equation and you get up and make a confident swing, you will spend less time in the front bunkers and enjoy the game more.
Does it ever seem like you're stroking the putts well, but for whatever reason they aren't dropping?
It's just not a single occurrence but happens over the period of several weeks. Missed putts, trying harder and then when someone asks how are you playing you give them the fake smile with the thumbs-up sign, but still those putts aren't dropping.
So just like all golfers I know, suddenly there is a little self-doubt and then it happens. As you enter the pro shop your eyes drift toward the putter rack. You begin to reach out for that new magic wand you believe will change your putting luck. You also begin to pay closer attention to your TV set watching what the tour players are putting with. Maybe it is the long putter, or the putter with the extended back or the one you banished to the closet last year because of the way it embarrassed you on those short putts. Whatever you do to help your putting, it's the first sign of the putting woes.
So what do we do? How can we get on track, so instead of 45 putts per round we can be around 36?
First, get yourself a carpenter's chalk line and go to your nearest putting green. Put down a straight line on a flat surface and begin to practice. As you practice three six-footers, rest a 7 iron on your right leg. If you have any excess leg movement the club will fall to the ground alerting you of too much movement.
Secondly, as you practice these putts, get into the habit of listening for the ball to drop. Lots of amateurs peak way too soon and miss short ones.
Another practice drill is one that we can use at home. Place a ball about four feet from you. Stroke your putt and hit the ball. This will build confidence in your stroke. Also, if you do this enough you will hit the other ball and it will end up in a place that will probably need vacuuming.
Also remember what we said a few weeks ago: Monitor your grip pressure. The grip pressure stays constant during the whole stroke and that you have a TV finish. Most poor putters lack constant grip pressure and let go of the putter almost at contact.
On longer putts, the best remedy is to take practice strokes looking at the hole, then set up and close your eyes and putt. What you want to do is get a feel for the distance. Try and match the practice stroke feel with the actual distance of the putt with your eyes closed. If these begin to match you are on the road to becoming a better distance putter.
Lots of time when I'm doing these drills I putt between two tees slightly wider than my putter to ensure center of contact. Putts hit in the center of the putter will also give you the right feel for distance. These drills will build confidence.
Putting is a lot of confidence with a dash of technique. Mix that with lots of practice and you will start seeing them drop and you will know why.
I guess I should look this one up in the rules of golf so I get it right but here is a point to this question. If par is what a professional player, or a top amateur should score on a course then is that something you need to consider when you play? Well, yes and no.
Yes it is there for you to consider but what happens when you stand there at an extremely long par 4 with no chance at getting home in two. At that particular time when you begin to go through your pre-shot routine does your ego begin to taunt you with, "You know, if you swing really hard, you may have a chance of conquering this hole. Wooo."
What just happened is that you looked at the par on the course and thought that was your par and it really isn’t.
Your par is the course’s regular par plus your handicap. With that figure in mind I challenge you to employ a different strategy the next time you play and I think you will enjoy the results.
For the sake of argument you are an 18-handicap player. That means that on a par 72 course you should shoot about 90. Remember when you shoot your handicap, you are having a good day. Here is how we do it.
Decide from the start that on every par 5 you will reach the green in four and two putt. On every par 4 you will reach the green in three and two putt. On every par 3 you will reach the green in two and two putt. If you abide by this strategy you will shoot your handicap and be successful and be smiling when you get home.
Why would this work? It alleviates the need to press on every hole. It gives you some margin for error. My guess is that as you and I play different golf holes, we’re a little tense. We try harder and harder until that nice rhythmic swing becomes a lurch, lunge or a heave-ho and ruins any chance of us scoring our best.
So what the strategy does is let us realize that I don’t have to play every hole the same. Now as you play each hole with a more manageable strategy, I believe what you will sense is that on some holes, like a shorter par 3, you will reach the green in one and two putt, thus getting a better score. On shorter par 4s, you will be closer to the green and with a nice little chip you will have a par. As you employ this strategy golf will become more manageable and you will score better.
This is certainly not a strategy that I developed but I think I have seen it used many times by folks who may have lost a little distance. Even though their drives are shorter they always find the short grass. Their next shots are again down the fairway and land near the green. They chip it close and one or two putt. They repeat that scenario many times during a round and you keep wondering, how did that short hitter beat me?
So remember, just changing the way we think and the way we play certain golf holes can lead to better scores and gives us a better relationship with par.
A guy called me about a lesson the other day, made an appointment and arrived a few days later right on time.
We got talking about his swing and the things that he had been working on. I asked him to hit a few balls so I could see if what he was working on coincided with his actual swing. He was working on his swing path but he had a poor grip so he was a little ahead of himself meaning that he needed to work on his grip before working on path.
As we adjusted his grip I had a sense he wanted to say something to me, so I asked him what was on his mind and a rye smile appeared. He told me golf gadgets, technology and your game. He had just recently purchased a larger PVC pipe ring to help with his swing path. He was proud … his wife wasn't … that his yard at home had been turned into a miniature driving range. We finished the lesson with him making much better contact with the ball and a better understanding of his swing.
I had a few minutes to spare so before my next lesson so we talked about the swing PVC gadget. The first thing I wanted to point out is that I am in favor of anything that will help the student get better but that not all swing aids are good for everyone.
In my opinion certain training aids are good for some people and not others. There is not one that fixes all problems and that it generally seems that golfers tend to buy a training aid that is not going to help them.
In this case I told him that I work on swing path by putting two tees in the ground about six inches apart. I ask the golfer to swing between the two tees. If the golfer can swing between the two tees with some consistency then how would you rate his swing path? Pretty darn good but did I use an expensive machine, not just two tees? Again I don't want to bash training aids, but take the time to consult a golf professional to see if the training aid will help your problem.
Technology in my opinion is fun. Yes the drivers hit the ball further and the balls go further but I do get a little leery about some of the yardages they talk about on TV.
I can remember an instance where the touring pro hits his 8 iron 183 yards and I even went `Wow'. Now two holes later he has 200 yards so he hits a 5 iron. Wait a minute, should he not have hit his 7 iron. Here is the point: Some yardages commentators throw around sound great, but what does it mean to the average Joe or Mary golfer? Absolutely nothing except for more exaggerated comparisons at the water cooler.
Did you hear how far he hit that? For the average golfer, find the right equipment, choose a ball that feels good when you hit it and then go out and have some fun. Don't try to match tour distances unless you want an unexpected hernia.
Trying to match someone else's yardages does not make too much sense. For some reason the ego jumps into the equation when figuring distances and normally results in short shots that end up in the front bunkers.
The key to remember is that everyone has their own yardages when hitting shots.
Playing in a Pro-Am in South Jersey recently, I watched one of my partners lash at his golf ball in the bunker only to see it end up in the bunker on the other side. The next shot was sculled into the trees.
It was not a pretty sight since we were keeping score. With lots of sand in South Jersey, unless you know the basics of bunker play, it almost becomes comical to watch people attempt bunker shots.
In most cases the sand is flying and the ball stays in the bunker, or the ball is hit first and that screaming scull shot comes out of the bunker quickly dispersing playing partners.
I have concluded that golfers either don't know how to get out of bunkers or they have an aversion to sand. In either case the ball is still in the bunker and that's our problem. So unless you have a really fast cart, it is probably necessary to learn the basics so here they are:
Set up as if you're making a normal pitch shot. Adjust your stance so the ball is forward, almost off your left instep. The further you move the ball forward, the more your shoulders are open to the initial target line. With the ball forward and your shoulders open, move about 80 percent of your weight to your left side. Your setup now dictates that you hit a great big, fat shot. During our swing we will enter the sand before the ball with the club still traveling down. We would actually dig in the sand, except that we have a good sand wedge, one with substandial bounce and one that is appealing to your eye. As you swing through, the sand is splashed out of the bunker and the ball follows suit.
I am, in a sense, trying to make this seem like it is a simple shot because it is. You don't even have to hit the ball, what could be simpler? The other part is that once you understand the basics and add a little practice, this shot will become a piece of cake. It is a fun shot, if you like the beach.
So here are a few drills that will help you out.
Set up like your basic bunker shot remembering 80 percent of your weight is on your left side. Draw a line where you think the ball should be. Now make some long, lazy swings and make sure you take out the line and get sand on the green. If you can get sand on the green, then you are 90 percent there because all you need is a ball where the line is.
Next, repeat the same process, weight left but put a ball on a tee in the spot where the line was with the ball about 1/8 inch off the sand. Now, dig out the tee and get sand on the green and the ball will follow. Make sure you are making long, lazy swings. Well, now that you have sand everywhere, just keep getting sand on the green and you will be a good bunker player.
You probably have noticed that I have not mentioned opening the club and the reason is that after teaching for years people tend to overdo it. Remember some basic stuff and practice enough so you are confident and if you have any problems see your PGA professional.
Golf is always filled with small stuff.
You forgot something on the way to the course, such as tees, balls, a new glove. You get to the pro shop, meet the people you’re playing with and they just don’t look like your kind of people.
You get to the practice tee and the only station left has a few dirty balls lying around and some worn area from which to hit. The ranger calls you to the first tee a little late so you’re hurried and the people in front of you have barely gotten off the tee.
What kind of day is this going to be?
Here I am at the first tee and it’s my turn. New golf ball on the tee and I’m ready. Grip the club, one or two waggles, turn off the brain and let it go. Wow, what a wonderful sensation and watch that ball with just a hint of a draw traveling into the sky.
My playing partners say it was one of best drives they’ve ever seen off the first tee. I pick up my tee, watch my partners hit, and head down the first fairway. I feel like it’s a new beginning. All that small stuff that I figured was so important suddenly didn’t mean too much after that drive.
So how do we do that? It’s a key to good golf. Forget all the small things that tend to go wrong. Being prepared can help.
Maybe the night before check to see if you have everything you need to combat the conditions. I am getting ready for a Pro-Am in two weeks. Already I realize that my grips are a little worn, so I probably will change them. I have noticed that I have tees in every pocket in my bag except the one they need to be in. So here is the real deal: Take care of the things you can and when the small stuff jumps up, handle it.
When you play golf you want to be in the best state of mind. I see so many people arrive late to the course still talking on the phone, not warming up and then wonder why they didn’t play well. I believe they sabotaged their game a long time ago by not taking enough time to look at things that have been disruptive.
What you are looking for is the small things that cause you to play poorly. It may not be a swing mistake, but all the extraneous baggage you take to the first tee. When watching a tour player get ready, you know that he is fully prepared and ready to go so he can make the best swing on the first drive.
I doubt he goes to the first tee and asks one of his friends if he has a few tees he can borrow or maybe a sweater because it is cold. The point is you may be losing strokes before you get to the course.
Now sit down and decide where they might be and fix it. It will probably be trial and error, but you will find the best way to optimize your performance.
It may be as simple as slowing down on your drive to the golf course so you arrive more relaxed. It may be just getting a little more organized so you can hit some range balls, but I know you will find it if you take the time to look.
Remember: Don’t sweat the small stuff, it tends to get in the way.
Gamesmanship among friends doesn’t really happen unless you know what you are listening to.
Let’s face it, most of us are playing golf because it’s a great game, we enjoy the outdoors and we like being with our friends. Of course, the latter changes as we all walk or ride to the first tee. After the first wager is placed, whether it be for lunch or drinks afterward, then the game is on.
With that in mind, think back to the last time you played and try to remember if one of your so-called friends said something that sounded almost helpful or was partially interesting and see if it affected your game. Remember the art of gamesmanship is just that: Do something to cause the other player to miss a few shots so that you win in the end.
I remember playing really well and it looked like I was on my way to winning lunch and as I left the 12th tee, the guy I was playing against casually asked me if I inhaled or exhaled on my down swing, and walked away. It was something I had never thought about. As I topped my next two shots, I realized that I was still thinking about inhaling or exhaling. I tried to forget about it and get back to playing golf, but all was lost to deep breathing. After buying lunch and seeing my opponent chuckle, I realized the inhale or exhale comment was only a ploy for me to get involved in thinking about something other than golf. To make me lose what little focus I had so I would fall apart so I could buy lunch at the conclusion of the match.
Now let me cut to the chase here and say that when you hear a comment on the golf course and it is in a tight match or you are about to have a great score, it is imperative that you pay little or no attention to what people say. When something is said, if you are not aware of these psychological ploys you will spend lots of time buying your friends lunch. Here are a few phrases I have heard over the years that can lead to your downfall:
Have you always had that little hitch at the top of your swing?
Are you losing or gaining weight?
Do you always walk with that little limp?
A couple more pars and you will have a great front nine.
These thoughts are intended to get you thinking about something else. The idea is to stay in the present. You have no control over the last shot; don’t worry about the next one.
How many times have you seen a tour player who has never won butcher the back nine and end up an also-ran? He had the shots to win, but more times than not he began to think about holding the trophy or the check.
Jack Nicklaus in the 1986 Masters was approaching the 18th hole with a chance to win (he did), the crowd was cheering and tears were welling in his eyes. He told himself he had some putts to make yet and to stay in the game.
That is what we need to do. Put on blinders, forget about gamesmanship. Stay in the present, hit the next shot. You can stop buying friends lunch.
As you begin to warm up on the practice tee before your scheduled tee time you realize nothing is working right. Shots are flying left and right, and you feel as if you are swinging with a sledgehammer instead of a golf club.
Panic begins to set in because you know you are first up and everybody is beginning to sense that you will be an easy mark because of your predicament.
What do you do?
One of the most practical solutions and one used by tour players is to develop a 3/4 shot which can be used to carry you over the rough spots until you begin to hit better shots.
Here are the basics to a 3/4 shot explained for right-hand players. Set up with about 75 percent of your weight on your left side. With your weight staying on your left side through the shot it will shorten your backswing ensuring better contact.
With the swing shortened, you need to use more club. For instance, if I hit my 7 iron 150 yards and now I wanted to hit a 3/4 shot, I would take a 5 iron, choke down an inch (there is an inch increment between clubs) and make my swing. I now have a 5 iron but because I am choked down an inch it is 7-iron length.
Your weight will start, stay and finish on your left side. The ball will generally move left to right because of your abbreviated back swing. The advantages of a 3/4 shot is that you can play golf when things aren’t going well. This setup can also be used to hit a ball out of a divot or when you want to keep the ball low like when you have to hit it into the wind.
The 3/4 shot has often been referred to as a knock-down shot. The problem with what I read sometimes is that the instructional article will tell you to move the ball back in your stance, hit down on it and this will keep the ball low. . . . My sense is why don’t we keep the ball in the normal positions, take a less lofted club, choke down a little and make a swing. Naturally the ball will fly lower and the same thing is accomplished without making too many compensations. With this in mind you can begin to realize that this shot has many uses.
It is funny how some things happen. As I am writing this article, I am working with a new student on his full swing and as we are talking he asks: Have you ever been on the range just prior to your round and everything falls apart?
I told him about the 3/4 shot. I gave him the basics and in about 15 minutes this 15-handicapper had a shot he could use in awkward situations.
A key point to you is that the 3/4 shot, with just a little bit of practice, can be a lifesaver.
Wow, thank goodness for the weekends and golf. Here I am at the first tee and it is my turn. Let’s see, what did that article say about keeping my head still? Well, that did contradict what my friends told me, so what should I do? Geez, look at all the people around the first tee. I don’t even know if I can swing. I am a good person, but if I top this in front of all these people, what will they think?
This is a prime example of a person who cannot get out of his or her own way to swing. What they can do to counteract this is the same thing that the NBA players use when they are at the free-throw line.
They bounce the ball two or three times, find the seam on the ball, look at the basket and swoosh. Next shot, they repeat the same movements over and over again. They have developed a routine, which allows them to get out of their own way so they can perform better.
We need to do the same thing in golf. Go through a pre-shot routine. It is essentially a set of movements that calm you down and allow you to make a free swing without any thought. It is both a physical and mental process. The physical movements are almost a key that alerts you that you have done this many, many times and let’s get ready to do this again.
Here are some items that encompass a good routine. Stand behind the ball. Envision the shot, walk to the ball, place the club behind the ball. Take your grip, adjust your posture, waggle the club a few times, turn off your brain and let it go. I can get a little more specific about routines but you want to develop one that suits you. I will say that if you are super analytical, your routine should be short. If you are not very analytical it probably needs to be a little longer. Routines are developed to increase performance. A good pre-shot routine whether in golf or basketball will increase your performance. A good pre-shot routine will allow you to counteract all the outside interferences that occur on the course. You are probably very close to having a good routine, but you need to keep practicing so you don’t have problems with the times when you need it the most: first-tee jitters, best scores ever, water holes or somebody ups the bet.
A good routine will carry you to the next level in golf. All the pros have a routine; nothing is random. Start to develop your routine and watch your score come down.
If someone came up to you on the practice putting green and asked you whether or not you were a good putter, what would you say?
For the past eight years I have asked that question to thousands of students. The answer is usually no.
You could almost hear people thinking as they approach their next three-foot putt, ‘I wonder how many other people have missed a putt of this length.’
Here is the message: Think that you are a good putter and go out and practice enough to make yourself one.
Here are a few tips. First, set up with a traditional length putter with your eyes over the ball. When you do this and look toward the cup you will see the line better. When checking your posture, make sure your arms hang under your shoulder joints, your hands are close to your body and the putter will move outside the line. Hands that are too far away from your body will move the putter quickly to the inside on the takeaway.
Putter grip: The club fits more in the palm of the hand, not in the fingers. This is different from the full swing grip. The club will lie more toward your life line. You want the palms facing each other with the thumbs down the center of the shaft. A last word about grip pressure: It should stay constant during your stroke. Notice when a tour player putts he holds the finish for a count of two. The poor putter lets go of the club immediately and has no finish.
Two drills will help you. Set the ball about three feet from the hole and putt them in holding the finish for the count of two. We call that the TV finish. This way you will maintain grip pressure.
The second part is to stroke a few putts with a split grip. This again will identify if you have any grip pressure change and will give you the idea that you are putting the shaft of the club, not just the face.
Lots of putting is upstairs, so start to think of yourself as a better putter and go out and practice and I believe you will begin to see results.
Have you noticed that golfers who score well generally are pretty good around the greens. Their short games tend to be better than average. Why?
They realize 70 percent of the game is played from 100 yards and in. They tailor their practice to match that percent. Think about your last practice session. How much time did you spend on the short game as opposed to blasting the newest and greatest driver to the end of the range? That’s fun, but start paying more attention to the short game.
A must shot around the greens is the pitch shot. That differs from a chip shot in that there is more air time than ground time. What is surpirsing to many players is that a tour player will use a sand wedge for this shot instead of pitching wedge. The reason is the sand wedge has more loft and gives a nice high shot into the green that will stop.
Second, the sand wedge has bounce which allows us to hit behind the ball to get it in the air. In other words, with a sand wedge I can hit an inch behind the ball and still have a good shot. If I was using a pitching wedge I would not have that margin of error. When we are making a pitch shot it is a lot like making an underhanded toss. Your body reacts to the swing. Go ahead and make several small underhand tosses. Get the feel of it.
Now the set-up. You will have a slightly open stance with your feet a little closer than normal. Now with your sand wedge make a couple of swings just brushing the grass. As you do this think only of brushing the grass and not hitting the ball. Now throw down a tee and brush that away. As you do, make your backswing and forward swing match. Once you have that down take a ball and put it in the middle of your stance with a tee behind it and now brush out the tee. There, you have a nice pitch shot.
Remember in pitching that length of the swing dictates how long the shot will go. The biggest problem facing poor pitchers of the ball is that their grip pressure constantly changes, especially the last three fingers of the left hand. Generally as a teaching aid I tell students to take a tee and put it between the grip and the club when practicing pitches. I almost bet the first time you try this and make a couple of swings that the tee drops. If not, you are on your way to pitching the ball well. This tends to bind people up and they can barely swing. So don’t stare, just brush the grass behind the ball and you will beocme a better short-game player.
Spring gives us a renewed optimism for our golf games. Visions of crisply hit 7 irons tracking toward a tucked pin on a beautiful course. With that in mind, let’s pay attention to some basics so we don’t wind up paying off the bets after a bad round.
Two areas to review to ensure quality shots are golf posture and grip. Not all of us can swing like a tour player, but we can take our time to set up like one to increase the percentage of hitting good shots. The first thing to do is to get a good picture in your mind of what a good golf setup looks like. Look at one of the tour players that has a similar build to you. Two players that I bring to mind when discussing set-up would be Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam.
Stand in front of a mirror. Look at yourself. Notice that tour players bend from their hip sockets and keep their backs relatively straight. Most amateurs I see with poor posture are trying to bend from the waist. When you bend from the hip sockets your shoulders will move forward and your butt will move backward. Granted it feels weird. The second step is some slight knee flex. The slight knee flex will get your weight situated on the balls of your feet. You are now in athletic ready position. If you look back in the mirror, you should be able to see a person in good posture.
Second area to review is your grip. Remember a good grip gets the clubface square at impact and a poor grip does not. Here are few things that will help you take a good grip (explained for right-handers).
The club is set in the fingers of the left hand with the heel pad of the hand on top of the shaft and the thumb of the left hand placed on the right side of the shaft. Now when placing the right hand on the shaft, the club will again be mainly in the fingers with the right side of the left thumb fitting in the lifeline of the right hand and the meaty part of your right hand covering the left thumb. A good grip will have both hands working together. Once you have a good grip, let’s talk about grip pressure.
I have heard in some golf circles that you want to hold the grip like you have a little bird. I say hold the grip like you have a dead bird. I see far too many amateurs that have loose grips than I see ones that have firm ones. Remember, you are swinging a club with a good amount of speed. An important part of this exercise is to get this checked out by one of your PGA professionals because there are several versions of the grip. They will help you find one that is suitable for you.
What you have to understand about a good grip and good posture is the odds are against you for hitting good shots if either one of these is not correct. So take your time practicing your stance and grip. Somethimes I recommend a golf club near the TV so you can hold it while you are watching a program just to get used to the feel if you have to make a change.