MISCELLANEOUS
(104).."UP HILL SHOTS"
Even players with good touch have trouble with uphill pitches, often sticking their wedges into the turf and leaving these shots well short of the pin. Their mistake is playing the uphill shot exactly as they would one of the same length from a flat lie. To compensate for an upslope lie, you need to make three easy changes.
1) Tilt your shoulders so they are parallel to the slope. Angling your shoulders so they mirror the slope has two advantages. First, it allows you to make a full follow-through. Second, having a follow-through greatly enlarges your margin for error through impact. If you don't align your shoulders correctly, contact must be perfect: Hit it fat, and the ball goes nowhere; hit it thin, and the ball is driven into the slope, bounces straight up in the air, and, again, goes nowhere. But with your shoulders parallel to the slope, hitting a little fat or thin can still produce an acceptable result.
2) Let the slope tell you which club to use. Since the upslope adds loft to the shot (when your shoulder line tilts, the shaft tilts back the same amount), you must use an iron with less loft.
The swing length is he same for the uphill pitch; only the club has changed.
Which club? Check the hill: For every four or five degrees of upslope, use one more club than you'd normally use (the loft difference between clubs also is four to five degrees). If you're on a 15-degree slope at a distance from which you'd usually hit a lob wedge, hit a 9-iron instead (that's three clubs more -- lob wedge, sand wedge, pitching wedge, 9-iron). The extra loft of the hill is matched by the reduced loft of the club, so the result will be about the same.
3) Make the same length swing. Your swing should be the same length as if you were on a flat lie using the original club (in this case, the lob wedge). Don't be fooled by whatever is written on the club: That 9-iron is no longer a 9-iron; because of the upslope, it's a lob wedge, so make a swing long enough to get a lob wedge to the hole.
Stick all this information in the back of your mind, marked with a small red flag that pops up whenever you face an uphill pitch somewhere around the green. Then make the three adjustments: Tilt your shoulders, use a less-lofted club, and make the same length swing. A little practice from different slopes with different clubs will help you see how they produce various shots. Then, you'll be able to handle uphill lies -- no matter how sharp the slope.
The swing length is the same for the uphill pitch; only the club has changed.
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(105).."SHORT GAME TIPS"
FACT: Over 60% of your strokes occur from inside 100 yards.
A shot from 200 yards will usually demand that the golfer make one or two
decisions. But a shot from 20 yards or 50 yards is likely to require
six or seven decisions. That's why, when they call golf a "thinking
person's game" they're talking to a great degree about the short game.
It's situation-by-situation or, if you will, problem-by-problem.
With this in mind, follow these tips to improve your short game.
The most important fundamental in the short game is this: your forward
swing should match your back swing in length and speed, and the pace of
your swing should never slow until after impact.
Never swing hard with a short club. With rare exceptions, you should
never swing the 8 iron, 9 iron, or wedges at full force. The short game
is about scoring and control, not distance. If you need more distance,
use a longer, less-lofted club.
A good short-game player is a land surveyor. Hitting accurate shots
from 125 yards and in requires that you understand slope, different
types of grasses and sand textures, the effect of moisture on a short
shot, and the type of bounce and roll you're likely to get on various
landing areas.
When you have a choice between lofting your shot high in the air or
hitting a low, running shot along the ground, you should always hit the
low runner. A high flop shot is definitely a second choice, to be used
when the first choice isn't available (because of a hazard or other
obstruction).
When faced with a high, floating shot over a bunker, creek, or ridge,
don't be cute by trying to hit it close to the pin. Hit it up on the
green and settle for a 20-footer or even a 40-footer. Good short-game
play is about strategies, skills, and percentages-not hitting miracle
shots.
Centered impact, which is difficult in the long-iron and driving games,
is a bit easier in the short game. But you still have to concentrate on
it.
The shape of your swing will give you a mirror-image preview of the
shot trajectory you desire. A steep and V-shaped swing tends to produce
a high-arcing shot. A shallow and U-shaped swing tends to produce a
lower, humpbacked shot.
The essence of the short game is club head loft. The loft angle of a
wedge or a short iron is an apparently simple variable with complex
effects. But the key point to remember about it is this: when your
high lofted club isn't sending the ball high in the air, it's doing
something else-it's softening the force of your swing (by turning
launch force into spin) and installing a set of brakes on your shot,
again through the phenomenon of spin.
One particular point must be made about the very high-lofted wedges --
clubs with as much as 57 or 60 degrees of loft angle. These wedges
allow golfers to take a full swing from very close to the green.
The good news is that to hit a 70-yard pitch you don't have to throttle
back or teach yourself the delicate art of a three-quarter-force swing.
But be aware that it's tough for some people to take a full swing from
such close range. When you get your first super lofted wedge, spend some
time hitting it to specific targets. Otherwise you're liable to tell
yourself to swing full as you stand over the shot, then quit on the
swing halfway through. Somewhere in your brain you haven't accepted the
idea that your shot won't fly 20 or 30 yards over the green.
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(106).."GRIP DRILL"
A very common fault with the grip is to place the handle too much into the palm of the hands. Although this may feel confortable, it is not an athletic position for holding a golf club. Assume you are throwing a baseball. It is natural to place the ball into the fingers of the hand vs. the palm. This enables the player to toss the ball with force and control. Likewise in the golf swing this should also take place and can only be done in the fingers of the grip.
DRILL:
Take two yardsticks and fasten them flat together with some tape. Lay the yardstick across your left hand with the bottom edges running along the calluses at the base of your fingers. Specifically the stick will fall into the second digits of the left hand. Now fit your right hand to your left hand noticing also how the yardstick naturally provides a ridge that is automatically caught into the fingers of the right hand. Practice this grip while hinging the yardstick at the wrists up and down. One of the benefits of placing the grip in the fingers is the wrists can hinge freely, thus allowing for more leverage and clubhead speed throughout a golf swing.
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(107).."CLUB MECHANICS"
To take advantage of hand-eye coordination, the club face must be used in a specific manner. The result is an automatic golf swing. When the club face is used in a specific manner, the golf swing results. It just happens.
Think of the golf club as a tool. Any tool must be used in a specific manner to achieve the best results. For instance, a hammer can not be used back wards, and be effective, a baseball bat or tennis racket can only be used one way. You do not think about a swing or body parts when using these tools. A baseball swing just happens; so does a tennis swing. Using the club face specifically with hand-eye coordination, the golf swing requires no thinking either.
How should the club face be used to produce an golf swing? Simple. The purpose of the back swing is to get the club face in an open position. Therefore, at impact the club face is ready to hit the ball or to be released. That's it. That's the objective of the golf swing. When the golf club is used properly, explosive power and accuracy is generated; all with little effort. How? Club head speed. Again, hand-eye coordination will allow the swing to become automatic.
About 1% of all golfers know how to use the club face in a specific manner. Often it's just not taught. Instead, many instructors complicate the golf swing by having numerous swing thoughts about the body that lead to frustration. One individual I helped was ironically using the club face correctly, but did not know it. Instead, this person cluttered the mind with unnecessary swing thoughts that created awareness and caused frustration. By changing the focus away from the body and to the club face, hand-eye coordination took over; allowing the golf swing to become automatic, Needless to say, this person went on to play much better golf.
Everyone has the ability to produce an automatic golf swing. You must learn how to use the club face to take advantage of this ability we all have.
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(108).."PUTTING DRILLS"
Most golfers love to hit bucket after bucket of balls at the driving range. Because of this, the short game gets short-changed.
On average, a driver is used 13 times during a typical round. A putter is used 36 times. These statistics show that the main emphasis should be on putting. The reason we do not work harder at putting is that we are more motivated to hit long drives as opposed to sinking a 5-foot putt.
A good practice routine and some challenging games will help motivate you to practice your putting more often. Direction and distance are the two basic requirements for becoming a good putter.
DIRECTION DRILLS:
Place four balls at putter length in a cross-like pattern from the hole. The objective is to hole all four putts consecutively. If you miss one, start over.
When you hole all putts consecutively, extend the length of each putt by a foot and continue trying to hole all four putts. If you sink all of those putts, proceed to Round 3, another foot away, and so on.
Establish a score that will give you a challenge the next time you practice this drill.
DISTANCE DRILL:
Place an object, such as a can, about 25 feet away as a target. The goal is to get the first ball you hit as close to the target as possible without going past the target. This drill requires several golf balls.
If you hit your first putt and it stops 5 feet short of the target, this ball becomes your new target, 20 feet away.
If the next ball stops 8 feet short, this becomes your new target, 12 feet away.
If the following putt goes past the 12-foot target, the game is over, and you total the amount of putts you have hit.
Ideally, you will have a line of balls one after the other with minimum distance between them.
Again, this drill establishes a score and gives you an incentive to improve upon it each time you visit the practice green.
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(109).."BASIC BUNKER SHOT"
Bunker shots tend to give players more trouble than any other shots around the green. To become a more skillful bunker player you must first become consistent in performing the standard green side bunker shot. This is a shot of about 15 yards in length with the ball sitting on top of the sand. The proper execution of this shot is to aim about two inches behind the ball and splash through the sand, lifting the ball out with the sand. A good drill to get used to the distance behind the ball you should hit is to lay the ball on the center of a dollar bill that is pointed at the target and hit the sand at the back edge of the dollar bill when you make the swing.
As you set up to play this shot you should have a fairly wide stance with some knee flex. You should also work your feet into the sand a little to solidify your stance and to get a feel for the softness or hardness of the sand.
The ball should be positioned well forward in your stance, just off the instep of your front foot. Your stance and club face should be slightly open. Remember, when you open your club face, open the club face first, and then take your grip. With your stance open and because you also have an open club face, your club face will actually be square to your target line. The club shaft should come straight up toward you giving you maximum loft on the club face.
The back swing requires a quicker wrist set and you must keep your body rotating on both the back swing and the forward swing. This allows the club head to "accelerate" and get through the sand. Swing the club along a path parallel to your feet and allow the club face to pass your hands through impact. This will keep the club face open and allow it to splash through the sand. A well-executed bunker shot has a definite U-shape to it, with the hands setting early and then releasing past the hands through impact.
Learn to perform this standard bunker shot and then you can adapt the rest of your bunker play to it.
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(110).."EDUCATION"
Unfortunately, as golf is exposed to more and more people, a crunch has been put on golf courses, and the pace of play has slowed. It is a very positive trend that more golfers are now exposed to the sport, but we need to educate them on how to move around the course. Golf instruction has focused primarily on the techniques of the swing and not quite enough attention has been focused on how you play on the course. New players get to the course and have no idea what a timely round of golf is. So it is up to us, the experienced players, to educate others on how to maintain a steady pace on the golf course.
Here are a few things we all can practice while on the course:
1... Take beginning golfers to shorter executive courses only!
Taking a beginning player to course beyond their capabilities will only frustrate them, you and the players behind you.
2...The entire group should watch each player hit his or her tee shot so an errant shot is easily found.
3... If you are in a cart, drop off your playing partner at his or her ball, and then go play your own shot.
4... On the putting green, have the line you want to putt your ball on read before it is your turn.
These are just a few of the many things that you can do to help speed up the pace of play. The bottom line is, use a little common sense on the course. You can play in a reasonable amount of time and still have the social interaction or business meeting you desire.
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(111).."LEVEL SWING"
In order to contact the golf ball squarely, the body must remain level. Any up or down motion in the body affects the level at which the clubface contacts the ball. For example, the golf club is merely swinging in a circle around the body. If the body moves up or down so does the circle. There are four areas in the body that can change in levels and compromise solid contact.
1. The knees - If the knees start in a slightly flexed position at address and straighten or bend excessively throught the swing - solid contact is compromised.
2. The feet - If a player begins the swinging motion with both feet planted and gets to the top of the swing with either foot more that an inch off the ground - solid contact is compromised.
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3. The arms - If the lead arm near the target is folded at impact, a major loss in power occurs and it is likely a topped shot will result - solid contact is compromised.
4. The spine - If the spine goes up 3 inches in the back swing it must return 3 inches down at impact to allow the clubhead to contact the ball solidly. This is a tall task to do consistently, more often the player does not make the correct downswing adjustment - solid contact is compromised.
Obviously, all these areas must remain at the same level throughout the swing. If they do not, inconsistency is the result. It only takes one level change to affect solid ball contact. Below is a practical drill to check and achieve a level golf siwng.
Turn Drill #1
Place a broomstick on your back across the shoulders. Assume your normal golf posture - If you are unsure as to what a good posture looks like, refer to my posture tips. At this position, place a strip of tape on a mirror at the same level as the top of your head. Next, practice turning back with the broomstick, picturing that the shoulders are turning perpendicular to the spine and that the spine is remaining constant in the same angle throughout the swing. As you turn back and through the top of your head should remain on the tape in the mirror. Although the head can turn and move back a few inches along the strip of tape to assist in a weight shift, it must not move up or down. If it does go up or down , you have compromised one of the four levels listed above.
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(112).."PUTTING"
The putter is the best stroke saving club in your bag. Most golfers use a third of their total score - that's 30-35 shots per round on the putting green. And most can get better with practice.
That's why it's important to groove a putting stroke that you can trust under pressure. The best place to improve your putting is on the practice putting green. Here are some practice tips that can help.
PRACTICE STROKING THE BALL WHILE LOOKING AT THE TARGET, INSTEAD OF THE BALL.
This teaches you to trust your stroke. It also helps show you to concentrate on the target line. It's a great drill for keeping a steady hand. Try it. You'll be surprised how effective this is on all distances.
PRACTICE GETTING UP AND DOWN FROM VARIOUS DISTANCES OFF THE GREEN.
Any chance you have to putt, instead of chip, you should. Because most people use better putters than chippers. And confidence will flow into the rest of your game if you know you can get up and down from off the green.
ON LONG PUTTS, PRACTICE CORRELATING THE LENGTH OF THE PUTTS WITH THE LENGTH OF THE BACK SWING.
Usually, one inch of back swing is needed for every two feet of putt. On medium to fast greens, a twelve inch backswing is often enough to hit a 24 foot putt. Another tip - place the back foot where it will correspond with the back of the backswing. Then simply stroke through the ball.
PRACTICE TWO TO THREE FOOTERS TILL YOU CAN'T MISS.
Then move back a foot and work at that distance till you can't miss. Then move another foot back. Pretty soon, you will become really good on those THREE TO SEVEN FOOT PUTTS you always seem to be facing. And if you get good at them, your scores WILL DROP!
Most golf courses and driving ranges have putting greens that are free. You are crazy to not utilize these facilities to improve upon the most important stroke saving part of your game. EVERYBODY has room to improve on their putting.
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(113).."SWING PLANE"
Staying in the "swing plane" is vital...
A good way to stay in the swing plane is to use the arms as a reference point.
At address, notice that the shaft of the club forms a straight line from your hands to the ground. If you extend that line to your chin, the line should be between your arms. The trick is to maintain that relationship between the shaft and the arms throughout his swing.
The take away should be initiated by turning your shoulders and sweeping the club smoothly away from the ball, without picking the club up with your hands. This is known as the one-piece take away, and will again allow you to keep the club between your arms.
At the top of the backswing, it's a little more difficult to visualize keeping the club between your arms, because of the angle that's formed by cocking the wrists. If you hold your backswing position and turn your head to see where the shaft is positioned in relation to your arms, the shaft should point down the target line, and if you let it drop straight down, it would fall between your arms.
At the top, if the shaft of the club is not between your arms, but rather is pointing behind your body, this is referred to as laying the club off, or swinging too flat, and usually results in hitting either behind or on top of the ball with a loss of power. If the shaft of the club points in front of your body at the top, this is often referred to as crossing the line or swinging too upright. Like swinging the club too flat, the results of swinging too upright are not pretty. Deep divots, often behind the ball, pop-up shots which will scar the top of your woods, pulled shots to the left or slices to the right are some of the things that can result.
On the downswing, if you initiate by shifting your weight laterally to your left foot, your arms and club will automatically follow, with the club maintaining its position between your arms. If you force the club down with your hands and arms and fling or throw the club head at the ball, you'll lose that relationship between the club and your arms. This is referred to as hitting from the top or casting, because it's a similar motion to casting a fishing line. It can result in any of the ugly shots listed above.
At impact, you should basically be in the same position you were in at address, except that more of your weight should be on your left foot. The shaft of the club should still be between your arms.
The follow through should be a mirror image of the take away, with your arms and the club fully extended toward the target, like looking down the barrel of a rifle. The extension of the shaft should still be between your arms. From there, the club simply folds over your left shoulder, with your elbows slightly separated, and the shaft of the club still between your arms.
DRILL:
Grip down 18" or so on one if your irons and get into the address position. You see that the grip is pointed at your head and is between your arms. As you go through your swing as described above the shaft should stay between your arms. Remember the grip end will drop down as you cock your wrist, but will remain between your arms...If not you are getting out of the swing plane. When you can do the complete swing with the club between your arms you will be staying in the swing plane.
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