I intend to provide 1 tip each month. If there is something specific you want help with feel free to get in touch and I’ll try to help!
September 2011
If you watch any good player you will notice that they go through a pre shot routine on every shot. This is key for consistency in your game and getting yourself prepared to hit the best shot you can! There are lots of different routines out there varying from complex to very simple. They key is to find one that is right for you and then practice it! Under pressure a good pre shot routine is a must.
Some of the key aspects for a routine are;
Assessing the shot correctly (lie/air/landing conditions) and then picking the right club/shot. (Always try to play the simplest shot you can!)
Visualising/feeling the shot you want. This is the purpose of making a practice swing. Try to see or feel the shot you want to play. Notice the flight/strike and see it going to your target.
Picking a target. I like to stand behind the ball and select a target in the distance and then trace back to a short target maybe a few inches in front of the ball to help get setup. Make sure you pick the smallest target possible e.g not a house in the distance but the 2nd chimney pot.
Once your setup over the ball it really is go time! You should have made all your decisions and be prepared to simply look at the target and let rip! If not back off and think the shot through again! There should be no doubts over the ball just thinking of where you want the ball to go or one simple swing thought (nice rhythm for example).
Hope this helps, i’m sure it will!!!
May 2011
Wedge Play is this months theme! 30-100 Yards is a problem area for a number of people. It need not be the case however! Whilst for normal full shots it’s easy to control distance (just hit 7 iron instead of 8 iron!) it isn’t as simple for wedges (Until you’ve read this!) where you have to play half shots etc…
A very simple way to improve distance control is to use a system used by many pro’s where you make different length backswings with the same rhythm to send the ball different distances.
What you need to do is find 3 backswing positions that you can repeat. If you imagine a clock face you may take your left arm back to 7 o’clock, 9 o’clock and 11 o’clock. Make sure you keep a constant rhythm (Key) to these swings and you will find they go 3 different yardages with the same club. If you have 2 or 3 wedges you then have 6 or 9 yardages that you can hit!
Practice and measure how far each of the swings go and approach shots on the course with confidence! Another tip is if you are in-between yardages you can either shorten/lengthen the backswing or try gripping down the club to take 5 yards off the shot! Good Luck!
April 2011
I’m amazed by how badly people practice short game! Go down to your clubs chipping green and you will more often than not see people smashing a bag of balls from one spot onto the green to the same pin. This is not practice!
How does that improve your short game??? How often do you have the same chip shot on the course? How often do you have 2 go’s at a shot?
A lot of junior golfers and good players develop good short games by having competitions with 1 ball. A point for nearest with the winner picking the next hole. In 1/2 hour they will have played lots of different shots under a competition environment. Much better than the person smashing balls to one flag as above!
Take a leaf out the good players book! Practice short game with 1 Ball, vary the shots/places you hit from and use different clubs! 10 minutes doing this is worth a lot lot more than ball smashing!
2 Games you might like to try are these; (If possible always compete with someone else, the better player the better! and use full routine, play them like you would on the course)
1. Points game
First to 10. Pick a club and have a point for nearest and 2 for chipping in. Do with different clubs.
Or
5 points Hole
4 points 3ft
3 points 6ft
2 points 9ft
1 point 15ft
-5 points Outside 15ft (advanced players only)
2. Up and down game
Set up holes round the green as follows
6 easy (basic chips/pitches)
6 mid (standard bunker/pitch/chips)
6 hard (bad lies/lobs/plugged bunker etc…)
Play each location as a hole Par 2 (Hole out). At the end you will have played 18 holes and have a score to par which you can then try and improve on!
Alternatively you can not hole out and use the scoring system as above to get a points score.
REMEMBER always compete with others and NEVER just beat balls from one spot to one flag (Unless working on technique and even then do more of the 1 ball practice).
Practice properly on your short game by doing these games and I bet you see an improvement to your scores
March 2011
A shorter tip this time but one that you can take straight onto the course to help your strategy from tee to green!
Most players will hit the ball right to left or left to right consistently. Being able to hit a consistent shape of shot can be a key to getting round the course in lower scores. Yet some players fight there natural shape!
Instead use it to your advantage! If you normally fade/slice the ball 20 yards trust yourself to aim at the left side and let your shape bring it back to the middle. Aim as far left as necessary to get it in the fairway. You do not need to worry about the ball going the other way so in effect you take one side of the golf course out of play! This will allow you to avoid the trouble through smarter target selection and playing your normal game!
If you have time to warm up before you play hit 10 balls with driver/another club you use a lot and note the ball flight and where the ball finishes. This will give you a good idea of your shot shape for the day. Instead of doing what most players will do and try ‘fix’ it to hit it dead straight use it to get you round. Leave the technical swing work for after the round!
February 2011
A little late but here is a great putting practice drill for you to try!
Find a hole on the practice green and place tees in as shown below. Play to the hole in 3 different direction to mix it up!
60 foot
50 foot
40 foot
Hole 10 foot 20 foot 30 foot
3 foot
6 foot
9 foot
There are many variations I use on this drill but I’ll outline 2 of the best ones for you to have some fun with! Both require only 1 BALL and you should use your FULL PRE SHOT ROUTINE ON EVERY PUTT. If you can try and compete with someone else or a few mates as it helps add to the competitive element!
1. Score Game
Scoring
3-9 foot
Hole = Par
Miss = Bogey
10-30 foot
Hole = Birdie
Safe Zone(semi circle past the hole 1 putter length in size) = Par
Outside zone (short/long/wide) = Bogey
40-60 foot
Hole = Birdie
Safe zone (putter length circle around the whole hole) = Par
Outside zone = Bogey
You can do them in any order you like but I like to mix them up.
e.g
1st 10 foot
2nd 40 foot
3rd 3 foot
4th 30 foot
5th 60 foot
6th 9 foot
7th 20 foot
8th 40 foot
9th 6 foot
At the end you will have a score to par. Under par is good! You can do it with 6 tees at each station to make it longer if you wish. I’d also recommend you keep track of your score in a log so you have a PB to beat in future and can see your progress over time!
2. Lives Version
Exactly the same setup as above.
The order though is different. You start on the mid range putts. moving up and down in a ladder style as below. You then move to the Long Range before finishing on the short putts. Play this with some friends to add a real pressure feel especially on the short putts at the end.
The safe zones are the same as above.
To move forward (Mid and Long Ball in safe zone)
If hole it from Mid/Long range move forward with a LIFE (This can be used if make a mess of a putt later on. You get to stay on the putt you just hit and not move back!)
If you make a mess of the putt and are outside the zones you have to move back a tee.
On the short putts it is simple. Hole to move forward, Miss move back.
It’s great at the end as you have to hole the putts under pressure to finish the game.
I’m confident that by doing the 2 drills with a good attitude you will over time see a big improvement in your touch/speed control and holing out especially under pressure.
Hope you enjoy the drills and as usual any questions or feedback get in touch!
January 2011
With it being the off season whatever level you play at now is the perfect time to make some improvements in your game! The problem is most people either waste their time by practicing the wrong way or work on the wrong things! This results in frustration and little or no improvement! I have a system that will help you avoid this however and maximise your practice time and thus help you improve your game!
Summarised it is; (Example in brackets)
What is the problem(s)? (Putting-Short Putting)
What do you need to work on? (Starting ball on line better-Holing more short putts)
How are you going to work on it? (Technical work with training aid such as Rail, Holing out drills in practice, Monitor by weekly test on rail how many/20?)
Do it!(Plan when your going to practice this and do it!)
It may sound simple and logical but it’s amazing how many people either ignore or don’t do some of these things well enough!
Elaborating on each area I’ll now tell you precisely how to do the above!
What is the problem?
Ideally you would have stats of your game to show you what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you don’t it’s not the end of the world but you need to be honest with the next stage! Rate yourself out of 10 in the following areas;
Tee Shots
Approach play
Wedge Play
Short Game
Putting
As you do this try and note down the specific issues i.e poor strike/leaving it in bunker/3 putting. This is very much the review of your game.
What do you need to work on?
Next you need to decide what changes you are going to make, again ideally you should work with a coach to do this. Do you need to improve technically/mentally or just need more and better practice? Most likely it will be a combination of the 3! Decide on the specific changes and note them down.
How are you going to work on it?
Plenty of times people hit it great in lessons then go away on their own and struggle! You need to have a clear plan of how you are going to practice the changes. For example a specific swing drill and/or practice drills. If you can, try and have a test which you do each week to monitor improvement. Set out exactly what you will do when you go to practice (e.g 50 balls Backswing drill, 25 balls Pre shot routine, 20 balls Fairway Game /20) so its then a matter of simply doing it!
Do it!
Plan when you can practice if it’s a series of 10 minute putting sessions or a few hours it doesn’t matter. Take your plan of how you are going to practice, carry it our and enjoy seeing your game improve!
Hopefully you’ll find this useful and can shed a few shots off your score this coming season! Good Luck!
