Tag: golf

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Increase Clubhead Speed

Increase Clubhead Speed – Determining a Baseline Speed

By Shooting 90

One of my winter off-season golf goals is to increase my driver clubhead speed to 100 MPH. No better place to work on it than the indoor golf simulator, so I started by determining what my baseline clubhead speed is.

When I last used my SkyGolf SkyPro Golf Swing Analyzer with my driver, my average clubhead speed was 93.7 MPH. That was way back in August of 2018. There are several reasons why that was so long ago. One, I mainly ever used my SkyGolf SkyPro at home in my basement, where due to my ceiling height the longest club I could swing was my 5 iron. I disassembled my DIY Indoor Golf Net last winter after we had joined Lakeland Fitness and Golf with a golf membership. So the only time I used my SkyGolf SkyPro with my driver was the few times I’d take it to the outdoor practice range.

To determine my average clubhead speed on the E6 Golf simulator, after fully warming up, I went into practice range mode and hit twenty shots with my driver. I topped drives 11 and 14 so I removed their numbers and averaged the remaining eighteen drives. I was a little surprised topping two of the twenty. My average clubhead speed on the E6 golf simulator was 98.5 MPH.

What accounts for the added 4.8 MPH of clubhead speed?

I’d like to say I have a better swing, and to some degree, I know I do. I have much better hip turn than three years ago. At impact, my hips are more open and I feel in a much better position.

I know there is also certainly a difference in readings between the E6 simulator and the SkyPro. My guess is the E6 reads too high of speed as I probably have only hit a few drives ever on the course that went 267 yards, let alone averaging 267 yards. There is no need for me guessing. I still have the SkyPro so I’m taking it along next practice session and will get readings from both. I’m expecting a difference but I’m confident the E6 has a certain level of consistency, so I do not care if it’s off a few miles per hour. I want my clubhead to simply increase, and I’ll definitely be able to measure that.

ShotDistance (yds)Carry (yds)Ball Speed (mph)Back Spin (rpm)Side Spin (rpm)Launch DirectionLaunch Angle
1256.7237.89142.562841.89790.31 R2.42° R14.10°
2280.73269.82152.463614.53479.52 R3.51° R16.97°
3268.59249.71148.312834.53818.05 R0°13.34°
4273.3261.47148.733539.93446.97 R4.74° R16.51°
5257.11236.99142.692785.32521.68 R3.29° R13.28°
6272.37261.9148.913554.15452.16 R8.21° R18.60°
7277.64263.4151.243160.63860.37 R1.77° R15.51°
8285.67275.41155.143706.18478.62 R5.35° R17.33°
9269.5253.76147.743177.84849.33 R0.9° R14.67°
10252.36240.92147.032645.181010.26 R1.58° L12.54°
12269.58260.16148.633783.3477.45 R6.53° R19.18°
13279.26266.43151.13614.76508.56 R3.79° R15.66°
15237.68219.27133.612870.5649.52 R3.48° R15.16°
16268.56248.69148.792819897.9 R0°12.97°
17256.92232.52145.972505.24874.55 R0°11.51°
18275.18263.41150.293427.5885.62 R3.16° R17.10°
19264.68254.32145.713672.06610.7 R5.65° R18.36°
20272.5262.71150.133834.33722.25 R5.57° R18.29°

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Golf Tips

Set Goals To Improve Your Golf This Off-Season

By Shooting 90

Over the last few weeks, the courses in my area have all closed for the winter. As recent as three years ago, that would have meant I would have had to find ways to work on my golf game at home during the off-season.

I did drive two hours to the nearest indoor golf simulator and indoor driving range on multiple occasions each year, but that becomes both expensive and time consuming.

Many people take golf vacations during their off-season, but those are also expensive for many other people.

I was always able to find ways to improve my golf game at home, including building a DIY Indoor Golf Net and putting.

Fortunately it has become much easier over the last few years for me to improve my golf game in the winter, mainly due to now having multiple indoor golf simulator options within fifteen minutes of my house.

You need to know the areas of your game that are costing you strokes before you can set goals to improve your golf game. There are several ways to track your stats – all the way from a system like Arccos, or an app on your phone like TheGrint, down to tracking golf stats on your scorecard.

Early on this past season, I identified a few areas for improvement in my golf game. The two most important ones were greenside chipping and putting. I worked on chipping throughout the season. Turns out my biggest issue was not having enough weight on my lead foot at setup. I’m happy to say chipping is no longer an immediate area for improvement, but putting still is and leads my list of three off-season golf improvement goals.

My Three Off-Season Golf Goals

Make 95% of My Putts Within Three Feet

Putting was a huge issue for me this past season, costing me a lot of strokes on the course. Surprisingly, I made a few putts over 25 feet. The putts three feet and under were the issue. I missed a lot of these short putts, seemingly at least two a round.

Honestly, I’d be ecstatic with 90%, 9 out of every 10 3-footers. I’m no where near that now, although I do not specifically track percentage of putts made under three feet. Next season this will be a stat I track.

Missing that many short putts obviously means I’m not getting the putt started on line. There could be multiple causes for this, including poor alignment and clubface control. Regardless, either can be addressed in your home during the off-season! A laser setup is a great way to work on your alignment and putting stroke.

Lakeland Fitness and Golf has TruGolf simulators with E6 Connect software. While putting is always lacking on simulators, Trugolf seems to do it better than most. I’m looking forward to seeing how well I can practice five foot putts on it.

I honestly feel if this is the only goal I significant move the needle towards, my handicap will still drop a few digits next season.

Eliminate my BIG MISS with the Driver

Hank Haney always suggests to eliminate your big miss. Your big miss would be the incorrect shot that costs you the most strokes. Mine is the big hook with my driver. My normal ball flight with my driver is a high draw. I love it but when I miss it’s a big hook pulled to the left.

Indoor golf simulators are ideal for working on your full swing, especially your driver. You’re always going to have the same great lie on the tee box that you have in the simulator.

Eliminate is such a strong word. I doubt I won’t hit a big hook off the tee next season. Fortunately it doesn’t happen a lot, but when it does I need to be able to correct it on the course, making it a one time occurrence during a round.

Increase my Driver Clubhead Speed to 100 MPH

My current driver clubhead speed of around 93 MPH is just about average for a man my age. Can I really add 7 MPH during the off-season? We’ll have to see but if I can it will add twenty yards to my drives. Twenty yards longer turns my 5 irons for approach shots into 7 irons and my 7 irons into 9 irons. My greens in regulation “should” increase. Pair that with my improved putting and my scores should go down.

Of course added distance at the cost of accuracy is no good and on my local courses would mean twenty yards farther in the woods. Swing speed increase needs to be gradual, working in small increments toward your speed goal. Fortunately, indoor golf simulators are great for increasing clubhead speed. Even if the clubhead speed is off a bit on your simulator, it still should be consistent. Start with taking a baseline clubhead speed and work up from there.

What are your off-season golf goals? We’d love to hear them! Follow Shooting 90 on Twitter and comment on the tweet below!

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Golf Round Review

When the Wheels Fall Off

By Shooting 90

May 15th 2018 Golf Round Review

As I mentioned in my first league round review, each week we alternate between the front nine, a par 35, and back nine, a par 37. The back nine at Pinewood Country Club is the tougher test between the two nines. It is cut more out of the woods while the front is a bit more open.

There were a lot of positives from this round. First and foremost, my putting was much improved, with only one 3 putt. My driving accuracy was not as good as the first week, but I was able to keep the ball in play off the tee until the last hole, when I snapped my streak of 17 penalty stroke free holes to start the season. Probably the best thing to come out of the round was the three pars, after not having a single one last week. Greens in regulations are so important for scoring well, and while I didn’t sink any of the birdie putts, I made good attempts at all three leaving me with tap in par putts for all three.

The wheels fell off over the last four holes, which I again contribute to lack of focus, leading to a final score of 49. I’ll get into the messy details in my review of those holes.

Just like the front nine, the back nine starts off with a par 5, the 497 yard 10th hole. Going left off the tee is the worst play, as you can easily lose your ball in the woods. Maybe I was thinking don’t go left, as I hit my driver left, fortunately not too far left but unfortunately up against a tree. My only play was to advance it ten to fifteen yards forward. Visualization is so important in golf. You want to visualize striping a great shot down the middle of the fairway, not focusing on where to not hit it. I think I was guilty of the latter as I pulled my drive left. I hit a few decent shots to be sitting 4 right off the green, from where I putted and hit a great lag putt to within six inches of the hole for a tap in bogey.

I pulled another driver left on the 11th hole. I received a lucky bounce to just be sitting in the left rough, although I was blocked out from reaching the green in two. I hit a nice 7 iron in front of the green. My chip was great and I needed two putts to get home for a bogey. I was still very pleased with a bogey-bogey start for my first time playing the back nine in several years.

The 12th hole has always been a tough hole for most golfers playing from the blue tees and I am definitely no exception. The wind was slightly into us and I wasn’t sure my 5 wood would be enough. I chose to hit 3 wood off the tee but looking back should have hit 5 wood. Being in between long clubs is not a good feeling for me but it’s always better to be short on this hole. Long is only going to get you in trouble. I wasn’t committed to 3 wood and I ended up topping it. I hit a decent second shot slightly left. It hit the bank and kicked further left. A chip on and 2 putts gave me a double bogey.

The fairways in regulation stat can be a bit misleading at times. I hit a great driver on the par 4 13th, but it ended up just off the fairway in the right rough. I had a good lie so while this wasn’t a fairway in regulation, the drive put me in a good position which I took advantage of. I had 180 yards left to the hole and hit a 4 iron. My 4 iron is my 190 yard club but out of the rough I thought it was the right club, especially considering the pin was in the back. So many beginner and high handicap golfers repeatedly do not hit enough club on approach shots. It one bounced the green and ended up 8 feet from the hole. I missed the birdie putt which had quite a bit of break left to right. Still a well played hole for my first par of the year.

The par 4 14th hole is best played by laying up off the tee. There just isn’t enough reward to risk driver into the small landing area. I hit a 6 iron off the tee in the fairway. A 9 iron for my second shot found the green from 125 yards out. Another 2 putt gave me my second par in a row. Suddenly I’m four over after five holes and am feeling pretty good about my round. That feeling would not last long as the beginning of the train wreck was near.

The par 4 15 hole is the toughest hole on the course. Not overly long but wooded on both sides with a green that is difficult to hold. I pulled another drive left but was in OK position for my second shot. I hit a 5 iron fat and was still 70 yards short of the green lying two. 70 yards is a full sand wedge for me although I’ve been hitting a half to three quarter gap wedge in these spots. I shanked my sand wedge 30 yards right of the green leaving me a very poor lie in the rough. It took me two pitches and two putts from there and I recorded my first triple bogey of the season.

Shanking has always been a small problem for me with short irons and wedges. I do not do it much, this was my first one of the year, but when it happens it can be a real round killer. I fixed a slice years ago and after that like to get the face closed early in my swing and keep it there. Sometimes I do not turn enough in my swing and get too “armsy”, which does not allow me to get my club path right enough causing my shanks with a face that is too closed.

Luckily for me the second easiest hole on the course, the 16th, was next. I hit another decent drive, technically another missed fairway, but one that put me in a good position for my second shot. I found the middle of the green and two putted for a great comeback par.

I hit a nice driver on the 17th hole which found the fairway. The ball was above my feet for my second shot. I took this into account and aimed right, but not enough, and my 6 iron went left, kicked more left off the bank and ended up a foot in the deeper rough by the thickets. It was a bad lie and I was lucky to get it out. I had a decent next shot to give me a look at bogey from about four feet. I preceded to hit my worst putt of the night, blowing it five feet past the hole, missed the comeback causing my only three putt of the night and giving me my second triple bogey in the last three holes.

I didn’t make a lot of putts this round but was not making any mistakes on the greens up until this point. It was a disappointing and demoralizing three putt.

This would have been the perfect opportunity to improve on leaving a bad hole in the past and committing to focus on the present hole. If you’ll remember this was an issue for my last week. I still have a lot of work to do in this area as I severely pulled my driver into the woods. We have a local rule in our league that gives us distance of our shot instead of being forced to re-hit off the tee. You can re-hit but you can take a drop at the point where the ball crossed the tree line. This is a good rule which helps maintain speed of play. I went from one side of the hole to the other when I hit my now third shot far too close to the woods on the right. I advanced my fourth shot to about 150 yards out and hit a very good 7 iron just off the back of the green to be lying five. We have some hole games each week and the 18th was closest chip. I chipped my 7 iron to within two inches to win a $49 gift card to the pro shop. It was a great consolation for taking a double bogey on the last hole and going triple-par-triple-double to close out my round.

I’m hoping to put the best of these first two league rounds together next week when we return to the easier front nine. I pulled several shots left again so I will work on that and also my pitching, chipping, and putting. The short game is so important in golf.

Categories
Golf Round Review

My Return to Pinewood Country Club

By Shooting 90

May 8th 2018 Golf Round Review

I’m happy to tell everyone that I’m back golfing in a weekly league. A long time ago, I wrote about the reasons to join a golf league, and they all still hold true today.

The league is the Tuesday Night Men’s Late League at Pinewood Country Club in Harsaw, WI. The course plays 6,179 yards from the back tees which we play in league. While the course is unique in that it has no bunkers, the rolling, wooded terrain provides a challenge for amateur golfers of every level. I golfed in this league for a few years about 10 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the course, members, and owners.

I will be reviewing every round here on the website, and I my hope is that you can learn some things along with me throughout the season. The league is a nine hole league and we alternate between the front and back nine each week. My goal is to break 40 on each nine before the end of the season.

We had a late spring this year so courses have just open within the last week. We had our first night of league this past Tuesday.

My final score of 49 wasn’t the score I shoot for, but there were enough positives in the round, especially considering it was the first time on a course this year.

As a high handicap or beginner golfer, it is extremely important to focus on the positives from your round and not dwell on negatives. Absolutely take stats during your round to formulate a practice plan to improve in needed areas of your game, but don’t relive your bad shots over and over in your head.

I had a lot of positives in this round, including hitting 71% of fairways in regulation, incurring no penalty strokes, and scoring no worse than a double bogey on any hole. Avoiding triple bogeys and worse is so important to keeping your round in check and not allowing it to get out of hand score wise.

Of course I have many areas of improvement. 22 putts for nine holes is not good. Add in that I only hit one green in regulation, the 22 putts shows how poor my short game and putting really was.

The first few rounds I will be reviewing every hole so you can get an overview of the course. While I’m not sure if I’ll review each individual hole every week, I’ll be reviewing at least some every week.

On the 1st hole, I striped my driver 260 yards right down the middle of the fairway. I truly could not have been happier. With 250 yards left, I decided to take 3 wood. I hit a pretty good shot up the left side, leaving me about 25 yards to go to the green. My short game issues surfaced immediately in the round, as I preceded to blade my wedge across the green. My chip coming back wasn’t much better, barely staying on the green. I then 3 putted for a double bogey 7. If I’m going to focus on positives, which I am, I’d take my first two shots any day of the week on this hole.

The 2nd hole is uphill from about 175 yards out to the green. I hit another nice drive down the middle. I had just inside of 150 yards left. The green was nearly 40 feet above me so I choose my 6 iron. I judged the distance well but pulled the shot left of the green. I made an excellent chip to inside 3 feet. I missed the short putt and had to settle for a bogey 5.

While the 3rd hole measures only 99 yards, it has a 47 foot drop in elevation from tee to green. Hit the perfect distance three-quarter swing gap wedge but again pulled it left of the green. I chipped on to about 4.5 feet, missed the par putt and recorded a bogey 4.

Long hitters could try to drive the green on the short par 4 4th hole, but it’s a small target, and the smarter play is to layup. I choose a 4 iron off the tee and hit a great layup, leaving about 95 yards to the green. I pulled another gap wedge left off the green and a little long. This was the 3rd short iron I pulled left. My following chip was well short, not getting over the mound between me and the hole. I barely got my putt over the mound and still had several feet to the hole. I took another 2 putts to get in. It ended up being my 2nd 3 putt of the night and another double bogey.

Looking back I probably got too frustrated over the poor chipping and putting on the last green, because a proceeded to top my driver off the 5th tee. I had 250 yards left to the green. I’m not capable of reaching the green from 250 yards in the rough, so I laid up to the yardage I wanted for my 3rd shot. I hit a 7 iron for my second shot which left me my preferred remaining  yardage of 100 yards. I hit my gap wedge just a little fat so while I made the green, I had a good 50-60 feet to the hole. I hit a pretty good lag putt to 5 feet, sank that putt and recorded a bogey 5.

The 6th hole is an uphill par 4. Hitting driver off the tee requires you hitting into a small landing area. The safer play is to hit your tee shot about 200 yards and leave 100 yards to the green. I had hit my 4 iron cleanly but pushed it a bit too far right, not leaving me an angle to the green. I hit my second shot about 15 yards in front of the green and didn’t hit a great chip for my 3rd shot to the back of the green. I 3 putted for the 3rd time that night and recorded a double bogey 6.

A pretty nice wind had kicked up and was at our back on the 7th tee. I decided to go with a 6 iron. I had another lack of focus and topped the 6 iron. Hit a wedge for my second shot and again pulled it left. I couldn’t get up and down and had to record a double bogey 5. I just hate to take a double on a par 3.

I hit another good driver on the 8th hole, leaving me with 125 yards for my second shot. I pulled a 9 iron but thankfully not as bad as my other pulls, and hit my only green in regulation of the night. My 4th 3 putt of the night led to a bogey 5.

The 9th hole is a dog leg left par 4. I attempted to cut the corner with my driver, which is possible, but I caught the last tree. I was in the rough and did not have a line to the green. I hit a 7 iron to about 20 yards in front of the green. My next chip might have been the worst of the night. It came up short of the green and it took me a 4th short to get on. Missed the 5 foot putt bogey putt and recorded another double bogey.

Final Thoughts

Except for two times losing focus, I hit the ball extremely well off the tee, whether it was my driver or 4 iron. The two times I lost focus and topped my shots is a good reminder to clear my head before each shot and after every hole.

I did do a lot of work on my putting this weekend so I’m hoping to see improvement in that area tomorrow in my next league round. I worked on lag putting and short putts. Eliminating 3 putts is a two part process. You need to improve your lag putting, which is getting the ball close to the hole on your first long putt, and improve making the short 3, 4 and 5 foot putts.

I also worked on determining why and correcting pulling my short irons to the left. These are straight pulls, so both my club path and club face are left of target. I worked on getting my path more to the right, which seems to help. If I am still pulling my short irons tomorrow in league, a quick fix will be to aim more to the right. I need to hit more than one green in regulation.

I’m excited to see improvement in my game as we go through league season.

Categories
PGA Tour

Thoughts from the Valero Texas Open

By Shooting 90

I enjoy watching the PGA Tour on TV. Outside the majors, Ryder Cup, or Olympics, life’s busy schedule usually prevents me from watching extensive coverage of each event, although I usually at least try to catch the back nine of the final round.

Beginner and high handicap golfers can learn both things to do and things not to do from watching professionals on TV. I plan to share my thoughts on each tournament I watch.

This week was the Valero Texas Open, played on the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. It was an enjoyable final round to watch with Andrew Landry and Trey Mullinax both battling for their first PGA Tour victory.

It was also great to see Zach Johnson, with 12 PGA Tour wins but none since the 2015 Open, in the final group on Sunday. Zach could never get it going on Sunday, shooting an even par 72 and finishing 5th in the tournament.

There’s been a lot of talk again about “rolling the ball back”, forcing pros to use limited distance balls. Some feel that the combination of club technology, ball construction, and player conditioning has allowed players to hit the golf ball too far, rendering many courses unusable for tour events.

Although the AT&T Oaks Course measured 7435 yards, which puts it middle of the pack for course lengths, it was referred to as a shot maker’s course. There are shorter courses on tour including Riveria Country Club and Harbour Town, which require precise shot making and do not necessarily benefit long bombers of the golf ball.

I’m not convinced the golf ball needs to be rolled back, especially when a shorter hitter like Zach Johnson can compete on tour. Zach can compete not just on the shorter, shot making courses, but just about any course on tour.

What Zach Johnson lacks in distance he more than makes up for in his short game and putting, especially his wedge game. In fact, even the long bombers have an incredible short game. You’ll see pro golfers occasionally spray it all over off the tee, but every one of them has an exceptional short game.

This is a great lesson for beginner and high handicap golfers. While it is important to work on your swing speed to build up your distance, and putting the ball in play off the tee is also very important, but you will make the most progress on lowering your scores by focusing on your game from 100 yards and in. That includes your wedges and putting.

So, when you are at the practice range, it is important to work on your driver and irons but spend the majority of your time spilt between your wedges and putter. Create the best short game you possibly can.

Categories
Golf Tips

Good Posture for a Better Golf Swing

By Shooting 90

“Stand up straight!” “Quit slouching!”

You might remember hearing these commands as a kid. There’s a good reason for that. Good posture is important! It will keep your spine and other areas of your skeletal system in proper condition as you get older. The chances of experiencing back and neck pain are diminished with good posture.

The risk of injury increases when you perform sports moves using poor posture. In golf, good posture will reduce your likelihood of many injuries, specifically in your back.

Reducing injuries is a huge benefit of good posture in sports. That alone would be enough reason to work hard on having good posture, but there is another huge benefit. Good posture increases your performance in sports. Whether it’s the ready position in baseball, a defensive stance in basketball, or running tall in a race, just to name a few, posture plays an important role in performing well in all sports. Golf is certainly no exception.

Good posture in the golf swing makes it easier to turn your shoulders and hips in the backswing, and also allows you to more easily get the golf shaft at a good angle and then uncoil through the downswing. At least for me, I would early extend (stand up) in my downswing before improving my posture.

Many golfers “slouch” as they address the ball. They bend at their waist instead of tilting at their hips, which causes their back to be curved, as seen below.

It is better to have the back as straight as possible from the hips to the head, with your shoulders pulled back, as seen below.

Follow these steps to properly address the golf ball with good posture:

  • Stand up straight and tall.
  • Tilt forward with your hips, keeping your back straight and your shoulders back.
  • Finish up by bending your knees slightly, allowing your hips and backside to move away from the ball as needed.

Incorporate good posture into your pre-shot routine as you address the ball. Work on it setting up for each shot on the course and the range.

If your posture isn’t as good as it could be in everyday life, it will be difficult to just turn on good posture at the golf course. Practice good posture every minute of every day. Walk proud and tall and sit up straight in that chair, whether that is at work, your living room, or car. The bigger the habit you can make good posture, the more second nature it will become on the golf course.

Categories
Golf Tips

Find the Center of the Club Face

By Shooting 90

Are you hitting the center of your club face on every shot? Most likely not. Most really good golfers even struggle to hit the center of the club face on many shots. It is important to have the self awareness to know when you do not hit the sweet spot, as something called gear effect changes the trajectory and shape of your shot. Drivers and woods are more effected by gear effect than irons are, due to the center of gravity of the club being farther away from the face. Martin Chuck, @tourstriker, explains gear effect in the video below.

Getting to know the feeling of when you hit the ball off the toe or heel of the club face will help you realize that your club path and club face were correct on those shots, but you just did not hit the center of the club face.

A great way to build awareness of what hitting a shot off the toe or heel, or thin is to spray Dr. Scholl’s foot spray on your clubface at the driving range. The spray does a great job of showing the dimple pattern on your driver, woods, and irons.

Soon you will have the self awareness of when you are hitting the sweet spot and when you are either hitting it off the toe or the heel.

While on the range, you can also put tees in the ground on the inside of your ball if you are hitting to much off the toe, or on the outside of your ball if you are hitting on the heel. You’ll adjust to not hit the tees, thus moving your strike more into the center of the club face.

Believe it or not, some golfers do even realize they are not consistently hitting near the center of the clubface. Train yourself to feel when you are not and you will improve your golf game.

Categories
Hit More Fairways

How to Fix a Slice – Ball Flight Laws

By Shooting 90

Understanding the ball flight laws which govern why your ball is hooking and slicing is necessary to be able to build awareness of your own clubhead path and clubface angle. Knowing your own clubhead path and clubface angle enables you to easier make swing changes.

Our swing is determining how the clubhead path and clubface angle and the relationship between the two, at impact, create the ball flight pattern. What exactly is the relationship between clubhead path and clubface angle? Depending on the club, your clubface angle is 65 to 85 percent responsible for the direction your ball starts in. The clubhead path, specifically the relationship between the clubhead path and the clubface angle, is primarily responsible for the direction and amount of curvature in your ball flight.

In the video below, Andrew Rice explains the ball flight laws and the “Royal” relationship between path and face.

If you didn’t already, you now know that a slice is caused by the clubface angle being open relative to the clubhead path. The slice we’re all use to seeing is the one that starts on or left of the target line, curves way right landing well right of the target, usually so far right that you’re in trouble. The path moves from outside of the target line across to the inside of the target line. The clubface angle is pointing to the right of the path to some degree.

Many golfers try to compensate their slice by aiming more left, which doesn’t help. This move can increase the difference between your path and face, worsening your slice. Even if you can aim more left and not worsen you slice, there are just too many holes that you might not have the room to start that far left.

Categories
Golf Practice

The Chipping Game

By Shooting 90

High handicap and beginner golfers lose a lot of strokes around the green. Yet it’s probably the area that golfers practice the least. How often do you see someone chipping by the practice green?

My 12 year old son started taking his golf game more seriously this season. Like many beginner golfers, he made quick improvements in his long game from tee to green, but still gives up too many strokes around and on the green.

We’ve identified the need to emphasize practicing chipping and putting, but chipping and putting ball after ball from the same spots is not the way. There’s been a lot written lately about the need to practice like you play in order to simulate real shots and golf round pressure.

My son and I play a game for our chipping practice. It’s simple, fun, and provides a large amount of chipping and putting practice.

Each player plays one ball. Players alternate choosing the spot off the green to chip from along with the hole on the practice green to chip to. The object is to get your ball in the hole in the less strokes than your opponent. No points are awarded to either player in a tie. The winning player receives three points if they chip it in with one stroke, two points for getting “up and down” in two strokes, and one point for getting the ball in the hole in three strokes. No points are awarded for four or more strokes even if you get in the hole in less strokes than your opponent. The winner of the match is the first player to reach ten points.

This chipping game is a great way to simulate real golf round pressure both with the match play aspect and the need to get the ball in the hole in three strokes or less.

Categories
Hit More Greens

Uneven Lies – Downhill Lie

By Shooting 90

Hitting the ball from a downhill slope presents a few challenges and requires a few adjustments from your normal setup. Beginner and high handicap golfers have a tendency to hit these shots either fat or thin.

The first thing to do is to line up your shoulders parallel to the slope of the ground. Your lead shoulder will be lower than your back one, how much depending on the severity of the slope. This will put the majority of your weight on your front foot. Due to the slope, your weight will stay on your front foot during the whole swing. Attempting to place too much weight on your back foot is what contributes to hitting the ground before hitting the ball.

Hitting off the downhill lie will make your ball fly lower. This is because the slope is delofting

Aim a little bit to the left because the ball will go slightly to the right as having most of your weight on your lead foot will tend to make your body get ahead of the ball and will but a slight fade on it.

Watch the Free Online Golf Tips video below where Peter Styles explains the proper shot for a downhill lie.