Tag: tip

Categories
Golf Short Game

Improve Your Pitch Shot

By Shooting 90

As beginner and high handicap golfers improve their game, they become increasing proficient in getting near the green in regulation. They are putting in a lot of work on their full swing and that is showing results in getting near the green in one stroke on a par 3, two strokes on a par 4, and three strokes on a par 5. Many times this leaves an awkward 20 to 50 yard pitch shot left to the green.

Amateurs often struggle with the pitch shot. The biggest reason for this is that the pitch shot is not a full swing distance for their sand wedge. Amateurs are sometimes not sure the best way to control distance. Many try to vary the distance of their shot by changing the pace of their swing. This is extremely challenging and requires a great deal of feel. A better way to control the distance of your pitch shot is to keep your normal pace but vary the length of your swing.

Practice your pitch shots with varying swing lengths. Know how far you hit your pitch shot when you take your hands back to waist high and back through to waist high. Do the same for other reference points, like taking your hands back and through to shoulder high, for example. By practicing your pitch shots with different length swings on the range, you will have much more confidence pitching on the course. The reason is simple. You will know how long your swing has to be to hit your pitch shot far enough to reach the hole.

Check out the video below as Thor Lokey explains varying your swing length to dial in your pitching distances.

Categories
Golf Short Game

The Wedges You Need in Your Golf Bag

By Shooting 90

The rules of golf state you can have no more than fourteen clubs in your bag. You can have any combination of woods, irons, wedges and putters as long as the total number does not exceed fourteen. Many golfers have three woods, a hybrid or two, six to eight irons, two or three wedges, and a putter. What clubs are in your bag depends on your current ability and personal preferences.

The wedges you carry in your bag play a vital role in your success. The short game is arguably the most important piece in becoming a better golfer. The wedges in your bag can either be the same model as your irons and an extension of the set, or they can be a separate set all their own.

Beginner golfers many times use wedges that are part of their iron set which is perfectly fine. Almost all sets of irons include a pitching wedge, with most having a loft angle between 46 and 48 degrees. Most iron sets have options for additional wedges, including a sand wedge. Some beginner and high handicap golfers have the pitching wedge as the only wedge in their bag, but it is highly beneficial to have a sand wedge in your bag. Sand wedges typically have loft angles between 54 and 56 degrees. A sand wedge also has a wider sole and a higher bounce angle. The bounce angle lifts the leading edge of the club off the ground. The design of the sand wedge along with proper technique, allows you to hit sand shots from green side bunkers close to the hole. A sand wedge also lets you use a full swing to hit shots closer to the green instead of using a pitching wedge with a shorter swing.

There is usually eight degrees of loft angle between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. This leaves a significant gap between the full swing yardages of each club. Having to hit a yardage in between those would require using a pitching wedge with less backswing. Dialing in the different yardages you can hit each of your wedges with varying swing lengths takes considerable practice time. Using a gap wedge is an easier short term way to hit the yardages in between your pitching and sand wedges. A gap, or approach wedge, has a loft angle between 50 and 52 degrees and allows you to utilize a full swing to fill the yardage gap between your pitching and sand wedges.

One final wedge that is available for golfers is the lob wedge. A lob wedge has a loft angle of 58 to 60 degrees or more and is designed to get the ball in the air quickly allowing you to stop it on the green with minimal roll out. A lob wedge is commonly used by advanced players as it can to difficult to hit consistently. Advanced golfers sometimes replace their gap wedge with a lob wedge while others carry four wedges.

The ideal number of wedges for a high handicap or beginner golfer aspiring to play bogey golf is three – a pitching wedge, a gap wedge, and a sand wedge. Master these three wedges and your short game will drive your success in becoming a better golfer.

Categories
Golf Tips

Takeaways from the Match Play Championship

By Shooting 90

For an event that many argue its very existence, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship provided a very exciting Sunday afternoon of golf. Jason Day outlasted Victor Dubuisson to win the final match in 23 holes. Day squandered a three hole lead on the back nine, including being two up with two holes to play, only to withstand probably the greatest back-to-back up and downs in the history of golf from Dubuisson on the 19th and 20th holes.

On the 19th hole, being played on hole #1, Dubuisson’s second shot bounced over the green and into the desert, prompting Nick Faldo to exclaim “He’s ruined!”. He then proceeded to hit an unbelievable chip shot from next to a jumping cactus to within 5 feet. He made the putt, sending the match to the 20th hole.

The 20th hole was played on hole #9. Earlier in the match on the 9th hole, Dubuisson hit his approach shot left into the desert and ended up conceding the hole. He again hit his second shot left on this hole into the desert and under a branch. He hit his next shot through the branch to within 7 feet. He once again made the putt to send the match to the 21st hole.

After halving the next two holes, Day won the 23rd hole with a birdie.

There are a few things a high handicap golfer can take away from this match.

First off, both Dubuisson and Day had very good short games the whole day. So good, it prompted Greg Norman to tweet the following.

It is so important to have a solid short game, yet this is an area that many high handicap and beginner golfers do not practice near enough. Dedicate weekly practice time for pitching and chipping.

Both golfers showed tremendous mental strength. Dubuisson stated he only slept one hour the night before because he was nervous about playing Ernie Els in the morning. He must have been physically drained after 41 holes of golf on Sunday but it only showed on a few shots. His mental determination was strong the whole day. Day won the 9th hole and then did not win another hole until he won the match by winning the 23rd hole. He blew leads of 3 up on the back nine and 2 up with 2 holes to go. He had Dubuisson all but dead on each of the first two extra holes only to see Dubuisson make miraculous shots to extend the match. He could have collapsed but didn’t. He instead played the best golf of the two on the extra holes.

One last takeaway from Sunday is something not to do. Don’t try to be a hero and hit a miraculous shot you can’t pull off. Dubuisson only attempted those two shots because he had no choice. It was attempt the shot or lose the match. I’m a big believer in making your own luck but even with that the golfing gods were smiling on Victor. He actually conceded the 9th hole earlier in the match when he was in the desert. Unless playing the last hole in their flight of the club championship, a high handicap golfer has no reason to attempt a shot that they have little chance of pulling off. Take the unplayable lie and move on.

Categories
Golf Short Game

Learn to Chip Around the Green

By Shooting 90

The short game probably has a bigger gap in ability between low and high handicap golfers than any area in golf. The ability to get up and down is critical in improving your game. How many times does a high handicap golfer take three or four shots from beside the green to get the ball in the hole?

The need to be able to shoot a variety of shots is one of the challenges high handicap golfers face in having a good short game. The chip, pitch, flop, and sand shots are all part of a well-rounded short game. In this post, we will be talking about the chip shot.

Around the green, many beginner and high handicap golfers exclusively use their pitching or sand wedge, attempting to fly the ball most of the way to the hole with a lofted shot. Sometimes it is best to play a chip shot. A chip shot consists of bumping the ball up in the air just enough to get it on the green and rolling. The big benefit of a chip shot is that it is much easier to control both the direction and distance when your ball is rolling opposed to flying through the air.

Chip shots can be made with a variety of clubs including your 7 iron, 8 iron, 9 iron, and wedges. Use your wedges for chipping when your ball is closer to the hole as they will provide more spin and your ball with roll less. Your less lofted clubs are for longer chip shots where you need your ball to roll a greater distance.

The stance and swing for a chip shot differs from a regular shot. The ball is played off the inside of your back foot with the handle of the club forward of the ball. Probably the most important thing to remember about a chip shot is that you strike down on the ball allowing the loft of the club to get it in the air. Many amateurs make the mistake of trying to scoop the ball into the air.

While the setup and execution is the same for all of your chip shots regardless of what club you choose, it is important to practice chipping with all of your wedges all the way down to your 6 or 7 iron. The club you choose will depend on how far away from the hole you are.

In the video below, Peter Finch, shows us how to control our distance when chipping.

Spend a serious amount of time chipping during your practice sessions. Becoming a successful chipper will most definitely lower your scores. The short game offers high handicap golfers the biggest impact on their game with more practice.

Categories
Hit More Fairways

Managing First Tee Nerves

By Shooting 90

High handicap golfers often struggle on the golf course. Unfortunately many times the struggle starts on the first tee. Nerves result in a bad drive, starting the round off on the worst possible note.

Most golfers will have at least a few nerves on the first tee even in a foursome comprised of all people they know. Add people to the group that you’ve never met and the nerves get much worse. The audience watching your first drive doubles if you have the group behind you show up early to the first tee.

There’s a few things you can do to hit a good shot off the first tee despite your nerves.

Get to the course thirty minutes prior to your tee time to hit a small bucket of balls on the range and take some practice putts. Hitting a small bucket on the range gets your muscles ready for golf.

It also provides important information for your upcoming round. Pre-round shots on the range will tell you what shot you have brought to the course. You’re not always going to have your preferred ball flight every time out. High handicap golfers simply do not have that level of consistency. Your ball flight may be different this time out. The first tee is not the place to discover what ball flight you have brought to the course. Find this out on the range. Just keep in mind the pre-round small bucket of balls is not for fixing a swing issue. Save fixing swing issues for your weekly practice sessions.

Taking a few putts on the practice green will give you a general idea for the speed of the greens. Don’t putt 10 foot putts one right after another. Hit several 20 to 30 foot putts to work on your lag putting. Getting the speed of the greens nailed down is the key to keeping your number of three putts to a minimum.

It’s OK to leave your driver in the bag on the first tee. Shooting 90 is a big advocate of learning to hit your driver. You may be learning how to fix a slice, making good progress with your driver, and finding success with it on the course. That said, it’s still the most dangerous club in a high handicapper’s bag. With nerves on the first tee, you may have problems finding the fairway or putting the ball in play with your driver. That’s OK. Use your “go to” club off the first tee, whether that’s a fairway metal, hybrid, or even a long iron. Save your driver for the rest of the round. The worst thing you can do for your round is to put your first drive in a bad place.

Don’t hit first or last in your group off the first tee if you can help it. There’s a lot of pressure on you when you hit first. Everyone is pumped up for the round and all eyes are on you. There’s similar pressure in hitting last. Everyone has hit and they’re now waiting for you. It’s twice as bad if everyone striped one down the middle of the fairway before you. Tee off second or third in your foursome off the first tee.

Tee up your ball on the same side as trouble. If you have woods down the left side, tee up on the left side of the tee box. This gives you the best angle to hit your drive away from the trees.

I’m not sure golfers ever get over first tee jitters. The best we can do is learn to cope with them. Hopefully applying these tips will help you do that.

Categories
Golf Equipment

Super Low Compression Golf Balls

By Shooting 90

The ability to compress the golf ball is what allows golfers to hit for long distance. The ball compresses after impact with the club and then springs back to original shape. This gives the ball a “slingshot” effect off the club face. Many golfers do not have the ability in their current game to compress the ball to a high degree. This inability is caused mostly by slow swing speeds. Swing technique does impact the ability to compress the ball, as some golfers with higher swing speeds still do not effectively compress the ball, but swing speed is the main driver in compressing the ball.

Historically, most of the golf balls available had compression ratings from 70 to 100. The higher the compression rating the more density the ball has. Tour balls used by professionals and low handicap golfers have a high compression rating. Better golfers typical have higher swing speeds which allow them to compress a high density ball. The benefit of a high density ball is that it offers more control to advanced players.

The average male golfer has a swing speed in the mid 80’s mph while the average swing speed for women is in the low 60’s mph. For a long time, golf ball manufacturers have provided balls with lower compression ratings (around 70) to help golfers with slower swing speeds to better compress the golf ball. These balls have less density which allows them to compress more and offer more distance. The majority of these balls are targeted to women golfers. I’m not sure if that is the best marketing ploy, as there are a large number of men who could benefit from a low compression rating ball but refuse to play a women’s golf ball.

The Wilson Duo golf ball was introduced in 2012 and created a lot of buzz in the golf community. Wilson was able to produce a ball with a super low compression rating of 40, providing long distance and minimal spin off the driver while still having a soft feel around the green. Many amateurs, including some with relatively faster swing speeds over 100 mph, find success with the Wilson Duo. It is a great ball for high to mid handicap golfers. Low handicap golfers will most likely find that the 2 piece Duo does not give them the necessary high spin, especially with their wedges.

Callaway recently introduced another ball into the super low compression market, the Super Soft golf ball. The Super Soft golf ball has a compression rating of 38 and incorporates Callaway’s HEX Aerodynamics as the dimple pattern. Like the Wilson Duo, it’s main selling point is long, straight drives off the tee with more softness around the greens than other two piece balls. The Callaway Super Soft provides another option to those looking for a super low compression ball.

If you’re a high to mid handicap golfer looking for more distance, give a super low compression ball a try. The Wilson Duo and Callaway Super Soft both offer super low compression to give golfers with slower swing speeds added distance.

Categories
Putting

Become a Better Lag Putter

By Shooting 90

There are a few areas that high handicap or beginner golfers should focus on to most quickly improve their game. Hitting the ball in the fairway off the tee might be the first and most important. Improving your pitching and chipping around the green is another one.

Today, we will be discussing an equally important area of focus for high-handicap golfers which is eliminating three putts. Of course while the goal is to eliminate three putts, no one ever does, but the point is to drastically reduce the number that you have. While hitting a ball out of play off the tee can derail your hole before it starts, nothing is more deflating than hitting a green in regulation only to three putt for a bogey. Worse yet is to three putt after struggling from tee to green and ending up with a blow-up hole. The ability to putt well can make up for earlier mistakes on a hole but there is nothing to cover up for bad putting.

The most important skill to develop when working towards eliminating three putts is effective lag putting. Lag putting is not trying to make the putt but instead getting it close enough to insure that you can make the second putt. So we’re talking about getting within a few feet of the hole. The chances of a high handicap golfer making a putt outside of 10 feet are low, while their chances of making one outside of 15 feet drop down to almost nothing. You obviously will make a long putt now and then but outside of 10-15 feet you are much better off to concentrate on getting the ball within a couple feet of the hole instead of trying to make it.

Quite possibly the biggest difference between the putting of a professional golfer and that of an amateur is the amount of feel that a professional golfer uses in putting. Many high handicap golfers have a very mechanical putting swing. While it’s very important to have proper mechanics while putting, there is a great deal of feel required in putting especially for distance control.

Check out the video below from Charlie King. He provides three great drills to develop your feel for lag putting.

There is another, just an important, skill required to be a successful lag putter. You need to be able to make short putts! A successful lag putt to within two to three feet of the hole is wasted if you don’t make the putt. The best way to make more short putts is too practice making more short putts! Check out this next video from short game guru Dave Pelz with tips for if you continue to miss short putts.

Change your practice routine if yours currently consists of putting a few 10 to 15 footers before your round. Dedicate regular practice time for working on your lag putting and you can drastically reduce the number of times you three putt.

Categories
Hit More Fairways

How to Fix a Slice – Create an In to Out Swing

By Shooting 90

In our previous posts on how to fix a slice, we discussed the grip, and how to rotate your body. In this third installment, we will be creating an in to out swing, which is one of the most important steps in eliminating your slice.

Properly rotating your body helps you not to sway. Swaying backwards and then forwards to hit the ball can cause your swing path to be too outside to in. A swing that is too outside to in is the main reason you are slicing the ball.

What does it  mean to have an in to out swing? Whether you have an in to out swing or an out to in swing refers to the relationship between your club head and the ball as it approaches impact. Inside is between your body and the ball while outside is the area on the other side of the ball. In a baseball analogy, for right handers, an in to out swing will feel like you’re hitting the ball to right field. This coupled with a slightly closed club face relative to the club path will produce a slight draw for a ball flight path.

Golfers with a slice do exactly the opposite. They swing outside to in, impact the ball with an open club face relative to the club path, and end up with a slice for a ball path.

I encourage you to watch Joseph Mayo’s YouTube video, “Trackman Maestro on Ball Flight”. Joseph Mayo, @TrackmanMaestro on Twitter, is a leading authority on ball flight. Mr. Mayo goes in depth on what causes your shot’s initial direction and its curvature.

So why do we want to hit a slight draw instead of a slight fade? There are a few reasons for a beginner or high handicap golfer to hit a draw instead of a fade.

First, by producing a draw, we are fixing your slice. If we aimed at producing a slight fade, we are attempting to minimize your slice, which is more difficult to accomplish.

Second, a draw will generally have greater distance than a fade. Most amateurs can use all the distance they can get.

What can be done to promote an in to out swing?

The first and biggest one is aligning your shoulders, hips, and knees to the right of your target (for right handers) to create a rightward swing direction. Watch another video below from Joseph Mayo as he describes 5 keys in creating an in to out swing.

Categories
Golf Tips

The Difficult Task of Creating Stability On The Links

By Shooting 90

This is a guest post by Scott McCormick. Scott writes for Golf Now Charlotte about the best courses to play in North Carolina.

Golf is a sport that poses a unique challenge to those that play. Golf requires not only physical adequacy, but mental consistency and restraint during times of frustration. There’s a reason that golf is becoming a world game. People can play well into their late years, and it’s also a sport that is nearly impossible to master. It’s an endless challenge, and people love that. However, it’s incredibly demanding. Even professionals hit wayward shots at least every other round, and golf’s general difficultly leads to overall intrigue around the sport.

One place that people struggle within their golf game involves consistency, both mental and physical. A golfer’s actual technique needs to be steady as he or she progresses through a round. Similarly, the player’s mindset needs to be level headed. Any legitimate lack in either area is detrimental to success on the links, and most everyone that has played the sport understands this.

Below are straight forward tips for creating stability on the course. If you’re a golfer that feels the ups and downs, to the point of frustration and errant shots, you need to take initiative and attack the problem head on. From there, you’ll drop strokes and become better friends with your score card.

Mental Stability

While most sports have a mental component to them, golf is even more so and many golfers at all levels struggle keeping a level mindset. For one, a bad shot shouldn’t affect the next. If you’re aiming to have a low handicap and a scorecard that’s easy on the eyes, you need to have mental stability each time you line up for a shot.

It’s difficult to maintain composure and confidence within golf. For one, a bad stroke can easily snowball and lead to another one. However, this doesn’t have to happen and many players could greatly benefit simply by thinking twice about it.

Some quick tips to maintain mental stability, and thus improve your game:

  1. Understand that one poor shot doesn’t need to affect your mindset. Just because you sliced your drive on the opening tee box, it doesn’t mean that you’re behind the eight ball for the rest of the day. As a golfer, you can really benefit from looking at each shot individually. The game is already difficult, and overanalyzing each errant shot isn’t going to do any good.
  2. Be confident in your game. Regardless of the level you play at, keep your focus on what you know you can do. If you’ve done it before, you can do it again.
  3. Take your time and don’t feel rushed. This doesn’t mean delaying the group behind you on each and every shot, but it does mean that you will not succeed in golf if you constantly feel pressure to quickly hit your shot. Hitting a tiny white ball accurately is already hard enough, and becomes extremely challenging if you’re in a hurry. Give yourself a break and take your time. Play at a pace that allows you to maintain proper technique and appropriate mindset.

Part of finding consistency on the golf course is reeling in emotion. Looking at each shot individually, staying confident in your skillset and taking adequate time on every stroke can improve your game in serious ways.

Physical Regularity

Yes, golf is largely mental, but that doesn’t mean that physical shortcomings can’t tarnish a score card. Technique and style, and particularly consistent performance in these areas, are huge components of success on the links. Unique to other sports, golf requires a level of exactness not seen in another game. The distance, trajectory and accuracy of a golf shot will only be on point if the golfer is firing on all fundamental cylinders.

While each golfer is different, there are near-universal ways to improve the way you approach and execute each shot. It can be hard to maintain technique and fundamentals through a long round, but the more you do so, the better off you’ll be.

Some quick tips to ensure proper technique:

  1. Don’t underestimate fitness when it comes to golf. Sometimes viewed as a sedentary sport, this couldn’t be further from the truth. For one, a lack in fitness can be very detrimental to a golfer’s performance, particularly at the end of rounds. For example, if a golfer’s legs get tired, their stance loosens and their swing is affected. Similarly, when the hands or lower back feel the burn, golfers tend to pull up on swing impact or change grip mid-round.
  2. Keep your head down. A golfer will have a hard time finding success if they consistently lift their head through their stroke. For one, it’s impossible to focus on the golf ball if your head is pulling up through impact. Secondly, the motion of lifting your head affects your arms, core and stance. These components cannot be adjusted mid-stroke if an accurate shot is desired. It starts and ends with keeping your head down, and you can’t be reminded of this enough.
  3. Develop a fundamental swing. Whether you have to take lessons from your local professional or not, your swing needs to have right components to help you reach success. A golfer’s potential is determined by his or her mental and physical stability. Your swing needs to be part of your golf routine, with each stroke mirroring the next and the previous. The more regular you feel within your technique, the better you can gauge club selection and shot power.

You simply can’t afford to have ups and downs in your physical technique. The same (and hopefully fundamental) steps and procedure should be executed each time you line up for a shot. From there, you’ll find more regularity as your push forward.

Golf, like most other sports, is based on mental and physical capacity. However, the focus needs to be more detailed in this game. The slightest miscue can lead to an errant shot. While each golfer is different, these ideas should help take your game to a new level.

Categories
Hit More Fairways

How to Fix a Slice – Rotate Your Body

By Shooting 90

This is the second installment of our How to Fix a Slice series and a prelude to the third installment, “Create an In to Out Swing”. Hopefully you have had a chance to read our first installment titled “The Grip”. If you have not had the chance please do so now.

Once you have a strong grip, the next most important step in fixing your slice is to create an in to out swing. Before we can do that, however, we need to make sure we are properly rotating our body throughout the golf swing.

Many amateurs swing way too much with their arms, making a swing similar to a baseball swing. The problem with this is there is a big difference between golf and baseball swings. In fact, they don’t get along very well. Swinging too much with your arms also tends to make you sway back and then forward instead of rotating your body to shift your weight.

In a golf swing, your arms’ main responsibility is not to generate power but rather to connect your body to the club and keep your club face in the right position and on the right path. Your power is created through rotating your body to properly shift your weight through the shot.

To understand proper body rotation in a golf swing, check out “Proper Rotation of Your Upper and Lower Body” on PGA.com.

If you’re having problems swaying instead of rotating, check out the video below from The Golf Fix’s Michael Breed for a great tip.

Proper rotation is an important building block of a consistent in to out golf swing. In our next installment, we will dig deeper into creating an in to out golf swing, arguably the biggest piece in how to fix a slice.