May Tip of the Month
Chipping onto the green
When chipping the ball onto the green, always try to land the golf ball on the putting surface rather than landing short of the green and letting the ball roll onto the green from there. Now this is not always possible, but whenever you can, it is better that the first contact with terra firma for your golf ball is the putting surface as that is the best prepared, most manicured surface and thus will give the most predictable bounce allowing you to judge the distance of the shot more easily. If you land the ball in the apron or even further from the green you are at the mercy of a potentially bad bounce to the side, or the ground may be softer or harder than you expect adding an unacceptable risk to the shot.
So, depending on how much room there is from the edge of the green to the hole will determine the choice of club for this short distance shot.
In picture 1 the hole is close to the edge of the green, so here you would need to use a wedge, sand wedge or even lob wedge to get the ball to land safely on the putting surface and still stop by the hole side. In picture 2 the hole is a long way from the edge of the green, thus allowing the ball to roll along the green for a long way, so here a 7 iron would be perfect, land the ball on the front of the green and it will then scamper across the green to the hole side, so the scenario you are faced with determines the club selection, but if at all possible, always land the ball on the putting surface.
April Tip of the Month
Warm Up With 2 Clubs
This is a simple warm up drill, particularly if like me you arrive at the golf club about 3 minutes before your tee off time. Most sports have a warm up but golfers seem to expect that they can screech to a halt in the car park, race to the first tee and then make a smooth rhythmical swing! So I always take 2 clubs, ideally a 6 and a 7 iron, and hold them together.
Do not try to grip them conventionally; they are too thick, just grab them. Start with a gentle swinging motion back and forth, and then gradually get longer and faster until you are affecting your normal full golf swing.
Do this at full pace for no more than 10 swings, then put one of the clubs down and then swing with the one, it will feel beautifully light and easy to control, and you will have stretched your muscles sufficiently to now produce a good quality first swing of the day off the first tee.
March Tip of the Month
Grip Pressure
Probably one of the most common errors I see as a golf instructor here at World of Golf is people holding the golf club as if it was my throat! Now it is perfectly understandable to do this but unfortunately it is so counterproductive.
After a bad shot the player gets stressed about their failure to hit the ball well, and thus grips the club tighter for the next shot fearing the same degree of failure. Because their muscles are tight and stiffened, they inevitably make another bad swing and thus another bad shot evolves only to begin the process all over again.
Learn From Other Sports
Why does a tennis player bounce the ball prior to serving, surely he knows the ball is round and will bounce. They are just taking a breath and settling themselves and relaxing prior to unleashing a vicious swipe at the tennis ball.
The fastest muscles arguably in the world would be those of the 100 metre sprinters, and again as they are going down on the blocks to start the race, they make a ritual of breathing loud and deeply and shaking their limbs, this is again to relax before exploding into action.
When you grip the golf club tight your forearm muscles tighten and shorten and this then carries on to the other muscles in the arms and further through the body from there. This tightening and shortening makes muscles slower and weaker, whereas relaxed longer muscles work more powerfully and faster.
How to Feel the Correct Grip Pressure
Take your normal grip on the golf club and then lift it up to a horizontal position as in picture 1. Now draw a circle with the clubhead in the air. The minimum amount of pressure used to stop the club dropping is too much pressure!
Now lift the club up to a vertical position as in picture 2.Again draw circles with the golf club, and the minimum amount of pressure required to stop the club head from dropping is too little!
Finally hold the club at a 45 degree angle as in picture 3 and again draw circles in the air with the club head, and that is the minimum amount of pressure required to grip a golf club.
Febuary Tip of the Month
Sharpen your putting
Use this tip next time you are working on your putting technique to help sharpen your skills.
Next time you are practising your putting rather than aiming at the 4 and a quarter inch wide golf hole, try sticking a wooden tee peg into the putting green. This tip works really well as the tee peg is clearly narrower than a golf hole. So, by practising your putts at a narrower target, this will help to improve your aim and accuracy.
Here´s what to do and the best way to use this tip: Practice putting to the tee peg from distances of at least 10 feet away. You will find, to start with, that you will probably not get too close to the tee peg. But keep at it and gradually you will find your putts getting closer and closer and I wouldn't be surprised if once or twice you even hit the tee peg. As you get more consistently successful, move further and further away from the tee peg and again you will find initially consistency of success will be low but will soon improve.
The beauty of using such a small target then becomes clear when you are actually putting at a golf hole as it will look like you are putting into a bucket in comparison to the miniature tee peg target, you will see that putts that failed narrowly when the tee peg was the target, now go in when you are putting at the golf hole.
Use as small a target as you can for practicing, and then when you play the shot to a real target it will seem much easier.
October Tip of the Month
The Problem with the Interlocking Grip
This is the biggest cause of slicing. Wow, that is a bold statement! But we think we are right on this one. Most people are shown how to hold a golf club by their mate at the golf range, and inevitably, they describe the golf grip as linking the little finger of the right hand round the index finger of the left. This isn't actually the 'grip', but is just one way of connecting the hands, and is not the most important thing to concern yourself with. More important is where the club is placed in relation to your fingers - so how the hands connect is almost irrelevant.
The main problem with the interlocking method is that the linking is pushed right down into the joints, meaning that the club lays across the base of the fingers of both hands. Because of the position of the club shaft in the left hand it will ALWAYS cause the club face to return facing to the right, causing the ball to slice away that way. So, if you slice, and you interlock your fingers, just try unlocking them and place the little finger of the right hand on the top of the index finger of the left, it will feel loose, lost even a little lonely, certainly not comfortable. But what would you rather, straighter drives or more comfortable slices, your choice.
August Tip of the Month
The Logical Cure for the Slice is Always Wrong
After all is said and done, what is logical about waddling around a big field with a crooked shaped stick trying to hit a spherical object into a hole.
So why do we ever think that logic plays any part in the game of golf. The logical answer to that "over the top downswing" that causes that destructive slice.
Well you might know that to stop the out to in nature of your downswing you need to swing at the ball from in to out. So, why not swing the club back away from the ball that way?
Surely you will be able to replicate that movement on the return? Sadly wrong. By swinging the golf club on the inside you will actually cramp the amount of room you have to attack the ball on the downswing.
This means you will almost certainly increase your chances of coming over the top even more than you usually would.
The reality is you actually have to swing the club head away from the ball more on the outside to give you enough room to get the club head back on the inside on the downswing.
Hey, nobody ever said this game was easy! And if it was all us golf professionals would be out of a job – have a heart!
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July Tip of the Month
£5 bunker tip
We all know that the key to a greenside bunker shot is to hit the sand behind the ball and not to make direct contact with the ball, if you do, the ball will either bury itself into the face of the bunker, or still be rising as it sails over the green and into oblivion.
An excellent way to imagine the quantity of sand you should take is to place a £5 note under the golf ball, mentally I would suggest unless you are happy to deface a note of the realm.
This is the sort of size of divot of sand that you should aim to remove from the bunker. Then go ahead with your swing aiming to hit the sand half the length of the note behind the ball and complete your follow through, thus removing the £5 note divot of sand and throwing it out onto the green.
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June Tip of the Month
Chipping from the downslope onto a green
Often the back of the putting green is sloped which has the effect of helping an over hit shot to slow down. If your ball rolls up the slope you would then think that gravity would stipulate that the ball should then roll back down again to the bottom of the slope and end up on the putting surface. As you will have experienced this is not always the case so here are some tips if you find yourself having to chip the ball onto the green from this down slope.
- Always use a pitching wedge, even though the shot will not require any height to get over an obstruction
- Position the golf ball nearer the higher foot (right for left handers and left for right handers)
- Get the shoulders and hips parallel to the slope; this will involve all your weight leaning heavily onto the front foot, which is actually what you would do when you are chipping normally anyway.
- This position will also mean that the handle of the golf club is way ahead of the golf ball which causes the club to lose all its loft, thus the pitching wedge you have chosen to use becomes more like a 7 iron, the club you would normally use this close to the green when there is no obstruction in your way.
- Then swing the club along the line of the hill using no wrist action or weight transference.
- This will cause the ball to come off the slope low and quite fast so make sure you allow for the roll that the ball will have.
Continue to do this until you have settled on a swing that will be free from the obstruction, or if there is no way to achieve this and you hit something then at least it will not be a shock!
If your backswing on say a 150 yard shot is restricted by the obstruction then do not try to hit the ball ridiculously hard from a short back swing as it will become jerky, you will lose control and almost inevitably mishit the ball completely. Accept that if your backswing can only hit the ball 30 yards, hit it 30 yards and don't try to the full 150 yards as you'll only mess it up. Instead take your punishment get it on the fairway and focus on the next shot.
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May Tip of the Month
Playing low under trees
If your ball has come to rest near an obstacle like a tree or a fence you need to weigh up the options of taking a risky shot or moving it and taking a penalty stroke. To make this decision you need to be sure that it is clear enough to get a reasonable swing, rather than ending up crashing your club into an obstacle or completely mis-hitting the shot.
To help you decide always place the golf club behind the ball before you take the shot. Be careful not to actually ground your club as you will be deemed to have addressed the ball. Instead just hover the club head above but directly in line with the ball and then make a gentle backswing exactly as you will do when you play the shot. This way if you hit anything on your backswing you will know about it but are not in the action of playing the shot. If your backswing is inhibited by an obstruction, then take another swing, moving the path of the swing slightly to see if you can avoid the obstacle.
Continue to do this until you have settled on a swing that will be free from the obstruction, or if there is no way to achieve this and you hit something then at least it will not be a shock!
If your backswing on say a 150 yard shot is restricted by the obstruction then do not try to hit the ball ridiculously hard from a short back swing as it will become jerky, you will lose control and almost inevitably mishit the ball completely. Accept that if your backswing can only hit the ball 30 yards, hit it 30 yards and don't try to the full 150 yards as you'll only mess it up. Instead take your punishment get it on the fairway and focus on the next shot.
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April Tip of the Month
Playing low under trees
If you find yourself in a bit of bother, under the overhanging branches of a tree, with a long way to go to get to the green then you need to be able to punch the golf ball low. The first mistake people make is to take a 3 iron, this is so straight faced a club that you will not get any elevation on the ball and it will nose dive into the ground.
Firstly select a 5 or 6 iron, then position the ball back in your stance, slightly right of centre should be sufficient. Then lean your hands ahead of the club head thus de lofting the angle of the golf club. You will also find your body weight should lean forwards slightly onto your front leg.
On the backswing it is important to keep the body weight more on the left foot, it will be impossible to not move at all but just try to keep it to a minimum. To achieve this you will need to use your wrist a little earlier than usual. Now as you hit the ball you will be creating a more downward blow on the ball and return to the position you started with at address which is the hands slightly ahead of the club head, thus de lofting the club.
The punch into the back of the ball should shoot the ball forwards powerfully and low. The danger with this shot is that you can push the ball straight right as the club heads path has not returned to square by the time contact is made. It is also quite likely that you will hit the ground behind the ball when you first try this shot, but as with most of these things, practice will improve your success rate. Beware also that the ball is not coming off the 5 iron like a 5iron, it is coming off at the elevation of a 2 iron and thus will go considerably further than anticipated, so factor that in when selecting the club to play for the distance required.
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March Tip of the Month
Playing from heavy rough
With spring on the way the grass will start growing like wildfire, and on the rare occasion that you end up in the long wet rough your club of choice to get you out should be a sand iron as it's the heaviest headed club in your bag.
To get a good connection position the ball in the middle of your stance and lean your weight onto your front foot. Then pick the club up sharply, by cocking the wrists early, but ensuring you do not transfer your weight off your front foot. This will allow you to attack the ball very steeply and cause the minimum amount of grass to tangle between the club head and the ball. All of the power of the swing will go to the ball, allowing the loft of the club to lift it out of the long grass. There will be little or no follow through on this shot as due to the angle of attack you'll need to move the earth's core to get a follow through!
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February Tip of the Month
Focus on the target
Judgement of distance is the most important facet of putting and sadly there is no easy way to learn it. Before making a putt you should always take a practice swing to the side of the ball, this allows you to feel the swing of the putter and relax your muscles prior to playing the stroke.
Many amateurs will look towards the ground when making their practice swing. However, if you look at the Pros they always make their practice swings with their eyes looking at the hole.This is a bit like trying to ascertain how hard to throw a ball by focussing on the target and this simple technique will help your brain make a better judgement.
At first this may feel a bit strange and you need to be careful not to hit your ball with your practice stroke. However, very quickly your brain will start to gauge distance control better with this dress rehearsal procedure and you'll see an improvement in your putting.
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January Tip of the Month
Hitting on a Slope
We’ve all been there. You hit a great tee shot on the fairway and the ball ends up finishing in a tricky position with the ball lying on a slope above your feet.
Many amateurs find these shots particularly difficult as they don’t adjust their set up accordingly. This lie will affect the flight of the ball so your stance and set up needs to adapt to compensate. Aiming slightly to the right of the target will allow for a right to left ball flight that you can expect.
Plus gripping down the shaft and bending your knees as well as having plenty of practice swings will all help you get the right feel for the shot.
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December Tip of the Month
Focus on Distance
The old adage ‘drive for show and putt for dough’ is so true and it is a critical part of your game to get right to bring your score down. There are two things that have to be judged correctly to be successful at putting, direction and distance and the latter of the two is the most important as getting the direction slightly wrong won’t be the end of the world if your length is spot on.
To practice getting your distances right without worrying about direction place some balls on the putting green at various points and then putt to the edge of the green aiming to rest the ball against the apron. Putt to all points on the putting green so you are practicing putts of all distances and from different angles.
This drill will help you get a better feel for distance and will give you more confidence when you are facing those longer putts.
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November Tip of the Month
Getting the right grip pressure
One of the biggest mistakes the amateur golfer makes is to grip the club too hard. The tightening of the grip only serves to tense and shorten the muscles and is counter productive as relaxed, longer muscles will ensure you swing more effectively.
To get your correct pressure take your normal grip and lift the club out in front to a horizontal position. Now draw a circle with the club head in the air. The minimum amount of pressure used to stop the club dropping is TOO MUCH of a grip!
Now lift the club to a vertical position, so it’s standing straight up. Again draw circles with the golf club and the minimum amount of pressure required to stop the club head from dropping is TOO LITTLE grip!
Finally, hold the club at a 45 degree angle, halfway between the horizontal and the vertical, and again draw circles in the air with the club head. If you can keep it where it is that is the minimum amount of pressure required to grip a golf club.
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October Tip of the Month
Chip and Run
The short game is where a lot of shots can get wasted, so when you are around the green if you can keep the ball low to the ground then do so.
If played correctly the low running chip shot using a 7 iron can get you out of a lot of trouble and is easier to play than a more lofty style of shot.
To play this shot lean your body weight onto your left side by pushing your hands slightly ahead of the ball at address and place the ball towards the left of centre of the stance. Stand as you normally would do, then pull your left foot back 3 inches, which is a sufficiently open stance for this type of shot.
On the follow be careful not to flick your wrists to try and scoop the ball up in the air as this will have the reverse effect.
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September Tip of the Month
Getting out of a greenside bunker
Start with a narrow stance, an open clubface and place the ball forwards in your stance.
Then, hinge your wrists early on in your backswing and again on the follow through. This will ensure a steep swing and will allow you to make good contact with the sand and the ball.
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