Coping With Fast Putts

photo credit: rioncm     With downhill putts or on fast greens, you cannot afford to make an abrupt or jerky stroke.   All of your movements have to be smooth in order to maximize control and to improve your chances of trickling the ball into the cup.   For downhill putts, it is not advisable to hit the ball hard enough as to go past the hole.

In order to slow the ball down, try striking it towards the toe of the clubface.   Since you won't be striking the ball on the sweet-spot, less energy will be expended on impact.    In doing so, you can strike the ball with your  regular stroke (as if the green were flat) and  get the appropriate distance to lag the putt to the hole.

Square Address

photo credit: danperry.com     To cure a slice you must first straighten your address position.   Just standing up to the ball haphazardly won't do, you must be square to the target line, with your shoulders and feet in parallel alignment.   The purpose is to promote a more correct path with your backswing.   When attempting to strike the ball, the clubhead must start on a course to the right of the target line which encourages an inside path of attack on impact.

You must feel as if you are rotating your arms through impact in order to promote an aggressive release of the club.   A slice is when the clubface is open and traveling from outside to inside the target line.   The club must be square when contact is made.

Topping the Ball

photo credit: danperry.com     Even though this is the  shot of beginners, topping the ball can happen to the best of players, even professionals.   It is one of the most embarrassing shots in golf, especially off the first tee  with everyone watching.   It's a demoralizing shot, to say the least.

There are two basic reasons for hitting topped shots: 1)   Bad Posture.   2)   Teeing the ball too low.

Bad Posture – Fix:   Maintain your address posture through impact, do not raise-up (otherwise called lifting your head).    When your body raises-up so does your clubface.  

Teeing the ball too low – Fix:   Simply tee the ball up higher.    When  using a driver,  half of the ball should show above the top edge of the clubface.

Don’t Count Your Strokes

photo credit: billypoonphotos     If you are playing well, do not count your strokes, when you do that, you will start making predictions.   You will start to worry about the remaining holes that are left and the kind of score you'll make on each.   There is nothing more distracting than keeping track of your score, whether per hole or for the total, it's a game killer.

Maintain  a quality level of play  by completely forgetting about your score.   Playing  the game one shot at a time, will allow you to be fully focused on the job at hand.   Staying in the present-tense always makes the future of your game brighter.

When the game is over and the last putt has dropped,  only then count your score  !

Keys to Consistent Drives

photo credit: bradleypjohnson     Position is the most important consideration  from the tee, not power.   Too often, players  get caught up in  trying to  achieve maximum distance with their driver by trying to bludgeon the ball.   This can be a huge mistake because position is much more important than distance off the tee.  

Consistency Keys:   A.   Tee the ball off your left heel.   B.   Position your head and torso behind the ball during address to allow a good weight transfer from your right to left side during the swing.   C.    Make a full shoulder turn during your backswing to help set the club  on line at the top.   D.   Make a smooth transition from the backswing to the downswing.   E.    Crack your wrists through the impact zone for a  full  release.

Bad Lies

photo credit: mhofstrand     Charlie Sifford still wants to forget about the day he sliced his shot into a crowd at the Quad Cities Open.   The ball landed right on top of a hot dog that had been dropped on the ground by a member of the gallery.   As Sifford walked to his ball there were plenty of howls from the crowd.   The embarrassed golfer wiped the mustard and ketchup from his ball and proceeded to take a drop  with a stroke penalty.

In 1973, at the 18th tee,  Ken Foster of Elie Golf Club in Scotland hit three wayward shots in a row.   The first shot went through a window in the clubhouse.   The second and third balls went through the exact same hole in the very same window!

A Price-tag of $750 Million

photo credit: Paul Lowry     Tiger Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, made it official, she has filed for divorce and is demanding $750 million from Woods.   In the past, she decided to accept joint custody of their two children, however, she is now demanding to be    the sole legal guardian, reports say.

Nordegren has hired a London law firm to represent her and if successful, it would make the split the most expensive celebrity divorce, even surpassing the $600 million settlement expected to be handed out  to the wife of Mel Gibson (the case is still being finalized).  

The sex scandal  may cost Woods better than half of his total fortune.   As  of 2008, Woods' total estimated net worth  was 1.2 billion.    Several major sponsors have  alos  dropped Woods and his total loss could be staggering.

Principles for the Short Game

photo credit: lrargerich     Before executing your golf shot and stepping into the address position, use the following guidelines:

1)   Target > what is your primary target and where else would be acceptable?   2)   Weather > is there wind, standing water, dew on the fairway, if so, how will your shot be affected?    3)   Green >  is the green sloping or firm, is it relatively flat or sloping?   4)   Hazards > is there a  hazard in line with your shot, should you avoid it?   5)   Club >  is the club you intend to use, the right club for the type of shot you intend to play?    6)   State of Play >  playing  match play or stroke play may determine the type of shot.    7)   Take  your time > think each shot over carefully!

Work on Your Release

photo credit: nsaplayer     When executing a short approach shot, there is always a tendency to try to guide the ball towards the target.   This is usually non-productive because it's very difficult to strike the ball with confidence  if you are trying to “guide” the ball to the cup.   A preoccupation with accuracy usually creates inaccuracy which stems from a bad “release.”

Try this drill:  > For Right-Handers    <   (A)   Place your right hand half way down the grip and your left hand behind your back.   (B)   Do not use a ball and make a 3/4 backswing allowing your right elbow to fold naturally.   (C)   Swish the club through the impact area, lightly touching the grass.   (D)   Now try it with a ball while  still maintaining a one handed grip.

Unbeaten Statistics

photo credit: gary.hisanaga     From 1962 to 1980, Jack Nicklaus finished third or better in the  41 of 76 major championships he entered.   This  is a 54%, top-three ratio over 19 years.   Thus far Nicklaus' record makes him the greatest golfer in history.

Between 1958 and 1978, Golf's “Big Three,” Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, won 12 Masters, 8 British Opens, 7 PGA Championships and 5 U.S. Opens.   Out of 84 majors, they won an astonishing 32 events  which amounted to a  .380 winning percentage.

Lee Trevino, the “Merry Mex,” in the span of 20 days, won three national titles in three different counties:   the U.S. Open, the Canadian Open and the British Open Championships.   Ever wonder why golf was so popular in those days?

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