The post Easily lower your handicap with this clever tee-box strategy appeared first on Golf.

The post Easily lower your handicap with this clever tee-box strategy appeared first on Golf.

Penalty strokes are the bane of most recreational golfers. With the driver in their hands, the big miss is always looming — and when it comes, it typically results in a lost ball and penalty strokes.

For lots of weekend warriors, eliminating penalty strokes is the quickest way to shave strokes off their handicaps. But despite the obvious low-hanging fruit, they never quite seem to figure out how to keep the ball in play.

Getting a few lessons and hitting the practice tee is a great option to dial in that dispersion, but for those that can’t afford a swing lesson or don’t have the time to get out to the range, there’s hope yet. In fact, you can reduce — and even eliminate — those penalty strokes simply by being smarter about where you tee up on the tee box.

Instructor Stef Shaw explains in the video below.

Eliminate penalty strokes by doing this

When most high handicappers step up to the tee box, they aren’t really thinking about where they are teeing up their ball — and that’s a big mistake. The tee box is the only place on the course where you fully control every variable regarding your lie and position, so it’s best you take advantage of it.

One way to do this is by always teeing up on the side of the tee box where there’s trouble. This might seem counterintuitive, but by doing this, you can give yourself a better angle to aim away from the trouble.

“If I stand on the right side of the tee box, all I’m seeing is [out of bounds on the left],” Shaw says. “And if I stand on the left side of the tee box, all I see is nice pretty fairway.”

By teeing up on the side of the tee box where there’s trouble, you can essentially turn your back to the penalty areas or out of bounds and hit away from it. Whereas if you’re on the opposite side, you are actively hitting toward the trouble.

“This is taking the trouble out of play and giving me a chance to stay in play so I can hit my next shot,” Shaw says.

So next time you find yourself on a tee box with trouble on one side or the other, take a second to stop and think about where you want to peg your ball. If you do so on the same side as the trouble, you will give yourself a better angle to hit away from it and eliminate those pesky penalty strokes.

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The post This ‘hallmark’ of elite ball strikers is absent in high handicappers appeared first on Golf.

The post This ‘hallmark’ of elite ball strikers is absent in high handicappers appeared first on Golf.

When you watch the pros play every week, you’ll see lots of different swings. Some are choppy and violent, while others are long and languid. Some are upright and some are flat. Some swing hard and bomb it, and others smooth it out there. Much like snowflakes, no two swings are exactly the same.

But while no two swings are carbon copies of one another, that doesn’t mean they don’t share similarities. In fact, among the best players in the world, there are certain characteristics they all share — even if they look a little different than each other.

In the video below, the good folks at the Titleist Performance Institute explain one such trait that all elite ball strikers share — and high handicappers tend to neglect.

1 trait elite ball strikers share

One of the popular buzz-word phrases in golf instruction is “ground reaction forces.” This is simply talking about how golfers push off the ground during their swing.

Ground reaction forces are important because they help golfers create clubhead speed and power in their swing. Also, the way players use the ground during the swing has a huge impact on their sequencing and, as a result, their ball striking.

When the folks at TPI analyze high-level players, they tend to see that they start using the ground much earlier in the swing than their high-handicap counterparts.

“In general, your students are too late,” the presenter says. “When do I want it? As early as possible.”

A lot of times, high-handicap players are trying to push into the ground to create more speed. However, they start the process far too late during the downswing and the force does not have enough time to be tranferred into the clubhead.

“It takes time for the forces to make you move,” he says. “So if you start doing it and the club is down here, there’s not enough time and those ground reaction forces don’t matter.”

Next time you’re trying to work on using the ground more, try to start the process earlier in your downswing. Chances are, you’ll be able to generate lots more power this way.

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The post This ‘simple but brilliant’ advice will make you a better lag putter appeared first on Golf.

The post This ‘simple but brilliant’ advice will make you a better lag putter appeared first on Golf.

There’s an old golf cliche that says you “drive for show [and] putt for dough.” And while advanced analytics have put a bit of a dent in that theory, it doesn’t mean you should be ignoring the flatstick.

Putting is a crucial skill if you want to shoot lower scores. Hitting the ball close to the hole may be the most premium skill, but you’ve got to be able to roll the ball in the cup to make birdies. Otherwise you’ll just be known as another flusher with the yips on the green.

Golf might not be played like other, more reactive sports (think basketball or football), but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply some of the skillsets those athletes use. In fact, if you add a little reactivity into your golf game — especially on the greens — it could help you shoot lower scores.

In the video below, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dave Phillips explains how with a breakdown that Phil Mickelson called “simple but brilliant.”

‘Simple but brilliant’ putting advice

It’s easy to become frozen when standing over your ball lining up to putt. But if you watch the best players in the world, they rarely fall victim to this. Why? Because they are always in tune with their target.

“One thing I’ve always had is great speed control,” Phillips says. “And I think that’s because I’m always looking at where I want [the ball] to go.”

Phillips uses a basketball player shooting a free throw as an example. He explains that when a basketball player is getting ready to shoot a free throw, they’re always looking at the hoop. Quarterbacks in football do the same thing when they drop back to pass. They’re always looking at their target.

“So why wouldn’t we do that when we putt?” Phillips says.

When you set up for a putt — especially lags that rely on feel — try adopting this technique. As you are going through your pre-shot routine and readying to stroke the ball, stay in tune with your target. Channel your inner quarterback or shooting guard and you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to dial in your speed.

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The post 2 ways to compress the golf ball and hit more crisp iron shots appeared first on Golf.

The post 2 ways to compress the golf ball and hit more crisp iron shots appeared first on Golf.

When you see a great ball striker hit their irons, you’ll notice they almost always take a divot. This is because they are hitting down on the ball, which is key for solid contact.

Hitting down on the ball is the product of proper low-point control and is crucial if you want to become a solid ball-striker. If you can’t hit down on the ball and make a divot, you’ve got little chance to become a great iron player.

When you make this descending blow through impact, you are compressing the ball, which helps generate more ball speed and spin. In turn, you can hit the ball higher, further and with more stopping power — all of which are crucial for attack a difficult golf course.

So, how does this compression happen? GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kevin Sprecher has more in the video below.

2 ways to compress the ball

There are two things that must happen during the swing if you want to compress the ball. First off, you’ve got to get forward shaft lean at impact.

“When the shaft is leaning forward, you de-loft the club,” Sprecher says. “And when you apply less loft to the ball, you’re gonna compress it more.”

The other way that you can compress the ball is by having a downward angle of attack at impact. This negative angle of attack — i.e. hitting down on the ball — will help you make ball-first contact.

“So a combination of shaft lean and angle of attack really gets you to compress the ball more,” he says. “And you can actually swing slower and hit it farther if you compress it better.”

A good way to rehearse this feeling is by getting in front of the mirror and making some practice swings. But when you do, stop yourself right around impact and make note of where your hands are in relation to the clubhead. You want to see your hands ahead of the clubhead which will get that forward shaft lean and negative angle of attack.

Additionally, try grabbing an impact bag (or something similar) and making some swings. With this you want the shaft leaning forward and making impact with the bag before the clubhead. A good feeling to achieve this is rotating your body hard and extending your arms fully at the bottom of the swing arc.

“If I get those two things happening, then I can get my angle of attack and forward shaft lean to compress the ball,” Sprecher says.

Once you’ve got the hang of those two things, you’ll be able to compress the ball and hit crisp shots with your irons.

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The post When (and how) should you choke down on the golf club? appeared first on Golf.

The post When (and how) should you choke down on the golf club? appeared first on Golf.

Some days on the course, you just don’t have it. No matter what you try with your swing, the ball just doesn’t go where you want it to. It’s a disheartening feeling, but one that is inevitable if you play the game long enough.

When days like these happen, it’s important you have some swing fundamentals to fall back on. You might not be hitting the ball your best, but you’ve still got to figure out a way to get around the course without too much damage on the scorecard. One such technique you can use is choking down on the grip.

For more on that, we turn to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Debbie Doniger (you can also watch the video below).

When to choke down

When your swing starts to feel a little off, there’s no sense in swinging out of your shoes at the ball. Chances are, when you do, you aren’t going to be finding the center of the clubface. Instead, take a little extra club, choke down on the grip a couple of inches and swing easy.

“You know when you warm up you just feel sort of lackadaisical with your gap wedge and your pitching wedge?” Doniger says. “Take that rhythm with choking down on your [longer club] and you’ll hit it more solid.”

When you choke down and slow your tempo just a touch, you’ll be more likely to find the center of the face and actually hit the ball when you’re intending.

Another time choking down on the club is beneficial is when you’re trying to hit a knockdown shot. In this situation, you’re again taking a little more club than normal, but instead of a slower rhythm to your swing, you are making a three-quarter backswing.

To hit this shot correctly, Doniger recommends employing the 2-2-2 system, which she learned from legendary instructor Mike Adams.

“Set up to the ball and you’re going to choke down two inches,” Doniger says. “You’re going to open your stance by two degrees and you’re going to move the ball back [in your stance] by two inches.”

By making all of these setup accommodations, you will be able to hit the ball right at your intended target. All you have to do from here is make a three-quarter swing and saw off your follow through a touch.

“It’ll help you hit more solid iron shots,” Doniger says.

So, next time you’re struggling to hit solid shots on the course, consider choking down on the club. If you do, you might just be able to salvage a solid score on days when you aren’t swinging your best.

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The post Masters range data shows key practice habit you should follow appeared first on Golf.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Seemingly every year, Augusta National rolls out improvements meant to enhance the Masters experience for fans. This year is no different.

For the first time ever, fans can track every shot that players hit on Augusta National’s perfectly manicured range. Thanks to the new “Practice Range Tracker” on Masters.com, golf fans have at their finger tips insights like never before.

Wondering how Rory McIlroy is driving the ball? You can see data on each driver he hits. Want to see the launch angle of Jordan Spieth’s wedge shots? Click in on his profile and it’s right there. The Practice Range Tracker is like catnip for golf nerds.

With the ability to track every shot the pros hit, golf fans now get an inside look at how the pros practice. Below is one key practice habit the pros use that you should follow.

1 key practice habit

One of the features that the Practice Range Tracker boasts is a count of the number of balls each player hits each day. This can make for some fascinating takeaways.

For example, Bryson DeChambeau hit the highest number of balls on Tuesday, bashing 393(!) for the day. On the other end of the spectrum, amateur Josele Ballester hit the least at 14. The average number of balls players hit was 86.5, while the median was just lower at 79.

So, what can we learn from these findings? Pros hit far fewer balls during their practice sessions than recreational golfers do. A large bucket at your local driving range likely contains between 100 and 150 balls. And if you hit all of them, you are hitting almost double what the pros averaged on Tuesday of the Masters.

There are a couple of reasons for the (relatively) small number of balls that the pros hit on Tuesday. For one, during a tournament week, it’s important to pace yourself — and the pros know this. They aren’t going to wear themselves out hitting ball after ball on the range (save for DeChambeau).

More importantly, though, it shows that the pros aren’t just mindlessly bashing balls. Every swing they make is purposeful. They aren’t wasting their time just going through the motions. Instead, they are making each swing with intention. It is an embodiment of quality over quantity.

This is an important lesson that all recreational players can learn from watching the pros practice. Less is sometimes more — and that’s especially true on the driving range. So next time you head out to the range, don’t focus on how many balls you hit. Instead, focus on making each swing with purpose and intention. It will make for higher-quality practice and will be much more beneficial to your game.

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The post Masters tech shows 1 key move Jordan Spieth uses to hit pure irons appeared first on Golf.

The post Masters tech shows 1 key move Jordan Spieth uses to hit pure irons appeared first on Golf.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s officially Masters week and players are arriving at Augusta National with dreams of donning a green jacket Sunday night. First though, they’ve got plenty of work to do to make sure their game is in major-championship-worthy form.

One such player is Jordan Spieth. The 2015 Masters champ is seeking his second green jacket 10 years after earning his first. And on Monday at Augusta national, he was grinding away on his swing in preparation for the first major of the season.

Golf scribes aren’t allowed on the practice tee at Augusta National each spring, so it can be difficult to discern what players are working on from afar. Luckily, the Masters has a feed of the range that zeroes in on various players each day.

On Monday, their cameras captured Spieth grinding away. And with the integration of GOLFTEC’s OptiMotion technology into the broadcast, we got an inside look at a key move that Spieth uses to hit pure iron shots.

Spieth’s 1 key move

When it comes to pure ball striking, there’s one key move that separates pros from amateurs, and that’s re-centering. We’ve written about this topic many times on this site, but it’s always good to stress how important it is for hitting the ball like the pros do.

Re-centering is all about weight distribution and when you move it during your swing. Nick Clearwater, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and GOLFTEC’s Senior Vice President of Player Development, wrote about this topic last month.

“The way you distribute and shift your weight throughout the swing plays a key role in generating clubhead speed and also controlling your low point,” Clearwater wrote. “To get the most out of your swing, you need to understand the proper pattern of motion that distributes your weight in the correct spots throughout your swing.”

When watching Spieth on the range at Augusta National, CBS’ cameras zeroed in on how the three-time major champ does that to perfection. As you can see in the video, he starts with his weight evenly distributed at address. Once his arms are parallel to the ground, his weight is close to 60-40 favoring his trail foot — and this is the most his weight ever shifts away from the target during the swing.

Watch as Spieth continues his backswing to the top and you’ll notice his weight begins to shift back ever so slightly to his lead side. This is re-centering in action, and it’s a key move that helps generate power and create solid contact.

“When we look at amateur golfers — particularly those who struggle to generate consistent contact — we notice they do not follow this same pattern,” Clearwater wrote. “Instead of shifting up to 20 percent of their weight toward the target by the top of the swing like the pros do, they typically shift only a fraction of that percentage.”

Keep watching the On The Range feed of the Masters this week and you’re sure to see plenty of other players re-centering just like Spieth does. And if you’re looking for a coach to help teach you how to groove that move like the pros do, book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC.

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The post Why knowing how to hit fades *and* draws is so important appeared first on Golf.

The post Why knowing how to hit fades *and* draws is so important appeared first on Golf.

When you watch the pros competing each week, you’ll notice they seem to have total control of their golf balls. Be it a high shot or a low shot, a draw or a fade, they have the shot in the bag. It’s one of the many reasons they’re competing for millions and you’re sitting on the couch watching them.

Lots of recreational players only know how to work the ball in only one direction. And for most of them, that direction is a fade — or, more likely, a slice. There’s nothing wrong with playing the shot shape you’re comfortable with, but knowing how to move the ball both ways is extremely beneficial.

In the video below, GOLF Teacher to Watch Addison Craig explains why.

Why hitting draws and fades is beneficial

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to a preferred shot shape. But sometimes you’ll approach a shot and need to know how to work the ball in the opposite direction of your stock shape.

“Realistically, you’re one-dimensional if you only hit a draw or a fade,” Craig says.

One obvious spot where having the ability to work the ball comes off the tee. If you approach a tee shot and there’s trouble on one side or the other, you’d be wise to choose a shot shape that moves away from the trouble.

For example, if there’s a water hazard or a bunker on the right side of the fairway, you don’t want to hit a fade (for a right-hander) off the tee. Instead, you should try to draw the ball so it’s working away from the trouble.

Another example of a spot where having different shot shapes comes in handy is when you do find trouble. Let’s say you hit a shot into the woods and need to get safely back in the fairway. While a stock, safe recovery shot is always good, being able to draw or fade the ball out of the junk can give you a better position in the short stuff.

“You can get to a point where you lay up another 50 yards closer to the green,” Craig says.

One last example of a spot where working the ball both ways is a boon: when trying to access a tucked pin. If the hole is cut in a back-left spot, with a bunker guarding short, hitting a stock fade won’t allow you to get the ball close for a good birdie look. But if you can draw the ball into the green instead, it’ll be much easier to stick it close.

“You’re getting more usage out of that green versus just trying to go right at a tucked pin,” Craig says.

Having enough command of your ball to move it in both directions is not the easiest thing to master, but once you can do it reliably, you’ll be able to attack courses in entirely new ways.

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The post All great putters do this 1 thing over the ball, says top instructor appeared first on Golf.

The post All great putters do this 1 thing over the ball, says top instructor appeared first on Golf.

The most dangerous golfers are deadeye putters. When someone can pour it in from all over the green, they’re never out of a hole. And when a great putter gets it rolling, the cup looks like it’s the size of a basketball hoop.

We’ve all seen it happen in pro golf, and likely in your weekend money games, too. There’s no predicting when a day that like will happen — you just have to hope and pray you’re on the right side of it.

Everyone has their own philosophy when it comes to putting, but one thing all great putters have in common is that they nail their setup. Having solid fundamentals before you even pull the trigger is essential if you want to putt with any sort of consistency.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dave Phillips has taught a handful of Tour pros, and watched hundreds more. Although he’s seen many different putting philosophies, there is a certain setup trick he says they all use.

What great putters share in common

When great putters are prepping for their turn, they’re always taking in information that informs how the putt is going to roll. Once they settle on the read, they keep their eyes on the intermediate target they want their ball to roll over.

“What they do is once they’ve picked their spot and read their line, they step into the putt, aim the putter at their spot and then keep looking at that entry point while [they] take [their] stance,” Phillips says. “This is a great way to let your body set your eyes to what they see.”

Many amateurs make the mistake of getting into a stance and setup that is square and never changing.

“They look up and don’t like what they see,” Phillips says. “And then rather than adjusting their body, they just adjust the face or move their body, and that leads to inconsistent putting.”

Phillips says he observes great putters moving and adjusting their stance right up until they hit the putt. And that happens because they are reacting to what their eyes are telling them.

“They’ll put it down and line up,” he says. “And then they’ll get comfortable, finally take a grip, take one more look and confirm it’s where they want to be and then they just go ahead and stroke the putt.”

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The post Cure your slice for good (seriously!) with this foolproof trick appeared first on Golf.

The post Cure your slice for good (seriously!) with this foolproof trick appeared first on Golf.

The slice is the most common miss among recreational golfers. Go to any range on the weekend and you’ll see what I mean. Hackers just can’t seem to stop hitting that big banana ball.

The shot shape typically afflicts higher-handicap players, but it can even give more accomplished players fits. It’s a miss that loves to rear its head at the worst moments.

We’ve covered the reasons for a slice quite a bit on this site, but here’s a quick refresher. There are two components that cause a slice: 1. An open clubface at impact. And 2. A swing path that is severely out to in. Combine those two flaws and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a slice.

Today, we are going to focus on correcting the swing path — and in a way that you won’t even need to think about when you stand over the ball. For more on that, we turn to GOLF Teacher to Watch James Hong.

A foolproof slice fix

When golfers slice the ball, they tend to come way over the top and have a swing path that is severely out to in. And to fix the slice, you’ve got to get your path closer to neutral. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, as anyone who’s tried to make swing changes to achieve this can tell you, it’s rarely that easy.

However, if you try this exercise that James Hong uses with his students, you can get that path moving in the right direction without even thinking about it.

“I call it the swimmer’s motion,” Hong says. “When I ask them to hold an alignment stick [across their chest] and do a crawl motion, they’ll move this way. If you notice, that’s the same pattern or motion as an over-the-top move.”

Instead of moving your shoulders forward and over the top like you would when crawling, Hong asks his students to instead rotate their shoulders backward like they would when swimming the backstroke.

“That’s actually encouraging a little more of a drop to the inside,” Hong says. “Some golfers like to focus on rerouting the club or shallowing the club. So this helps encourage that.”

It might sound like a fix that’s too good to be true, but Hong has used it numerous times with students he’s taught — and with great success. One such time, he approached a golfer on the range with an out-to-in path around 11 degrees and asked him to try the swimmer’s motion. Then, he simply asked him to hit the ball again with no other instruction.

“The very next ball he was only two degrees out to in,” Hong says. “Again, there was no instruction. Just doing this and then jumping right back in there to hit another ball.”

If you’re a chronic slicer, give the swimmer’s motion a try next time you’re on the range. Once you get your shoulders moving like you’re swimming rather than crawling, you’ll be able to shallow the club better than ever before.

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