Faults And Fixes - Golf Tips

Five Common Golf Beginner Mistakes

Being a beginner in golf is truly a unique place. Golf is arguably one of the hardest sports to learn and play at a high level, so beginner mistakes are the rule rather than the exception.

If you’ve already taken up the game, remember that time you hit a beautiful long straight drive? Or remember the first time you sank that putt from 35 feet? Those kinds of adrenaline rush are what makes golf really unique, and addicting on its own.

As a beginner, there are a lot of things you will need to focus on improving, yet you shouldn’t be intimidated with all the difficult jargon and techniques used during the game. In the end, what you really need to focus on boils down to just three main areas.

First is the long drive. You will need to improve your swing speed to be able to get your clubhead speed to at least 70 miles per hour, building both control and dexterity to finally hit that 100 mph mark for males, or 80-90 mph for female players.

Second is improving your short game accuracy, from high wedge shots to perfecting your shots with the irons.

Third, of course, is the putting game.

If you truly focus on those three key topics, your dedication will surely pay off in the long run.

Yet, even with proper determination and focus, there are a lot of common mistakes a lot of beginners make that hinder their progression as players.

Today we will discuss five of the most common mistakes beginners make in golf, how they may affect your game, and how you can improve your bad habits with simple and easy to use approaches. Many of my students improve by simply fixing one or more of these mistakes, so I felt that it’s important to first address whether you are doing these mistakes before we move on to any other topics.

Remember, that the first step to improving is to admit your mistakes, so even if you think you don’t make the same mistake, read along — you might gain some new insights.

Mistake 1: Improperly Fit Clubs

It is very important to get clubs that are properly fitted to your current skill level, swing speed, accuracy, and many other factors.

Perhaps you find a set on sale online, a great bargain. At the other end of the spectrum, you might think that buying the most expensive, high-end club set a lot of PGA Tour players use will guarantee to improve your game.

If you keep having troubles with your swing, the first thing you should check is whether your clubs are a good fit for you. Also, if you hit a wall in improving your game, it’s a good time to upgrade your clubs.

In most of the cases, golf clubs will always have two different spectrums: forgiveness vs control. A forgiving club will usually come at the sacrifice of shot-shaping control, and vice versa. As a beginner, you would want to have the right amount of forgiveness in your clubs. Besides getting better, we still want the occasional moments of greatness, and that’s why club forgiveness is important.

Another common mistake is using the wrong shaft. Often overlooked, having the right shaft can significantly improve your swing.

A lot of articles here at Golf Tips Magazine have also discussed how to choose the proper club for your game. You might for example want to check this page on golf drivers.

Mistake 2: Having The Wrong Learning Approach

Yes, there is fun in learning a lot of things by yourself, and being self-taught surely has its own merits. You might also think that with the more accessible information from YouTube or Google nowadays, it’s not necessary to get a professional help.

However, one thing you should remember is that golf is a very diverse game, and there will be a lot of different philosophies and approaches from different people. Jumping from one video to another, or one tip to another might confuse your focus, and ends up delaying your progress.

It doesn’t have to be a lesson with professional trainers, which, I will admit, could be too expensive for many players. If you have issues with budget, you can ask for the help of a knowledgeable friend or family member. Online lessons or videos are definitely an option, but remember, it’s better to stick to one plan and take a step by step approach.

Having your lessons from a professional trainer, or even better, a certified PGA professional certainly has its advantages. They can improve your individual game with a personalized approach, fixing your weaknesses and emphasizing your strengths as you go.

It is also generally better to have a trainer as early as possible before you accumulate bad habits. Remember the old sayings: old habits die hard, and it’s a lot easier to build good habits from the early stage rather than fixing your bad ones.

It’s important to have a learning plan and stick to it, and unless you can get that plan going in your self-taught approach, it is better to get help from others.

Mistake 3: Maintaining Your Club’s Grooves

Ever got that hit when you are 100% sure it’s well-struck with applied backspin, but the ball simply lands without any spin? Yes it might be the ball, yes it might be your club, and yes, it might be your technique. But before you look further, check the grooves of your club whether it is properly neat and clean.

Don’t underestimate the importance of the clean grooves, especially with lofted clubs. Clean grooves will significantly allow better control of your spin and can produce more spin on impact. Check out this short video by Mark Butler to check your grooves’ conditions and how to clean them.

Take time to clean the grooves after every shot, and make it a habit. Also, clean the grooves before you begin your game and every round. If you feel performance and spin starting to fall even when it’s clean, then it’s time to get a re-groove at your local pro golf shop.

Also, although sometimes it’s tempting, avoid the use of groove sharpener. Not only it can cause corrosion faster, depending on the material of your club, overusing it may also be illegal depending on your local golf rule.

Mistake 4: Not Enough Practice Time

Yes, the driving range is a completely different ball game compared to the course, and you may ask: If I already have enough time in the golf course, why would I need the driving range?

First, the driving range is most of the time a cheaper option, and getting better in golf is not only an investment in time but also in your bankroll. As a beginner, you will need a lot of practice, and if you can spend the same amount of money to attend the golf course for 10 driving range sessions, then the driving range is certainly the better option.

Second, you can hit dozens of balls, or even 100 a lot faster than on the golf course, without any peer pressure. There’s an old saying that to get better at golf you will need 10,000 shots. There you go, you will certainly achieve that faster in the driving range.

Another common mistake is that players often focused too much on their driver and fairway woods when they are in the driving range. Remember that practicing your mid to low irons and pitching are equally important, so plan your driving range practice properly.

Take the driving range as a piano practice, and the golf course as a piano recital. Ask any experienced pianist, and they will know that practice is supposed to be repetitive, boring, and often painful. By the time that recital came, they are ready to play with heart and passion, because the repetitive and boring part are done during their practice.

Remember, if you want to get better, you should differentiate between practice and playing.

Mistake 5: Overemphasis on Distance and Power

Over the past few decades, the game of golf has evolved, and distance has replaced finesse and accuracy as the number one thing golfers are after. You can also see how so many of modern club equipment are designed to maximize distance, and how all the manufacturers have all the talk about increasing maximum distance each and every year.

After all, nothing gives the best adrenaline rush than a beautiful, well-struck 270 yards drive.

As a result of this trend, many newer players have the tendency to swing too hard. Although the common perception is that if we swing hard enough, the ball speed will also increase. In reality, it can be counterproductive to your overall distance.

When you swing too hard, you can lose your balance and tempo, and maintaining the rhythm of your swing is especially important to produce both distance and control. Swinging too hard will also have the tendency to stretch your upper body, causing you to miss the center of the ball.

Don’t forget another bad habit: when you swing too hard, you often close your eyes in reflex. Maintaining concentration and eye contact is also essential in gaining distance without sacrificing accuracy.

As a beginner, your primary focus should be on the consistency of making that well-struck hit on the center, and maintaining the rhythm of your swing. You will be surprised how a well-struck hit will produce more distance even at the slower swing.

After you have maintained the proper consistency and accuracy, you can slowly increase your swing until you can finally find your own signature rhythm. Also, remember to always keep eye contact on the ball at all times, and maintain your concentration.

And Finally…

Have you enjoyed the list? I hope it gave you insights on how to improve your game and avoid some common mistakes a lot of newer golfers make.

Found any mistake that you often make? Hey, there’s nothing to be ashamed about, after all, as I’ve said above, admitting your mistake is the first step towards improvement. In fact, leave the stories about your mistakes in the comment section below, and we can discuss further on how to improve it.

If there’s anything you want to share or discuss, don’t hesitate to also leave a comment, and don’t forget to share this article if you liked it.

After spending more than 20 years helping golfers from around the world, Jordan Fuller set out on a mission to spread his golf knowledge to as many golfers as possible. After seeing many of his students make the same mistakes over again and again he decided to create Golf Influence, his own website dedicated to making you a better golfer.

The Secondary Angle

Editor’s Note: This instruction piece has been updated from its original posting in 2002, and remains a great guide to better ballstriking.

Posture is a critical element of the golf swing, and is often overlooked by golf instructors and recreational players alike. It’s not particularly dynamic or flashy, and most golfers just don’t get excited about spending time developing correct posture. However, establishing the proper body angles at address, including what I call the secondary angle–and maintaining them throughout the swing–is absolutely crucial to solid ballstriking and good shotmaking.
The secondary angle is one of the most important aspects of solid posture. This spine angle is the tilt of the torso backward, away from the target, and is established due to the natural positioning of the body. Because the right hand is lower on the club than the left hand (for a right-handed golfer), assuming your arms are the same length, the right shoulder and right hip have to be lower than the left shoulder and left hip. This position at address is the only natural way the body can stand when gripping a club, and is universal for all golfers.

Once this angle is created, it’s of great importance to maintain it throughout the entire backswing and downswing. When the secondary spine angle is lost (usually on the initial takeaway), it affects more skilled and less skilled players differently. When skilled players lose the secondary angle, they tend to reverse pivot, that is, keep an excessive amount of weight on the front leg throughout the backswing. An indication that this is occurring is the left knee moving out over the left foot instead of backward toward the ball on the backswing.

The skilled player’s reverse pivot often leads to the right elbow getting stuck behind the hip on the downswing, draining both power and accuracy from the shot. This occurs because, regardless of skill level, a reverse pivot on the backswing generally leads to an opposite reverse pivot on the downswing. The result is the right shoulder dipping or tilting too much toward the ground, leading to the right arm getting trapped behind the hip. Not only does this position lead to less powerful shots, it can also cause blocks to the right and severe snap hooks.

When a less skilled player loses the secondary spine angle on the backswing, he or she tends to sway (move the hips laterally), which in turn causes an early leg drive and overly active lower body. A thrusting lower body is one of the most common problems among average golfers, and puts the body in front of the ball at impact. This weak position not only detracts from accuracy, it saps the body of the leverage needed to create powerful, solid golf shots. In addition, when the lower body moves too far forward (laterally), it prevents the arms from extending through impact, arguably the most important element of a good swing.

In order to ensure a proper, level hip turn (no sway or reverse pivot), with correct width on the backswing and the proper secondary angle, try the following drill.

Obtain two, three-foot-long, thin wooden dowels. Place one dowel through your belt loops, favoring your left side. Be certain that the end of the dowel protruding from the left side is slightly higher than the end of the dowel protruding from the right side. This will ensure a proper secondary angle at address, with the right shoulder sitting lower than the left. Then, place the second dowel in the ground vertically, so it sits outside your left foot. Make sure the second dowel is in line with your toe, sitting just below the end of the first dowel that’s resting in your belt loops.

Now, you’re ready to hit the ball. The goal is to swing the club without hitting the dowel placed outside the left foot. If you dip or sway your hips on the backswing, the two sticks will collide, indicating that you’ve lost your secondary angle.

When practicing this drill, it’s important to really concentrate on maintaining your address position all the way through the backswing. It’s easy to lose your posture, and the accompanying angles, immediately as you take the club away. If you’ve already ingrained bad habits into your motion, as many golfers have, it may be difficult at first to get your body to do what you want it to do. Don’t get frustrated. Just think about keeping the left end (for right-handed golfers) of the dowel or shaft above the right end. Doing so will allow you to make a backswing without touching the dowel or shaft that’s stuck in the ground.

This is a simple and effective way to practice the proper takeaway. Continue practicing until you can make a solid swing without touching the dowels. When you can do this consistently, you’ll have developed a proper hip turn and maintained the secondary spine angle.

Carl Rabito, a former ECC PGA Teacher of the Year, directs the Carl Rabito Golf Schools in Orlando, Fla.

Lose The Golf Fat And Thin Shots

The two major causes of fat and thin shots are poor weight distribution and early release of the hands. Here I’ll show how to take care of both.

Photo 1 shows that my weight is behind the ball line and the club face is now ahead of the hands. One or both of these will cause the fat or thin shot. Notice that the center of the hips and sternum are behind the ball. To eliminate this, you must have at least 70 to 80 percent of weight on the forward side at impact, as in Photo 2. The hands should also be slightly ahead of the clubface with some shaft lean.

You will also notice that with the weight and hands forward, the center of the hips are now past the ball and the sternum is in line with or just slightly ahead of the ball. This will produce more of a downward strike, creating better contact, power and distance.

The Fix

From the top of the swing, start down by driving your right hip down toward the ball, as I am in Photo 3. This will move your weight left and through the ball. At the same time swing your arms down, keeping your forearms close together, and swinging through the ball with the handle leading the club face. This will help you to develop a late release of the clubhead.

Stan Moore is a PGA teacher based in Boca Raton, Florida. Reach him at smooreaz@yahoo.com or visit www.bocaratongolflesson.com

Shank You Very Much!

The dreaded shank is experienced by all golfers at all levels of the game, from the beginner to “professionals” like Roy McAvoy from the popular movie Tin Cup. The surprising thing is that it is a very small miss with a very detrimental result, as I demonstrate in Photo 1. There are many causes, but the bottom line to the “hosel rocket” is that you have pushed the the club out from your starting point one-half to three-quarters of an inch forward away from your body (Photo 2).

Here are a few things you can do to instantly correct this embarrassing and card-wrecking miscue.

HEAD COVER TIP

Take one of your head covers and place it approximately an inch outside the ball, as in Photo 3. Swing your club with just one intention — to NOT hit the head cover. Don’t worry about hitting the ball, just try to miss the head cover; if you actually hit a good shot at the same time, all the better! (Photos 4-7)

Hopefully your natural instincts will kick in and your body and arms will do whatever it takes to avoid hitting the object. If the head cover doesn’t work, we go to drastic measures, get a 2 x 4 piece of wood and go through the same drill (Photos 8-9). Once you’ve hit the wood a few times your body will learn very quickly how to avoid it — otherwise know as the Pavlov effect!

TWO-BALL DRILL

Place two balls side by side as shown in Photo 10. Set up to the outside ball, kick the inside ball out of the way but keep that picture in your head. As you swing the club try to hit the imaginary inside ball. You can also use a tee for this drill and actually try to hit it.

If you are shanking the ball with the toe of the club just reverse the process in either of these drills. You can’t use the 2×4 in this situation, though — you’ll damage your precious sticks.

Of course, as with any effective drill, you must start with your set-up. Check your posture at address, as you might be a standing too close to the ball. Check your arm hang — are your arms hanging directly under your shoulders, which is the proper set-up, or inside your shoulder line? Finally, check your weighting; hosel shanking is often caused by your weight starting between toes and heels, then shifting to the balls of your feet on the down swing. It’s a very small and almost imperceptible shift in practice, but its effects are huge.

I have seen golfers with shanking problems try to line the club on the toe of the club. This approach, while seemingly logical, actually tends to worsen the situation. Golf is often a very counterintuitive mental activity: When your mind sees the ball lined up at the toe of your club, your body will react according to what you actually see. In this case you’ll tend to push the club away from your body further, which is the cause to your problem! Try setting up lining the ball on the heerl or hosel of your club. Now your mind will tell your body to do the opposite…hopefully. Otherwise, the drills above will surely work.

Get ‘Chippy’ To Settle Those Nerves

Tension is the enemy of every golfer, at every level. It causes muscles to constrict, which prohibits the body from moving in that nice, flowing fashion throughout the swing. Being able to identify where one holds tension, and how it affects the golf swing, is a powerful tool.

Generally tension seems to stem from two particular areas — the arms and the face. If a player can practice identifying tension, he or she will be able to deal with it more efficiently on the golf course.

Put a potato chip (I prefer Pringles) in between your lips at address and continue to keep it there through the shot. If you create the slightest bit of tension throughout the swing, you’ll break the chip; if you’re able to maintain relaxed muscles, you’ll successfully hit the shot without breaking the chip.

This drill has immediate benefits. It creates a tension-free swing and allows players to repeat motions successfully, even under pressure situations. Typically, pressure can fill a player with doubt, anxiety and worry, which leads to clenching muscles and “forcing” moves.

Getting a handle on when and where unhelpful muscular tension starts is very powerful for the golfer. By being aware, the player can employ deep breathing or other mental techniques to calm emotions and decrease tension.

Alison Curdt is a Master Professional and Director of Instruction at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, California. She is also a contributor to the Golf Channel’s SwingFix. For more information, visit www.alisoncurdtgolf.com

barry — Photo by Russell Kirk/GolfLinks Photography

SPOT PUTTING

Dave Stockton teaches it … Jack Nicklaus used it. Enough said. Spot Putting is a great way to sink more putts.

Spot Putting involves picking a spot 2-3 inches in front of your ball on your putting target line … and looking at that spot and rolling the ball over that spot as you putt.

Very effective inside 10 feet. Rather than looking at the ball, spot putting is an effective way to make those score saving putts. This tip helps 100% of putters.

By Barry Goldstein, PGA Inverrary Country Club, Lauderhill, Florida

Women’s Golf: I Want More Distance Now!

We all want more distance off the tee. With women, I see a few common threads that need addressing, and pronto.

The key elements to hitting the ball farther are:

• Setup
• Backswing musts
• Release on the downswing
• Finish

SOLID SETUP

• Chin up, not pinned.

• Arms hang down without tension, with shoulders over toes.

• Shaft pointing to belt buckle, ensuring I’m the correct distance from the ball.

• The right bend from hip joints, not waist, creating good angles in my hip crease and knees.

• Pressure points in the feet favoring the balls of my feet.

• Zero doubt, only laser focus on a specific target out in the fairway.

Women's Golf: I Want More Distance Now! — LEFT: **Front Elbow Incognito**
If you can’t see your front elbow, check your grip, then check shoulders; chances are, they’re open to the target line.
RIGHT: **Front Elbow Sits Lower**
Your back elbow should sit lower than your front at setup!

BACKSWING KEYS: LOAD WITH A PURPOSE TO RIP IT!

• Left arm is still connected to my chest.

• Chest facing opposite of fairway, confirming I made a full shoulder turn.

• Hip and knee crease still intact, confirming that I’ve stayed in my posture. Many players lose this at the top of their swing.

• Big stretch through my back. I feel tightly coiled. Club not even to parallel, but my shoulders have turned significantly.

• I feel like I sit into my back hip, almost as if it heads back toward the target.

• I feel pressure on the inside of my back thigh.

• My feet are gripping the turf. This is your power source. Use the ground as leverage. Grip it to rip it!

COIL FOR POWER

• My clubface matches my left forearm.

• I’ve maintained my posture as indicated by my hip and knee crease. My belt buckle points down. Many players straighten the back leg, causing the hip to raise.

• I like to feel a low center of gravity with the ground from the start of the swing to the moment I’m ready to explode into the ball.

• Front foot planted, but most of my weight has shifted to the inside heel of my back foot.

ONCE YOU REACH HIP HEIGHT, EXPLODE!

• The L of my right elbow is still intact. My legs are driving the downswing with my hands and arms following.

• Pressure point moves toward front toe.

• My shoulder plane is still intact. Once I hit hip height, I release the L hard through impact.

• Using the ground as leverage, I’m driving into the ground with my front leg.

• Pressure point moves to outside heel.

RELEASE—LET IT GO!

• A good release is the result of doing everything else right.

• My right arm crosses over my left. Notice my left palm facing toward the sky and my left arm still connected to my upper chest.

• My shaft is rehanging, creating the L.

FINISH FOR POWER

• An aggressive finish generates incredible clubhead speed.

• Sternum is still square to the ball as my hips are unwinding at warp speed.

• My right shoulder has completely rotated through the shot.

• Belt facing left of target.

• Aggressively getting to your finish is the secret to power, assuming you’ve loaded in the backswing.

• Pressure point on the outside of my front heel.

Christina Ricci is an LPGA apprentice and a top-selling author for the female enthusiast. You can learn more at www.golfsurvivalguide.com.

The ABCs Of Aiming And The 2-Minute Drill

After over 30 years of teaching golf, I’ve concluded that most golfers simply do not know how to aim. If you ask them where they should be aimed, they will most likely be able to tell you information relating to having the clubface, stance and shoulders “square,” but they don’t realize how off-line they are. The problem, as I see it, is they have no defined process for aiming.
The key to excellent alignment is an organized pre-shot routine.

MASTER YOUR ‘AIMING’AND HIT THE BALL WHERE YOU WANT IT TO GO!

THE 3 MAIN MISTAKES IN AIMING

After learning the ABCs of Aiming with The Two-Minute Drill, you will Master aiming and begin hitting the ball where you want it to go.

A typical golfer’s aim goes wrong in these three areas:

Clubface — Open or Closed.

Body — 1. Shoulders Open,
2. Stance Closed or
3. Combination of Shoulders Open and Stance Closed.

As a result, shots can go anywhere, but not often down the middle.

THE ALIGNMENT SHIRT SYSTEM

To work most effectively on The ABCs of Aiming with Two-Minute Drill, I have come up with The Alignment Shirt System. Take the time to use this system and you will not only consistently have clubface and stance lined up square, you will nail your shoulder alignment. Shoulders are traditionally the most difficult to aim — many of us need someone else’s eyes to help get them square.

WHAT YOU NEED

+ Shirt

+ Chalk

+ Scissors

+ 3 – Alignment rods

+ Golf ball ‘Line Tool’

BEFORE GETTING STARTED

1. Using the golf nail alignment tool and golf ball, make a straight black line.

2. Take your shirt and chalk and mark two inches below each top seam and about an inch across from the sleeve seam. Then, make a small slit with your scissors at both marks. Now, change into your alignment shirt or, if it’s not too hot out, slip it over the shirt you are wearing.

3. Then, place the first alignment rod on your target line, followed by placing the alignment ball square to the target line.
Next, place the second alignment rod for your stance parallel to the target line, with the golf ball centered to it. (see photos)
Finally, take the third alignment rod and fit it through the first slit and back out of the second. (A) It should now be centered across your chest. (B)

THE ABCs OF AIMING

A — Aim clubface square to the target line and parallel to the alignment ball. KEEP YOUR LEFT FOOT BACK OF THE RIGHT IN ORDER TO FOCUS ONLY ON THE CLUBFACE.

B — Aim stance parallel/square to the target line. KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS OPEN UNTIL YOUR STANCE IS SQUARE.

C — Aim shoulders parallel/square to the target line.

THE 2-MINUTE DRILL

To become consistent with aiming and for accurate alignment, I recommend this aiming routine for two minutes on the days that you work on aiming.

HITTING BALLS

After The 2-Minute Drill, remove the shoulder aiming rod from your shirt and move the target line rod, placing it outside the golf ball and parallel to the target line.

NOW, HIT BALLS WITH YOUR NEW ROUTINE

ROTATION AND SEPARATION

The Alignment Shirt System offers benefits beyond just improving your clubface, stance and shoulder alignment. It can also improve your shoulder rotation and separation, which add distance to your shots.

abc-10 — Center: Poor Rotation. Right: Good Rotation

TRIGGER TIP: START YOUR DOWNSWING WITH YOUR HIPS TO REALLY MAXIMIZE YOUR POWER OUTPUT.

abc-11 — Left: Poor Separation. Right: Good Separation

SEPARATION

If you want to add power to your turn, torque is what you’re looking for. When you can add separation between the shoulders and hips with a wide gap, you will be adding power torque to your turn. The key is to turn your upper body against a resisting lower body.

Just Think About…

ACCELERATE!

Golf can be a very complicated game. Trust me, as an instructor for many, many years, I’ve seen the game at its most complex levels, especially regarding the golf swing from a mechanical standpoint. But in my study and profession, I’ve come to learn that learning to swing well and learning to play the game well aren’t anywhere near the same. Sure, we can get into the nitty-gritty of your swing on the practice tee, but that’s where it should end. As soon as you tee it up, the mind should be free of distractions and complicated information.

To play better, try and think less. That doesn’t mean shut your brain off completely. Instead, whittle down the tips and info you get from your teaching pro into simple, easy-to-remember bullet points for when you’re out on the course. Here are some of my favorite things that you should think about the next time you play. And, again, leave the heavy stuff for the practice tee!

Acceleration doesn’t mean swinging fast from the top of the swing.

At impact, the clubhead should still be gaining speed.

ACCELERATION
Here’s a typical scenario that can ruin a decent round for many players. I’ve missed the green with my approach shot, on the far side of the greenside bunker. I now face a shot from light rough, over a bunker with no green to work with. Like so many situations in a round of golf, my expectations must line up with reality to hit the right shot and avoid a big mistake. The key here is to get the ball on the putting surface as close to the hole as possible without taking any risk of hitting it short into the face of the bunker. That, folks, would be the worst.

There’s a laundry list of things you can think about on this shot. Open the face, hinge early, use the bounce, hit the toe, hit down, use your pivot, etc. Playing your best golf only will happen when you simplify the process and focus on one positive, specific thought. On this particular shot, I’ve found that maintaining a steady acceleration through the strike produces consistent results. Many players struggle from this area because they allow the fear of missing the shot to influence their technique. When there’s fear, there’s an inability to move, which often leads to deceleration and the inevitable fat shot into the sand. I would recommend you focus on steady acceleration during the practice swings and
repeat the same process when hitting the shot. Remember, one positive thought is all you should think about. In this case, it’s to remember to accelerate through the shot.

SPLASH IT OUT
To most amateurs, the notion that hitting from the sand is much easier than from the rough makes little sense. However, the simple truth is that playing from a greenside bunker is one of the only times in golf when you don’t have to strike the ball first. As a result, the need for precise contact isn’t as critical from the sand, thus making this shot much easier than many people think.

The litany of swing keys I’ve heard from students who struggle from the sand is both sad and comical. Put all of the technical mumbo jumbo aside and remember how a good sand shot is executed. The ball will fly out of the bunker on the sand it’s sitting on. Get the sand out of the bunker and the ball will come with it. It’s that painfully simple. This is best achieved with the weight slightly forward, the upper body tilted away from the target, the feet far apart and the clubface laying back or slightly open. Once the setup is established and consistent, the simple swing thought is “splash it out.” When you’re focused on splashing the sand and ball out of the bunker, you’ll take care of the hitting down, swinging through to the finish and following through keys that have long been part of your checklist. Remember, just think about splashing it out, and hitting sand shots will become a strength in your game.

LEFT: Hitting out of the sand isn’t as hard as most golfers assume.
BELOW RIGHT: If you splash sand out, the ball will go with it!

STAY CENTERED
Hitting a three-quarter wedge shot can cause even the best players to experience some apprehension. Add an uneven lie and some wet turf like I’m hitting from here, and heart rates can really climb. While some lateral movement off the ball can be just fine when trying to max out your clubhead speed with a driver, it never ends well with the intermediate wedge. It’s critical that you strike all of these intermediate wedge shots ball-turf, especially from the lie I’m working on. This is best achieved by focusing on keeping the upper body and head stable and centered during the swing. While moving laterally away from the target during the backswing can still produce solid shots, it increases the degree of difficulty and inconsistency. Stay centered, and you’ll improve your intermediate wedge shots significantly.

TOP LEFT: If you sway laterally off the ball, you’ll be inconsistent.
BELOW RIGHT: From down the line, you can see my head is still leaning toward the ball and has stayed centered through the hit.

AROUND, NOT UP AND DOWN

Nothing makes the recreational golfer clam up like a 40-yard wedge shot. While this isn’t a full swing, it’s still long enough to require some pivot assistance to hit the ball far enough to get it to the hole. If the swing is dominated by the arms and hands and lacks sufficient body rotation, the contact will stink and the shot will be unsuccessful. The focus should be on making this shot with a mini-swing rather than a big pitch. This means there must be participation not only from the hands and arms, but also from the body and feet.

The goal is to make solid contact with a mini-swing, not a swing governed by the arms and hands.

Swinging more around than up and down will shallow your angle of attack, reducing the chance of a fat or thin hit.

To become more reliable from this distance, just think about making a swing that’s more around and less up and down. This will encourage your body to become a participant in the swing, limit the action of the hands and wrists, and produce better results.

If you “swing in a barrel,” you’ll lose power and consistency. Notice the difference in my core in this photo and the good sequence above.

BELLIES UP
One of the biggest misconceptions about the golf swing is that you should “turn in a barrel” to hit good shots. This advice was interpreted as if the body never moved laterally during the swing and only turned in place going back and coming through. The reality is that nothing in the golf swing looks the same going up and coming down, nor should it. Instead of thinking of turning in a barrel, I would rather have you focus on knocking the target side of the barrel out with your tummy through impact. This not only will get your lower body moving farther than your upper body on the downswing (a huge key to producing solid impact alignments), but will also get your feet, legs and butt involved dynamically during the swing. The result is a massive increase in power and significantly better contact. Remember, just think about getting that belly up and forward toward the target, and you’ll see a huge jump in your ballstriking ability.

DIVOT OR NOT DIVOT?

Does it really matter? Yes, it does, but only to a point. Simply put, if you’re going to make a divot, make one in front of the ball, not behind it. As for the depth, length or girth of the divot, don’t worry about it. I’ve taught great players who take big divots and others who pick the ball cleanly with virtually no divot at all. One of the bigger myths is that to add spin, you have to hit steeply into the ball and take out a big chunk of turf. That, folks, isn’t necessarily true. Adding spin comes from increasing the “spin angle” between the angle you attack the ball and the loft of your club. If you hit down on it too much, you actually can reduce your spin angle, which, in turn, reduces spin. If you want more spin, consider making a divot with a flatter angle of attack, not necessarily a steeper one.

Less is definitely more when it comes to having swing thoughts. For me, I think of having “soft hands” at the top of the swing.

ONE KEY THOUGHT
I’ve been playing golf for over 35 years and have learned the hard way that multiple swing thoughts when playing golf won’t work. The best thoughts are positive in nature (make sure you tell yourself what to do instead of what not to do) and help you relax. I also prefer the focus to be on the downswing instead of the backswing. I like to think of keeping soft hands as I start the downswing. A practice or rehearsal swing before hitting the shot to reinforce the thought is often a good thing to keep you organized. Regardless of what the swing thought is, make sure there’s only one. Remember, just think about one thing during your swing and make it positive.

Let the clubhead release out and away from you. Don’t feel as though you need to pull the club in closer to your core.

LET IT GO
You can’t micromanage the clubface at impact, no matter how hard you try. Almost without exception, the longest and straightest shots you’ll hit occur when you’re letting it go through impact and not guiding it. This relates well to other sports, like baseball. If you’ve ever pitched when you’re tightened up, you know what I mean.

In these two photos, you can see the difference between having the arms bunch up at the shoulders as I try to steer the clubhead through impact. In the upper-right photo, I’ve “thrown” the club out away from my body and let my arms extend after impact. Not only will this produce significantly more power, it will allow the club to “release” properly, taking care of my impact alignments. There’s absolutely no amount of effort that can make the club line up; it must come from being relaxed. Remember, just think about letting it go and eliminate the desire to steer the club through impact. You’ll hit the ball infinitely better.

MIND THE GAP

If you’re struggling with your putting, maybe you’re not catching the ball solidly. Mis-hits aren’t just for full-swing shots, and a mis-hit putt can greatly affect how well the ball travels on your intended line.

To ensure you make solid contact, focus more on a specific part of the golf ball. I like to remind myself to look at the side of the ball where the putterface will come into contact. This narrow perspective helps me focus more, and I hit the center of the putterface more often.

Focus more on allowing the putterhead to swing freely and don’t worry about results, and you’ll likely make more putts. Funny how golf works like that, huh?

DON’T CARE
All great putters have one thing in common: They aren’t trying to make putts. A common theme you’ll always hear when listening to really good putters is that they’re trying to relax and get the ball started on their intended line. When this is the mentality, the putting stroke has a palpable rhythm that’s smooth and seamless. If you watch someone who struggles, the putter will swing at different speeds during the stroke, and there’s an abruptness that’s often disturbing to watch. Forget about the arc, release, straight back and straight through, acceleration, etc. Just let the putterhead swing freely back and forth. You can’t force the ball into the hole; don’t even bother trying. Remember to just think about letting it go and don’t care about the result. You’ll be amazed at how many putts you make.

Brady Riggs, PGA, teaches golf in Southern California, including at Calabasas Country Club, where these photos were taken. Visit bradyriggs.com for more information.

Mistakes We Sometimes Make

What’s that thing sticking out of the back of my glove? Turn the page to find out how a tee in your glove can help you around the greens.

We all make mistakes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Tour player or it’s your first time touching a club, we’re human beings, and we’re all prone to making errors every now and then. Out here on the practice tee, I see my fair share of mistakes. And while a big part of my teaching is on full-swing mechanics, many of my students waste strokes around the green, too. In the following pages, I’ve outlined just a few of the common mistakes I see golfers make, and I’ve brought some simple fixes to help you get back on track.

PITCH IT LOW
One of the most common mistakes I see is when my students try the hinge-and-hold approach with regard to their chipping and pitching. This means, they hinge the club going back and hold that hinged position into the finish. This shot sometimes works, but it’s a tricky one for beginners, and you actually create a lot of backspin that way. To hit a low-rolling pitch shot, allow the hands to release and the arms to rotate through the shot. To illustrate, I stuck a tee pointing out of my gloved hand. Through impact, I want that tee pointing down. Try it yourself and watch which way the tee points. If it’s level or pointing down, that means you’ll hit a low roller.

PITCH IT HIGH
Hitting a high pitch shot isn’t unlike the low one, only you release the hands without the rotation of the wrists. So, again, with the tee inserted into the Velcro_¨ of my glove, the goal in hitting a higher pitch shot is to make the same swing, only as you release the hands, don’t rotate the arms.

This means the gloved hand will pronate (bend backward), but don’t worry. That’s necessary for applying the needed loft of the clubface onto the ball. As for the swing, it stays the same. And, by the way, creating excessive backspin when chipping is rarely a good idea. It’s too unpredictable.

EVER WONDER WHY WE SHANK THE BALL?
Shanked shots are the absolute worst shots in golf. A shank can happen several ways, and you can shank the ball off more places than the heel of the club. If you look at how a club is designed, it’s almost as if you’re predestined to shank anyway! First of all, the clubshaft and the clubface don’t exist on the same line. Because of it, we actually have to swing the clubshaft to the side of the ball, not directly at it. This throws some folks sometimes and makes shanks easier to do and more likely to happen. Things would be a lot easier if iron heads were situated the same way some center-shafted putters are, with the shaft pointing directly at the golf ball!

LIFT BEFORE YOU SWING
If you’re plagued with the shanks, a great drill to get your ballstriking back on track is to do what I’m doing here. The goal is to ensure the clubface won’t over-rotate too far open on the takeaway (a common fault I see in people who shank the ball). Set up to the ball as you would normally, then before you take the club back, hinge the clubhead straight up. From this position, continue the backswing with no independent hand action, meaning don’t roll the hands; instead, turn your chest away from the ball.

At first, it may seem tricky and challenging to make solid contact with the ball from this hinged position, but with practice, you’ll quickly develop a better feel for initiating your backswing with your chest, not by rolling the hands and opening the face too much.

THE CLUBHEAD IS WEIGHTED TO SHANK!
Another reason why we sometimes struggle with the shanks has to do with how an iron is weighted. Irons have the bulk of their weight in the toe, meaning the headweight is somewhat unstable as you initiate the downswing. To illustrate, think of carrying a bottle of wine upside down versus carrying it right side up. If you grab the bottle by the neck when right side up, it’s much more stable than it is when you hold the bottleneck with the top down and the bottom up.

Irons, unfortunately, require you to hold them as you would an upside-down wine bottle. This means the clubhead easily fans open going back, which means when you open the face too much, you’re less likely to square the face at impact and the ball will meet the clubhead right on the hosel.

To help create some stability, don’t feel as though the toe of the iron needs to face the sky in the early part of the backswing. If anything, better iron shots come from an iron that stays a little closed, as you see here. The reality is, by keeping the clubface slightly closed, it’s actually tracking square to the path the clubhead travels on. Also, keeping it closed a little helps you feel the clubhead more, leading to more consistent shots.

HANG LOOSE
Another problem that I see from my students is that they aren’t sure how close or how far to stand from the ball. It’s not only important in terms of how well you contact the ball with the clubface, it can affect your ability to swing freely and without hindrance. A great way to check is to note how far the handle is from your leg by using the “hang loose” sign.

Now, I know, you may look a little silly doing this, but checking the separation between the hands and your leg will help you swing the club on the proper plane. And it’s not just to check if you’re too close. If you’re too far from the ball, the “hang loose” drill will help you get a little closer without getting too close.

When situated correctly, the arms should hang vertically, and hopefully, the grip end of the club should point at or close to your belt buckle. From here, you should feel as though you’re making a free and relaxed swing, knowing you’re the right distance from the ball. Also, at impact, the hands should be, again, a “hang loose” away from the body.

Don’t miss Zach’s new and interactive ebook on how to stop shanking the ball for good! It’s available right now for download at zachallengolf.com/books.

STEP INTO IT
Almost every student of mine asks me how to hit it farther, and of the ones who really struggle with power, they struggle because they don’t engage their lower body correctly. Instead, they swing with their arms and hands, which sometimes actually can slow your swing down.

To ramp up your power, try this simple drill. Take a slightly narrower stance than normal and cross your arms in front of your chest. Next, simulate your backswing all the way to the top. Once you get to the top, the drill kicks into gear–literally. Lift your left foot and plant it firmly into the ground about 3 to 4 inches from where it originally was.

Do this drill correctly, and you’ll quickly feel as though the body not only wants to shift its pressure to the left, but the upper body will want to uncoil toward the target. After all, upper body and arm speed come from first building the foundation of the lower body for the upper body to rotate against. Practice this drill repeatedly, and you even can do it between shots to remember to drive the downswing with the lower body, not with the arms and hands. And, yes, this is true for both woods and iron shots.

TILT TOWARD THE BALL
Another common mistake I see on the practice tee is the lack of retaining the necessary shoulder plane through the swing. You want the shoulders to stay tilted as you take the club back and through. If you come up and lose your shoulder plane, any chance of swinging the club on the proper plane greatly diminishes and hurts your ballstriking.

To practice retaining the necessary shoulder plane, practice what I’m doing here: Hold a club in front of you, and as you take the club back and through, make sure the clubhead end points toward the ball during the backswing, with the grip end facing the ball after impact.

In the sequence below, you can clearly see that I maintain the tilt in my shoulders at the top, again at impact and into the finish. There may be some variances in the exact shoulder plane, but the point is, keeping my shoulders moving on the correct plane, the club likely will travel on the correct plane, as well.

FORWARD LEAN AT INPACT
Ever wonder how and why Tour players can hit their irons so far? If you want to start hitting your irons like Rory, you have to understand what it means to stress the shaft of the club away from the target. Simply put, stressing the shaft away from the target means getting it to bow backward like you can see I’m doing with the alignment rod. Now, your actual shaft won’t bend that much, but the goal is to get it to bend away from the target as you move into impact, and when it does release, you want it to do so with your hands forward. If you can postpone that release, you’ll effectively deloft your iron and create tremendous power.

Practice with an alignment rod, feeling as though you can stress the shaft away from the target. You’ll feel as though the shaft is ready to release the more you bend it, which is exactly the feeling and sensation you want with your irons at the moment of truth. Remember, the shaft is the engine of the club, and how you control it affects your distance and control.

BACKWARD LEAN AT INPACT
Often, I see students who struggle with getting the ball airborne make steep swings with their driver. The fact is, the driver is the only club in the bag you use to ascend into the ball. To ingrain a better feel for ascending into the ball, grab an alignment stick and make a few rehearsal swings. The goal is to feel as though the low end of the stick releases as you make contact. You can see in the photos above that’s actually happening with the stick, and the actual shaft is releasing a split-second before impact, not after impact like it does with an iron. Now, whether this is a matter of a camera trick with the shutter speed or not, the point is still the same. Hitting better drives comes from hitting up on the golf ball, not down onto it. Adjust your ball position and aim so you catch the ball when the club has already released and moves up. You’ll hit higher and straighter tee shots.

Zach Allen, PGA, teaches at DeBell Golf Club in Burbank, Calif., and was recently awarded So. Cal. PGA Teacher of the Year. Visit zachallengolf.com.

Learn Like A Pro, Play Like A Pro!

No matter how advanced the best players in the world become, each and every player does something, somehow, someway to make himself or herself better. No two players may practice the same way, or work on the same things, but nary will you find a player who doesn’t strive to take his or her game to the next level.

That said, ask yourself a question. When was the last time you strived to make yourself a better player? What have you done recently to start seeing real improvements? If you’re like many, you’ve probably adopted the “hit and hope” method, where instead of practicing and fixing the way you think and how you physically swing the club, you instead repeat the same mistakes and hope for better results.

Well, let’s put an end to that method once and for all. Let’s look at two ways you can get better. The first is mental, the second is physical, and both combine to help you stop wasting time on the “hit and hope” method and actually apply some lasting improvements to your golf game, just like the pros do.

LEARN TO COIL, NOT TO TWIST

One of the most misunderstood concepts I’ve seen with my students has to do with how to coil the body on the backswing. Often, when I ask my students for a more powerful coil, I see them twist their body away from the target with little to no torque built up in their body. The top photos show what that looks like, and even though I’ve made a huge coil, I have little power because I didn’t do anything to leverage my upper body against my lower body.

Check out my lower body here. I’ve turned so much that my right knee buckled. Despite the effort this position takes to achieve, it’s not a good one.

To develop a better coil, I want you to turn your upper body twice as far as your hips on the backswing, and keep your knees facing the golf ball (yes, the left one should bend) to ensure you aren’t overtwisting the lower body. Finally, keep your spine leaning toward the ball. Don’t get upright.

This is more like it! My upper body has turned against my lower body, which has only turned about half as far as my shoulders. This is how the pros do it. Keep that back leg rigid!

CHOOSE WISELY

Don’t assume every tee shot on a par-4 or par-5 requires a driver down the middle of the fairway. Tour players look at all of their options before executing a tee shot.

Today's fairway woods hit the ball a mile. Don't always assume driver is the right play, even on long holes. Always go with what feels right, not necessarily what the scorecard insinuates you should use off the tee. — Today’s fairway woods hit the ball a mile. Don’t always assume driver is the right play, even on long holes. Always go with what feels right, not necessarily what the scorecard insinuates you should use off the tee.

It’s important to realize you have options to help you put yourself in the best position to play to your strengths. It’s not a long-drive contest out there! Weigh your options and no matter what, play to your strengths, not whether you can hit it as far as possible. However, don’t get me wrong, sometimes a big drive is the right play. Just don’t force it. In golf, there are no rules on what club you have to use for any shot. Go with the one you’re most confident with–always.

TRUST YOUR DECISIONS

Once you decide your course of action, trust it! The worst thing you can do to a good swing before it happens is to fill your mind with doubt, tension and lack of assertiveness.

Once you pick your target and the club you’re going to use, put your golf bag out of your peripheral view. The club in your hand is the only club you have at this moment, and you must trust your ability to produce good results with it. Remember, you chose this club for a reason, so stick with the plan and commit to it!

What's going on in my head at this point? Not much! I have a picture of the shot I want to hit and all I'm concentrating on is getting to a full finish. I've already committed to my swing shape and targetline, and I've made my club selection. No need to steer the ball, just let it go, trust my decisions, and swing! — What’s going on in my head at this point? Not much! I have a picture of the shot I want to hit and all I’m concentrating on is getting to a full finish. I’ve already committed to my swing shape and targetline, and I’ve made my club selection. No need to steer the ball, just let it go, trust my decisions, and swing!

When you start second-guessing yourself, you’re not only going to limit your mental toughness, your mind will start wreaking havoc on your body’s ability to swing freely.

From the top of your golf swing, try not to get fixated on getting the clubhead back to the ball. If anything, ignore it and allow the club to vertically drop behind you as you begin the downswing. If you do that, you should look like this.

f you're fixated on the clubhead at the top of your swing, you'll likely swing from over the top as you see here, which, by the way, rarely produces good results! — f you’re fixated on the clubhead at the top of your swing, you’ll likely swing from over the top as you see here, which, by the way, rarely produces good results!

VERTICAL DROP

One position i see with virtually all tour players is this one. No matter how they take the club back on the backswing, I’d bet anyone five bucks they look as I do in the upper-left photo about one-quarter of the way into the downswing. Tour players instinctively allow the club to drop behind them as they initiate the downswing. The upper-right photo is the classic over-the-top move. Here, the upper body and lower body are overrotating, forcing the clubhead away from the body. When you’re too preoccupied with moving the clubhead down at the top of the swing, this is what likely happens. Instead, let the club drop vertically at the start of the downswing!

BREATHE!

Nothing replaces solid mechanics when it comes to hitting the ball a long way. But you still need to be in the correct state to allow for the swing mechanics to flow just right. Tight muscles are slow muscles, and most golfers try to increase swingspeed by tensing up, not by getting their muscles relaxed to be able to generate more clubhead speed. Hey, we’re all guilty of approaching a big drive like a wrestler and flexing our muscles, gripping the club tighter and so on. But, in reality, getting your muscles too involved actually can slow your swing down, not speed it up. You have to stay relaxed and supple!

A great way to do that is to take a slow, deep breath before every shot. This will reduce muscle tension, not to mention help calm your mind when you start getting nervous or tense over a shot. Deep breathing increases your oxygen flow to the brain and to the muscles, signaling them that it’s okay to relax.

Come time to execute a shot, take one last deep breath, then let it go and make a golf swing. Do this not just before you hit a drive, but any shot (or putt!) you face on the golf course. Tour players use deep breaths a lot–watch for them on the next TV broadcast, and pay attention to their preshot routines. A deep breath is employed by dozens of the best players in the world.

COMPRESS DON’T CONTORT!

The golf swing shouldn’t hurt. If it did, Tour players wouldn’t last very long. Take, for instance, how the body works through impact. The last thing you should do, especially with an iron, is attempt to square the clubface with your shoulders. Through the hitting area, Tour players use their forearms to square the clubface, with the back of the left hand rotating the clubface toward the target at impact. Using your forearms instead of your shoulders to square the face allows your head to remain stable and your eyes to see the clubface hit the ball. When you try and use the shoulders to square the face, you not only lose power and control, you end up placing a lot of stress on the back, shoulders and arms, which could lead to some injuries over time.

At impact, because I'm allowing my forearms to control the rotation of the clubface, I actually can see the ball leave the face at impact. — At impact, because I’m allowing my forearms to control the rotation of the clubface, I actually can see the ball leave the face at impact.

When you contort and attempt to square the clubface with your shoulders, you’ll have a hard time producing good results.

The key is to trust that the clubhead will lift the ball on its own, and the forearms are what square the clubface, not the shoulders.

EVERY SHOT IS A TROUBLE SHOT

We’ve all done it. You hit a bad shot, only to face another from under a tree that requires you to thread the needle, so to speak, and hit a miraculous shot. Better yet, many of us pull that shot off more than we expect.

Why do most play trouble shots so well? I think it’s because when faced with trouble like this, our focus sharpens considerably. The options for the shot are minimal and we’re very limited on what type of shots we can hit and still produce good results. The trouble you may have with tree limbs, bunkers and rough makes creating a clear picture very easy in our minds. Golfers need to take this same level of visualization to regular shots from the fairway. Some golfers get lazy and just go through the motions and hit poor shots when they should learn to visualize a more limited set of options and focus more on hitting specific types of shots.

Try that the next time you play, and envision every shot you play as a trouble shot. You’ll sharpen your focus considerably.

HIGH HANDS DON’T WORK

At impact, there isn’t much you can change, but there are some things you can do to help get yourself into a better impact position. A person’s hand position at impact, how high or low they are, will directly correlate to their ability to hit the center of the clubface. The higher the hands, the more off-center their impact point. The closer the hands return to the original plane of the shaft, the more centered your contact will be on the clubface. Notice in the “Yes!” photo how my hands are relatively the same at impact as they were at address. That’s what you want!

If you start your round expecting to never hit a bad shot, I have news for you, you’re going to be very disappointed. Bad shots and unlucky breaks are going to happen, sometimes more often than you expect. Be ready for them when they come, allow yourself to vent, but move on and forget about them. You have more golf left to play.

STAY IN THE NOW

I don’t wish for Tour Players to make mistakes, but I’m sure paying attention to when they hit a poor shot. Last December, Zach Johnson did the unimaginable; he shanked an iron into the water on the final hole of the Tiger Woods World Challenge. It was his second shot on the par-4, hitting the ball well right and into the water in front of the green. Now, the average player would panic and only think about not doing that shot again.

Johnson, on the other hand, refocused on what he wanted and hit a fantastic approach shot that skipped about a foot past the hole and rolled back in. The ability to bounce back from poor shots is a skill and requires golfers to focus on what they want their next shot to do, not be distracted by what could go wrong.

DON’T SWAY—SWING + TURN

Tour players limit as much movement as they can when hitting shots around the greens. Last I checked, I’ve never seen a player sway, slide or drift away from the ball, yet so often I see students of mine make slow, mini-golf swings instead of firm, crisp chip swings.

Set up with a totally different stance–feet open, heels close together–and make a swing more with the rotation of your core than with a sway or slide of the legs, body and arms. The hands should be fairly docile, the wrists should stay quiet. Any excess motion will make it difficult to hit consistent shots. And when it comes to chipping, controlling your ballflight and distance is the most important variable. You must know what swing length will produce what type of shot, and if you slide, sway or move too far off the golf ball, you’ll lose all sense of consistency, and controlling your distance will be darn near impossible.

Always hit your pitch and chip shots with two targets in mind. Why? Because around the green is where the golf course has the most undulations and slopes. Most fairways are generally flat, but around the green, if you're paying attention, you'll miss out on some critical breaks that can greatly affect how your ball rolls once it hits the ground. — Always hit your pitch and chip shots with two targets in mind. Why? Because around the green is where the golf course has the most undulations and slopes. Most fairways are generally flat, but around the green, if you’re paying attention, you’ll miss out on some critical breaks that can greatly affect how your ball rolls once it hits the ground.

HIT YOUR MARKS

When it comes to pitch shots, the average player is often thinking about “getting it close” with no true plan to achieve that goal. Pitch shots definitely require proper technique; however, being clear about the shot before you execute it is crucial.

There are two targets on a pitch shot: the end goal, which is the hole; and the intermediate target, where you plan on landing the ball, which then will get you to the hole. Most golfers skip Target #2 and just hope to get it close. Having a clear intermediate target will help you clarify the trajectory you plan on hitting the shot and any break the ball may take on the green. Visualizing a clear picture of a successful shot will help your confidence and commitment, giving you a better opportunity to get up and down.

USE YOUR PUTTER GRIP, NOT A FULL-SWING GRIP

Putting is a different stroke altogether, and your grip should be different, too. I want you to move from a power mind-set to a finesse mind-set, and changing from a full-swing grip to a putting grip can help with that. I like a putting grip more in the palms, and the hands overlapping more, which stabilizes my wrists. But as Rick will tell you, there’s no one right way to do it. Just go with what feels best and keep the hands quiet through the stroke. The key, again, is to adopt a grip style that removes you from hitting the ball with power and instead helps you hone in on rolling the ball with finesse.

BE AN INDIVIDUAL

Throughout golf history, there have been many different putting styles that have had success on the professional tours. Putting requires both distance control and proper direction, and being confident with your style will lead to making more putts.

The simplified goal is to roll the ball with a square clubface with the proper amount of energy. Your clubface at impact is the most important element to proper direction. Your hands have the biggest effect on the clubface, so make sure you pick a grip that makes it easy to return the face to square at impact. Next, your distance control is affected by the length of your motion and the speed of your stroke. Some players prefer to let the arms move the putter back and forth, while other players feel the shoulders rock the putter. Your stroke will be affected by your posture, too. Some like to be tall over the ball, while others are more bent over.

The most important thing is to feel comfortable with your putting style so you can repeat the same stroke as often as possible. A repetitious stroke is a good stroke, even if you tend to push, cut or even pull your putts. If you repeat your stroke, you’ll know what to expect, and in the end, make more putts!

Rick Sessinghaus, PGA, is the founder of MZ Coach, an online mental game learning center for continuing mental game success. Visit mzcoach.com.

Zach Allen, PGA, is an award-winning instructor based at DeBell Golf Club in Burbank, California. Visit zachallengolf.com.