Golfing News & Blog Articles

Tiger Woods was one of the best putters and that’s one reason why he won so many tournaments. Justin Thomas, one of Tiger’s close friends, said that Tiger’s favorite putting tip was to “Putt the Picture”. We should all understand what Tiger meant and apply it to our games.

Before you play any course, you need to feel the speed of the greens by hitting practice putts. The practice green should be cut and rolled so that it gives you the same feel and speed as every green on the course.

There are 4 stages for each of Tiger’s putts. You will never be as successful as Tiger without applying each one.
1/ Review the Changing Slope of the Green: You will never appreciate the break for any putt unless you have a feel for the amount of slope along the path for your putt. Walking around the line of your putt to view the subtle breaks on the green is the only way feel the motion of the putt. Make sure that you determine the low point below your putting line to see where your putt would fall directly downhill so that you can decide on the amount of break expected for your putt as it slows down along your putting line.
2/ Putt the Picture: From your feel for the breaks on the green, you should now visualize the starting line for your putt and the curving line that your putt will take to reach and pass the hole by about 12 to 18 inches. [Imperfections near the hole cause the most deflections for your putt as it slows down at the end of it’s roll.]
3/ Square your Body and Your Putter Face: Knowing your starting line, you should be able to square your feet and shoulders and putter face on that line.
4/ Putt Up Your Starting Line: Because you have practiced swing your putter directly up your target line, you should have no problem rocking your shoulders back and impacting your ball squarely on the center of your putter face.

Most putts are missed because golfers forget to account for the extra curl as your ball slows down and rolls to a stop. If your putt is across-the-hill or up-hill, hit firm enough to pass the hole and avoid deflections by imperfections. Down-hill putts are the most difficult as you have no choice but to let the ball die into the hole.

Always putt with your large muscles by rocking your shoulders. Practice putting with a flat leading wrist, using your GOLFSTR+, as your wrists should not break when you rock your arms with your shoulders. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought For the Day: It’s amazing how a golfer who never helps with house or yard work but will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.

Golfers love to play this game, but they also love to watch golf on TV to find nuggets of knowledge that they hope will improve their game.  The PGA Championship was fun to watch and gave a few great ideas for those sitting on the sidelines.

Every Round has it Ups and Downs

The PGA Championship was a real wake-up for golfers.  Don’t get frustrated when you play a great round of golf followed by a poor round of golf.  It may be caused by the wind or the phase of the moon, but your luck seems to change day to day.  Inconsistency for the pros seems to be the same as we experience as recreational players.  If you watched all 4 days of the PGA Championship you can appreciate the UPS and DOWNS experienced by McIlroy, Zalatoris (so close), Bubba Watson (fun while it lasted), Rahm (#1 was out of it), Spieth (hot and cold), Fowler (getting hotter), Pereira (double bogie on the 18th) and Justin Thomas (winning the Playoff from 7 back).

Rory Practicing Shots to Take Off Back-SPIN

When you are making an approach shot to a green with a steep slope off the front, you CAN’T afford to hit shots with a lot of back-spin, especially at Southern Hills where many greens are setup with a drop-off on all sides.  On the practice range they highlighted Rory practicing by choking down about 4 inches on clubs and hitting balls back in his stance to eliminate backspin.    

I developed GOLFSTR+ to help me remember to keep my leading arm straight in my backswing. If you bend your arm in the backswing it will always be difficult to consistently swing down to the ball with the exact same arm length. A bent leading arm causes topped balls or fat hits or hits off the toe of your club.

You will never see Tiger Woods swing with a bent leading arm because he still has the flexibility for a full rotation with a straight leading arm in his backswing. He, like every other professional golfer, knows that his leading arm is HIS YARD STICK to his golf ball. He has a straight leading arm in his setup and again at impact and that gives him a consistent impact with the ball.

Driving distance champions have longer backswing but hit a low percentage on the fairway. Accuracy with a limited backswing must be a critical solution for your game.

Aging Bodies Lose Flexibility
What are aging bodies supposed to do when they can’t create a backswing like Tiger and all of the other pros. Bending your elbow will often result in a swing over the top causing a sliced shot or hits off the toe of your club. If you eliminate the top of your bent arm backswing, you can also eliminate premature casting at the top.

3 Solutions to Keep Your Leading Arm Straight.
1/ Lift your leading heel slightly to allow for more rotation of your hips without shifting your body back. Jack Nicklaus and many other pros did this. Why can’t you?
2/ LIMIT YOUR BACKSWING to the point where your leading arm is NOT BENT and your FLAT LEADING WRIST is cocked for lag. Your power comes from the weight transfer to your leading hip but even more important the release of your wrist lag at the bottom of your swing.
NOTE: Even the pros normally complete a backswing with their leading straight arm just above horizontal when hitting irons. YOU DON’T NEED A JOHN DALY BACKSWING for you irons or your driver.
3/ Train your mind to limit your backswing using GOLFSTR+. Wear it while you play 18 holes to train your mind to limit your swing. [Unfortunately, it’s not legal to wear during a competition.]

Golf is NOT a “no brainer”. You can’t afford to setup and execute each shot without a mental plan and image. I have read blogs where the writer suggests that you should just choose your target and then swing without any mental preparation. Believe me, I have tried it and nothing could be worse. Every swing is unique for every condition that you face (wind, stance, ball location and the mental impact of your last shot).

Reading a recent issue of GOLF Digest, I was amazed at the detail that Collin Morikawa puts into every shot. I just wanted to share the thoughts that he quoted:
PLAN A: “When it’s critical to hit the fairway, I go with a little cut shape off the tee. My typical miss is to over cut the ball. It happens when my arms get disconnected from my body on the backswing [where his trailing elbow is almost touching his side at the top]. To make sure a cut doesn’t become a slice, I treat my arms and torso as one unit as I start back. Try it. You’ll feel like your backswing is abbreviated, yet fully wound.”

PLAN B: “When I want to reach back for a few extra yards, I tee the ball higher and make a bigger turn, which makes my swing longer. I’ll some-times put my right hand on my right hip and mimic a backswing to rehearse this longer drive. I want to feel my right leg straightening and my right shoulder moving back and around my body [where his trailing elbow separates from his side]. If I copy that when I swing, I can really turn it loose.” [End of Collin’s quote.]

Collin has a mental plan for each shot. And you should have one too. I try to follow his plan A to keep my trailing elbow close to my body to force my backswing rotation. I have to avoid his plan B (for extra yards as that is where I get into trouble with wild slices).

Collin Morikawa really does have flexibility to rotate and keep his leading arm straight throughout his swing. Stay tuned for next week’s blog when I describe a great solution for the backswing for less flexible golfers. Keeping your leading arm straight is critical for consistent golf so you should be practicing with GOLFSTR+. It also gives you 5 more golf swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Great golfers like Freddie Couples generate more power by swinging with a “lazy wrist”. As a matter of fact, you may not see the lazy motion in the takeaway, but powerful golfers lead their downswing with the butt end of their golf club. By adding lag and rhythm at the top of their swing, they automatically adds more power. Danny Maude’s recent blog reminded me about this secret power builder.

If you are a rigid armed, fast swinging golfer, you will be surprised at how well you can swing if you loosen up. That’s right, put some rhythm in your swing and let your wrists do the work.
I mentioned Freddie Couples as one of the few golfers who has a swing where you can see him start his downswing with the butt end of his club while the head of his driver or iron still seems to be adding wrist lag at the top of his backswing. He is not rushing his swing, but his motion is the opposite to casting.

Casting at the top of your swing is where you lose most of your power. The only way you can add head speed is to “release” as the bottom of your swing to increase head speed and generate more distance during impact.

Danny Maude recently illustrated what I call “Lazy Wrist Action” by using a weak wrist takeaway like a waggle where your hands are moving the way you would waggle (in the opposite direction of the head of your club). As his hands approach the top of his swing, he lets the club head catch up and pass the wrists to add lag at the top of the swing as he pulls down on the butt end of his club and starts his forward hip press and rotation. Try to do this as you exaggerate the lag at the top and feel your wrists pulling the butt end of your club down.

Practice by waggling your club to get the feeling of leading your takeaway with your wrists (but you won’t actually do this for your swing). Then swing to the top and let the club add lag with your “lazy” wrists as you pull down with the butt of your club. Learn the feeling of letting your loose wrists create lag as you start your downswing.

Every golfer has the strength to putt and sink putts. The best putters read the break and match the right swing weight directly up their target line to sink every putt. Easier said than done. Even Cameron Smith can’t sink every putt but he does give himself an excellent chance by setting up correctly and swinging with the right swing to start his ball rolling OVER and DIRECTLY UP HIS TARGET LINE. So why do YIPS creep into YOUR putting stroke?

I recently read the benefits of the EyeLine Putting Alignment Mirror. Unfortunately, it can’t tell you the 3 most critical features to make putts: (1) How to read the break: (2) The amount of swing required to reach the hole and (3) How to avoid the YIPS. You need to start by practicing on a variety of greens with different roll speeds to build confidence. Great putters learn to feel the right swing speed to manage the break and power the putt with a confident swing into the hole. To do this you need to swing with your shoulders AND avoid the YIPS.

A Putting Mirror is an aid to help you setup:
1/ Square up your feet and your shoulders with your target line.
2/ Your eyes should lineup directly over the target line or slightly inside of that line.
3/ Your head should not sway with your putter backswing or follow-through.

What You Can’t Learn from a Putting Mirror:
A/ Learn to swing by rocking your shoulders TO AVOID THE YIPS (using the LARGE MUSCLES IN YOUR SHOULDERS and not the small muscles in your wrists).
B/ Your putter must swing directly back (like a pendulum) and directly up your target line BY ONLY ROCKING YOUR SHOULDERS.
C/ Make a long enough putting practice swing WITH YOUR SHOULDERS to feel the power required to reach and pass the hole by 12 to 18 inches (to avoid a deflection from green imperfections as your putt slows down near the hole).

Avoid the YIPS and shaking hands by locking your leading wrist flat and lining-up your leading forearm with the shaft of your putter. Only use your shoulders to swing your putter like a pendulum up your target line. GOLFSTR+ helps you practice by locking your leading wrist to eliminate the YIPS. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Aging Golfers tend to slow down their swing and that can lead to more missed shots. (1) A slower wrist release for your heavier driver tends to create more shots that fade or slice. (2) Your irons are lighter, but your hip release gets out of sync with your swing and that results in more topped balls or miss-hits. If you are experiencing these two problems, I have some wonderful news for you.

Realizing what my aging body was slowing down, with a driver swing speed at about 80 mph, I decided to experiment by setting up for my driver and my irons to compensate for my slower swing. Yes, I decided to “Cheat” my swing so that I am now saving about 10 strokes per round. My golfing buddies are amazed at my game. Last week while playing in the Men’s Golf Association, I won the top prize money at $211 by winning my flight in Best of 2 Ball, a Closest to the Hole on a Par 3 and 2 Skins.

Of course, I am calling my new swing setup “Cheating” but I am really setting up with a slight modification to compensate for my AGING LAZY BODY. It’s not really cheating but I wanted to get your attention with this blog.

“Cheating” Setup for your Driver
I am definitely losing power in my arms and wrists, so I tend to hit more fades or when I try to swing faster I get more slices than distance. I know that I am getting more distance when I shallow my down swing at the top (with my flat wrist) but that is only making my fade or slice even worse. My solution is to setup with an open stance, with my leading foot back a few inches from my target line. [My swing from the inside to out is like throwing an underhand softball pitch with the wrist releasing close to my hip.]

Surprisingly, after my first 6 to 9 holes when my body is really loosened up, I minimize my open stance for my drive to avoid pulling my drives. Our bodies tend to loosen up as we play so it is up to you to sort out how much of an open stance your need for your drives as your game progresses.

Are you one of those golfers who occasionally yips your chips? You know those short chips near the green when you want to reach the putting surface and roll out to the hole. How often do you blade your chips across the green or bouncing your club into the ground before you brush you ball with a weak result? Imagine the strokes you could save if you could make every chip count.

I am one of those golfers who tends to miss-hit my chips when the pressure is on to lift my ball out of deep rough with a very short run-out to the hole. Of course, I also stub those easy chips from a tight lie about 20 yards from the green. I have purchased a few special chipping clubs that promise success but the weight of these heavier clubs have a different feel than my set of clubs, so my swing cadence is inconsistent and my results were poor.

Opportunity!
I found the perfect solution where I can use my existing clubs as well as the different lofts of each of my clubs. Danny Maude teaches the proper swing for chipping (the way Scottie Scheffler or any other pro chips), but he also provides this much simpler chipping method with a putting stroke. What could be easier to use for recreational golfers?

Learn to Make a Putting-Chip: By gripping down on any of your irons and standing with your eyes almost directly over your ball you can chip your ball from any lie to clear 1 to 20 feet of rough and settle on the putting surface.

1/ For shorter chips with shorter run-outs, use your highest lofted wedge and for longer chips with longer run-outs you can select a lower lofted club like a 6 iron or an 8 iron.
2/ Setup with a normal putting stance with your feet close together but your hands will be placed on the lower end of your grip so that your shaft is almost pointing vertically from your face down to the ball.
3/ The toe of your club will be pointing on an angle down to your ball [Sorry about the image above as the grass is hiding the toe pointing down] as you will be swinging as you would with a putter (with a flat leading wrist) to lift your ball with the TOE of your club. Use a limited backswing to chip your ball and let it run-out 1 to 35 feet across the green.
4/ You will have to experiment with different amounts of backswing and follow-through with each of your lofted clubs to sort out what works best for the air time and roll-out that you want to execute.

We all play this wonderful game to improve our golfing skills so that someday we may even break par. I’m sure that every golfer would like to achieve the same goal as we are all searching for that special combination that will help us get there. Last week I played a great round of golf and shot 1 over par on my back nine. My only thought was: “How did I do that and can I bottle that special feeling for all of my future games.”

My first 9 holes were mediocre at best with only 2 pars and no 7’s. So I started wondering why my game clicked into near perfection on the back 9?

-My drives were consistently going up the center of the fairway and always over 200 yards (and into 25 MPH winds).
-Approach shots were on target as my impact was with weight on my front foot and I finished in balance. (Only 1 approach shot went over a green.)
-I missed only 3 Greens In Regulation (GIR) where I chipped up to the hole for a 1 putt or hit out of a sand trap for a 1 putt SANDY. I could do no wrong.
-I missed one nervous putt for a 3-putt hole where I was not committed to the break.
Overall, my putting was excellent where I sank most of my putts under 6 feet

I could do no wrong. So why was I creating so much success? Could it be:
-I was playing with 2 single handicap golfers who inspired my game?
-I ignored the fact that I was playing on a par streak and ignored my score?
-I focused on the right club selection and the full swing that I needed to execute my shot?
-I made a clean practice swing and duplicated that swing for each shot?

I was calm and relaxed so the only thing that I can attribute my success to was my CONFIDENCE to execute each shots and my SKILL to select the right club and the right target line. In my case my SKILL must be more luck when I am hitting on a windy day and landing on a reasonable lie. My next round was 2 strokes higher, but I know that I am on the right track.

If you want to improve your scores, stop trying to swing with speeds like the professionals. It takes a lot more effort than trying to swing faster. Crazy long-distance drives are not paying off when you play the game of golf.

Bryson DeChambeau proved to all of us that if you add muscle mass and work out to add acceleration power, you can increase the distance of your drives. But with all of his effort he is still hitting much shorter drives than the world record holders for distance. Those record holders are only landing a small percentage of their drives in-bounds. Trying to hit extreme distance with your driver is a crazy strategy, especially for most recreational golfers.

GOLF Magazine issued an interesting summary of the driving distance for male and female recreational golfers. Knowing these distances should help you contain your efforts to hit longer drives. The average professionals are driving 300 yards but the longer they drive the further they also hit off the fairway.

Get Realistic with Your Driving Distance
Recreational golfers should be choosing tees which are appropriate for they strength and age. The Professionals don’t have this option. You can improve your scores if you control your driving distance and land more drives in the fairway.

Average Yards Driven by Level of Handicap

Handicap:..

Cameron Smith may have set a record for 1 putt greens during 4 rounds of championship golf at The Players this year. His 42 single putt greens over the 72 holes played is an amazing record. On his final 9 holes he had 8, single putt greens. We should all try to learn from Cameron’s amazing putting technique.

Cameron uses a unique Scotty Cameron putter but you really don’t need that putter to make more putts. Every putter in the world can sink every putt. Golfers only needs to choose the correct amount of swing, on the correct target line and impact on the center of your balanced putter face to impart a straight putt with a forward roll (minimizing any bounce).

Cameron takes a careful read of the slope and distance by walking around his putting line and looking from above and below the hole. He does not use a consistent process where he uses a line on his ball to line up his shot. But he often just uses the Titlist logo to line up the direction that he wants to hit.
1/ He chooses a target point that he wants to hit on his putting line so that the ball will break and run down to the hole.
2/ He takes a few practice swings to feel the swing required to reach and pass the hole.
3/ He move forward to his ball and looks from his ball to his target point 1, 2 or 3 times.
4/ He takes a final long stare at the distance to the hole and this is where the MAGIC STARTS: In one continuous sequence, his eyes trace the line from the hole up to his target point and then back to his ball where his SHOULDERS swing his putter back and through his ball EXACTLY ALONG HIS TARGET LINE.

During the back-swing and forward-swing with his putter, his head and eyes stay focused on his ball. He holds the focus of his eyes directly on the point where his ball is resting for a fraction of a second after the putter impact is completed. He must visualize swinging his putter directly up his target line.

Most golfers focus on their ball for many seconds before they swing. Cameron is not making that pause. He transfers his eye line to his putter back-swing line in one continuous motion without watching his putter back-swing. You can practice this motion with GOLFSTR+. It will lock your leading wrist flat so that all of your putting power comes from the rocking of your shoulders without any wrist action. Avoiding movement in the small muscles of your hands eliminates any tremor or shaking action as you putter makes it pendulum swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Have you ever wondered why your game has its ups and downs? Occasionally you play brilliant rounds of golf but more often than not, your score is well above your handicap. Why is it that you never know who is showing up to play super golfer or loser golfer? A few years ago, I started to pay attention to my sugar intake on the course when a PGA caddy mentioned in an interview that the pros are extremely careful about their fluid and sugar intake during a round of golf.

Recently I noticed that I have been scoring well in spurts followed by dry spells. That woke me up to pay attention to my fluid and sugar intake. When I realized that my game dropped off after eating an energy bar, I started paying attention to the eating and drinking habits of my playing partners. This was not a very scientific approach, but I did notice that anyone who ate an energy or protein bar immediately suffered a change in their game for the worse.

We all need a reasonable level of energy to play a round of golf. Unfortunately when your body is hit with an overload of sugar it must be adding a jolt your energy. You become invincible and tend to swing faster. Big mistake. Playing with 80% power is ideal. An overload of power just kills your swing. When your swing brakes down so does your game and and that crushes your mental attitude.

In summary, a sugar boost will overload your power causing mishits and resulting in a reaction to play more aggressively. Unfortunately your game will go down the drain.

Action Plan to Level your Energy while Golfing
1/ If you are going to eat an energy or chocolate bar just do it in moderation. Eat it slowly over a number of holes. Savor it and minimize your energy output.
2/ 1 beer may relax your swing but don’t get carried away. You know what multiple beers will do to your game and that will be the same result when you load up on sweats and energy bars.
3/ Plan on taking fruit or Gatorade to add electrolytes and energy in moderation.
4/ Stay hydrated with water as playing golf without water will zap your energy.
5/ Don’t get too excited when you birdie a hole as that boost in adrenaline will also destroy your mental balance. The success or lack of success on you next drive will tell you how wired you are.

Every golfer is faced with this decision in every round of golf. Knowing the correct direction your putts will break could save 1 or 2 strokes, especially for DOWN-HILL PUTTS. This problem occurs when you can see your downhill putt but you can’t determine which way your soft, 3 to 6 foot putt will break. Plumb-Bobbing is a great solution for all putts (down-hill, side-hill or up-hill) when the break is so minor that you need some help to read it. BUT DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME PLUMB-BOBBING IF YOU CAN SEE AN OBVIOUS BREAK.

SOLUTION: Using your putter as a Plumb-Bob, you can determine the correct break but it won’t tell you the actual amount of break which is based on the speed of your putt. FIRST: You need to build confidence in Plumb-Bobbing by practicing with your “CALIBRATED” putter and SECOND: You need to practice a variety of down-hill putts to estimate the AMOUNT OF brake that you can expect.

Plumb-Bobbing Only Works For These Conditions
1/ Consistent Slope of the Green: It only tells you the break of the green exactly on the ground where your feet are standing. So it will only be useful if you can see that the green extending from your feet, past the hole and up to your ball are all on the same plane [as a double break is impossible to read from one point when Plumb-Bobbing].
2/ Using a Calibrated Putter: You need to line up one side of the shaft of your putter with a door frame and rotate the putter until a known side of the shaft lines up exactly with the door frame. Your putter shaft is tapered so the correct side of your putter shaft makes a difference [ie for my calibrated putter, I close one eye to line up the (1) left side of my putter shaft when the (2) face of my putter is pointing directly at my target line. [Every putter will line up with a door frame differently as the putter head for every putter has a different weight.]
3/ Stand Above or Below the Hole with your ball Beyond the Hole: Your ball will break the most as it slows down near the hole. Your Plumb-Bob reading is ONLY measuring the slope on the green where your feet are planted (because you are only measuring the angle that GRAVITY applies to your putter exactly where you are standing).

How to Plumb-Bob
A/ Stand about 4 to 6 feet away from the hole and line the hole up with your ball (using one eye while closing the other eye).
B/ Now without changing standing position, hold your putter with 2 fingers in front of you and line up the calibrated side of the shaft and putter orientation with the center of the hole (using the same eye).
C/ If the upper end of your putter shaft lines up with the exact center of the hole and the center of your ball on the calibrated side of your putter shaft, then your putt should be a straight putt. If the handle end of your putter shaft lines up on the left or right side of the ball, then that side is the HIGH SIDE OF THE GREEN. Your ball will break from the high side back to the hole. So line you putt up on the high side of the slope.

You will build confidence in Plumb-Bobbing if you place 3 balls on a line across a slope above a hole (as in the image below). Plumb-Bob the break for all 3 balls and then putt those balls to prove to yourself that Plumb-Bobbing really works. Of course you also need to practice with a flat leading wrist to putt exactly on your target line. GOLFSTR+ is a perfect training aid to make straight putts. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

GOLFSTR+ is a training aid that has been available for many years to help golfers practice to improve 6 swing problems. There are now over 6,000 users of GOLFSTR+ and we plan to keep growing this number. We would like to thank the many users for their suggestions to promote and expand the applications where this training aid can be used.

Websites like Golf-Info-Guide by Thomas Golf have helped us promote GOLFSTR+ when blogging about exercises to rotate your straight leading arm to improve your backswing for a more powerful swing.
Right way to keep the left arm straight: https://golf-info-guide.com/video-golf-tips/the-right-way-to-keep-your-left-arm-straight-video/

Unfortunately, other companies have been stealing our graphics and removing our GOLFSTR logo to promote their products. There really is no other product which does what GOLFSTR+ does to help you correct 6 swing mistakes. Michael Breed, a former commentator on the Golf Channel, even called to say that “there is no other product that will give you 6 swing fixes and you can simply slide it in your pocket.”
If you see promotions using our graphics, please let us know. One of our early users tipped us off to a recent illegal use of our Octopus Golfer graphic on a Facebook and Instagram page which led to the removal and corrective action. We love to see others use our graphics as long as they help promote GOLFSTR+ as a unique brand provided by Innovation Unlimited Inc.

Thank you for your continued interest in GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Why Golf is Better than Sex #7: Foursomes are encouraged.

Have you ever wondered why you play a wonderful round of golf on one day and your next round is a disaster? Or how you birdie one hole and then double bogie the next? We all know that our mental outlook must share some of this blame, but have you considered the fact that slight changes in your grip, stance and ball position may be causing your problems.

Your best opportunity to hit with a longer shafted club for longer driving distance is from the tee box. The surface is perfectly flat so there are fewer variables to worry about. You want to hit your longest shot so your driver is the best solution as long as your driver is behaving properly on that day. Of course it’s not your driver’s fault if its misbehaving.

We all hit drives off a tee where the ball lifts off at the right angle and flies to an amazing distance directly up our target line while we pose in the perfect position wondering how we ever made such a perfect shot. For those perfect shots your grip and stance and ball position must have been in perfect harmony with your physical swing sequence which most likely is not exactly the way you see a professional golfer swing on TV. As a matter of fact every golfer (including the professionals) have their own characteristic swing to suit their physical strength and flexibility. Don’t be afraid to sort out the grip, stance and ball position for your body and mind.

Determine the Your Ideal Personal Setup for Each Type of Club
Sort out your best swing setup at the practice range and make note of them for each type of club. Changing either your grip, stance and ball position will also have an impact on each of the other parameters. Be ready to experiment to sort out the best combination for each type of club but don’t go too far from the norm.

Grip: The basic grip for your driver, woods, hybrids and irons is to grip with both hands so that the V between your thumb and first finger point up to your tailing shoulder. Test the impact of a stronger or weaker grip by shifting the V back or forward when gripping each type of club.
Stance: Normally you should stand with a balanced pressure on both feet with a rearward shoulder tilt for your driver and level shoulders for an iron. You may find that you are swinging your irons like a driver and often hit the ground before the ball. Test your iron swing by placing more pressure on your leading foot because that is the position you want at the point of impact. You should also test the effect of closing or opening your stance by moving your tailing foot off your target line.
Ball Position: For your driver you should be lining up your ball off the heel of you leading foot and moving the ball further back to the center of your stance as you increase the loft of the club. You should also narrow the gap between your feet when you use your wedges. You are not looking for power with your wedges, but you do want to impact the ball before the ground

You really need to take your BRAIN with you from the Practice Range to the First Tee. It’s easy to hone your swing for each type of club at the practice range. The lie is flat and your mind is calm and relaxed. Whether you know it or not, your anxiety and adrenaline are building at the 1st Tee (and every other tee). You need to manage your mental state and get on with your game.

In a recent blog, Hank Haney summarized his 1st Tee experience with Tiger Woods. As his trainer for a number of years, Hank was amazed to see Tiger’s absolute perfection at the range and then he would lose it on the First Tee. I was surprised to learn this but I do recall seeing Tiger in the rough off the first tee in many key tournaments. Fortunately for Tiger, he is a great scrambler and could get his game back on track.

Tiger has been one of the best golfers for years, so if he finds it difficult to make a perfect first tee drive, it means we all need a great solution to control our minds on the first hole. You need a consistent process to focus your mind on your swing and NOT on your success or failure.

Strategy to for Success on the First Tee
Humans can only think one thought at a time. So to eliminate external thoughts, you should SAY A PHRASE IN MY MIND using the rhythm of your back and forward swing. “FLATaaand Balance” are the KEY WORDS that I now use as swing reminders:

“FLAT” is my reminder to keep a straight leading arm and a flat wrist,
“aaand” gives me time to complete my hip and shoulder rotation while I cock my wrist for lag,
“Balance” The B in Balance starts my downswing to a balanced finish

It’s easy to put a chalk line down on a flat green and then putt along that line. But how do you take that smooth putting swing to the course and sink more putts? Unfortunately YOU CAN’T. That’s why I am so excited to report the I found a revolutionary way to sink more putts inside 6 feet. To be a good putter you need to have an eye for the break on the green so that you can choose your line and swing up that line. Choosing the line is up to you. This blog is only going to help you “unfreeze your body” to swing up that line.

Brad Faxton is well recognized for his amazing putting stats. He agrees with finding the right line and focusing on the perfect impact on the center of your putter face as you swing directly up your target line. His primary trick for success is to avoid freezing up during your putt routine.

I know that my putting takeaway swing is shaky. I can see my putter jumping as I swing it back and even by rocking my shoulders. My freeze-up must be occurring after I take my last look at my target line and pause to relax my shoulders and mind. I must be locking up my body and you may be doing the same thing.

Here is Brad’s 10 Second Swing Prep Solution
Choose your target line to account for the break and speed of your putt; make a few practice swings with the swing force needed to pass the hole and then step forward to make your putt. Brad’s technique is to keep his BODY IN MOTION. I couldn’t believe that this was a good idea as it really is the opposite to every thought that I know about calming my mind and body. He moves these 4 areas during the final 10 SECONDS before he makes his putt.
1/ Feet in Motion: Wiggle your toes and shifting your weight.
2/ Move Your Putter: Lift it and adjust it before you press your grip forward for the putt.
3/ Shift Your Grip: User your hands to add movement to your putter.
4/ Look up 2 times to visualize your line and distance.

I can see that many pros have adopted this technique but when I tried all of these actions, I lost my focus on my perfect swing up my target line. Fidgeting for 10 seconds was not ideal for me. My personal solution is to abbreviate Brad’s recommendations to avoid freezing up my body. After I line-up my putt and make 2 practice swings to pass the hole, I move up to the ball, take a final look at my target line while I make minor adjustments with my arms, hands and feet for the perfect setup and then (without pausing) I make my putt.

It’s fun to see the pros who are leading tournaments on TV, consistently hitting every shot close to their target. If they can do it, why can’t YOU make consistent shots when YOU golf with minimal pressure? On the other hand, if you are an average golfer, you may hit 60% to 90% of your shots with reasonable success. So why are you missing 10% to 40% of your shots?

Why Do We Miss-Hit SOME Shots?
During every round of golf, we try to duplicate our perfect swing for every club. Unfortunately, each swing must be CREATED for the club that we select; the slope of the ground that we are standing on; the weather conditions and for the target that we have selected. Those variables are all eliminated when you practice your skills on the DRIVING RANGE.

There is even less pressure to execute a shot with any club on the DRIVING RANGE. If you are miss-hitting shots on the driving range, you will definitely make more miss-hits during a round of golf where the conditions are constantly changing. What do we all need to do to perfect our swing on the driving range so that we can take those skills to the course?

1/ Identify the Weakness in Your Swing: I was watching a friend slice balls on the driving range and immediately noticed that his leading wrist was drastically cupped in his backswing. He was not aware of this fault and had a real difficulty in changing to a flat leading wrist. After many practice swings with a flat wrist on a shallow plane, he hit a perfect, straight shot on his first swing at the ball. Take lessons from a pro to identify the right way to make a golf swing with every club.
2/ Practice for Perfection: Don’t try to swing at 100% of your physical capability. Practice at 80% to control the direction and distance with every club. Make 5 (or more) perfect shots with 1 club and then change to another club. Build confidence in your swing and take it to the course.
3/ Understand Why You are Miss-Hitting: When you miss-hit shots on the range after hitting a series of perfect shots, sort out the reason. In most cases you will realize that you just tried to add more speed into your swing. A faster backswing will tend to minimize the time for your completed shoulder & waist rotation, your wrist lag and starting your weight shift to your leading foot at the top of your backswing. ALL 3 will reduce the power and distance in your shot.
4/ SOLUTION: Golf is a Mental Game: If your mind is focused on the perfect swing for a result that you have achieved in the past then why can’t you repeat the same hit every time???? Your problem is that your mind is drifting. The great golfers like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods place their mind in a focused trance. Jack visualized his shot and only feels 100% of that memory during his swing.

Learn the correct swing for your physical strength and flexibility to hit perfect shots with each type of club. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to control your arms and wrists for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.

Hitting Greens in Regulation (GIR) is by far the most important shot that you need on every hole, but it may not be the best strategy for YOUR GAME. Driving and Putting perfection are critical to be a good golfer but hitting more greens in regulation can cut 1 stroke on every hole. As a mid to high handicap player you may be far better off hitting to a safe location for an easy shot to the green near the hole.

To improve your GIR, golfers with a handicap over 10 should focus on improving the consistency of your approach shots and also use STRATEGIES TO ELIMINATE BLOW-UP HOLES. You can’t afford to play by the strategies used by the pros who can pretty well hit what they want to hit. STOP PLAYING IN THEIR WORLD.

Strategies to Score in the 70’s or 80’s
1/ Move Up to the Right Tee for Your Game: We all know that shorter irons are easier to control than your driving clubs and that’s exactly why you need more distance with your driver OR to drive from a tee that allows you to reach the green in regulation.
2/ Use Your Irons to Get back on the Fairway: If your drive land in the rough on a par 4 or 5, DON’T TRY FOR THE MIRACLE SHOT. Hitting out of the rough with a 3 wood, 5 wood or hybrid is not the easiest shot. Your irons are designed to be hit down and through the rough to dig out your ball. It is so much better to hit your 6 iron 100 to 150 yards out of the rough and up the fairway than topping your ball 10 yards further along the rough with the wrong club. TAKE YOUR MEDICINE.
3/ Hit Short of a Trap or Water Hazard Near the Green: When you know that you need the perfect shot to miss a hazard, just lay-up. Your short chipping and pitching irons are much easier to hit over a hazard and possibly stick one close for a 1 or 2 putt hole.
4/ Plan for Rollout and the Break on the Green: Whatever club you are using to target the green, consider the depth and slope on the green. If you know that you can’t hold the green, just lay-up on a safe side of the green and enjoy your chance to pitch your next shot for a 1 putt green.
5/ Record Your Greens Hit in Regulation: I mark my score card with a 1 in the upper left corner of each hole when I land my drive in the fairway (or on a green for par 3’s) and a 1 in the upper right corner for GIR’s. You will quickly learn that those 1’s will drive your your pars or birdies up. The pros typically hit 13 to 16 GIR’s per round. Challenge yourself to keep improving your GIR’s.

You will never improve your GIR’s if you don’t plan for draws, fades and straight shots. Reducing the bend in your leading arm and your wrists for every shot will help you hit straighter shots and get more GIR’s. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #93: Golf is like marriage: If you take yourself too seriously it won’t work, and both are expensive.

Golf is not a casual game that you can play without changing your swing thought for every type of club. The most dramatic change should be made when using your driver and your irons but every club requires attention. These swing thoughts can revolutionize your game.

Every golfer has different physical injuries, flexibility, and strength as well as clubs with different weights and shaft flexibility. I am recommending that you test all of your clubs at a practice facility using the recommendations below and then make slight adjusts for your stance, grip and ball position to accommodate your physical issues. Determine your ideal setup for each type of club.

There are some basics that never change for your setup and swing sequence:
–Your grip should be light and relaxed. Tense muscles used by Bryson DeChambeau will NOT improve most golfer’s games. Muscle tension only changes the consistency of your game. You may even have to adjust your stance and swing as your body and mind relax or tense over 18 holes of golf.
–Avoid swinging over the top by keeping your leading wrist flat to help you shallow the downswing for all of your fairway clubs (driver, woods, hybrids and irons).
–Your backswing should take at least double the time of your downswing to give you more time to coil your body and to add wrist lag. (Rushing your backswing limits your swing and power!) Hideki Matsuyama showed us that a slow backswing can create powerful results.

Each Type of Club Requires a Unique Swing:
Driver: Position your teed-up ball forward of the center of your stance so that the arc of your swing is RISING to launch your ball upward. To optimize your swing, tilt your spine to your trailing side for more power to launch your ball upward as you push forward with you trailing foot.

Fairway Woods and Hybrids: These clubs are designed to slide over the surface of the ground to avoid slowing down their impact speed at the launch angle of the face of the club. Impact should be at the bottom of your swing arc. You can’t afford to be swaying back on your trailing foot during impact. To optimize your impact, rotate your hips and shoulders around your straight spine over your ball and avoid swaying back during your backswing.