Category: Playing Tips

You’ve got a five-foot, downhill, right to left putt. You’ve got any number of lines depending on the speed. Do you nudge it out there, or power it through a little of the break? Sometimes, choosing the middle line and making a slightly more aggressive stroke while striking the ball slightly towards the toe of the putter (½” at the most) frees you to make a confident stroke. Hitting the ball towards the toe takes some speed off, letting the ball die into the hole, while at the same time pushing the ball just a tad higher to compensate for the lost speed.

Different putters react differently to mishit balls, so try this on the practice green before using it on the course.

Visualization is one of the keys to playing successful golf. Every good golfer visualizes the shot at one point, and most good golfers have a solid game plan before entering a round. When you’re driving to the course, what are you doing? Listening to music? Chatting on your cell phone?

Consider using the time to “play” a round of golf in your mind. Be realistic – if you hit a 230 yard slice off the tee, don’t imagine 290 yard draws. Imagine playing in the current weather conditions. Hit solid shots in your mind’s eye and make the putts. You can “play” eighteen holes in about five minutes this way, and you’ll be more prepared.

“90% of all putts left short don’t go in.” I’ve used that taunt a few times, even though it’s quite obvious that it’s just a gag. Every putt left short won’t go in, and Dave Pelz has taught us that the best speed for a putt is that which makes it stop 17 inches past the hole. Practice hitting your putts at a speed that puts the ball one to two feet behind the hole and you’ll make more putts, even if it’s simply because you don’t leave as many short.

Your ball is in the fringe or fairway near the green, but sitting in a slight depression. The sole of the club is wider than the hole, making it difficult to get down to the ball. You could chop down hard, but you’d have very little distance control. Instead, set the club up on the toe a bit and play the shot almost as you would a putt. The shot will come out lower than normal and you may have to swing a tad harder as energy will be lost by making contact so far out on the toe.

When you’re warming up before a round, and even when you’re just at the range beating balls and working on your swing, go through your pre-shot routine. Walk behind the ball, pick a target, take your practice swings… whatever you normally do on the course, do on the practice range. A pre-shot routine is one of the most under-rated aspects of good golf, and solidifying your pre-shot routine by practicing it – while practicing your swing – builds familiarity and confidence.

If you get the chance, play with some high school kids. They’re too young to know any better and old enough to be fairly competent. They’ll hit the impossible shot (and pull it off more than you’d guess). They’ll go after that testy downhill curler and ram it into the hole.

Scoring well means walking the line between reckless play and ultra-conservative play. If you’re veering too far towards the latter, a round with some high school kids will put you back on track. Best yet, you may be doing them a favor. Beat ’em and show them what they have to look forward to.

When you play by yourself, it’s difficult to remain focused. Stave off boredom, complacency, laziness, and sheer apathy by inventing games for yourself. Play one ball against the other. If you’re good enough, play a draw against a fade. Try to keep the ball within 10 yards of the cart path. Play the even holes with even-numbered clubs and the odd ones with the odd-numbered clubs. Make bets with yourself: you’ll clean out the den if you don’t break 45 on the back nine, for example: it’s win-win, regardless of your score (you play well or have a clean den).

When you execute a proper bunker shot, your club doesn’t even make contact with the ball. Take your mind off of the ball by hitting small plastic toys, a tee, a used cleat, a mowed half-ball, your keys, or anything else you can think of. It’s fun and it gets your mind off of hitting the ball: you want to slide the club through the sand.

When you get good, borrow your friend’s Rolex and hit that out of the bunker, too, landing it just in the fringe. You may want to wrap it in a plastic baggie to keep the sand off of it, but then again, it is your friend’s watch, not your own. 🙂

There are times out on the golf course when you find yourself “between clubs”; that is, at an awkward distance from the flag. You may find that you are slightly too far away for a full 8-iron, but slightly too close for a full 7-iron.

You should resist the temptation to hit the shorter club slightly harder. This will most likely result in an out-of-control swing, a poor ball strike, and ultimately a wayward shot. Another common mistake is to take the longer club and try to swing slower. This can cause an awkward, tentative swing, which increases the chances of catching the ball “fat” or “thin”.

Instead, opt for the longer club, but grip down the shaft about ½ inch to an inch, and take your normal swing. Gripping slightly further down effectively decreases the length of the shaft, which takes those extra 5 yards of your ball flight. Remember to maintain a positive strike, and resist the temptation to swing harder or softer than normal.