Category: Playing Tips

A Few Months Later: Stack and Tilt

Stack and Tilt: a fad or a little bit closer to a universal golf truth? We’d like your feedback.

Aaron BaddeleyThree simple words – Stack and Tilt – have done about as much to turn the world of golf instruction upside down as anything in recent memory.

It’s the move that led the U.S. Open through three rounds this year. It’s the move that’s led to the resurgence of the careers of a number of pros, including former Masters champ Mike Weir. It’s a move pros have been adopting in quantity, and a move amateurs have been adopting with sometimes remarkable success.

It’s also been a few months since the Golf Digest article first hit newsstands. I postulated that a lot of the early success amateurs were experiencing was simply a result of a temporary short-circuiting of their brain and that, eventually, the old swing flaws would return. Perhaps that was a bit short-sighted…

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Almost Everything I Know About Making Putts

I also know that 90% of putts left short don’t go in, but you probably already heard that one from Yogi Berra.

PuttingA member of our forum, after noticing that my putting stats are pretty good, asked me what tips I could offer to help others become a better putter. After thinking about it, I realized that being a “good putter” is more about the sum of the parts than any individual part. So, I wrote back to the forum member and said “I’ll write something up in the future and post it for all to see.”

This is the answer to that question. I can’t promise that this will help everyone become a great putter – though I believe great putters are made, not born – because this process is mine. Still, a piece or two can likely be adapted to fit anyone, and I encourage comments from others about the different things they do to make themselves good putters.

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My Tips To Better Putting

My keys to becoming a better putter.

puttingFor amateurs, putting makes up between half and one-third of all strokes on a golf course. If you can lower the amount of putts you take by only 10%, that’s a three- to four-shot improvement.

Yet visit any golf course, and you’ll likely not see many people practicing their putting despite the obvious importance.

I used to neglect putting, but I’ve since served penance to the golf gods and am starting to get the ball to the hole a lot better than I used to. To me, putting boils down to a few basic ideas: stroke, aim, and confidence. You can make huge steps towards dropping strokes off your scorecard by practicing these three things. Read on to see how I’m doing it.

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Instruction by the Dashboard Light

Mac OS X users, we shed some light on a Dashboard Widget can help you score better.

Golf Tips WidgetGolfers who use Macintosh computers, rejoice! There’s a way to make your computer even golfier. The new Mac OS is code-named Tiger (which is pretty golfy all by itself, no?), and it has a cool feature called Dashboard. When you activate Dashboard, a serious of little web-enabled programs called Widgets pops up. There are plenty of Widgets you can install, from eBay auction trackers to local weather reports. Your golf fix is taken care of by the new Golf Tips Widget. It provides a new golf tip each day, courtesy of Golf magazine. If you’re using a Mac with Tiger installed (and if you’re not, you really should be), you can download the Golf Tips Widget here or here.

A Putting Drill for Increased Pressure

The around the world drill is great for improving your putting under pressure, but increasing the distance after each putt will build pressure faster.

putting_drill_2.jpgIt’s often suggested that a great drill to improve one’s putting is to roll in as many consecutive putts from several “stations” in a circle around a hole as possible. There are variations, but the theme is the same, miss one and you start over from the beginning. Not only are you improving your stroke (hopefully) but you are also simulating pressure as you get closer and closer to the end of the drill. It’s a good drill, but I’d like to suggest a slightly different one.

Find a level stretch of putting surface extending fifteen to twenty feet from the hole (with permission from the pro shop, you can take chalk string from a hardware store and mark the straight line). Next, place a ball three feet from the cup on the level line that you found and knock the putt in. Now, place the ball five feet from the cup and knock that putt in. Then seven feet, etc., continuing in this manner, getting further and further away from the hole until you miss, at which point you start over again from three feet. The object of the drill is to see how far away you can get from the cup, always attempting to beat your personal best.

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Sweep off the Pine Straw

Pine straw is an infuriating hazard, but if you play it like a fairway bunker shot, you’ll be out – easily!

Pine StrawHaving just experienced the wonder that is pine straw in North Carolina’s Pinehurst area, I come to you with a tip for hitting off of the stuff should your drives wander wayward.

First, bear in mind one thing: you can move and brush away any pine straw you like and ground your club. However, doing so is quite likely to cause your ball to move, and that’s a penalty. So, we recommend not doing either. Pine straw is incredibly interconnected, like pick-up stix, and moving a few strands will often have a surprising effect.

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Break 90 Without Changing Your Swing

Regularly in the 90’s? Lower your score without changing your swing.

It’s my fifth year playing golf and I’m ready for the season to begin. Currently, I have only one score in the 80s (an 84 at Dunwoodie Golf Course). Usually, I miss that “89” by a shot or two, scoring 90-92 regularly. I believe this is a mental block, so my goal, this season, is to score in the 80s every time.

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Complete your Backswing

Making a full shoulder turn is critical to both distance and accuracy.

From time to time, we all have a tendency to shorten our backswings. Your muscles may not be as loose as normal, you may be faced with a crucial shot and get over cautious, or you may think that shortening your swing will give you more control. Whatever the reason, not making a full shoulder turn can have some negative effects.

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Long Bunker Shot? Chip!

Instead of whaling away at a 40-yard bunker shot, try a far easier chip. You’ll eliminate the home run and get close to the pin, safely.

The 30- to 40-yard bunker shot is one of the most dreadful in golf. Hit fat and you’re facing a long putt or perhaps another bunker shot. Hit it thin and you’re 50 yards past the pin in goodness knows what kind of lie. Long bunker shots require a full, powerful swing and the room for error is small.

Instead of risking a fat plopper or a thin home run, try chipping instead. We’ve talked about chipping from wet sand before, and the long chip is not very different.

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