The Sand Trap .com

Many people suffer from a reverse pivot or a poor weight shift. There’s one simple drill that will help you “get through” the ball with your weight on your left side.

This drill is borrowed from baseball. Start with your feet together and then swing the club to the top. As you start your downswing, step toward the target with your front foot just as you would to hit a baseball.

Starting with your feet together will ensure that you get your weight onto your front side as you swing through the ball. This drill is also very good to get the feel of the swing starting at the bottom and stop those golfers that cast their hands to start a golf swing. Try this drill without a ball first or until you have mastered the stepping motion with good balance.

Golf Digest recently published a “Guide to Caveman Golf” for those people incapable – or unwilling – to overcome their “smash it and then go look for it” tendencies. If you are able to overcome your tendencies, you may score better as a result. We don’t advocate hitting nothing but your 3W off the tee, but do try to ask yourself a few questions:

• If you hit a 3W from this tee, do you still have a 7I or less into the green?
• If you hit to the fat part of the green instead of going at the flag just over that water hazard, can you lag and tap in for par?
• Do you need to make this putt, or would lagging one up there be sufficient?
• What’s more important: being closer to the pin or hitting the highest lofted club you might be able to get to the hole?
• If you go at this par five in two and miss the green, will you be in better or the same shape as you’d be if you safely lay up?
• Would you rather play your next shot from the trees again or from the fairway?

I think you get the point. Golf is a game of risk vs. reward. Being realistic about the risks – and the reward – is the key to playing smart golf.

Need to work on short putts? Putt to a dime. The smaller target will force you to concentrate. Once you get good at that, putt at the edges of the dime. If you can roll it over FDR, you can roll it into the hole.

If you’re looking for information about the dime, well, by all means drop by the Wikipedia.

Lots of people hit the ball thin. Whether they’re afraid to hit the ground or take a divot or simply trying to swing too hard, hitting the ball thin is still an unwanted problem. One way to avoid hitting thin shots (they sure sting sometimes, don’t they?) is to get into the habit of feeling your right shoulder on your chin before you look up for the ball. Let your shoulder bring your head up, and you’ll avoid “coming out of the shot” and hitting it thin. Great baseball hitters say they can see the ball hitting their bats – there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try to see your clubhead meeting the ball as well.