Changes you have made in your game that you have benefitted from most?

[Brakkus]

  Orange said:

Last round I played I enjoyed chipping much more. I wasn't scared like I was in previous rounds, I nearly eagled a Par 5 with a chip. I think I'm getting the hang of it now. :)

Being honest with you I used to dread the wedge and chipping,always enjoyed putting because it seemed like pool or snooker.Anyway I bought some airflow balls and practiced for months on the carpet at home.It transformed my wedge game and now I look forward to using them.

I can chip in the back garden too so now high scores are a thing of the past.Even just 6 months ago I could shoot 110 upwards.Now I'm in low 100's regular.Confidence has grown and I'm pretty sure now that I can join the sub 100 club for good.I have limited time to play so I focus 90% of my time around short irons,wedges,and the putter.

[marpr]

i took a 2 hr putting lesson from our local pga professional.

i went from a 6 to a 2.2 in 4 months.

we went from everything from stance, reading routine and grip.

it was my first putting lesson.

[PiKapp23]

I think the one change that has really benefitted me the most is finally learning to hit down on the ball (taking divot after the ball). For the last few years I have been pretty consistent scorewise, but as a longtime 'sweeper' of the ball when I was a little off or had non perfect lie I struggled with my irons, hitting lots of fat and thin shots. Last winter something just 'clicked' and I figured out how to correctly do it (somehow I figured this out on a simulator at Golf Galaxy while testing out new irons). Now I almost always make good contact with my irons and have been hitting more greens and closer to the pin.

A close second would be learning to control my chips and short pitches. I went from being a bad short game player a few years ago to now being recognized by my players partners as the best among our group and I now expect to get up and down a good percentage of the time.

[AmenCorner]

I would say short game as well, but lately I have neglected it and the results have been predictable...it's gotten worse.

As far as ball striking goes, getting my left wrist flat at impact seems to have helped a bunch. I was scooping (cupped left wrist) it before which causes all sorts of issues, not the least of which is loss of power and ridiculously high ball flight.

[lumpuckeroo]

Being a good chipper/pitcher of the ball and making everything inside 6 feet. Many years ago I got a putting mat, spent the entire winter, every night, making 10 6 foot putts in a row before quiting, that was one big step.

We also moved to a house that is right across the street from a golf course. I will go to the practice green and chip and putt regularly.

[retexan599]

  Careyst said:

I never thought the type of ball you use would make such a difference.

I think your statement is correct. However, the balls I used to play were a mixed variety from bags of recycled balls you buy at your sports stores. For the most part, every ball was a different brand, model, compression, etc. What I am now doing is playing the same brand and style (Nike PD Soft) of ball all the time. I think that is helping me with consistency. Does that make sense?

[Stuart]

shortened my swing to 3/4...and focused consciously on firing my hips first......i am prone to overswinging with my arms so this helps eliminate that totally.

[sonicblue]

As far as a mental->physical thought, BALL FIRST. Except for explosion bunker shots, you're basically always trying to hit ball first. Doing so eliminates a lot of potential mistakes, and a lot of potential worry.

Physical thought: when I realized that lag is not from your arms trailing the body. I was trying to get my shoulders ahead and then whip my arms through. I was a horrible ball striker. Now, I just aim to keep my lag in my wrists, but try to always keep my hands moving with my shoulders/chest. That synchronization leads to much better ball contact, which is worth more distance than lag. Lag + contact = WIN.

Mentally: I work backwards from the green. First, you have to realize that EVERY putt is makeable (with very, very few exceptions). When you believe that, two things will happen: 1) you will make more putts and leave closer tap-ins, but 2) you will take stress off other parts of your game. You won't feel the need to hit irons to 2' when you feel good making 10-footers. But, strangely, when you are more relaxed, you'll find you probably DO hit irons closer.

A related thought is, realize that simple greenside chips are makeable. Don't settle for 'just up there.' Be confident, relaxed and realize a bump and run is: point the club, make contact. Don't overthink them. Again, not only will you save shots, but you'll feel relaxed on the shot BEFORE, the approach shot. I don't feel the need to fire at pins, risk bunkers, etc... I can aim for the safe half if I need to, b/c I can make the putt or get the chip close.

And all that started the day I decided I could make putts.