With everything a beginner must remember as they are learning the game of golf, it helps to have a repeatable process for each shot. Here is a possible checklist to go over in your head each time you setup to a shot and swing the club. Experienced players can benefit from a similar system, although […]
Ball flight law discussion is one of the more technical concepts in our series. Please bear with me just a little bit because understanding these concepts will prove enormously important as you develop your golf game. Only when we know the reasons why a ball travels where it does can we make necessary adjustments. […]
As we’re practicing and analyzing each golf shot that we hit, consider that there are three dimensions worth looking at in terms of ball flight. The first dimension everyone thinks about is the distance that the ball travels. Normally, we break this down into how far the ball carries in the air versus how […]
I recognize there’s a degree of stress, especially for beginners, with getting out onto the golf course with players of more experience. It’s natural to feel as though you might get in the way, negatively affect their game, or be embarrassed. I’d not only like for you to know how to hit golf shots, […]
Obviously, not every bunker shot is the same. There will certainly be times when we need to deviate from our standard bunker set up in order to have the best chance for success. The first thing we need to do is evaluate our circumstances including the lie of the ball, sand conditions, and how […]
For many players, mid length bunker shots are the most difficult shots in the game. I consider these shots to be anywhere from perhaps 25 to 60 yards, or in a range normally too close to pick the ball clean, and too far for your normal greenside bunker setup and shot. As always, it’s […]
The typical greenside bunker shot from a normal lie includes some set up variations that will help you achieve more consistent results. Think of this as your stock, standard bunker shot set up, and from here you can make adjustments depending on circumstances, lie, or sand conditions. Check out our bunker shot situations article to see when […]
Tour players have no trouble out of greenside bunkers…of course they are practicing all the time, but more so because they are setting themselves up for success. If we understand how a sand wedge is designed, and how to set up for a greenside bunker shot, there is much more margin for error than […]
My first piece of advice for relative beginners reading the slope of greens is to double whatever break you see. Higher handicappers rarely play enough break, and resort to either hitting putts too hard, missing routinely on the low side of the hole, or both. This is a critical mistake if it’s happening with regularity. […]
A flop shot is an extreme version of the pitch shot, where we throw the ball very high into the air, allowing the ball to come down softly without rolling out. This shot should only be used in extreme circumstances when we are hitting over a bunker or other obstacle, and do not have […]
Controlling the distance of your pitch shots is so important that it warrants its own instructional article. As I’ve mentioned with all short game shots, we want to do our best to allow the length of our swing to correlate to the length of the shot. Once we nail down the set up and […]
Pitching the ball is when we are around the green and require the ball to fly higher in the air and stop more quickly. This is helpful for when we need to hit over something, such as a bunker or slope, or if the ball is sitting in heavier rough or taller grass. A pitch […]
For most players, I normally suggest putting whenever possible.The chip shot is used when putting is not going to be practical and we need to pop the ball up in the air just a little bit and get it running to the target. The chip shot is used from a good lie in the […]
Putting is probably the most important, yet least practiced area of the game of golf. Putting will account for over 40% of the shots taken in most rounds of golf, but remains the most neglected area of most players’ games. Most dismiss putting as mere luck, but I can assure you that there is […]
Although putting is perhaps more art than science, there are some techniques you need to understand in order to be successful on the greens. Putting certainly allows plenty of room for personal preference, but I’d like to go over some methods and considerations when we grip the club. The three most common grips with […]
I consider the short game to be every shot that we hit from a distance inside of a full swing with our shortest iron. For instance, if we hit a full lob wedge 75 yards, then the short game begins from that point to the hole. This accounts for at least half of the […]
The first thing we need to do from a fairway bunker is to evaluate our circumstances. This includes the lie of the ball: is it sitting up or sitting down, and will you have access to contacting the back of the ball cleanly? Are you on an upslope or a downslope? – as this […]
There are some things in our set up position and golf swing that can help us keep the ball down, or hit the ball low in certain situations. This is helpful in windy conditions or if you need to keep trajectory low, perhaps under branches of a tree. This instruction is not intended for […]
There are a few things in our set up and golf swing that will help us to hit the ball higher. Maybe you need to get the ball up quickly over a tree or perhaps over the lip of a bunker. This instruction is not intended for people who are topping the ball or […]
When we want to hook the ball intentionally, I always suggest making adjustments in your set up position rather than adjustments in your golf swing. So long as your swing is relatively on plane, this is almost always the easier way to go. We know that in order to impart hook spin, which will […]
