On a recent business trip, I pulled out the latest Golf Tips magazine and scoured cover-to-cover looking for that elusive nugget to give me an edge. This being their “100 best” issue, I was certain I would find the treasure I was seeking but quickly realized how insanely conflicting the information in a single magazine can be. Anyone without a serious understanding of the fundamentals can get terribly confused by the plethora of opposing opinions and methods. Consider the best and worst of what I found.
The best: 🙂
John Stahlschmidt, PGA professional at the Tour Academy in Scottsdale, AZ advises on improving feel for speed on lag putts: “Take one or two practice strokes and hold your finish for the amount of time you think it’ll take the ball to arrive at the hole.” Great simple tip for improving feel, eliminating a jerky stabbing motion and promoting an accelerating move; all key essentials. I’ve been putting scared lately and am certain I’m having troubles with trusting my feel for distance. Rather than trying to make everything, I’m thinking about avoiding the three-putt. I implemented this drill today on the practice green and got that refreshing boost of confidence you enjoy when a missing fundamental clicks; you know the feeling.
The worst:
WARNING: MAY BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR GAME
The recoil bunker shot. Open the blade, make contact, and recoil for buried lies in a bunker, with a tight pin; are you kidding? I don’t care that this was recommended by Briny Baird, you don’t publish this in a magazine for the general public and I’m surprised a teaching pro (Jon Paupore) from a Jim McLean golf school is advocating. Even the video is contradictory as he hits toward a pin with plenty of room to run the shot out- just awful.
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