What’s Your Favorite Golf Drill Of The Year?

During today’s PGA Championship telecast, I was watching Tiger on the putting green pre-round and was loving his use of Butch Harmon’s Two Tee Drill.  While watching that pure stroke bang putts into the hole with perfect form, I immediately grabbed a couple balls out of my bag and set up shop on the carpet.  Using a golf ball in lieu of a tee on each end, I quickly found out how perfect you had to be to slide that putter head through the gate.  Though not nearly as proficient as Tiger, I still can’t wait to take this out to the course tomorrow and give it another try.

The effort got me thinking about all the excellent and not so excellent golf tips I have received this year and I was trying to pick the best.  Do you have one or more to share?  Here are my top three:

1st place:

“Push out your pecs!”  I received this from a friend while warming up in Myrtle Beach before a round.  After a particularly bad ball striking day the day before, I was still all over the place in my warm up and just didn’t feel right at address.  My friend told me to push out my pecs and all of a sudden, I felt like I was in a good strong athletic position and started hitting it pure.

2nd place:

“Keep your left upper arm tight to your chest on the back swing and down swing.”  Got this one from Graeme McDowell in one of the spring Golf Digest magazines.  This worked great for about two or three rounds till a hook worked it’s way into my swing.  Maybe that’s why G-Mac fights a hook.

Honorable mention:

“Hinge and hold.”  Resurrected this one from the archives of my own practice notes.  Back in the spring I was fighting some very loose and embarrassing green-side pitch shots with my new 58 degree wedge.  Skinny and lateral were in the lexicon and it turned out that I was trying to release the club on these short shots.  Found the tip and started holding my finish with the club face pointed at the sky and down my target line and all of a sudden, I was cured.  More importantly, I remain cured.

If you’ve come across a great tip or two, please share.  I’d love to put some good ones into play.  Thanks!

If It Aint Broke Should You Fix It?

We of the day job set, are in a conundrum when it comes to trying new techniques to improve our golf.  In January, 2012, I read Stan Utley’s “The Art of the Short Game” and immediately put the guru’s easy to implement steps into play.  Utley’s key point is to force a pivot and release on all short shots which was not my style, and two years later after suffering mind boggling bouts of skinny chips, lateral hits, and loss of distance control around the green, I’ve finally identified the changes as the source.  The chipping fix was fairly easy but the elevated pitch shots with my 58 were driving me nuts.  I finally returned to the hinge and hold the blade at the target method I had used very successfully, and was fixed.  I’m not knocking the recommendations in the book because I’m sure they work for some and Utley’s reputation is unsurpassed.  The lesson here is if you are competent or even very good with a certain aspect of your game, DON’T MESS WITH IT unless you have hours to dedicate to practice and play.  Even then, proceed with caution.

It feels gratifying to get back on track.  We all have weaknesses and there’s nothing wrong with seeking to improve them, but there is nothing worse than losing a strength.  My biggest fear was that it was mental or brought on by age, but thankfully it was technique-based.  I am eternally grateful for the detailed practice journal I’ve been keeping since 2008.  It has notes for every session on the range and practice green, and I was able to find some data points on techniques that worked well before I read the book.  I’d advise everyone to keep these type of records and refer back frequently when you struggle.

Have you ever been over ambitious and attempted an improvement that broke a strength?

Darth Vader – The Skinny Chip Shot

The Force is not with me and I’ve been trying to clear my head lately on an area of my game I used to consider a strength (chipping) but the proverbial stew of techniques, approaches, new wedges, and adjustments for Myrtle Beach is staring to take on Death Star proportions.  I am tumbling head over heels around the greens, like a big ball of matter through outer space, with giant chunks of confidence falling off at inopportune moments.   Looking for some stability fast.  Here’s how the mess started.

I’ve chipped my best when I work with one technique and can laser focus my attention on a specific landing spot.  For some reason, this method has left me coming up short on all chips and I don’t know why.  Late last season, a skinny chip started creeping in to my repertoire, mostly with my old 56 and now with my new 58 and the root cause is a mystery as well.  I’m working with three new Cleveland wedges, which I use very successfully in practice, but can’t seem to transition to game conditions.  Third, I’m trying to relearn a low spinning shot I need off the tight Bermuda surfaces around the greens in Myrtle Beach.  I used to hit this great with my old 56 and even when I clipped it skinny, it would fly very low and have a tremendous amount of spin, and would bite hard and sit down instantly.    There is no deep rough in MB but that’s all I’m playing out of in our plush courses around the DC area.  I can’t find a comfortable technique on this play.

Finally, I’ve got two techniques in my head and cannot reconcile.  The first is the Stan Utley approach of squaring everything up and making a concentrated pivot on every chip.  The second is the Michael Breed drill of identifying a percentage of distance you want to fly your chips to the hole (say 40%) and then identifying different clubs that will take you different distances.  I did have some success blending the two in my post round practice session, but during play, was dreadfully inconsistent.

Anyone with some surefire chipping techniques from good greenside lies, or on tight Bermuda surfaces, please pass them along.  KISS please, thanks!

What are the Do’s and Don’ts of golf practice?

Lately, I’ve been getting quite a few inquiries on what to do and not do while practicing golf.  Here we go:

• Do find a PGA professional for lessons.  Make sure you trust him/her and that their teaching style melds with the way you learn.
• Do work on your short game.    Dedicate 75% of your practice time to see the quickest improvement.
• Do simulate game conditions.  This will help you transition your practice to the course.  
• Do develop a pre-shot routine for every club in the bag and repeat it for each practice shot you hit.
• Do use alignment sticks as an aid for correct setup and for dialing your mind into the target on short game shots (and putts).
• Do film your swing and review it regularly.  What you think you are doing often is not what you are doing.
• Don’t become a range robot and rake ball after ball into the same position shooting at the same target.  
• Don’t confuse practice with warm-up before a round.  Never work on swing mechanics right before you play; it will screw your head up on the course.  Just get loose and relax.
• Don’t practice extraordinarily long putts.  You want to see your lags get close and expunge any visions of three-putting.  30-40 footers should be the max.
• Don’t accept swing instruction from well-meaning friends.  Amateurs teach amateurs to play like amateurs.  (See #1 Do above.)
• Don’t work on more than one mechanical change at a time.  You’ll become a swing pretzel if you do.

There you have them, now Do get to work.  Good luck!

Great start to the 2013 golf season!

I’ve been struggling with my confidence since the poor finish to the 2012 season and decided to pick up Bob Rotella’s Golf Is a Game of Confidence.  Halfway through the read the message was clear:  I needed to re-dedicate to my short game and regain some structure with my pre-shot routine, which admittedly I had slacked off on.  I recalled the last few good rounds I had played and the common thread was an excellent short game practice session the day before.  When I come away from a great session on the green I get an invincible feeling that transitions into confidence and relaxation in every aspect of my game.

Out at the short game area yesterday, I worked on a very methodical pre-shot routine for chipping, pitching, and putting and enjoyed some excellent feedback.  90% of the routine was my old routine, but I concentrated hard to repeat before every shot.  The slight adjustment was to take a final look at the target, on all shots, and immediately pull the trigger.  On my putts, I literally stared down my spot, moved my eyes back to the ball, and started the stroke in one motion.  By not hesitating, I was trusting my feel, which was akin to a basketball player eying the basket, firing off a jumper, and letting his natural sense for calculating distance, arc, and force sink the shot.  And it worked great.

I also used the landing point drill with three alignment sticks to frame a small box (open end towards the hole) where I wanted my chip or pitch to land.  This got me focused exclusively on the target and freed up my sense of touch.  At no time did I think any mechanical thoughts because I was totally focused on my landing spot and feeling the shot during my practice swings.  The results were awesome, with plenty of crisp contact and dialed-in distance on the pitches and chips, and putts that were banged into the back of the cup.  It’s funny how one small mental change can yield so much physical benefit.

So it’s the start of the work week, the weather has turned sour, and I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go.  🙂  Has your season gotten off to a good start as well?

More themepark golf

Don’t know what has come over my golf game as of late but I played another roller coaster round today which is very much out of character.  My score of 6-over 78 at Northwest was rather pedestrian, but the way it went down was not.  The round was littered with huge swings in momentum with two doubles, a triple, and five birdies on the card.  What’s concerning is that I have no idea when a good or horrible hole is imminent and it’s impossible to maintain any positive momentum.  Granted, I have been out of action for a considerable period of time, with only three rounds and one practice session since July 29, but the violent ups and downs were never a problem after protracted time off.  The great holes are great, and the only constant has been excellent putting.  The bad holes seem to start with bad driving.  More like idiot driving as I seem to be taking chances on cutting doglegs too closely and putting myself in precarious positions.  Another concern is recovery ability especially with short game.  I have bladed several bunker shots and fully airmailed putting surfaces which have led to lost balls and huge numbers.  The bunker play is clearly a technical flaw and the driving decisions mental.  The problem is that enough good holes are sprinkled in to provide hope; only to see that hope dashed.

I’m starting to play more frequently again after being distracted for six weeks by a major home remodeling project and would like some ideas on how to stabilize.  Any ideas out there?

Golf Improvement – Where Do I Invest?

Several friends and colleagues have been asking me lately on how to best improve their golf games.  Since golf can require a serious investment in money and time, it’s best to approach from the two main perspectives; the beginning player and the seasoned player.  Their needs are quite different.

The beginner

The typical novice will make one of three mistakes.  They will either run to the sporting goods store and plunk down $300 for a new set of off-the-rack clubs and bag, or purchase the latest driver being touted in all the golf magazines and television adds, or grab dad’s old set of clubs in the garage and head off to the driving range to teach themselves the game, or worse, get some “expert advice” from a friend that plays.  When I used to teach golf, we had an old saying that goes, “amateurs teach amateurs to play like amateurs.”  The first and single most important investment the beginner can make is to invest in a series of golf lessons with a certified PGA professional.  Take that $300 and buy a series of five or six lessons and put yourself in the hands of an expert.  You will not need any equipment and your pro will be able to make recommendations to fit you appropriately for clubs.  Individual lessons are more expensive than group lessons but don’t be fooled by the cost; pay the extra money for individual.  Group lessons are what couples or friends looking for a new social activity usually invest in.  For serious learning, good one-on-one instruction is required.  For juniors, a golf camp is a great start, as instructors will build enthusiasm for the game, good playing habits, and impart the basic etiquette everyone should learn, but junior must also have one-on-one instruction to best build skills.

For beginners serious about playing the game for a living or becoming a single-digit handicap, I’d advise to learn the game backward.  First learn to get the ball in the hole, which means initial instruction on putting and short game (before any full swing instruction.)   For the rest of the general public, full swing lessons are fine.  For full swing instruction, many golf centers and stores offering in-door instruction have launch monitors to simulate your shots.  My preference is to take lessons out doors at a golf course or driving range.  The game is played outdoors and you want to simulate actual playing conditions in your learning.  Also, there is no substitute for seeing real ball flight.

The seasoned player:

When I taught golf, the lesson for the seasoned player was harder than the beginner because I’d have to work to undo self-taught habits or those formed by “friendly advice.”  The seasoned player is usually looking for a more immediate return on investment and obviously there are a multitude of areas for which to focus but the best way to quickly lower scores is to get instruction on improving your short game.  Take lessons on putting, chipping, and pitching and then devote 75% of available practice time to short game.

Many seasoned players become enamored with their ball striking and are also susceptible to the latest equipment fads that are touted to help you gain distance.  Take a step back and invest $50-100 in a good club fitting with your local professional.  Often times, you’ll be able to deduct the cost of the fitting if you purchase clubs from the same provider.  Here is where your video swing analysis, launch monitors, and simulators can provide valuable feedback and allow your pro to make sound recommendations.

I read an article in a golf magazine several years ago about golf in Japan.  The reporter visited a giant indoor mult-deck driving range and interviewed a player who was knocking shot after shot long and straight.  The reporter asked what type of scores the player shot and the player replied, “I don’t know because I’ve never played on a real course.”  The cost of playing golf in Japan is prohibitive for the general public but the point is that you’ve got to balance practice with enough play to improve.  The seasoned player must devote enough time on the course as well as off because there is no substitute for the experience you’ll get dealing with actual playing conditions and situations.  For serious devotees, get out twice a week to enjoy and develop your new-found improvements.

Finally, the seasoned player should embark on a fitness program designed to strengthen core muscles and build better balance and athleticism.  Take your normal workout and focus on making it golf-centric.  I’ve been working on a specific plan over the winter that includes a 45 minute workout just three times per week that is improving my ball striking consistency and overall endurance.  There is also an ongoing debate about whether to walk or ride.  I do both but try to walk whenever possible.  You get a better feel for the game and into a better rhythm when walking.  An investment in a good comfortable bag stand or a durable pull cart is advised.

Good luck and send me details on your improvement plans and of course, any questions!  -Brian

2012 golf improvement plan – Early returns are in!

I’m six weeks into my improvement plan and I’ve got some early feedback and lessons learned to share.  To reiterate, the plan was to work on core strength and conditioning in hopes of better ball striking and to couple that with the rollout of new short game and putting techniques from Stan Utley.  I’ve got three rounds under my belt and have noticed a definite increase in distance with my driver and short irons, probably due to the faster clearing of my hips on the downswing and a better ability to maintain my spine angle.   While I’m enjoying the added length, I’m struggling with distance control on the short irons, as some fly the new distance but others do not; probably to be expected.  Nevertheless, hitting driver – pitching wedge into par fours where I used to hit 7-irons is a big plus.  Big mistake last time out, though.  I wondered what it would be like to do a core strengthening session the morning before a scheduled round.  All day I had the shakes and my back tired midway through the round causing several very loose swings.    Maybe next time just a little stretching is in order.

I’ve had mixed results on the short game.  The putting changes have been solid and the move to a right hand dominated stroke is working great on the lags.  I’ve rolled in seven birdies in the three rounds and feel my distance control is good.  My chipping has been good, probably because of all the winter work on my living room carpet, but greenside pitching has been terrible.  I never got comfortable with the new techniques and have hit several very thin while under pressure and it seems the problems have infected my sand game which is normally very reliable.  A post round practice session last Sunday indicated that I was not turning enough on my backswing and the touch and feel returned when I made the adjustment.  However, it’s easier to do when it doesn’t count so I’ll be interested to see some improvement during this weekend’s outing.

As Bob Rotella says in Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect, “you’ve got to train it and trust it.”  With the pitching, I’ve done neither and am definitely thinking too mechanically on the course.  I want this so bad after getting a taste of the possibilities, but need to practice these changes and exercise some patience until they sink in.  Are we there yet?

Dave Pelz, Dave Stockton, Stan Utley; who’s the best?

Who is the top short game guru?  I’ve received a lot of inquiries on the subject and my choice may surprise you.  I’ve read many books, watched many tips, and practiced enough techniques (mental and physical) to establish a ranking.  These are based solely on my positive long lasting experiences.

Top billing goes to sports psychologist Bob Rotella.  I’ve read several of his books, and Putting Out OF Your Mind really hit home and was a total paradigm shift for me.  Rotella teaches a total mental approach to putting and short game and provides no actual physical techniques.  Inside is a treasure trove of anecdotes from real tour players to illustrate his methods, and his approach is designed to relax you, build confidence, and leverage all your natural ability.  My first round out after this read, it was if a new person had possessed my body.  A bit strange at first but imagine the confidence rush when all those knee-knocking five to six footers were getting rammed in the back of the cup.

Runner-up is Stan Utley who’s less well known, but who’s technique is best for feel players like myself.  Utley’s two gems The Art of Putting and The Art of The Short Game simplify the approach one can take on and around the green.  The consistency of a few minor fundamental changes makes digesting and replicating easy.  Again, very important for feel players that find overly mechanical instruction counter-productive.

For the technicians, you can have the rest.  Dave Pelz has his cadre of touring professionals and instructional segments on The Golf Channel but every tip I’ve read, or show I’ve viewed is loaded with mechanical jargon and technical details that would take hours and hours of practice to perfect and store up so much mental baggage, you’d need a caddy to haul it to the course.  Some may be able to deliberately line up putts on the toe of the putter for fast downhill left to right sliders, but that thinking is disastrous for those of us who need a more simple approach like, “get committed, rehearse, pull the trigger.”

Dave Stockton has a lot of disciples in putting circles; kind of like the Bill Walsh of the PGA Tour.  I experimented with his putting techniques and while I found his information on reading greens helpful, his techniques were again way too mechanical and screwed up my feel for distance.  Want a lot to think about on the greens?  Go with Stockton.  Need to simplify; head with me to the Stan Utley camp.

Again, I read the Utley books over the winter and have experienced good results with the changes.  The best change/tip I’ve discovered for feel on long putts resulted from discontinuing the Stockton practice of pulling the putter with my left hand.  Instead I feel the distance with my right hand after a right hand-only practice swing.

Who is your favorite short game guru?  K.I.S.S. and good luck!

Are you addicted to practice? Apparently I am.

I’ve been chewing on some advice that Vet4Golfing51 passed on in response to my 2012 improvement plan.  His premise was that I didn’t play enough and that play improves performance more than practice.  I just looked at my 2011 records and holy cow!  In addition to my 35 rounds, I spent 70 days practicing, which is a ton of effort for essentially very little improvement.  Not only was I surprised that I dedicated as much time as I did but that my approach clearly didn’t pay dividends.  Thanks Vet 🙂

Now the weather in the DC area has been quite mild this winter with no measurable snow and I actually have practiced twice in January while trying to learn the new short game and putting techniques of Stan Utley.  This is clearly required work since I’m trying to train my muscles for a new motion, however it’s clear from my stats last year that I’m addicted to practice and am wondering what my performance might have been with only half the practice time dedicated, if I had used the balance on play (9-hole rounds, for instance.)  Range rats like Tom Kite and Vijay Singh benefited from their time spent on prolonged practice but they got enough play in to validate.

So going forward my goal in 2012 is again, 35 full rounds, only 35 practice days and 20 9-hole rounds between the full rounds which should provide enough play to avoid that foreign feeling I often get on the first tee, and still keep me fresh.  10 of the full rounds will again be compressed into six straight days of play at Myrtle Beach which would leave a good  interval of 18 hole and nine hole play for the balance of the year.

A couple notes on the Stan Utley techniques.  I’ve been rug putting all winter and am very comfortable with the new fundamentals.  The change has appeared to take hold and I putted very well on my practice green last weekend.  The chipping is going well too, as I’ve been working that on the rug, but the pitch shot is still a work in progress.  When properly executed, the direction and distance control are great, yet without the opportunity to pitch inside, it’s still quite foreign.  Looking forward to temps in the 60s this week and feeding the addiction a little more.

Book review: The Art of the Short Game by Stan Utley

I read The Art of the Short Game (Gotham Books – 2007) over the Christmas holiday and actually tried out the techniques at my local muni’s practice green, and wow!  YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK!   Those who follow this blog know I’m a big proponent of short game and continuously look for and share valid methods for improvement.  The infusion of life this book had on my chipping and pitching technique was remarkable.

Stan Utley is a journeyman pro turned short game/putting guru, and has put together a system that simplifies the approach to playing chips, pitches and bunker shots that’s easy to implement and is tremendously effective.  In two hours of practice I found my distance control and consistency of contact and direction significantly improved.   For chipping and pitching, Utley’s main premise is to keep everything square to the target line (club face, hands, feet, knees, shoulders) and make a mini-golf swing that includes a pivot.  This is counter to a lot of conventional chipping advice whereby you play from an open stance, keep the ball back and the lower body still and essentially make a arm swing with a short iron.  He also advocates using your sand wedge for all shots around the green rather than switching clubs based on the distance required for carry and roll.  This was a significant paradigm shift for me but after practicing with the altered technique, I was easily able to control the distance on longer chips with my 56 degree wedge.

The pitch is simply a longer extension of the chip, with a bit more pivot supplying the power.  Admittedly, the 30-40 yard sand wedge shot is the weakest part of my game but I was able to dial in amazingly well with the technique.  I was not able to practice the bunker play recommendations and they are significantly different from conventional advice.  I would advise to first spend some time on the chipping technique and convince yourself the method works before moving to pitching and bunker play.  So get the book,  you will not regret it.  Here are my practice notes for the chipping techniques just to get you started.  Good luck!  Now go wear out your carpet.

1. Setup with a neutral grip with the Vs in both hands pointing towards your right collarbone.
2. Square the club face at the target
3. Play from a square stance; it’s okay to flare out your left toe for comfort
4. Position the ball in the middle of your stance, not in the back
5. Shade 2/3 of your weight on your forward foot and keep it there throughout the shot
6. Forward press your hands so they are even with your front thigh
7. Allow for a small hip turn away from the ball on the back swing
8. Initiate the downswing with your hips turning slightly toward the target
9. Your hands will naturally be pulled toward the target and lead the club face towards solid contact.

I’m moving to the Dave Stockton putting method

I haven’t read Dave Stockton’s new book Unconscious Putting, but during a recent appearance on The Golf Channel the guru piqued my interest while plugging his paperback.  He reiterated tips from his earlier manifesto, Putt to Win, which I had read and most of the content sounded very similar.  Not sure if there’s a whole lot of difference in the two books, but in Putt to Win, I thought the tips on pulling the left hand towards the target, not taking a practice stroke, and putting over a spot just in front of the ball were too mechanical, however I managed to incorporate his tip of reading break from the lowest point along the putt to my benefit.  During The Golf Channel appearance, his explanation for not taking a practice stroke (allows you to stay better focused on your target) finally registered and I committed to try this last Sunday during my short game practice.  Wow!  At first putting with no practice stroke felt weird but the ability to zero in on the target improved my feel for distance incredibly.  I putted nine holes in 16 strokes and banged in a couple of long ones but still felt a bit awkward.  I also incorporated the recommended pre-shot routine of placing the putter in front of and then behind the ball, ala Nick Price, to ensure I was fully bought in.  One more practice session with this method on Saturday, and I’ll be ready to game test it in my Sunday round.  Has anyone out there fully converted to the Stockton method?  Send me your feedback please!

I have experimented in my short game practice of hitting shots without rehearsal strokes and it’s worked well, but I’ve worked so hard to develop a repeatable pre-shot routine for short shots using two practice swings and I hesitate to abandon that.  The lie of various short shots can vary greatly, as can your club selection and practice swings allow you to feel the shot before pulling the trigger.  Ultimately, whatever routine I use for putting or short shots will be successful if I keep it consistent from shot to shot.

Golfers: Don’t forget to recharge the batteries

Last week was rough.  I was coming off a great video lesson with FixYourGame.com and worked hard pounding balls in my backyard range all week.  Saturday’s practice was seriously overdone as I started at one course in the morning for some short game work.  Got kicked off there when they closed for a charitable event and went to my second course for some range work and putting practice.  Finished up at home playing 18 simulated holes on the backyard range.  When Sunday’s tee time rolled around I was popping Advil like SweeTarts.

Trying to play Sunday was mentally draining as I implemented the lesson changes and coped with the fatigue from the previous week of practice.  I held it together for nine holes at even par but the tank ran dry and I faded to six over on the back.  Oddly enough on Monday morning, I had no energy to book a tee time for the following weekend and have decided to take a badly needed break.

Two things became apparent.  First, I got away from my routine of 75/25 practice time favoring the short game.  Short game is easier on the body, is more varied so it holds my interest longer and allows me to play better the next time out.  Second, it’s easier to focus on practice when you have a milestone event to prepare for.  I got so psyched to play Myrtle Beach in the spring and loved preparing for Pinehurst over Labor Day this year, but felt rather deflated afterwards with seemingly nothing to play for.  Definitely time for a break to get re-energized and focused on a new target.  I’ve lined up Maryland National in early October and will head down to Ocean City, Maryland for a three-day trip in late October to finish up my season.    Nothing but TV golf for me this weekend.

Smart Practice Tip #2. The Short Game

Whether you have several days per week or just a few hours on the weekend to dedicate to game improvement, you should center about 75% of your practice time on the short game.  High handicappers can make significant improvements in the shortest period of time by mastering a few basic shots and developing a sound repeatable putting stroke.  Advanced players have known for years that they must dedicate significant time and effort on their short games to shave those last few strokes.  They know that once their full swing is grooved, it’s very hard to make changes that will significantly alter their ability to score.  However, there are a multitude of short game shots one can add and refine to keep the scores coming down.

Remember three major principles when practicing short game.

1. Aim for the smallest target possible.  By shrinking your target, you widen your margin of error which allows you to get shots closer to the hole.  For short greenside chips and pitches, and every putt, the hole is your target and you must try to make it.  For short or medium range putts, pick a spot on the lip of the hole that you’d like the ball to roll over.  Be that precise and you’ll notice your ability to focus will improve, you’ll make more chips and putts, and your misses will be much closer.
2. Roll is easier to judge than flight.  Whenever possible, keep your short shots as low to the ground as you can because distance is much easier to judge with lower trajectory, and the mechanics of hitting low shots are simpler than for lofted pitches.  Try this experiment.  Grab three balls and pace off 50 feet from a hole.  First attempt to throw a high lob and stop each ball near the hole.  Next roll all three from the same spot to the hole and see which three get closer.   This is an excellent drill for teaching feel that I learned in “Shark Attack, Greg Norman’s Guide to Aggressive Golf.”
3. Making putts in practice builds confidence during play.  Nothing builds confidence like watching the ball go in the hole and hearing it hit bottom.  Putting is 90% confidence and 10% stroke.  There are many golfers who putt great and use completely different strokes.  Some die it in the hole, others bang it in the back, but the one thing they have in common is confidence.  Whatever stroke you use, build your confidence by making a ton of putts in every practice session and it will pay off big time on the golf course.  Next time out, stick a tee in the ground three feet from a hole on a flat part of the practice green.  Take 50 or 100 putts from this location and you’ll be surprised how confident you are next time out on the course standing over a pressure putt from the same distance.  There is no better way to groove your stroke and build confidence.  Admittedly, it is probably the least glamorous aspect of short game practice, but without a doubt, the most necessary because having confidence in your putting allows you to go low when you’re hitting it close and takes pressure off your long game when your swing is off.

There are three shots every confident golfer must learn to be successful around the green.

1. Low running chip.  This is often played from the fringe or just off the fringe and can be executed  with anything from a sand wedge to a seven-iron.  Let the distance from the hole govern your club selection with your intention to minimize air time and maximize roll.  To execute, zero in on a spot to land the ball that will allow for the proper run-out.  Shade your weight forward, grip down for better control, play the ball back in your stance, and make the swing with just your arms by keeping your wrists firm and not letting the club head pass your hands.  Take a couple of practice swings and keep your upper arms tightly connected to your chest during the stroke.  Once you have the feel, address the ball and hit without delay.  Fidgeting over the ball will allow second thoughts and doubt to creep into your mind and should be avoided at all costs.  Getting flippy with your wrists or allowing the club to pass your hands will result in poor inconsistent contact.
2. Elevated pitch.  This is played from a position where significant carry is required and a low rolling shot is not possible.  The shot requires more practice time to groove than the low running chip because it’s slightly more complex, but once mastered can work as an excellent stroke saver.  Typically you play with the sand wedge or lob wedge and to execute, zero in on a spot where you’d like the ball to land, only this time, with minimal run-out.  Open the clubface slightly to add loft and open your stance while shading your weight forward.  This will promote a descending blow which is required to get the ball up fast.  On the backswing, hinge your wrist quickly so that your lead forearm and the shaft make a V-shape.  Swing down and contact the ball but try to keep your wrist firm on the strike and follow through so that your lead forearm and the shaft are in a straight line or in an I-shape.  My swing thought is “V to I” on this shot.  Others like to use “hinge and hold” but the concept is the same.  Like the low running chip, you’ll gain better control by feeling your upper arms are connected to your chest throughout the swing.  The shot will result in a higher trajectory and allow the ball to land softly.  The length of the shot governs the length of your backswing.  Once you get far enough from the green, this evolves into a different shot as the ability to hold the “I” or “hold” position is not possible and the shot becomes a mini version of the full swing.
3. Explosion from the sand.  This shot is not as difficult or as intimidating as most fear.  Keep these fundamentals in mind and you’ll be fine.  Open the clubface of your sand wedge and open your stance with your weight shaded forward.  Play the ball off your front heel and locate a spot in the sand 1-2 inches behind the ball.  As with the Elevated Pitch, pick the club up quickly with an early wrist break and execute the downswing by hitting the sand and follow through to a nice high finish.  Once you address the ball, take care to keep your focus on the spot in the sand where you want to make contact and don’t let your eyes wonder to the ball.  This will more often than not cause you to inadvertently hit the ball with the leading edge of the club (we’ve all done it) and that’s no good.  The length of the bunker shot  and condition of the sand will govern how big a swing you take.  You’ll need to adjust in firm or wet sand and take a smaller swing and hit a little closer to the ball.  In fine powdery sand, you may open the clubface a bit more, take a little more sand and make a bigger swing.  Finally for buried lies, square the clubface and hit down hard a couple of inches behind the ball.  You’ll basically leave your club in the sand (no high follow through) because of the severe downward motion of the strike and of the force required to expel the ball.

Experiment and get comfortable with all three of these shots and watch your scores drop!  There are many other shots that require more advanced techniques that you can add to your arsenal around the green and I’ll cover those in a future post.

Finally, here’s a great short game practice routine that I use to build confidence the day before a round.  It takes 1 ½ hours.

• Get to your course early before the practice green gets too crowded
• Take out three balls and play a variety of short and long low running chips with different clubs.  I prefer to use the pitching wedge and 8-iron.
• Next switch to your sand wedge or lob wedge and play some elevated pitches and bunker shots to holes of different length
• Next take your putter to a hole and identify a flat three-foot putt and take a few warm-up putts.
• Hit 50 3-foot putts in groups of 10 using your full on course pre-shot routine for each putt.  After each group of ten, chip 3 balls to your hole from the fringe and make the putts.  Repeat with four more groups of 10 putts, continuing to chip and hole the three balls between each group.
• Wrap up by playing 9 holes with one ball from various lies and using various shots.  Try to make every chip/pitch and then complete by holing your putts.  Use your bunker for a few shots if possible.

Good luck!  -Brian

Smart Practice Tip #1. Simulating game conditions.

If you’re like me, golf is not your day job and you cannot devote hour after hour to game improvement, yet you need to stay as sharp as possible for your weekend play or the occasional tournament.  Typically, I play once every two weeks and dedicate one morning per weekend for practice; that’s it.  I manage to stay sharp by maximizing my limited time and by following three key principles.  1 – You must simulate game conditions as often as possible.  2 – You must spend 75% of your time on your short game.  3 – You must develop and practice a reliable pre-shot routine that can be executed with every club.  I’ll address each of these with a series of posts.

Simulating game conditions  Often players complain of not being able to take their range swing to the course.  Their failure to execute the shots that seemed easy in practice is a never ending source of frustration.  Yet, golf is like any other sport that requires separate sessions for practice and play.  Smart football coaches simulate game conditions by pumping in loud crowd noise before taking their teams into a hostile road environment.  Baseball teams play 30+ spring training games against live opponents before the real season starts.  All serious athletes know that drills and repetition are required parts of practice, but there is no substitute for the value that game condition pressure provides.  Golf is no different and here’s what I do to easily transition from practice to play.

First, get to your short game practice area and warm up with a few chips and putts, then play nine holes around the practice area with one ball.  Drop the ball in various lies that will require you to use different green-side shots.  Attempt to chip/pitch to the various holes and make the putts.  If possible, play shots similar to those you may encounter on the course.  Playing a course with lots of mounding and elevation changes around the greens?  Make sure to hit your share of pitches with your sand and lob wedges.  Playing a course with large flat greens?  Work your low bump and run shots with the 7 and 8 irons.  Use your actual pre-shot routine for all chips and putts.  It’s especially important to mark and clean your ball as you would on the golf course before you putt as this helps to transition your mind from practice to game condition state.  Keep score (even use an old scorecard).  Marking your score is a game component that will get you in the mindset too.  Have small bets if you’re playing with a friend or play against your personal best score.  The key here is to simulate every activity down to the smallest detail that you follow during your round.  Then when you transition to the course, the play will closely resemble your practice.

Next, head to the driving range.  Warm up with a few partial and full wedge shots and a half dozen drivers then start playing a simulated game.  I play four or five imaginary holes on the course I plan to play the next day.  If the next day’s round is on a new course, play simulated holes on your home course.  Use trees, signs, fences, tractors and anything available on the range to construct imaginary holes.  Play your tee shots and approaches and be honest with yourself.  If you miss your imaginary green, grab a wedge and try to hit a pitch of the appropriate length.  You MUST hit every shot with a distinct target and purpose.  Just raking ball after ball and banging away will not help you improve or transition to game conditions.  This approach also works great as a warm-up routine before an actual round.  Simulate play on the first hole a couple of times before teeing off and you’ll experience less transition pressure when you get to the actual first tee.  It’s important to note that if you have very limited practice time, put a premium on the short game work because you’ll be hitting off real grass and holing real putts.

Good luck! – Brian