2017 December

The last 4 seconds before you start your backswing can make or break every shot in your game. Panicking and recalling your top 100 swing thoughts or thinking negative thoughts about your last shot will limit your chances for success. You need a consistent plan to clear your mind by setting up for the shot that you want. Then you need a 4 Second Rule to relax your body and grip for a consistent swing tempo.

Your 4 Second Rule will never work unless you take the time to create a plan for your shot to eliminate any doubts about your shot. With a good swing plan in my mind, you can focus on your 4 Second Rule to create the perfect swing.

Create a Positive Mental Attitude in Your Swing Preparation.
• Know the Distance You Want to Hit: Choose the club that you 90% certain that you will reach your target both for flight distance and rollout.
• Choose your Swing Direction: The prevailing wind and your chosen draw or fade are all critical decisions. If you don’t know how to prepare for these swings then take some lessons.
• Keep the Same Swing Tempo: You only need 1 consistent swing tempo for your driver, for your woods & irons and for your putter. Learn to avoid rushing a short takeaway.
• Take a Full Practice Swing: For a draw and more distance take a swing path where you point you club back along your target line, cock your wrists for lag at the top as you loop and swing up the slot from the inside as your body rotates through to a posed finish.

Create your 4 Second Rule
1/ Think “Calm” as you relax & drop your shoulders and loosen you grip to a 4 out of 10.

2/ Waggle your club as you engage your wrists and arms. [It may just be lifting your club off the ground (like Matt Kucher) or even a take-away rehearsal with an upper body rotation (like Rickie Fowler or Michelle Wei).

3/ You have already prepared and rehearsed your swing. Most of your power comes from your calm, relaxed swing so your 4 Second Rule should only focus on relaxing your body for an accelerating swing to a balanced finish. If you repeat words in your mind, it will stop you from thinking any bad thoughts. I use the words “Sweep in Finish” (“Sweep in” for a smooooth take-away and “Finish” as I accelerate to a balanced finish.)

Learn to relax during YOUR 4 Second Rule as you practice with GOLFSTR+ . Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

Your swing and mental control during any round of golf can be set off by slow play by your playing partners and golfers on the course in front of you.  In the GOLFSTR Swing Tips we try to share the best ways to improve your golf swing.  Being calm is an important starting point. Having a focused and organized mind will improve your mental state of mind and set an example for your playing partners.

Keeping a Course Marshall informed about slow play in front of you is about the only thing you can do to keep others moving.  Hitting into the foursome in front of you is not a good idea. It can only aggravate them as well as your playing partners. Consider the following suggestions to help you keep up with the next foursome & to keep your relaxed mind focused on your game.

At the First Tee:
a. Choose the Right Tees for your Game: Choose the tee that matches your ability to reach the green in 2 good shots on every par 4 hole.
b. Play Ready Golf: Agree at the start of your round that anyone who is ready should just take their shot while others may be searching for a ball.  If you are in a money game or if someone birdied the last hole you should give them the honors and accolades that they deserve.

Preparing for your Tee-off:
a. Prepare:  Get out of your golf cart and select your club while others are reaching the tee.
b. If you need your range finder to determine the right distance, choose 2 or 3 clubs from your bag before you walk over to the tee. Your score card will give you the distance and an alternate club will help if you guess wrong about the wind condition for your tee shot.

Be an example to others in your foursome. Get ready to hit and watch where each ball is hit.

When waiting for your golf cart partner to take their shot:
a. Start planning your next shot as you approach your ball.
b. If your shot is near your cart, select 1 or 2 clubs and walk over to your ball while your partner is hitting. Golf is only a form of exercise if you take opportunities to walk.
c. After your shot, if your partner is waiting for you in the cart, just hop in with your clubs in hand. You can put them away and select your next clubs at the next stop.
d. Pay attention to the location for every shot in your foursome. They need your help and you need theirs to speed up the search for balls in the rough. Starting in 2019 you only have 3 minutes to search but this is a good rule to start using today..

Avoid Losing Your Clubs: When you are walking with an extra club, always leave it in the direction where you will be walking after your shot or after putting out. Bad shots tend to make you forget about extra clubs. It really is helpful to stumble over them.

WARNING: Never step out of a moving golf cart, even at low speeds. It’s one of the worst causes of ankles injuries in golf. You can only blame yourself for this dumb injury.

CAUTION: When walking or riding stay behind the person hitting their next shot. It can annoy a golfer hitting a shot and you can never trust the direction of a golf ball. Believe me, I know.  I took a duck hook an inch from my spine this summer. I was lucky to survive with only a bruise.

Avoid delays on the course so you have a little more time calming your mind when you prepare to swing. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn your straight arm and flat wrist shots to hit more fairways and speed up your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

Golf is a game of perfection but no 2 golfers use the same swing for every club in their bag. It’s fascinating to watch the PGA Professionals hit a ball. We instantly recognize if it’s Fred Couples, Jim Furyk or Ernie Els. Yes, I chose the extremes but Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth also have distinctive swings. What I’m trying to point out is that the swings may look different but their great shots all have the same impact to create amazing results.

Michael Breed from the Golf Channel had it right when he launched a new swing training program last year. His primary concept was about the only thing that matters in golf:  You can make any interesting swing that your body may produce but your impact should be:

1/ on the center line of your club face.

2/ swinging from inside-to-out across your ball for a draw or outside-to-in for a fade.

3/ with your club face square to your target line or slightly closed for a draw or slightly open for a fade.

4/ at maximum club-head speed for maximum distance.

Bubba Watson figured this out without any coaching. He first determined what gave him the most distance (wrist lag and release) and then he applied the right grip (stronger or weaker) at setup to allow his club-face to close or open when it returned to his point of impact. For his drives he adds a launch angle and for his woods, hybrids and irons he powers down into his ball (grazing the turf after his impact).

Bubba swings with a high arc on his backswing and from the inside on the way down to match his original shaft line at impact. Once the ball leaves the face of your club, you have no further control. Your backswing and your finishing swing only help with your tempo and balance.

Your swing is unique. It’s up to you to include the power and direction to hammer your ball for the best result. Your body has limitations based on your physical condition and the injuries that you have sustained to this point in your life. Your success in golf depends on your ability to use your brain and you physical limitations to the best of your ability.

Golf is a game that you can play a million different ways but you will never be successful until you:

1/ generated club head speed by releasing your wrist lag at the bottom of your swing.

2/ control the direction of your hits using your swing direction and the square of your club face at impact.

3/ use a consistent tempo to allow your body to press forward into your impact with the ball before you skim the turf or take any turf.

Learn to feel the impact that you want to create for every club in your bag. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ to minimize angles (flat leading arm and flat wrist) for more consistent hits. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com                            

 IT’S A GREAT STOCKING STUFFER FOR ANY GOLFER!

Yes, Tiger is back in fine style.  Before Tiger’s last operation, he was still struggling with his chipping yips. He may be turning 42 but he sure is back in contention. It won’t be long before we see Tiger back to his winning ways. It’s good to see that in addition to finding his consistent, long drives he has taken control of his short irons too. If Tiger can turn his chipping game around, so can you.

This week I found 5 chipping tips and I am hoping that one of them will give you a break-through to improve your chipping. What works for one person may not work for others. Experiment with each of these and sort out the one the helps you best to get rid of your chipping yips or at least improves your chipping game.

Tiger is keeping his eye on the point of impact as his straight flat leading wrist sweeps through the ball.  He may have been practicing with a GOLFSTR+

1/ PGA Professional Chris Case suggested the Flamingo Drill to improve your chipping game. Put 99% of your weight on your leading foot and hold your balance by lifting your trailing foot and touching the toe of your shoe on the ground behind you. If this improves your consistency, just start chipping by bending your leading knee more to shift your weight.

2/ Another PGA Professional suggests that we try chipping with the ball setup off the toe of your trailing foot. Tip the shaft of your club forward, toward your target, Keep your leading arm straight and your wrist flat and in-line with your club. Swing back and straight up your target line. This creates a real bump and run shot.

Tiger’s chipping follow-through is limited and straight up his target line.

3/ PGA Professional Rafael Floriani offers some advice to avoid nervous chipping. Make sure that the toe of your club passes the heel of your club as you finish your swing to get topspin on your golf ball to ensure that you ball can reach the hole. He finishes with the toe of the club pointing at his target.

4/ PGA Professional Thomas Troncoso, Head Professional at Chestnut Ridge CC, talks about what you should be seeing and hearing when hitting chips around the green. He suggests keeping your pressure forward and the ball back in your stance. In your practice swing, see the swing and hear your club sweeping through the grass. Just repeat the same motion when you hit the ball.

5/ Brian Whitcomb, Director of Golf at Lost Tracks Golf Club in Bend, Oregon explains the importance of chipping the ball one-third of the way in the air and then letting the ball roll the rest of the way to the hole. He likes the control that you get with consistent contact using the loft of an 8 iron to chip in the air so that it will run out to the hole.

These 5 chipping tips may all add to your future chipping success but I strongly recommend that you use your GOLFSTR+ to practice with a flat leading wrist and a lagging trailing wrist for consistent contact to eliminate the flipping wrist action. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

With 6 swing fixes GOLFSTR+ makes the perfect Christmas Gift for every golfer on your list.