2023 December

Golf is a straightforward game, but you can save a lot more strokes if you make more smart shots. Of course, you would like to make every shot count but if you are a mid-handicap player you should apply odds on the shots that you may or may not make. That’s right, take the risk out of risky shots and make more shots count.

Every approach shot may result in 3 types of problems or any combination of DISTANCE, DIRECTION and DISTRUCTION. Of course, you try to select the prefect club for distance which may land long or short of the green. It is also easy to push or pull your shot wide of the green depending on the lie of your ball or the wind that will affect your ball flight. And you never know when that dreaded mishit will decide to happen. Only you are somewhat aware of your personal odds of success on each of your shots.

You can definitely improve your success if you consider these proven approaches:
1/ Distance Control: Select a club that you know will reach your target without hitting the perfect shot at 90 to 100% of you strength. Learn to swing at 80% to control your distance and direction.

2/ Hit to Your BINGO Distance: A single digit handicap golfer told me his success. He was not the longest driver so he always planned to layup to 100 yards on par-5 holes or on par 4 holes where he made a poor drive. He had perfected his 100 yard shots with a specific wedge so that he could land his shot within 10 feet of the hole. He also sank a lot of those short putts. We should all perfect our BINGO shot. Practice with your favorite club and distance. You will gain confidence and make more great shots when you layup to your preferred BINGO DISTANCE.

According to the 2023 results recorded by Arccos Golf Sensors, a 20-handicap golfer only hits 20% of their greens in regulation and they average 36 feet from the cup. That gives them a lot of room for an easy improvement in their scores with more practice using their BINGO club.

3/ Finish in Balance: If you are losing your balance at the end of your swing, you are the cause of your own missed shots. If you know that you are losing your balance, start choosing more club (with less loft) so that you don’t need to swing so quickly.

Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve your swing for every club in your bag. It really is the Swiss Army Knife of golf. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf opinions researched by GOLF blog: #6. “Paying the same cart fee as a single or twosome.” Do you agree?

That’s a pretty bold statement when Greens In Regulation and Putting can destroy par for every hole you play. But when you think about it, you will realize that your perfect drive gives you the right frame of mind and the perfect position to hit more Greens In Regulation and closer to the pin for more 1 putt greens. Charlie Woods is the perfect inspiration for all of us.

Tiger and Charlie Woods placed 5th in the PNC 2023 Championship. They didn’t beat the Langers but their successes should be a great inspiration for all golfers. 14-year-old Charlie is driving as far as most pros. His 320-yard drive (may have been wind assisted) and driving the green on a dogleg par-4 are both very impressive. His successes gave the Woods team a chance to win and it also showed us that every golfer can develop the skill to hit perfect long drives.

A recent Performance Golf blog described how a golfer weighing less than 120 pounds can outdrive his competition. Size and muscle mass help but there are 3 key factors for driving success:

1/ Swing Speed: Exercise and training are all up to you. Obviously, Charlie has a support team including his father who inspire him to spend time on the right exercises and the right swing skills to execute the right release through the ball. If you can swing the grip end of your club through the Impact Zone with a whooshing sound, you can build up strength to do the same with all of your clubs. Head speed at the point of impact is critical to create distance.

2/ Generate Speed in the Impact Zone: We all need to use our wrist release and whipping action through the Impact Zone to generate more club head speed for our drives. Your release is critical but if you can’t square the face of your club and impact with a swing up your target line you will always add unwanted side spin, undercut spin and top spin that will hurt the success of your shots. That’s why you need factor #3.

3/ The Right Swing Thought: The recent Performance Golf blog reminded us about the single most important swing thought that Jack Nicklaus and many other successful golfers use. Of course, they line up their shot and choose a point directly on the target line just in front of their ball. But they also focus on a straight arm release directly after impact on their target line. The pros all setup to ensure that their driver path is on the upward swing during impact and a downward swing with their irons during impact. In all cases they are swinging THROUGH THE BALL to finish in a balanced position and to watch the wonderful flight of their ball.

If you don’t hit a long accurate drive you will not get close enough to the green for your confident approach shots. That’s why your drive counts for 50% of your success on every hole. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve your shots with ever club in your bag. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf opinions researched by GOLF blog: #5. “Public courses should raise their prices by $1 each round and use that money to hire competent Marshalls and cart attendants.” Do you agree?

We all have choices in life. As we age, we tend to slow down and take it easy before we die. Or you can put more effort into exercise to enjoy your aging years. Golf is an exercise, but your body needs a lot of upkeep to generate more success in your game. Get with the program. It’s up to you.

A 2009 study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine determined that DYNAMIC STRETCHING exercise is significantly more important for your golf game than static stretching or no stretching at all. Dynamic stretching produced significantly greater club head speeds, greater ball speeds, straighter swing path and more centered clubface impact.

If you want to see immediate improvements in your game, start using a series of dynamic golf stretches before you play each round. Try starting with the following stretches (which I found on YouTube: Bing Videos) . For each exercise grip one of your clubs near each end.

1-Squat while lifting your hands over your head and then return to the standing position.

2-Hold your club across the back of your shoulders and alternately, rotate to either side and return to center.

3-Hold your club in front of your waist. Now lift it over your head and down to the back of your shoulder blades. Then return it to your waist

4-Start with the club stretched over your head. Keeping your hips steady, shift it to your left side then back to your starting position over your head. Then to your right side.

5-Now with your legs apart for stability and still holding your club near both ends, rotate your spine as you do for a backswing and then swing both arms down and bending your knees to swing down and squat to the opposite side. Repeat about 3 to 5 times and then make the same swinging motion in the opposite direction.

Dynamic Stretching will also help you when you practice all of your swings with GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf opinions researched by GOLF blog: “Public courses should raise their prices by $1 each round and use that money to hire competent Marshalls and cart attendants.” Do you agree?

All golfers read golf magazines and blogs to find easier ways to improve our game. We have all heard about miracle copper infused gloves and socks as well as CBD gummies to calm your mind. But how about a few tips that add MEAT to your game. These tips improve your swing for more consistent swing control. The kinds that help you avoid those mishits that creep into every game.

These tips are not mind games. They add control to prevent your wrists from bending & messing up your short game in chipping and putting.

Chipping Tip:
I have never noticed this, but even Victor Haviland occasionally uses this technique for his short approach chips to control the distance from his hands to his ball. When you add wrist hinge to your swing for more undercut you may never get the bend out of your wrists at the right time. Too much bend at the point of impact will shorten your distance to the ball and can cause THIN hits.

An easy way to avoid thin hits and to create a consistent bounce with your wedges is to use a shortened backswing while gripping with both hands SEPARATED. Yes, try chipping your short chips without OVERLAPPING YOUR HANDS on the grip. This will force you to lock your arms and push your club head through your ball. It’s like a putting stroke where your wrists stay locked though-out your limited backswing and follow-through.

Setup your practice swing with the leading edge of your wedge perpendicular to your target line and your hands slightly separated. Feel the control of your swing then move forward to your ball and make the same swing. For perfection every time!

Putting Grip Tip
The Japanese are using their skills in origami (paper folding) to lock their hands to their putters. More golfers (like the Japanese) are overlapping BOTH HANDS exactly at the same depth on the putter grip. That position helps them keep their shoulders square to their target line and avoid the stronger trailing hand (which is normally lower on the grip) from overpowering your putter around your body. You want a square release UP your target line at impact.

-Wrap the last 3 fingers on your leading hand around the grip.
-Then wrap the center 2 fingers of your trailing hand next on the grip
-Now place your thumbs together pointing down the top surface of the grip
-Wrap your remaining fingers comfortably over both hands to lock the grip.

Eliminating wrist motion for short chips and putting will knock a few more strokes off every round. GOLFSTR+ trains you to lock your wrists while putting. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com