2024 April

We are all impressed with Scottie Scheffler’s confidence and consistency. Both traits are something that we all need to strive for in our games. Scottie is averaging 75% of Greens Hit in Regulation (GIR). That’s 10% better than the tour average. He also shanks the occasional shot, but his mental recovery is instantaneous. You may never achieve his success, but you should add this challenge to your game.

Mind Control
We are all human and we all make mistakes in life and in our rounds of golf. When you make a bad swing, you know it instantly and may drop your club in your follow-through. That’s an indication that your reaction is out of control. You know it and you also know that you are allowing your mind to possibly destroy your next shot and your round of golf. Focus on letting your reaction be the start of your NEW and Improved mental reaction.

A shank or a mishit should be your wakeup call. Calm down and shake it off for your next shot. Scottie Scheffler just lets it go and so does Tiger. It’s a decision that they make. A mistake is in the past and there is nothing that you can do to change it. Take a deep breath and move on with a relaxed attitude to slow down and take a full backswing for an improved swing and to finish the hole with a reasonable score.

Improve Your GIR’s
You may never achieve what Scottie does with his Greens In Regulation but you will improve your game if you commit to marking your score card and counting your GIR’s in every round. Your focus on improving your GIR’s will improve your game.

Your Alternate Plan
A secondary plan should focus on your 1-putt greens. You may never approach the skill of hitting 75% of your GIR’s but you can improve your chipping to get them within 4 feet of the hole. Too many missed chips should be a wakeup call to change your chipping technique. Why not change your full swing chip to a putting stroke with a lofted club (putt-chipping)? A putting stroke is so much easier than a full chipping swing.

Select a club that will lift your ball over the ruff, trap or fringe and then roll out to the hole. You can’t appreciate how easy this shot is until you practice with different clubs and different levels of backswing. You will improve the consistency and accuracy of your putt-chipping if you grip down on your club so that you stand with your eyes directly over your ball and you are only hitting with the TOE of your club to avoid interference with the turf.

Practice your putt-chipping with a flat leading wrist using your GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com  

As we age, “DING Dong Hits” start to take over your game. We all wonder where these crazy mishits are coming from. They could be caused by physical injuries and reduced strength. So, its important to sort out what is causing your missed shots and make some minor changes in your swing to get your game back on track.

The most critical areas to consider are your backswing, impact and finishing pose. You can exercise more to improve our strength, but mishits are your greatest concern as they are the primary reason for your higher scores. Focus on these areas:

Setup
Using a lighter grip to relax your muscles and allow your floppy wrists to add lag at the top of your swing for more whipping action and power at impact.

Backswing
Rotate your wrist to open your club face to keep your leading wrist flat and to shallow your downswing. [Use a mental count (such as Cocaaa-Cola or Wateer-Loo or 1-aand -2) to allow for more time in your backswing to add wrist lag.]

Study Your Divot and Club Face Impact Point
Your practice swing should be touching the grass just after the point where your ball is resting (you may want to try moving your ball back a few inches in your setup). Your divot should be a square cut but more important you need to determine if you are hitting on the center of your club face. An inside hit may be hitting your housel and directing your ball as if it is hit off the toe of your club. Spray your club face with foot powder to determine your point of impact and make appropriate adjustments.

Finish Pose
Besides the mental count to slow down your backswing, your focus should be on a balanced finish as you watch your ball fly to your target.

Plan to Putt Up to 3 Feet Past the Hole
Now that most golfers are leaving the pin in place while putting, we are forgetting to putt past the hole. You can’t afford to leave your putts short as they NEVER GO IN. ALL PUTTS break more as they slow down near the hole so you should always plan to putt with less break as you putt about 1 to 3 feet past the hole.

Practice with GOLFSTR+ to keep your leading arm straight and your leading wrist flat for every shot. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

You should be able to save more strokes when you have a higher lofted iron or putter in your hands. So why is it that you can’t hit it close for a 1-putt every time you are near the green? Of course, you need to read the green before every approach stroke, but you need to use the right club and practice to make more 1-putt greens.

We have all heard that it is better to putt when you are near the green but in most cases, this is hogwash.

Why not make a putting-chip?
1/ On any given round of golf you have hit many putts, and you know the speed of the green. Your mind is tuned in to that speed for your putter. Unfortunately, you can’t get that feel out of your head. I have seen too many rounds of professional golf on TV where a pro makes a SHORT putt from off the green.
2/ You can’t trust the fringe or the ruff grass just off the green as the bent grass will push your putt off course every time. You need an easy way to lift your ball over the ruff so that it can roll out to the hole.

Solution
Putt with an Iron or Hybrid: That’s right, just make a putting stroke with any of your lofted clubs to lift your ball over the ruff and let it rollout on the green up to the hole. This may seem revolutionary but what could be easier with clubs that are already in your bag.
1/ You don’t need to make this adjustment with a heavier new club that take a lot more time to learn the feel. You are already familiar with the feel of your clubs for a full swing.
2/ The only thing you need to learn is how much backswing is needed for the hit that you want to make. We are not talking about a full backswing. A putting stroke is easier to make than any chip shot.
3/ It’s so much easier to let the weight of your club control your swing for a putting-chip that will only travel up to 30 yards.
4/ The simplicity of this shot is all in the ease of swinging your club head directly under your eyes like a putter. Grip down on your chosen club so that the shaft is almost vertical and your club head is only touching the ground at the TOE to minimize turf contact (NOT THE FULL LEADING EDGE ). Just hold the face of your club so that the flat is perpendicular to the direction that you are hitting.

Of course you can practice with your GOLFSTR+ to keep your leading wrist flat for your putting-chip stroke. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

The concept used in the movie, Money Ball, should be applied to your golf game. In that movie, Brad Pitt used a new set of statistics for baseball by counting a walk as equivalent to a single. Getting a runner on base is the only way to score runs. It’s the same in golf. Getting your ball in play or on the green is the best way to minimize bogeys or to get pars or birdies.

DECADE GOLF is a course-management system, founded by Scott Fawcett, which uses a statistical approach to course management to lower your scores. He offered Tiger Woods’ personal rules to for scoring.

1. Par-5s are prime scoring holes: Most golfers will have an opportunity to hit a short scoring club into the greens so it’s important to take advantage of par-5s. His goal was to avoiding bogey. Don’t feel like you need to make birdie on these holes, just focus on eliminating bogeys instead.
2. Avoid Double Bogeys: Making a double bogey can kill your game. If you find yourself in the trees, punch out and play for bogey. Don’t try the hero shot and bring a huge number into play. Eliminate doubles and you’ll see your scores come down in a hurry.
3. Avoid 3-putts: Three-putting add up quickly on the scorecard. To become a great golfer, you need to become a good lag putter. If you can dial in your touch from distance, you’ll have a much easier time keeping three-putts off the card.
4. Make Your Scoring Clubs Count: Your higher lofted clubs are your scoring clubs. When you have these clubs in your hands, you simply cannot make bogey. Play smart, hit for the fat part of the green and take your 2-putts. When you start to do this consistently, you can go for the pin and eliminate bogeys and possibly make a few birdies.
5. Eliminate Double Chips: As a recreational player, you should use a chipping technique to eliminate double chips. When you’re around the green, your first priority should be to leave yourself with a putt on the next stroke. You may want to try gripping down on your scoring clubs and chip with a putting stroke to guarantee that you next shot will be a putt.

Always get the emotion and any anger out of your next shot and make a smart shot. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve every shot with a straight leading arm and a flat wrist. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com