Swing Solutions

We all play this wonderful game to improve our golfing skills so that someday we may even break par. I’m sure that every golfer would like to achieve the same goal as we are all searching for that special combination that will help us get there. Last week I played a great round of golf and shot 1 over par on my back nine. My only thought was: “How did I do that and can I bottle that special feeling for all of my future games.”

My first 9 holes were mediocre at best with only 2 pars and no 7’s. So I started wondering why my game clicked into near perfection on the back 9?

-My drives were consistently going up the center of the fairway and always over 200 yards (and into 25 MPH winds).
-Approach shots were on target as my impact was with weight on my front foot and I finished in balance. (Only 1 approach shot went over a green.)
-I missed only 3 Greens In Regulation (GIR) where I chipped up to the hole for a 1 putt or hit out of a sand trap for a 1 putt SANDY. I could do no wrong.
-I missed one nervous putt for a 3-putt hole where I was not committed to the break.
Overall, my putting was excellent where I sank most of my putts under 6 feet

I could do no wrong. So why was I creating so much success? Could it be:
-I was playing with 2 single handicap golfers who inspired my game?
-I ignored the fact that I was playing on a par streak and ignored my score?
-I focused on the right club selection and the full swing that I needed to execute my shot?
-I made a clean practice swing and duplicated that swing for each shot?

I was calm and relaxed so the only thing that I can attribute my success to was my CONFIDENCE to execute each shots and my SKILL to select the right club and the right target line. In my case my SKILL must be more luck when I am hitting on a windy day and landing on a reasonable lie. My next round was 2 strokes higher, but I know that I am on the right track.

I built up my CONFIDENCE by marking my scorecard with a “1” on the upper left corner for each hole when I landed my drive in the fairway and a “1” in the upper right for each GIR (or S/sand or W/water or T/tree or P/pitch). Based on a quick glance on my score card, I could easily see where my success was coming from. The more GIR’s I made, the more confident I became.

Most golfers have the ability to par every hole, but we need to use our personal focus on every swing and CONFIDENCE to make every shot count. Even when we miss a green or miss a putt, we can still recover on the next shot. I learned to correct my swing for 6 swing flaws with GOLFSTR+. Now I believe in my personal performance to keep lowering my handicap. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

David Letterman: “Why Golf is Better than Sex #3: If you live in Florida , you can do it almost every day.”

If you want to improve your scores, stop trying to swing with speeds like the professionals. It takes a lot more effort than trying to swing faster. Crazy long-distance drives are not paying off when you play the game of golf.

Bryson DeChambeau proved to all of us that if you add muscle mass and work out to add acceleration power, you can increase the distance of your drives. But with all of his effort he is still hitting much shorter drives than the world record holders for distance. Those record holders are only landing a small percentage of their drives in-bounds. Trying to hit extreme distance with your driver is a crazy strategy, especially for most recreational golfers.

GOLF Magazine issued an interesting summary of the driving distance for male and female recreational golfers. Knowing these distances should help you contain your efforts to hit longer drives. The average professionals are driving 300 yards but the longer they drive the further they also hit off the fairway.

Get Realistic with Your Driving Distance
Recreational golfers should be choosing tees which are appropriate for they strength and age. The Professionals don’t have this option. You can improve your scores if you control your driving distance and land more drives in the fairway.

Average Yards Driven by Level of Handicap

Handicap:….<6……6-12…….13-20……21+
Male:………240…….220…….200………75 or less
Female……200…….175……..155……..140 or less

The GOLF Magazine article highlighted the fact that longer drivers had lower handicaps. You will never lower your handicap if you don’t learn to control your drives and your driving distance.

We all want to improve our driving distance but don’t sacrifice your game by trying to hit crazy long drives. Move up to the right tees. Focus on driving to land more balls in the fairway and enjoy your game. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve your drives with a straight leading arm and a flat leading wrist. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

David Letterman: “Why Golf is Better than Sex #4: Your partner doesn’t hire a lawyer if you play with someone else.”

Cameron Smith may have set a record for 1 putt greens during 4 rounds of championship golf at The Players this year. His 42 single putt greens over the 72 holes played is an amazing record. On his final 9 holes he had 8, single putt greens. We should all try to learn from Cameron’s amazing putting technique.

Cameron uses a unique Scotty Cameron putter but you really don’t need that putter to make more putts. Every putter in the world can sink every putt. Golfers only needs to choose the correct amount of swing, on the correct target line and impact on the center of your balanced putter face to impart a straight putt with a forward roll (minimizing any bounce).

Cameron takes a careful read of the slope and distance by walking around his putting line and looking from above and below the hole. He does not use a consistent process where he uses a line on his ball to line up his shot. But he often just uses the Titlist logo to line up the direction that he wants to hit.
1/ He chooses a target point that he wants to hit on his putting line so that the ball will break and run down to the hole.
2/ He takes a few practice swings to feel the swing required to reach and pass the hole.
3/ He move forward to his ball and looks from his ball to his target point 1, 2 or 3 times.
4/ He takes a final long stare at the distance to the hole and this is where the MAGIC STARTS: In one continuous sequence, his eyes trace the line from the hole up to his target point and then back to his ball where his SHOULDERS swing his putter back and through his ball EXACTLY ALONG HIS TARGET LINE.

During the back-swing and forward-swing with his putter, his head and eyes stay focused on his ball. He holds the focus of his eyes directly on the point where his ball is resting for a fraction of a second after the putter impact is completed. He must visualize swinging his putter directly up his target line.

Most golfers focus on their ball for many seconds before they swing. Cameron is not making that pause. He transfers his eye line to his putter back-swing line in one continuous motion without watching his putter back-swing. You can practice this motion with GOLFSTR+. It will lock your leading wrist flat so that all of your putting power comes from the rocking of your shoulders without any wrist action. Avoiding movement in the small muscles of your hands eliminates any tremor or shaking action as you putter makes it pendulum swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

David Letterman: “Why Golf is Better than Sex #5: Three times a day is possible.”

Have you ever wondered why your game has its ups and downs? Occasionally you play brilliant rounds of golf but more often than not, your score is well above your handicap. Why is it that you never know who is showing up to play super golfer or loser golfer? A few years ago, I started to pay attention to my sugar intake on the course when a PGA caddy mentioned in an interview that the pros are extremely careful about their fluid and sugar intake during a round of golf.

Recently I noticed that I have been scoring well in spurts followed by dry spells. That woke me up to pay attention to my fluid and sugar intake. When I realized that my game dropped off after eating an energy bar, I started paying attention to the eating and drinking habits of my playing partners. This was not a very scientific approach, but I did notice that anyone who ate an energy or protein bar immediately suffered a change in their game for the worse.

We all need a reasonable level of energy to play a round of golf. Unfortunately when your body is hit with an overload of sugar it must be adding a jolt your energy. You become invincible and tend to swing faster. Big mistake. Playing with 80% power is ideal. An overload of power just kills your swing. When your swing brakes down so does your game and and that crushes your mental attitude.

In summary, a sugar boost will overload your power causing mishits and resulting in a reaction to play more aggressively. Unfortunately your game will go down the drain.

Action Plan to Level your Energy while Golfing
1/ If you are going to eat an energy or chocolate bar just do it in moderation. Eat it slowly over a number of holes. Savor it and minimize your energy output.
2/ 1 beer may relax your swing but don’t get carried away. You know what multiple beers will do to your game and that will be the same result when you load up on sweats and energy bars.
3/ Plan on taking fruit or Gatorade to add electrolytes and energy in moderation.
4/ Stay hydrated with water as playing golf without water will zap your energy.
5/ Don’t get too excited when you birdie a hole as that boost in adrenaline will also destroy your mental balance. The success or lack of success on you next drive will tell you how wired you are.

Sugar and adrenaline will not help your game. If only we could all be as cool as Cameron Smith to play 8 single putt greens on the last 9 holes played to win the Players Championship. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes (including a flat wrist putting stroke) and remember that sugar overload and swinging at 110% will never improve your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Every golfer is faced with this decision in every round of golf. Knowing the correct direction your putts will break could save 1 or 2 strokes, especially for DOWN-HILL PUTTS. This problem occurs when you can see your downhill putt but you can’t determine which way your soft, 3 to 6 foot putt will break. Plumb-Bobbing is a great solution for all putts (down-hill, side-hill or up-hill) when the break is so minor that you need some help to read it. BUT DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME PLUMB-BOBBING IF YOU CAN SEE AN OBVIOUS BREAK.

SOLUTION: Using your putter as a Plumb-Bob, you can determine the correct break but it won’t tell you the actual amount of break which is based on the speed of your putt. FIRST: You need to build confidence in Plumb-Bobbing by practicing with your “CALIBRATED” putter and SECOND: You need to practice a variety of down-hill putts to estimate the AMOUNT OF brake that you can expect.

Plumb-Bobbing Only Works For These Conditions
1/ Consistent Slope of the Green: It only tells you the break of the green exactly on the ground where your feet are standing. So it will only be useful if you can see that the green extending from your feet, past the hole and up to your ball are all on the same plane [as a double break is impossible to read from one point when Plumb-Bobbing].
2/ Using a Calibrated Putter: You need to line up one side of the shaft of your putter with a door frame and rotate the putter until a known side of the shaft lines up exactly with the door frame. Your putter shaft is tapered so the correct side of your putter shaft makes a difference [ie for my calibrated putter, I close one eye to line up the (1) left side of my putter shaft when the (2) face of my putter is pointing directly at my target line. [Every putter will line up with a door frame differently as the putter head for every putter has a different weight.]
3/ Stand Above or Below the Hole with your ball Beyond the Hole: Your ball will break the most as it slows down near the hole. Your Plumb-Bob reading is ONLY measuring the slope on the green where your feet are planted (because you are only measuring the angle that GRAVITY applies to your putter exactly where you are standing).

How to Plumb-Bob
A/ Stand about 4 to 6 feet away from the hole and line the hole up with your ball (using one eye while closing the other eye).
B/ Now without changing standing position, hold your putter with 2 fingers in front of you and line up the calibrated side of the shaft and putter orientation with the center of the hole (using the same eye).
C/ If the upper end of your putter shaft lines up with the exact center of the hole and the center of your ball on the calibrated side of your putter shaft, then your putt should be a straight putt. If the handle end of your putter shaft lines up on the left or right side of the ball, then that side is the HIGH SIDE OF THE GREEN. Your ball will break from the high side back to the hole. So line you putt up on the high side of the slope.

You will build confidence in Plumb-Bobbing if you place 3 balls on a line across a slope above a hole (as in the image below). Plumb-Bob the break for all 3 balls and then putt those balls to prove to yourself that Plumb-Bobbing really works. Of course you also need to practice with a flat leading wrist to putt exactly on your target line. GOLFSTR+ is a perfect training aid to make straight putts. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

David Letterman: “Why Golf is Better than Sex: You can still make money doing it as a senior.”

GOLFSTR+ is a training aid that has been available for many years to help golfers practice to improve 6 swing problems. There are now over 6,000 users of GOLFSTR+ and we plan to keep growing this number. We would like to thank the many users for their suggestions to promote and expand the applications where this training aid can be used.

Websites like Golf-Info-Guide by Thomas Golf have helped us promote GOLFSTR+ when blogging about exercises to rotate your straight leading arm to improve your backswing for a more powerful swing.
Right way to keep the left arm straight: https://golf-info-guide.com/video-golf-tips/the-right-way-to-keep-your-left-arm-straight-video/

Unfortunately, other companies have been stealing our graphics and removing our GOLFSTR logo to promote their products. There really is no other product which does what GOLFSTR+ does to help you correct 6 swing mistakes. Michael Breed, a former commentator on the Golf Channel, even called to say that “there is no other product that will give you 6 swing fixes and you can simply slide it in your pocket.”
If you see promotions using our graphics, please let us know. One of our early users tipped us off to a recent illegal use of our Octopus Golfer graphic on a Facebook and Instagram page which led to the removal and corrective action. We love to see others use our graphics as long as they help promote GOLFSTR+ as a unique brand provided by Innovation Unlimited Inc.

Thank you for your continued interest in GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Why Golf is Better than Sex #7: Foursomes are encouraged.

Have you ever wondered why you play a wonderful round of golf on one day and your next round is a disaster? Or how you birdie one hole and then double bogie the next? We all know that our mental outlook must share some of this blame, but have you considered the fact that slight changes in your grip, stance and ball position may be causing your problems.

Your best opportunity to hit with a longer shafted club for longer driving distance is from the tee box. The surface is perfectly flat so there are fewer variables to worry about. You want to hit your longest shot so your driver is the best solution as long as your driver is behaving properly on that day. Of course it’s not your driver’s fault if its misbehaving.

We all hit drives off a tee where the ball lifts off at the right angle and flies to an amazing distance directly up our target line while we pose in the perfect position wondering how we ever made such a perfect shot. For those perfect shots your grip and stance and ball position must have been in perfect harmony with your physical swing sequence which most likely is not exactly the way you see a professional golfer swing on TV. As a matter of fact every golfer (including the professionals) have their own characteristic swing to suit their physical strength and flexibility. Don’t be afraid to sort out the grip, stance and ball position for your body and mind.

Determine the Your Ideal Personal Setup for Each Type of Club
Sort out your best swing setup at the practice range and make note of them for each type of club. Changing either your grip, stance and ball position will also have an impact on each of the other parameters. Be ready to experiment to sort out the best combination for each type of club but don’t go too far from the norm.

Grip: The basic grip for your driver, woods, hybrids and irons is to grip with both hands so that the V between your thumb and first finger point up to your tailing shoulder. Test the impact of a stronger or weaker grip by shifting the V back or forward when gripping each type of club.
Stance: Normally you should stand with a balanced pressure on both feet with a rearward shoulder tilt for your driver and level shoulders for an iron. You may find that you are swinging your irons like a driver and often hit the ground before the ball. Test your iron swing by placing more pressure on your leading foot because that is the position you want at the point of impact. You should also test the effect of closing or opening your stance by moving your tailing foot off your target line.
Ball Position: For your driver you should be lining up your ball off the heel of you leading foot and moving the ball further back to the center of your stance as you increase the loft of the club. You should also narrow the gap between your feet when you use your wedges. You are not looking for power with your wedges, but you do want to impact the ball before the ground

Don’t make drastic changes from the norm as they will only hurt your swing in the long run. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ and adjust to accommodate your strength and flexibility for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Why Golf is Better than Sex #8: It’s much easier to find the sweet spot.

You really need to take your BRAIN with you from the Practice Range to the First Tee. It’s easy to hone your swing for each type of club at the practice range. The lie is flat and your mind is calm and relaxed. Whether you know it or not, your anxiety and adrenaline are building at the 1st Tee (and every other tee). You need to manage your mental state and get on with your game.

In a recent blog, Hank Haney summarized his 1st Tee experience with Tiger Woods. As his trainer for a number of years, Hank was amazed to see Tiger’s absolute perfection at the range and then he would lose it on the First Tee. I was surprised to learn this but I do recall seeing Tiger in the rough off the first tee in many key tournaments. Fortunately for Tiger, he is a great scrambler and could get his game back on track.

Tiger has been one of the best golfers for years, so if he finds it difficult to make a perfect first tee drive, it means we all need a great solution to control our minds on the first hole. You need a consistent process to focus your mind on your swing and NOT on your success or failure.

Strategy to for Success on the First Tee
Humans can only think one thought at a time. So to eliminate external thoughts, you should SAY A PHRASE IN MY MIND using the rhythm of your back and forward swing. “FLATaaand Finish” are the KEY WORDS that I now use as swing reminders:

“FLAT” is my reminder to keep a straight leading arm and a flat wrist,
“aaand” gives me time to complete my hip and shoulder rotation while I cock my wrist for lag,
“Finish” The B in Balance starts my downswing to a balanced finish

Steps to Eliminate 1st Tee Jitters
1/ Line up and visualize your shot. Make a full speed practice swing with a backswing which is at least twice as long as your downswing and use your KEY WORDS to control your rhythm and finish your swing.
2/ As you step forward to your ball, take a full inhale and exhale as you take a final look up your target line.
3/ Loosen your body with a limited shoulder and hip takeaway as you say your KEY WORDS.
4/ Repeat your KEY WORDS as you coil your body and power your swing to a balanced finish.

Eliminate 1st tee jitters by focusing on your straight leading arm swing and a balanced finish. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ for swing perfection. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Why Golf is Better than Sex #9: You can stop in the middle and have a cheeseburger and a couple of beers.

It’s easy to put a chalk line down on a flat green and then putt along that line. But how do you take that smooth putting swing to the course and sink more putts? Unfortunately YOU CAN’T. That’s why I am so excited to report the I found a revolutionary way to sink more putts inside 6 feet. To be a good putter you need to have an eye for the break on the green so that you can choose your line and swing up that line. Choosing the line is up to you. This blog is only going to help you “unfreeze your body” to swing up that line.

Brad Faxton is well recognized for his amazing putting stats. He agrees with finding the right line and focusing on the perfect impact on the center of your putter face as you swing directly up your target line. His primary trick for success is to avoid freezing up during your putt routine.

I know that my putting takeaway swing is shaky. I can see my putter jumping as I swing it back and even by rocking my shoulders. My freeze-up must be occurring after I take my last look at my target line and pause to relax my shoulders and mind. I must be locking up my body and you may be doing the same thing.

Here is Brad’s 10 Second Swing Prep Solution
Choose your target line to account for the break and speed of your putt; make a few practice swings with the swing force needed to pass the hole and then step forward to make your putt. Brad’s technique is to keep his BODY IN MOTION. I couldn’t believe that this was a good idea as it really is the opposite to every thought that I know about calming my mind and body. He moves these 4 areas during the final 10 SECONDS before he makes his putt.
1/ Feet in Motion: Wiggle your toes and shifting your weight.
2/ Move Your Putter: Lift it and adjust it before you press your grip forward for the putt.
3/ Shift Your Grip: User your hands to add movement to your putter.
4/ Look up 2 times to visualize your line and distance.

I can see that many pros have adopted this technique but when I tried all of these actions, I lost my focus on my perfect swing up my target line. Fidgeting for 10 seconds was not ideal for me. My personal solution is to abbreviate Brad’s recommendations to avoid freezing up my body. After I line-up my putt and make 2 practice swings to pass the hole, I move up to the ball, take a final look at my target line while I make minor adjustments with my arms, hands and feet for the perfect setup and then (without pausing) I make my putt.

When you line-up and make your practice swings you are ready to putt. This is not baseball. You don’t need to wait for the pitch. Don’t take time to freeze-up. Make your putt. Practice keeping a flat leading wrist and a square impact up your target line by training with your GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Why Golf Is Better Than Sex: #10: A below par performance is considered darn good.

It’s fun to see the pros who are leading tournaments on TV, consistently hitting every shot close to their target. If they can do it, why can’t YOU make consistent shots when YOU golf with minimal pressure? On the other hand, if you are an average golfer, you may hit 60% to 90% of your shots with reasonable success. So why are you missing 10% to 40% of your shots?

Why Do We Miss-Hit SOME Shots?
During every round of golf, we try to duplicate our perfect swing for every club. Unfortunately, each swing must be CREATED for the club that we select; the slope of the ground that we are standing on; the weather conditions and for the target that we have selected. Those variables are all eliminated when you practice your skills on the DRIVING RANGE.

There is even less pressure to execute a shot with any club on the DRIVING RANGE. If you are miss-hitting shots on the driving range, you will definitely make more miss-hits during a round of golf where the conditions are constantly changing. What do we all need to do to perfect our swing on the driving range so that we can take those skills to the course?

1/ Identify the Weakness in Your Swing: I was watching a friend slice balls on the driving range and immediately noticed that his leading wrist was drastically cupped in his backswing. He was not aware of this fault and had a real difficulty in changing to a flat leading wrist. After many practice swings with a flat wrist on a shallow plane, he hit a perfect, straight shot on his first swing at the ball. Take lessons from a pro to identify the right way to make a golf swing with every club.
2/ Practice for Perfection: Don’t try to swing at 100% of your physical capability. Practice at 80% to control the direction and distance with every club. Make 5 (or more) perfect shots with 1 club and then change to another club. Build confidence in your swing and take it to the course.
3/ Understand Why You are Miss-Hitting: When you miss-hit shots on the range after hitting a series of perfect shots, sort out the reason. In most cases you will realize that you just tried to add more speed into your swing. A faster backswing will tend to minimize the time for your completed shoulder & waist rotation, your wrist lag and starting your weight shift to your leading foot at the top of your backswing. ALL 3 will reduce the power and distance in your shot.
4/ SOLUTION: Golf is a Mental Game: If your mind is focused on the perfect swing for a result that you have achieved in the past then why can’t you repeat the same hit every time???? Your problem is that your mind is drifting. The great golfers like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods place their mind in a focused trance. Jack visualized his shot and only feels 100% of that memory during his swing.

Learn the correct swing for your physical strength and flexibility to hit perfect shots with each type of club. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to control your arms and wrists for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.

Golf Truism #94: The best wood in most amateurs’ bags is the pencil.