Swing Solutions

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  

Lining up your shot is critical for your success in golf. Unfortunately, too many golfers are too casual about their approach in getting the best line up for the shot and the swing that they should be taking. Deciding on the right swing for draw or fade and then setting up your line-up both contribute to your success.

Success in golf depends on hitting more fairways and greens in regulation. If it was easy to hit every shot straight with every club, then this game would be much easier. If you played golf with a pool cue instead of clubs which swing around your body, then straight shots would be easy. In golf you have no choice but to plan for the draw or fade before you line up every shot. Controlling the direction of the face of your club at impact and the direction of your swing will both determine the direction of your ball.

You will never be a great golfer until you control your draw or fade as well as choosing the right direction in order to choose the point where you want your ball to land.
1/ It’s up to you to practice creating a draw or fade for the shot that you want. Because your club is swinging around your body, your best opportunity to add distance, is to aim to the right side of your target (for right-handed golfers) and slightly close the face of your club to add draw to your ball flight.

2/ I like Jack Nicklaus’ approach to line up shots. Stand behind the ball, choose your target line and then pick a point in the grass about 2 or 3 feet in front of your ball along your target line. [In the photo above he also used his club to line up his shoulders square to his target line.]
3/ Move forward to line up your feet parallel to your target line and then take a practice swing with your chosen club for the shot that you want to make. [Some recommend taking your practice swing before you move forward to your ball but this spoils your chance to line up and feel the swing for the shot on the line that you want to take.]
4/ Move forward to you ball and take a final look up along your target line to the point where you want your ball to land. Visualize your shot and then trace back to your ball to execute your perfect swing to a balanced finish.

Practice with GOLFSTR for every shot in your game but make sure that you FEEL your swing on the line that you chose before you execute your shot. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Knowing the stats for Mid and Low Handicap golfers is critical in helping to create an Attach Plan for all golfers who want to lower their handicap. I’m glad that I found this article by a GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jon Tattersall and published by GOLF.COM blog. Arrcos offers a golf shot tracking device that records every shot for all golfers using their stroke recording system. The following summary provides the performance and analysis for mid (13 handicap index) as compared to low (5 handicap index) golfers. Knowing the difference and reason for the difference will assist you in YOUR plan.

Longer drivers have an obvious advantage as they are always hitting shorter approach shots but they also hit some errant shots which are further into no-man’s land. The key here is to slow the handle of the club and let the whipping action, of the clubhead, speed up for to deliver more power and distance.

Comparison of 5 Handicap and 13 Handicap Averages

1/ Focus on better Ball Striking: Optimize your drives by keeping more of them in the fairway to give yourself a better chance to hit the green in regulation.

2/ Your second shot makes all the difference: The approach into the greens is where the biggest gain in strokes is made. The 5 index golfer hits 17% more greens in Regulation. Focus on hitting the center of the green and distance control will follow.

3/ Makeup Strokes around the Green: Focus on a 30 yard shot and build from there. Take advantage of pitch and run instead of high floaters which are risky for high index golfers.

4/ Focus on 2 Putts for every Green: Get your first putt close and sink your second putt. Learn to sink 3-foot putts with confidence and using a speed that will pass the hole by about 1 foot to eliminate green surface flaws that you can’t see.

Set your plan for every part of your game to cut the easy strokes. Consistent hits and putts will ultimately get you handicap down to 5. Practice with GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

#4 Opinions Researched by GOLF blog: “All 4-man scrambles should be played in groups of 8 so that both teams keep each other honest.” Do you agree?

Every golfer is aging. We all need tips to take advantage of methods to improve our game. Flexibility and strength are always changing as we age so we should be using every trick in the book to keep up with our rivals. Christo Garcia recently provided a great list of tips to improve any golfer’s game.

Lift your Leading Heel: As you age, you lose flexibility, so your ability to windup in your backswing gets shorter every year. One way to increase your rotation is to lift you leading heel in your backswing to give you a little more rotation for more swing distance and longer drivers. Jack Nicklaus did it throughout his career.

Shift Your Grip Back: Take your normal stance and then rotate both of your hands back on your grip. When you try this, shallow your downswing and swing with your trailing elbow closer to your side as you power your club up the slot for more distance and a nice draw.

Swing to Swoosh Your Club: If you can’t hear your club swoosh through impact, your swing is most likely too slow. Practice by holding the head end of any club and creating a swooshing sound as your wrists release your handle through the bottom of your swing. Now flip your club and create that sound by holding your grip properly.

Start your Downswing with Your Hips: Your downswing actually starts while your hips start to shift their weight forward during the transition at the top of your backswing. Let your weight shift to your leading hip as you rotate your shoulders then your arms and finally your wrist release. Unwind and deliver more power and distance.

Find Your Balance at the Top and at the Finish: Feel your rhythm to your BALANCED TRANSITION (as you say the words “1 annnd” then finish your downswing to a BALANCED FINISH (as you say the word “finish“). Or you may want to say “1 annd 2” or “Coca-Cola”. Whatever works for you. But make sure that you swing to a BALANCED FINISH.

Swing with A Straight Leading Arm: For a faster swing you need to maximize the distance of your swing by keeping your leading arm straight in your backswing and your downswing. Practice with GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods agree that the most important component for your golf swing is “speed” (club head speed). They both agree that you need to learn swing speed first and accuracy will come later. Without speed you can’t generate more distance. Without long driver distance you will never reach anywhere near the 300 yards that you want, to get closer to the green, for easier short approach shots.

Control Is the Second Most Important Component
Jack and Tiger felt that direction control was less important than distance. All golfers can eventually learn to make setup adjustment to control their draw or fade to improve their percentage of fairways hit in regulation. Tiger was not worried about missing fairways with his longer driver distance. His skill to hit more Greens in Regulation proved that he could recover from difficult locations and still land his ball in great putting locations.

Overall Tiger’s had a worse percentage of hitting Fairways In Regulation than his Greens In Regulation. That means that his ability to recover or scramble from off the fairway was the best part of his game. This make sense when you see his backyard. He has 3, par-3 holes and can practice whenever he had spare time. Way to go Tiger!

I have never been a big fan of swinging faster but I do realize that a faster club head speed is the only way to gain distance. I’m getting back on the bandwagon, but I will definitely focus on hitting more fairways with a stronger release. Of course I still practice with GOLFSTR+ to keep my leading arm straight in the backswing. Setting up with my leading elbow pointing up my target line AND KEEPING MY LEADING ARM STRAIGHT are both real success factors for my improved game. My goal is to shoot every round in the 80’s or better. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf opinions researched by GOLF blog: 3. “The cart fee should be shared with your riding partner.” What do YOU think?

Why are you making golf so difficult for yourself?  You learned to throw a ball well before you picked up your first golf club.  If you consider the elbow bend required to windup and throw a ball, you will realize that this is the same motion that your trailing right arm makes when you throw a sidearm baseball. Yes, your hand comes over the top when you throw a baseball, but the same power is there when you throw a side-arm pitch.  Shouldn’t you be able to generate more power when you swing a driver as if you are throwing a side-arm pitch with your right arm?

Just use your normal body movement to generate more power.  If you are right-handed, you have thrown a ball with your right arm hundreds if not thousands of times.  That motion is the only motion that you need to generate more speed.  Tiger is naturally right-handed and he only thinks about throwing his RIGHT wrist to release his DRIVER through the ball as fast as he can.

I’m naturally left handed in every thing that I do except playing golf.  [Right-handed clubs were the only clubs in the attic when I was younger.  So I had no choice but to learn to swing with those old right-hand clubs.]  Now that I have learned to swing without coming over the top, I finally understand the importance of building speed and power with my trailing weaker right arm.

Using my right arm to generate power in my golf swing was a major physical change for my body and mind.  Fortunately, I have also learned to use my right arm to make single handed shots in tennis and pickleball.  If you are naturally right-handed you really should enjoy the natural feeling of generating power with your right “throwing arm” for your golf swing.

Treasure the next moment that you pick up your driver and think about generating more power and swing speed with your right arm. Use your side-arm throwing action to generate that power.  You now have a new perspective when you deliver powerful drives.  Let your trailing arm shallow in your backswing and take over the power of your swing up the slot on your target line.

Now you should realize why your straight leading arm (your left arm) is responsible for delivering a full arc during your downswing. Your right arm is just delivering the POWER for your wide swinging arc of your driver to the point of impact.  Practice with GOLFSTR+ on your weaker left arm to control your STRAIGHT ARM and LONG arcing swing for more power.  Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com   

What do you think is the easiest way to improve every golf shot? It’s important for our driver, irons and putter. The distance from your shoulders to your ball should remain the same for your setup and your point of impact. The shaft of your club is not changing so it’s up to your spine, shoulders and arms to find the same distance at impact. Early extension at the point of impact is a killer.

Shoulder Control
Most golf pros suggest tilting your shoulders at setup for your DRIVER to ensure that your impact is in an upward direction. It keeps your swing arcing upward toward the forward position of your teed up ball. For all other clubs your shoulders should be level and square to your target. In all cases, your job is to just rotate your shoulders with your spine.

Spine Control
Your hips and spine generate a lot of the power in your swing. You can’t afford to sway back during your swing. Spine ROTATION allows your hips and your shoulders to wind-up in your backswing.

Arm Control
In your arms you have 3 active sets of joints: shoulders, elbows and wrists.

• A normal arm socket can only rotate about 45 degrees across your body when your shoulders are square to your body. Don’t try to move them further (like Rory and many of the pros).
• Your leading elbow should remain straight throughout your back-swing and down-swing or you will be forced to make split second (potentially disastrous) corrective actions at the point of impact. GOLFSTR+ will help your train for a straight arm back-swing.
• Your wrists both need to cock for lag at the top of your swing and then release at the bottom of your swing, for direction and power control.

Feel the weight of your club head taking charge during your back-swing and down-swing as you rotate your body to a balanced finish. John Daly and Jon Rahm are examples of the 2 extremes in the back-swing. Find your happy medium without swaying or bending your elbows. And, heaven forbid, never extend your legs and back until after impact.

Trick to Prevent Leading Elbow Bend: Setup with a straight leading elbow and then rotate your elbow to point directly up your target line. Rotating your elbow will help you lock your leading elbow like Rory McIlroy during your backswing and downswing.

Practice with your straight leading elbow using GOLFSTR+ to keep that perfect distance from your shoulders to your ball at setup and impact. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf opinions researched by GOLF blog: #2. “Music on the golf course is trash. Have a beer in a backyard or go to a concert if music is so important to you.” Do you agree?

Every golfer hits errant shots, and some hit more than others. Wouldn’t it be great to have an easy reminder, like getting a kick in the butt, when your game goes off the rails. Two bad shots in a row are enough to trigger a melt-down. We all tend to knock the poop out of the next shot. The pros have better solution to control their games and so should all of us.

Over the past many years, I have seen golfers like Billy Horschel and Jon Rahm react violently when they miss a shot. Of course, their coaches see this on TV and realize that they can make these examples a real learning point. Blowing up can only ruin your next shot. And possibly the rest of your round. When you mishit your ball, take action and get back on your game.

Whether you make a mishit from a bad lie or a poor tee shot from a perfect setup we all need to reset our minds, get over the mistake, reevaluate our next shot and get on with our game. Compounding an error with another bad shot is not going to help your game. Following are remedies that have been suggested by trainers in GOLF MAGAZINE.

Take These Specific Step for Corrective Action
1/ Admit that You Made a Mistake: Use an abnormal wake-up when you don’t like the outcome for any shot (especially a mishit). You need to pause, calm down and ADMIT TO YOURSELF that you made a mistake. Trainers suggest that you should make an ABNORMAL ACTION like pinching your hand or slapping the flat of your hand on your side to force a pause before you make another stupid shot.
2/ Identify your Mistake: Was it caused by early extension, a poor lie, a wrong club selection, irritation from others talking during your swing or just a rushed backswing causing a poor result? Identify it and take action to correct it.
3/ Take a Corrective Practice Swing: Many pros (like Jim Furyk) will pause and make a perfect practice swing after they identifies their mistake. Focus on your correction during your next practice swing.

Changing your mood from ugly to positive is always the first step that you need to take when CORRECTING your game. Get over it. Life is too short to live it in anger. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to feel the correct swing and improve your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf opinions researched by GOLF blog: #1: “Players should get free relief from divots in the fairway.” Do you agree?