Swing Solutions

Two of the recent blogs by Danny Maude reminded me why if is so difficult to control the direction and distance for every iron shot. Slope of the ground (side to side or back to front) your weight shift and your swing arc can change your impact point with every different length of iron. You need to adjust your stance, grip and lineup to execute perfect shots up your target line.

Inconsistencies are exactly the reason why mid-handicap golfers need to take a full practice swing before each hit. You need to pay attention to the direction of the club face and the point of impact with respect to the ball position. You have to visualize where your club face will RELEASE your ball. Of course, it’s so much easier to understand your errors when you see the divot after you hit each shot.

Eliminating Angles for Your Irons in Your Setup
Your iron shaft should be setup perpendicular from where your ball is resting. DON’T SETUP WITH A FORWARD SHAFT LEAN. Your wedge shots should be lined up in the center of your stance so your shaft should be pointing at your belt buckle. The ball position for your 6-iron is forward of the center of your stance so the shaft of your club should still be square to the ground but pointing slightly forward of your belt buckle (as below).

Setup with the Face Square
You can add draw or fade with the direction of you swing. You can also add hook or slice with a closed or open face, respectively, so setup with the face of your club square to your target line to understand the impact of a square setup. Every iron is swung in an arc so you need to focus on creating a consistent impact with your club face square and also keeping the impact point of your swing path in line with your target line. Making a complete swing allows you to return your club to square at the bottom of your swing.

Make a Practice Swing Before Every Shot
I rarely see a mid-handicap golfer take a practice swing that duplicates the swing speed and tempo of their actual shot. Each club length will change the outcome of your shots. Inconsistencies in your swing will show up during your practice swing. Just do it!

Learn from Your Ball Flight
Great golfers learn from their mistakes so that they can improve their next shot. Ground slope, ball position (forward or back), club face open or closed and swing direction (over the top or inside to out) will all change the direction of your shot. Diagnose the flight of every shot that you make. If you don’t understand why your shots are not hitting their mark, take some lessons with a professional.

Ultimately you need a “feel” for your swing and the shot that you are trying to make. Make a practice swing and then execute that exact shot. Once you understand what causes your ball flight, focus on your setup and practice with GOLFSTR+ to eliminate elbow and wrist bending which are adding dangerous angles to every swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: No matter how badly you are playing, it’s always possible to get worse.

Golfers who shoot in the 80’s and 90’s need to focus on one stroke more than any other to lower their scores. Great chipping is by far the most important shot that you need to conquer before you will break into the occasional 70’s game.

Mid-handicap golfers miss over 50% of the Greens In Regulation. The higher the percentage of misses, the higher your score on every round. Missed Greens In Regulation also end up costing you more strokes if you can’t chip your next shot for a 1 putt par or a 2-putt bogie.

Of course, you need to practice your drives and approach shots but until you perfect them you need a chip shot that will get your ball close to the hole for a single putt. Too often mid-handicappers mishit their short chips because they are trying to make the perfect shot exactly the way the pros seem to make every shot. Unfortunately, by using a full backswing and wrist release through the ball, you often end up hitting your ball FAT or THIN.

It takes a lot of practice to make a professional chip shot where you hit your ball and then cut under the ball by a fraction of an inch on bare ground or through deep rough. The chance of mishitting your shot increases with the length of your WILD backswing.

WHY NOT PUTT YOUR CHIP with a perfectly controlled putting stroke? [I saw this method presented by Danny Maude.] The putting swing is the easiest swing in golf. You only need to swing in a pendulum motion to impact your ball at the bottom of your arc (exactly with the same length of arms when you setup for your shot).

Learn to chip using any iron like your 6 iron to run up to 30 yards to the hole or a wedge to chip and run 5 feet. Choose the appropriate club depending on how far your ball will run-out on the fairway leading to the green or the depth of the green. Because you are only making a pendulum swing by rocking your shoulders, you can minimize the chance of mishits.

Putting-Chip Execution
1/ Slide your hands down to the bottom of your grip (on your chosen club) so that the angle of your shaft is almost vertical, and the blade of your club is only touching the ground with the outer toe of the face.
2/ Make a flat wrist swing (like a putting stroke) in a pendulum motion so that the toe of your club impacts your ball by clipping it off the ground at the bottom of the swing arc.
3/ Practice your backswing and follow-though with enough distance and speed to carry your ball over the rough and to roll out to the hole. [For deep rough just use more power and practice.]
4/ Focus your eyes on your ball during your backswing and through impact as you must hit your ball exactly on the toe of your club and up your target line. [Don’t rotate your head.]

Practice your Putting-Chip pendulum swing with a flat leading wrist using your GOLFSTR+ training aid. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: Never wash your ball on the tee of a water hole.

It’s shocking to see ads for GOLF Training Aids that promise an instant fix for multiple swing problems. Of course, those ads are designed to get your attention. It really would be wonderful if all of their promises could instantly or ever come true.

I really admire the golf instructor who is promoting a wrist “clicking” device that will solve problems for “90% of golfers who struggle with mis-hits like fat shots, thin shots and shanks.” That really is an amazing promise. His offer is a solution for your poor “wrist position”. Of course, you need a flat or slightly bowed wrist on your down swing, but you also need the right posture, ball position, weight transfer, shoulder orientation, head position, hip and shoulder rotation and it all has to happen in a specific sequence in order to hit the sweat spot with the correct launch angle.

His offer promises consistently flush contact on ever shot and his promises continue on and on. That’s the dream of every golfer. I’m just using this ad as an example of the wonderful image that advertising creates in order to make a sale. If the ad was 50% true then most of their customers would be scratch golfers in no time. Fat Chance!

GOLFSTR+ Solutions
When I developed GOLFSTR+, professional golfers and trainers quickly pointed out 5 more uses as this training aid can be used for many more solutions than a Straight Leading Arm Trainer. Learning to play golf well is more than “a one trick pony”. There are so many unique requirements for a great game of golf. That’s why each club has its own characteristics to solve every possible combination of problems that you face in every round of golf.

I quickly realized that training with a training aid is only the starting point for great golf. When I launched GOFLSTR+, I realized that a continuous training program was needed to encourage customers to explore new ways to improve their games. To help golfers everywhere, I have created a Swing Tip Blog every week for the last 10 years. Finding useful tips from pros which I share in blogs, help me improve my game and I hope that they do the same for you too.

There are about 6000 GOLFSTR+ users. Many share their stories of success and others improve their game and then store this training aid in their bag for future use. There is always another way that golfers learn from this it. In addition to Straight Arm Backswing, it can be used for Takeaway Lag Training, Flat Wrist Backswing, Limited Wrist Lag Chipping, Flat Wrist Putting and Flat Wrist Chipping.

Like Michael Breed once commented about GOLFSTR+: It’s the ideal training aid as it has so many applications and you can just fold it up and slide it in your pocket. Golf Training Aids can work if they provide solutions for the many flaws in your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: Nothing straightens out a nasty slice like a sharp dogleg to the right

I recently read an article stating that the worst golf tip ever was “to keep your head down” during your swing. This may be somewhat true but there are times when your can really benefit from keeping your eye on the ball.

That article quoted Bobby Jones. “The average golfer would be a lot better off if no one had ever said anything about the necessity for keeping the eyes glued upon the ball.”

Lifting your leading shoulder as you lift your head during your downswing is really the motion that you WANT TO AVOID for your drives or iron shots. Keeping your eye on the ball DURING THE POINT OF IMPACT is really important. I have watched many professional golfers [INCLUDING RORY MCILROY] during a slow motion swing that clearly show them keeping their head motionless (and their eye on the ball) until the time directly after impact.

Bobby Jones and many other pros are only trying to avoid ruining a perfect swing by eliminating the shoulder turn and follow through that you need to complete the ideal swing. So don’t mess up your swing by locking your head and eyes on your ball AFTER the point of impact.

Lock Your Eyes on the Ball when Putting
There is a time when it is extremely critical to keep you head locked down and your eyes focused on the point where your ball is resting. Do this during your PUTTING STROKE. It’s extremely sensitive to any motion which changes your exact line-up with your TARGET LINE. Your minds eye in your brain is actually controlling the target line that your planned to hit.

DON’T ALLOW YOUR EYES TO FOLLOW THE SWING OF YOUR PUTTER.
The best putters like Cameron Smith and Rory McIlroy hold the stare of their eyes directly on THE IMPACT POINT ON THE BACK OF THEIR BALL until ONE second after the impact with their ball. There is no benefit in letting your eyes follow the ball immediately after the impact with your putter. The point of impact is only an instant but the shift of your eyes and and the sway of your head and spine can easily destroy the impact direction for your putt.

Execute YOUR PUTT
-Make a practice swing to feel the amount of swing required to pass the hole by 12 to 15 inches. -Choose a target line to allow your putt to drop down from your expected break to the hole.
-Focus your eyes on the distance to your hole and then trace your target line back to the impact point on the back edge of your ball.
-Swing with your shoulders and keep your eyes focused on the impact point for 1 second after impact.

Learn the right way to keep you eyes on your ball for every swing. For your power clubs (driver and irons) make sure to follow-through with your eyes and body to complete your swing. For putting, learn to lock your leading wrist by practicing with GOLFSTR+ and holding you focus on the ball for one second after impact. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: The only sure way to get a par is to leave a 4-foot birdie putt 2 inches from the hole.

Of course, we all want to sink more par and birdie putts but you will never improve your odds unless your reduce the distance of your approach shots to the green and reduce the length of your putts. This is pretty obvious but you do need a strategy to improve your odds for success.
Playing more rounds of golf will help but you need a plan to improve each shot to improve your success rate:
1/ Start at the Practice Range: Don’t waste your time or money on rounds of golf until you sort out how to make consistent hits with every club in your bag. GOLFSTR+ is a great training aid to help you hone your skills for 6 swing fixes.

2/ Identify your weaknesses and find a class or professional to learn the basics to improve your swing for every club. Your driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putter all require unique swings to either LAUNCH, POWER or IMPACT your ball at the right attack angle.

3/ Prioritize Your Holes for Success
a. Par 5’s Are Priority #1: With a good drive and a good approach shot you should be within 100 yards of the green. [If you aren’t within 100 yards, you need to either improve your consistency or move to a forward tee. Golf is meant to be a fun game and it’s a lot more fun when you can reach the green in regulation for a 2-putt par or a birdie putt.]
b. Par 4’s Are the next Easiest to Par: Your drive should be in the fairway and within 150 yards of the green. [These approach shots are more difficult than within 100 yards so you need to improve your direction control to ensure that you either land and stay on the green or land in a perfect approach area where you can easily chip it close for par.
c. Par 3s are the most difficult to Par: Typically, they are over 150 yards, loaded with hazards and they have tricky contours. [Improve your ability to choose the right club to land and roll up to the hole. Learn to avoid hitting the green and then rolling into the deep rough surrounding the green.]

4/ Practice with Your RECOVERY CLUB: If you miss or roll off the green you will typically be faced with a short chip. These shots ruin most of your chances to par many of your holes on every round. Choosing the right club to clear the rough and roll out to the hole is a good starting point.
Eliminate 80% of your mishit chips by PUTTING with the TOE OF YOUR WEDGE OR IRON. If the rough is not too deep, you can stand closer to the ball and sliding your hands down to the bottom of your grip creating a more vertical shaft , you can actually use the toe of your club to PUTT up to 5 feet out of the thick fringe.

YES, just use a putting swing to lift your ball on to the putting surface and rolling out to the hole.
Par and birdie more holes by practicing for CONSISTENT Toe Putting hits with every club. Spend some of your practice time (in your backyard or at the range) TOE PUTTING out of deep rough with an appropriate iron or wedge to lift your ball high enough to reach the green and then rollout to the hole.

Sink more par and birdie putts by reducing the distance your each holes. For shots that land in the heavy fringe just off the green, practice your TOE PUTTING swing with GOLFSTR+ by locking your leading wrist. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: With practice and strength training you can easily get more distance off your shanks.

Good starting points for every putt are to determine the perfect target line and to develop a smooth swing which impacts your ball on the center of your balanced putter face. You can’t afford to have a hitch or a yip in your putting stroke. You also need to understand the changing speed of greens, as you play 18 holes on every course and on every new day that you play.

Good Golfers Strategically Sink More Putts.
1/ Before every round, you need to practice your putting to get a feel for the speed of the greens on the course that you are about to play. Practice short, long and breaking putts.
2/ The speed of greens change throughout your round as the course dries out during the day or during the onset of fog or rain. Adjust your swing speed accordingly.
3/ Short putts never go in the hole. You should only plan for putts to die into the hole when you are making a downhill putt. On relatively flat putts you should always add enough energy in your swing to pass the hole by 12 to 18 inches to (a) give yourself a chance to sink the putt, (b) minimize the break at the hole as you ball slows down and (c) avoid imperfections of the green near the hole by sloppy golfers.
4/ Your arms and wrists need to be locked solid during your backswing and follow-through as you should only create the swing arc with the rocking motion of your shoulders. Practice your putting with GOLFSTR+ to lock your leading wrist to swing your putter up your target line like a pendulum.

NOTE: Prove that you can swing a putter on a straight line by putting 5-foot putts on a flat putting surface. Try putting with your eyes focused on the spot where the ball is lying (without moving your head during impact) and then try to make the same putt with your eyes closed. If you can’t make these putts, you must be moving your wrist instead of rocking your shoulders.

Key Components of Each Putt
1/ Look at the line of the putt from above and primarily from below the hole to determine the expected break. [If you are plum-bobbing to determine a fine amount of break near the hole, make sure that you are checking the break with the hole between you and the ball –NOT from behind the ball.]
2/ Practice your putting motion only by rocking your shoulders with enough speed to pass the hole and break from the high side.
3/ Focus your eyes on the hole and then trace back to your ball along your target line.
4/ Keep your eyes on the SPOT at the back of your ball (until AFTER impact on the exact center of your putter face) as you swing directly up your target line.

Sensing your putt distance and rocking your shoulders to putt up your target line are all made easier when you practice with GOLFSTR+ to lock your leading wrist. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: It’s difficult to decide which is more stressful – hitting 3 off the tee or lining up your 4th putt.

I recently read an article about equipment changing trends on the pro tour. Obviously, what the pros do will most likely not impact your game. They use all the latest technology and financial support to make any changes that will give their swing an edge over other pros. I just wanted to share the tidbits that I found in a GOLF.com blog and by observing success changes which can apply to recreational golfers without spending a fortune.

Shorter Driver Shaft Length
This year the PGA set a new limit on driver shaft length at 46 inches. The interesting fact that I found is that Cameron Smith is known for his putting expertise, but his recent focus has been on hitting more fairways so that he can hit more greens in regulation. At the US Open, he was using a 44.5 inch shaft to add more direction control for his drives. A drive that is 20 yards shorter in the fairway adds a lot more value to your game than one that is longer but sitting in the rough or behind a tree.

The Bryson DeChambeau Syndrome
Adding muscle, bulk and a full set of single length irons were supposed to be a great new trend to improve accuracy and length control. Not only did Bryson end up injuring himself with his over speed training but his game whet sideways. With his increasing scores he found that the only way to increase his income was by joining the LIV Tour. I don’t think we should be following Bryson as a trend setter.

Putting Solutions
Every putter can sink every putt. You ONLY have to choose the right line and swing with the right speed. Easier said than done. Tony Finau just added a more distinctive Center Line on his putter head to help with the line up and impact for ever putt. He won a recent tournament putting with his trailing hand on top of his leading hand. That just reminds us how important it is to make sure that our line up is good but even more important is that you impact your swing EXACTLY ON THE CENTER LINE of your putter face.

I also notice a change to a new putter style where the shaft connects to the putter exactly at the center of the face of the putter. In addition to putting with her leading hand lower on her grip, Brooke Henderson and other LPGA pros have started to use this type of putter. Brooke turned her game around with a few recent tournament wins by changing to this type of mallet putter. She must be on to something. You don’t need a $500 Scotty Cameron Putter to sink more putts.

Hybrid or Utility Wood
There seems to be a shift away from Hybrid’s toward Utility Woods (UW). I don’t know if this is an advertising gimmick to sell a new type of club but I know that a 7 wood and a 9 wood added to my wife’s game is really helping her hit more greens in regulation. She has better direction control than with her #4 Hybrid. The UW clubs have shorter shafts which give you better direction control. Why not try to choke down on your 5 wood and test out the direction control for yourself.

I am also seeing the promotion of Utility Driving Irons for distance and direction control. They have heavier heads and suggest that they will improve your direction control. They work for the pros, but I’m not convinced. Again, this may be another way to sell more clubs exactly the way they suggested that you should buy a complete set of hybrid irons a few years ago.

Try out any of these gear changes before you buy. Make sure that don’t change the basics of your swing to accommodate those clubs. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for flat wrist putting & any full swing club and learn to limit your backswing with a straight leading elbow which is so critical at the point of impact. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: You may need lessons if you had to re-grip your ball retriever.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could change your setup for your driver and for your irons to hit more fairways and Greens In Regulation? That’s every golfers dream and I believe that Hank Haney has given us a few great setup ideas for more consistent hits with better direction controlled.

Hank Haney, Martin Chuck and Danny Maude have recently been bombarding blog followers with opportunities to purchase swing tips which will solve your inconsistent swing problems. They are promising to fix your swing using 1 to 10 balls at a practice range. I have not purchased their programs but wanted to provide the key tips that they shared on their promotional videos.

Basic Setup
I’m NOT going to detail the basic setup that you can find on any YouTube training video as the proper grip and stance should give you the proper distance from your ball for consistent hits. Whatever you do in your swing, your distance from you shoulders to your ball must be the same at impact as it was during your setup. Don’t pull your leading shoulder away from the ball before impact. Increasing the distance of your leading shoulder away from the ball will cause toe hits (which look like a major slice). Test for this problem by spraying foot powder on the face of your clubs as your impact should be on the center of the face.

Driver Grip Tip Setup
After you line up your shot and take your stance on a line parallel to your target line, rotate your club across your body and parallel with the ground, with the face of your driver pointing perpendicular to the ground. Adjust your fingers by holding the grip of your club in your fingers (not your palms), [You may want to rotate the face of your club 2 degrees forward to add draw to your shot). Without changing your grip; bend forward and rotate your club back down to your ball with your shaft pointing at your belt buckle.

Your swing will feel strange with this finger grip, but your result will be straight. You may want to use a swing thought of shallowing your driver at the start of your downswing to launch your club head from the inside and up my target line.

Iron Setup Tip
Grip your club in your fingers, similar to the driver tip, and make sure that you line up with your shaft pointing at your belt buckle (without any forward press or shaft lean). [You may want to try bending your leading knee slightly to place 60% of your weight on your leading leg as that’s where your want to be at the point of impact.] The low point of the arc of you swing needs to be just beyond your ball.

Gripping in your fingers with a shaft pointing directly at your belly will give you amazing direction control for every shot. Practice with GOLFSTR+ as a reminder to keep your leading arm straight throughout your limited backswing and downswing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: A recent survey shows that of all jobs, caddies live the longest. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise, and if there’s ever a medical emergency, a doctor is always nearby.

At the end of televised rounds of golf, commentators attempt to glean nuggets of thoughts from the pros. Often they never really answers the questions but occasionally you really get a good insight into the success for their game. Instead of flipping your PVR fast forward, you may learn some good strategies by listening to the pros. Every successful golfer has their own game plan.

I heard an interview with Brooks Koepka who described his swing thought as “no thought at all”. He knew the swing that was needed to execute his draw or fade or height of shot to avoid trouble or land on a green. His mind blocked out any other thought as he simple executed the swing needed to make the perfect shot to the point where he wanted to land his ball. He couldn’t explain any thought process as his mind seemed to go into a blank zone as he executes the shot that he wants.

In the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield in Scotland, after the 3rd round when Ashleigh Buhai, a South African, was leading that Major tournament by 5 strokes she was asked about her success. She simply said that she “followed her process”. She simply stuck to her routine for every type of shot. She knew what she wanted to execute and simply blocked extraneous thoughts from her mind after she made her club selection, setup her stance and fixed her grip. She actually visualized her past successful swings and swing speed in the image of another great South African golfer: Ernie Els. He made a deliberately controlled backswing and release through the ball WITHOUT TRYING TO KILL HIS BALL.

Ashleigh was actually building confidence with ever swing by focusing ONLY ON HER SUCCESSES. When playing on links courses in Scotland, you can only control the direction and length of your shot. The surface of every fairway can throw your ball in any direction. You can’t be focused on the result of your last shot. You can only apply your mind on making a success of your next shot.

Buhai, the 84th ranked player in the world, was leading the Women’s Open. She ultimately landed in a terrible bunker and lost her lead but won it back in a playoff. One mishit almost lost the tournament, but she stuck to her process, blocked the thought of losing and won the tournament. You may never be in her position, but you should keep your mind on the perfect swing that you practice. GOLFSTR+ is a training aid that helps you practice 6 key corrections in your swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: The best wood for lowering your score is a pencil.

In a recent GolfersRX blog Christo Garcia recommend a driver swing setup that will help you generate longer, straight drives. When I tried his recommendation, I realized that his 2 suggestions were exactly what I have been doing subconsciously for my best drives. He suggested a STRONGER grip and keeping your trailing ELBOW CLOSE TO YOUR SIDE during the downswing, like Lee Trevino and Dustin Johnson. A stronger grip is easy to position during your setup, but the tight trailing elbow needs a flat or bowed leading wrist to create the inside swing path.

More Power for your Drives
The Garcia recommendation uses an inside to outside swing path so that your trailing elbow almost grazes your rib cage. I understood what he was trying to describe when he commented about Jack Nicklaus who liked to play with a “PALM UP CUT”. He was adding power to his swing by forcing his trailing hand to swing through the ball as if he is swinging a hammer with his strong trailing hand on the backside of his club and into a wall as he swung through the point of impact.

Dustin Johnson bows his leading wrist at the top of the swing in order to swing with a bowed wrist as he powers the back of his bowed leading wrist up his target line. That forces his trailing elbow to narrowly miss his side during the downswing.

Another Suggestion
If those 2 descriptions are not helping you understand how to swing with your trailing elbow narrowly missing your side, my personal option my help. As I approach the top of my backswing I remove any “cup” shape in my leading wrist by flatten my wrist. This shallows my swing path from the inside and up my target line. I’m not sure if my wrist is actually flat or slightly bowed, but I definitely shallow my swing plane and feel like I am hammering my club directly up my target line.

Slice Solution
Hank Haney highlights the fact that an open club face at the point of impact will ALWAYS create a fade or slice. If you are trying the “hammer” swing and experiencing fades or slices, setup with a 1 or 2 degree closed face on your club. That should create a slight draw or at least a straight ball flight.

If you want more distance with your drives you need to hammer them with more swing speed. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to keep your leading arm straight and hammer the club face of your driver up your target line. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Thought for the Day: The greatest sound in golf is the “Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh” of your opponent’s club as he hurls it across the fairway.