If you are a golf video junkie like me, you are always looking for tips to improve your short game. Well, here is a tip……simplify your chipping. Xander Schauffele recommends finding two types of chips and focus on mastering them as soon as possible. He explains when he was playing on the Web.com tour that he had to reinvent his short game in order to head to the next level of golf. His efforts seem to been successful as he is competing against Rory McIlroy for another tournament this weekend!
Continue readingPlaying Golf The Hard Way
With all the videos and articles out there telling you the easiest way to play golf, I thought it would be fun to talk about reality. The reality is that golf can be easy, but for most players it is difficult and a challenge. I went through the entire gambit of these emotions yesterday while playing golf at my home course. I am slowly knocking the rust off my game and I understand the process of improvement each year, but I feel that to improve my game the most, I need to focus on what I do best and improve on the other areas throughout the season. Well, yesterday’s round sure showed where I need the most improvement!
Continue readingThe High Soft Lob Shot – Do You Really Need It?
Golf can be challenging enough without adding additional pressure to our game. The plethora of shots available to each golfer during a round can make our head spin with choices. One of those possibilities is the high soft lob shot! This specialty shot is difficult at best and really is something that elite golfers might master. A few years ago, I decided to carry a lob wedge because I felt I needed it to take my game to the next level, but as I age I am starting to revisit that decision. For now, I will continue to carry my lob wedge and use it every few rounds or so. Before you make decisions like this, do you know how to hit a high lob shot? This is important if you choose to walk the high lofted wedge path.
Continue readingHitting Hickory Golf Clubs
A few years back, I was introduced to playing golf with hickory shafted clubs. Thanks to Lorne Emery, President of the Golf Historical Society of Canada, I am hooked on playing these vintage beauties. I enjoy hitting them and having to use different course management strategies in order to shoot well. When I first started swinging the hickories I was challenged because I did not understand the swing I needed to perform to maximize the play of wooden shafted golf clubs. Well, fortunately I do now and it is much easier than I thought.
Continue readingStruggling With Solid Ball Contact
The start of my 2024 golf season has seen the resurgence of a swing challenge: making solid ball contact. This is challenge is not unique to this year’s start, but on I face each year. It takes weeks for me to find my swing, train my body to play golf, and to feel comfortable with hitting a golf ball. It is a process that is a yearly tradition (much to my chagrin) the accentuates the lack of solid ball contact. I go through many different stages of improvement and finding drills to help is always a boon. Well, I have one from Colin Morikawa that I use each year. It is simple, easy to replicate and sustainable; hence, a drill made for a grateful golfer.
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The Grateful Golfer 