Putting is the great equalizer. It is the one stroke that can change the fortunes of your round. Putting is a huge topic at this blog and I have tried to present different ways for players to improve on the short grass. Improving our putting is no epiphany for any player, but it seems to be one that I keep revisiting because of its importance. Today’s point deals with hitting the ball past the hole. For this drill, Jordan Spieth comes to mind and his unique putting style a few years back.
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Thinking Through Tough Golf Shots
Every golf shot requires a certain amount of thought before execution. Sometimes it is a straight forward process, however more often than not, it takes a bit of brain bites to hit the appropriate golf shot. There are many different stressors on each shot that should be evaluated, however most of those challenges can be mitigated through one thought on tough golf shots. Yup, I have narrowed the multiple influences down to one thing can control to help make challenging shots.
Continue readingYour Lead Shoulder Position During Contact
Many aspects of our golf swing are connected. Regardless of what our training focus is on any given day, it will bleed over to other aspects of our swing. During today’s discussion, Johnny Miller talks about returning our lead shoulder back to the original set up position before making contact. His view is that this movement helps with compression and contact and, of course, he is correct. However, there are some secondary results that should not be overlooked. They are as important as the main area of your training focus.
Continue readingHow To Recover From A Shank In Golf
The other day during my match I shanked a ball. Yup, both Misha and I were surprised. Actually, I was shocked! I rarely hit the ball that poorly (maybe twice a year), but it does occur when I least expect it. Physically, I recovered on my next shot, but mentally I was a bit disturbed for until the next tee. My mistake opened the door for Misha to take a commanding lead in the match and he was there to bounce as I would have done if the shoe was on the other foot. Regardless of the match results, recovering from a shank can be difficult, but manageable and here is how.
Continue readingPicking On Golf Skill To Hone
As an amateur golfer, I need work in all areas of my game. I am not the longest hitter, greatest short game player or smoothest putter in the game, but I try to emulate the resemblance of a solid game when I tee it up. I have learned over the years that some areas of my game need more focus than others, but that was a tough lesson to learn. Until I started recording stats on fairways hit, greens in regulation, number of putts, etc, I would work on what I felt like at the practice facility. This usually gravitated towards something I was already doing well, hence it did not translate to lower golf scores at the end of the day. I often wonder why and it took a very large ‘ah ha’ moment to change the way I approached my practice sessions.
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