Practice Golf The Way You Play

March 13, 2016March 12, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

3-6-9 Chipping Drill

Focused practice is nothing new at The Grateful Golfer blog. This extremely important topic has cropped up and never seems to lose its importance or relevancy to playing great golf. As I think of the many tips on this topic, I started to wonder if these perils of wisdom actually help the average player.

I am strong believer in the 3-6-9 drill for putting and chipping. I believe they offer the biggest return on your most precious investment: time. This and other drills will make us a better player and lower your golf scores, if we practice. However, after some thought, there is one aspect of focused putting that seems to be overlooked by most amateurs and teachers. Continue reading →

3-6-9 Chipping Drill

May 26, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

Today was practice day. I stole 30 minutes to quickly practice my chipping. As many of you know, I use the 3-6-9 chipping drill to sharpen my skills and focus my practice time. I always practice with the intent of learning or honing something. Today was no different.

Lately, my chipping is chunky! For some reason, my club is striking the round about an inch behind the ball. This failure to execute results in my wedge pouncing off the ground (when dry) or digging in (when wet). Regardless, the ball comes up extremely short and as a result it is costing me unwanted strokes. So, today’s practice round was time devoted to figuring out why.

After about six balls, the answer was obvious; my lower body was too active, which resulted in my flexing my knees during short chips. This in-turn, caused my club to hit the ground behind the ball and as a result….chunk!

Recognizing this error, I immediately adjust my chipping style and poof….problem fixed. After about 5 minutes, I was seeing definite improvement in my chipping.

In the first image, I was 25 yards from the flag using my 52 degree wedge. The result was very good with 4 out of 6 balls were within 6 feet and 3 of those were within 3 feet. (the stars are where the tees are)

The second image, I was 25 yards from the flag using my 60 degree wedge. The result was okay with 2 out of 6 balls were within 6 feet and 1 of those were within 3 feet. All balls were within 9 feet.

I found that the 52 degree wedge was easier to control because of the lower ball flight. It had less bounce on the green and released further and consistently. With the 60 degree wedge, I could not control the direction of the bounce when the ball hit the green. Additionally, I had to be more aggressive hitting the ball to reach the hole which made it more difficult to control.

Additionally, I realized four other things that I will take forward and practice the next time I hit the links. They are:

Keep more weight on my front foot;
Keep my hands ahead of the ball on contact;
Keep my right elbow (trail elbow) tucked near my side; and
Most importantly for me – quiet lower body when chipping within 25 yards.

The 3-6-9 chipping drill enable me go gauge my success immediately on every chip. This made adjusting very easy. Ultimately, my goal is to be within 3 feet every time or at least within 6 feet. These are make-able putts more often than not.

Practice chipping, or any golf skill for that matter, is the practical aspect of playing golf. Research is great, watching videos is fine and listening to the experts important; however if we do not take the theoretical aspects of golf and covert it to the practical aspects then we are really limiting our potential to lower our scores! In case you are wondering, my GAF was high today!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Setting Goals for 2014

April 25, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

As in previous years, I set goals at the beginning of my golf season. I find that by setting goals, it keeps me focused throughout the entire season. Sometimes, I achieved all may goals and more, others….not so much! I am always excited about each new season because of the fantastic opportunities improves my game it offers.

Today, I hit the range and putting green. I had no expectations and no real plan. It felt fantastic to be be playing again. Normally, I have a plan on the range, but being the first time this year I just wanted to hit balls. I was quite surprise at how well I struck the ball, but I am sure it was beginners luck! A quick note to my buddy in the UK, I still want two strokes aside!

2014 golf season is upon us and it is time to make goals. Experience tells me that reaching for the stars is great for my ego, but not necessarily for my game. So as I progress, I need to build a plan and set goals to achieve my dream of being a scratch golfer. Setting goals in golf is important for players serious about lowering their score.

Previously, I came up with following to prepare me for the season:

get fit – focus on exercises designed to improve my golf game;
research – the drills and techniques required to improve my game;
practice – dedicate time to practice to improve my game; and
compete – either formally or informally compete every time I hit the links.

It is fair to say that I have successfully accomplished the first two goals. I have remained fit and completed my research on different drills to help improve my game. So now it is on to phase three – practice.

My practice focus will start from the green out. Putting is critical to lower scores. Grooving my putting stroke early will help save strokes in the long run. Next, will be chipping from the fringe and moving further from the green. I will be using the 3-6-9 drill to simulate playing on the course because it will help hone my short game.

I am not ready to compete. Having swung the club for the firs time today, competing would be stretching even my expectations.

Setting goals is a helpful way to improve anyone’s golf game. This year will be a special year because of my goal to be a scratch golfer. The plan is in place and my desire is strong…I am ready to succeed!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!