Are you looking for ways to shave a few strokes off your scores? Do you have trouble getting the ball up and down when you miss greens in regulation? When you're standing over a chip, are you thinking "just get the ball on the green so I can putt...it doesn't matter how far I end up from the hole"? If you answered yes to any of these questions, let's go over some basic fundamentals so that we can get your chipping back on track. By following these tips, hopefully you'll be able to 'knock it tight' and leave yourself with a 'gimme' from anywhere around the green.
Choke Down on the Grip
This seems like an obvious mechanic, but choking down on the grip
actually does a lot more than simply get your body closer to the ball to
make a delicate stroke. Choking down also counterbalances the club,
meaning added weight above the hands work to make it easier to make less
than full shots without flipping the hands over too soon. As for your
body, remember as you choke down: Don’t hunch your upper body. Instead,
choke down with your hands, and get your body lower by adding more flex
in the knees, as opposed to hunching over.
Keep Your Stance Open and Narrow
Many of my students assume the best way to chip is to align their body
either at or parallel to the target. I advise against this, since it’s
important for the body to rotate (unlike a putt where it doesn’t rotate)
just as with a full shot. Also, when it comes to chipping, because the
hands have a delayed or lesser release than they do with a full swing,
it’s even more important that the body be poised to turn.
Think of it this way: If you’re too square, the body will resist
rotating, and the hands will take over and get too active. That is,
they’ll start to flip! Instead, make a narrow and open stance (don’t
just flare out one foot) and let your body turn through the shot.
Weight Forward and Ball Back in Your Stance
Why? Simple. Keeping your weight predominantly on your forward side with
the ball back in your stance (toward the target) helps to ensure a
steeper downward blow into the ball. This prevents fat and thin shots
and helps you make consistent contact with the ball. Also, by keeping
your weight leaning toward the target, this helps maintain a consistent
impact position, which will help you better control your shots and gauge
different distances. As for the ball position, I like to play my shots
just off the inside of my back toe. But you may prefer it slightly
farther back or slightly farther forward. It’s okay to be flexible, but
try to keep it consistent. And stay away from placing the ball too far
forward in your stance. If you move it forward, you’d better be ready to
hit a flop or lob shot—which is a different lesson for a different day.
Keep Your Head Up
Let’s get this straight: Keeping your head down is never a good idea,
especially with your chips. If you stuff your head into your chest, your
upper body loses its ability to rotate and, once again, the hands will
try to take over. When that happens, the hands get flippy, and even if
you manage to make decent contact, you’ll have a hard time trying to
control your distance and direction. Instead, keep your head upright and
your neck in line with your spine. This will free your upper body to
rotate. And, by the way, keeping your head up doesn’t mean taking your
eyes off the ball.
Always Be Sure to Choose the Right Club
When chipping, I like to mix up my club options, depending on the amount
of height and roll I want. This allows me to maintain the same chipping
stance and ball position, and lets the club do the work for changing
the way the ball flies and rolls. More often than not, try to carry the ball just onto the green and then let it roll out to the hole. This will allow you to have better control over your distance. I like to use an 8-iron when I'm just off the green so I can carry the ball over the light rough and fringe and have it roll to the hole. My pitching wedge does the same, except that I use it in deeper grass. When I need to carry the ball in the air a further distance to get it onto the green, I suggest using a 56-degree sand wedge (rather than a lob wedge). Reason being, a lob wedge is for lob shots, not chip shots. A 56-degree
sand wedge gives me the optimal height/spin combination, and, because of
the bounce, making solid contact is a lot easier than with a low-bounce
lob wedge.
Make a Single-Lever Swing
Steve Stricker does it best. Next time he’s on TV, check out his
single-lever chipping style. What that means is he hinges his wrist at
the setup, then maintains that hinge all the way through the chip. The
body rotates the clubhead through, and because of this, Stricker is able
to consistently reproduce a stacked impact position. What’s that mean?
It means Stricker, like many good players, can better gauge different
distances by adjusting his swing length. So, longer chips require a
longer swing; shorter chips need a shorter swing. He doesn’t have to
make big changes to his ball position, how he releases the hands, etc.
Instead, by using a single-lever method and rotating the body through
the shot, Steve Stricker is able to get up and down a whopping 75
percent of the time. Copy this method and you’ll
become a better chipper in no time.
Of course, as with all other aspects of the game, it takes time and practice in order to make improvements and have them feel natural. The more you can practice and work on these fundamentals, the more improvement you'll see in your game and the lower your scores will be. So, next time you're at the driving range or at your local golf course, head over to the chipping green and work on these fundamentals. Be sure to post your comments and let me know if these tips helped you improve your chipping.
Monday 7 July 2014
Wednesday 2 April 2014
Tips on How to Read Greens Effectively
The goal of every golfer is to shoot the lowest score. One of the best ways to lower your scores is to become a better putter. Did you know that putting constitutes approximately 40-45% of your score on average? Yet, I bet that most golfers probably don't spend 40-45% of their time practicing putting as they'd rather be out smacking balls on the driving range. The following are some tips on how to read greens effectively so that you can become a better putter while managing your practice time so that you practice with purpose.
The ability to read the correct line and speed of a putt is an important skill to develop. To help develop such a skill, consider the following points:
Speed
Controlling the speed of your putt is vitally important. The quicker the ball is rolling, the less the ball will break. The optimum pace to hit a putt is one that would take the ball 15 inches to 17 inches past the hole. This speed ensures that the ball holds its line.
True Downslope Direction (TDSD)
The momentum of the stroke makes the ball roll along a straight line initially. However, as the ball gets closer to the hole the ball begins to lose its speed. As it loses its speed the ball will start to look for and go down the true downslope of the green as gravity starts to take over.
Target Point
Every putt is therefore effectively a straight putt, it all depends on how hard you hit it as to whether it takes any break. With your pace of putt in mind, pick the break you envisage the putt will take. Then pick your target out as a straight line and hit the ball at the right speed so that it takes the break. When you approach the green it is important, therefore, to look at the contours and assess the slopes and lie of the land. Firstly, assess whether the putt is uphill, downhill or across any slope.
Downhill Putts
With less momentum from the strike on a downhill putt, gravity will act upon the ball sooner on its run towards the hole and force the ball down the direction of the true downslope. On downhill putts, therefore, we need to allow for more break.
Remember: less speed equals more break.
Uphill Putts
Uphill putts are much easier than downhill putts because they have less break due to the momentum of the strike required to hit the ball up the hill.
Remember: more speed equals less break.
The ball will take any break when it starts to "die" (loses speed) as this is when gravity starts to takes over and the ball will follow the true downslope.
Side Slope Putts
It is important to note that putts hit across any side slope are uphill on the first part of the putt and then downhill on the second part of the putt. Once you have assessed whether the putt is uphill or downhill (to help you determine the pace of the putt and initial starting line) then focus on the area around the hole where the ball will die and gain an understanding of the direction of the true downslope, as this is where the slope will have the greatest influence on your putt. By building up a picture of the contours you will build up a picture of the line and pace you will need to hit the ball on for it to go in the hole.
Practice reading putts in the same way you practice your mechanics. This will help you learn to assess the effects different slopes and speeds have on your putts. Building up such experience will help you make more decisive and accurate reads out on the course. You'll inevitably build up your confidence on the putting green, eliminate those nasty 3-putts and lower your scores.
The ability to read the correct line and speed of a putt is an important skill to develop. To help develop such a skill, consider the following points:
Speed
Controlling the speed of your putt is vitally important. The quicker the ball is rolling, the less the ball will break. The optimum pace to hit a putt is one that would take the ball 15 inches to 17 inches past the hole. This speed ensures that the ball holds its line.
True Downslope Direction (TDSD)
The momentum of the stroke makes the ball roll along a straight line initially. However, as the ball gets closer to the hole the ball begins to lose its speed. As it loses its speed the ball will start to look for and go down the true downslope of the green as gravity starts to take over.
Target Point
Every putt is therefore effectively a straight putt, it all depends on how hard you hit it as to whether it takes any break. With your pace of putt in mind, pick the break you envisage the putt will take. Then pick your target out as a straight line and hit the ball at the right speed so that it takes the break. When you approach the green it is important, therefore, to look at the contours and assess the slopes and lie of the land. Firstly, assess whether the putt is uphill, downhill or across any slope.
Downhill Putts
With less momentum from the strike on a downhill putt, gravity will act upon the ball sooner on its run towards the hole and force the ball down the direction of the true downslope. On downhill putts, therefore, we need to allow for more break.
Remember: less speed equals more break.
Uphill Putts
Uphill putts are much easier than downhill putts because they have less break due to the momentum of the strike required to hit the ball up the hill.
Remember: more speed equals less break.
The ball will take any break when it starts to "die" (loses speed) as this is when gravity starts to takes over and the ball will follow the true downslope.
Side Slope Putts
It is important to note that putts hit across any side slope are uphill on the first part of the putt and then downhill on the second part of the putt. Once you have assessed whether the putt is uphill or downhill (to help you determine the pace of the putt and initial starting line) then focus on the area around the hole where the ball will die and gain an understanding of the direction of the true downslope, as this is where the slope will have the greatest influence on your putt. By building up a picture of the contours you will build up a picture of the line and pace you will need to hit the ball on for it to go in the hole.
Practice reading putts in the same way you practice your mechanics. This will help you learn to assess the effects different slopes and speeds have on your putts. Building up such experience will help you make more decisive and accurate reads out on the course. You'll inevitably build up your confidence on the putting green, eliminate those nasty 3-putts and lower your scores.
Monday 3 February 2014
Quick Tips on How to Become a Better Ball-Striker With Your Long Irons
Do you have trouble making solid contact on a consistent basis with your long irons (ie. 3, 4, 5 irons)? It's a very common problem amongst amateur golfers, although the advent of hybrid irons has definitely made things a bit easier for the average golfer. Understanding how to strike the ball effectively by using your body properly will go a long way to building your confidence when standing over those long approach shots from the fairway.
What makes an exceptional ball-striker is the ability to differentiate between the upper and lower body at impact. Being able to shift your weight into your lead foot allows you to stay behind the ball and utilize the true loft on the clubface, so the ball launches higher and lands softer. The most common mistake that amateurs make with their longer clubs is that when they shift their weight left on the downswing (for right-handed golfers), their upper body goes with it. There’s no differentiation between the upper and lower body, and they typically come over-the-top of the ball and hit it to the right, or mishit it off the toe, which shoots it low and to the left. On the flip side, if they try to stay behind the ball with their upper body, their weight stays on their back foot and they hit behind it. With no differentiation, they may still hit their short irons okay (because of the loft), but they’ll launch their longer irons, hybrids, and fairway woods too low. Here are two drills to help you create this differentiation and improve your ball striking.
DRILL 1:
PRE-SET IMPACT
Take your setup with a 5-iron and, from there, assume a good impact position. Move your weight into your lead foot and open your hips, but keep your spine tilted to the right, behind the ball, as it was at address. You should feel a good stretch between your upper and lower body, and your shoulders should be closed relative to your hips. Hold this position for a second or two, and then return to your address position and swing, trying to recreate the differentiation you felt between your upper and lower body at impact.
DRILL 2:
USE THE GROUND
Place a towel or sponge (something that offers a little resistance) under your lead foot and, as you swing down, feel as if you’re applying pressure from the left foot into the ground, through that towel. This drill will teach you to shift your weight forward so that the clubhead doesn’t bottom out too soon and you hit the ball solidly, with the club’s full loft.
Practice this move at the driving range and keep repeating until it becomes natural. You'll soon notice that your ball striking will improve not only with your long irons, but with all the clubs in your bag.
Stay warm and keep practicing with purpose through the winter so you're ready to shoot low scores as soon as the golf season arrives!
What makes an exceptional ball-striker is the ability to differentiate between the upper and lower body at impact. Being able to shift your weight into your lead foot allows you to stay behind the ball and utilize the true loft on the clubface, so the ball launches higher and lands softer. The most common mistake that amateurs make with their longer clubs is that when they shift their weight left on the downswing (for right-handed golfers), their upper body goes with it. There’s no differentiation between the upper and lower body, and they typically come over-the-top of the ball and hit it to the right, or mishit it off the toe, which shoots it low and to the left. On the flip side, if they try to stay behind the ball with their upper body, their weight stays on their back foot and they hit behind it. With no differentiation, they may still hit their short irons okay (because of the loft), but they’ll launch their longer irons, hybrids, and fairway woods too low. Here are two drills to help you create this differentiation and improve your ball striking.
DRILL 1:
PRE-SET IMPACT
Take your setup with a 5-iron and, from there, assume a good impact position. Move your weight into your lead foot and open your hips, but keep your spine tilted to the right, behind the ball, as it was at address. You should feel a good stretch between your upper and lower body, and your shoulders should be closed relative to your hips. Hold this position for a second or two, and then return to your address position and swing, trying to recreate the differentiation you felt between your upper and lower body at impact.
DRILL 2:
USE THE GROUND
Place a towel or sponge (something that offers a little resistance) under your lead foot and, as you swing down, feel as if you’re applying pressure from the left foot into the ground, through that towel. This drill will teach you to shift your weight forward so that the clubhead doesn’t bottom out too soon and you hit the ball solidly, with the club’s full loft.
Practice this move at the driving range and keep repeating until it becomes natural. You'll soon notice that your ball striking will improve not only with your long irons, but with all the clubs in your bag.
Stay warm and keep practicing with purpose through the winter so you're ready to shoot low scores as soon as the golf season arrives!
Monday 13 January 2014
Golf Posture: How to Help Correct Your Posture
Happy new year to all of my followers! I apologize for the long delay between posts as there's been a lot going on since my last post in October. On November 12, 2013, my wife, daughter and I welcomed the newest addition to our family...our baby boy, Adam! As you can imagine, it's been quite the challenge getting used to life with two kids as well as going through the busy holiday season...we survived and things are getting back to 'normal'.
My latest post deals with golf posture, its importance to the golf swing and some tips to help you improve on your posture, if need be. There are 3 known golf postures, the N, C, and S, but only one of these address positions is physiologically ideal for healthy, productive outcomes. Do you know which one you are?
The N-posture is preferred by teaching professionals, but seems to elude many current-day golfers. It’s characterized by a straight spine or back and is really the precursor to an efficient, textbook golf swing. It also helps keep both the acute and chronic nagging injury to a minimum.
When addressing the ball with a straight spine, the golfer allows him/herself the potential for making a better turn in the backswing. This is a prerequisite for power golf. The better the shoulder turn, the more clubhead speed the golfer should be able to generate. That, in turn, increases the likelihood of hearing repeated acknowledgments such as “nice drive,” “that was smoked,” and “you spanked that drive” from the members of your foursome.
Give it a try. Take your golf stance while standing sideways in front of a mirror to make sure your back is totally straight. Now take a backswing and note how far you’re able to turn. Next, bow (bend) your spine, like in the picture below. Now try to make that same backswing. Make sure your head doesn’t move. Can you turn as much? The answer is no. That’s because it’s easier to rotate around a straight spine than it is a bent one. Unfortunately, there are a lot of golfers out there that don’t set-up at address with a straight, N-posture, spine. And it’s getting worse.
The
bowed or bent spine posture is becoming an epidemic in the golfing
world. Technically, this set-up position is called a C-posture, as the
golfer forms a “C” when viewed from the side, and it used to be more of
an older golfer’s disease. Today, however, we’re seeing more and more of it due to the fact that
many of us are sitting hunched over a computer for a good part of the
day, both at work and when we get home. This static, round-shouldered
position, results in a shortening (tightening) of the muscles in the
chest and a lengthening (weakening) of the muscles in the
upper back. This causes the shoulder blades to fan outward and the
spine in the thoracic region to bow out (known as kyphosis). This
combination does not bode well for the golf swing or your health. The C-posture is showing up in all ages and in both genders. It will
limit your ability to get the club back and that’s going to rob you of
clubhead speed and distance. Yes, there are some C-posture golfers who
do manage to get the club back, but this can only happen if the
golfer stands up in the takeaway. Lifting the head up in order to make a better turn alters the swing
plane and can also throw off balance. Either of these is deadly if your
goal is to make consistent ball contact. The other thing C-posture may produce in the backswing is a reverse
spine or a leaning of the upper body back toward the target. This
common swing fault doesn’t position the golfer well for initiating the
downswing in the proper hitting sequence. . . that being with the hips
first. As a matter of fact, the reverse spine often results in the
upper body controlling the downswing, an over-the-top swing plane, and a
casting of the golf club. The sum of these is usually a powerless
slice of the golf ball and a frustrating round of golf.
To physically correct the C-posture, you must stretch the tight muscles in front and strengthen the weak ones in back. In doing so, you’ll allow the shoulder blades to move back toward the midline of the body pulling the shoulders back with them.
A
good exercise for this is the shoulder pinch and one you might consider
doing daily to offset the negative consequences from sitting in front
of that computer. While lying supine on a stability ball or full-round
foam, place your arms out to the side and bend the elbows 90 degrees.
Pinch or squeeze the shoulder blades together, which will lower the arms
somewhat toward the floor. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds and release.
Repeat 5 to 10 times. Remember to breathe. If on the stability ball, make
sure to keep the hips parallel to the floor to engage the glutes (golf
power muscles). 
A drill to help improve the brain-body connection and break you out of the bad C-posture habit is to hold an iron club against your back, while standing, with the toe of the club resting on top of your head. Slowly bend forward into your golf stance while keeping your head in contact with the toe (right picture). This will ensure a straight back. If the head comes off the club, you're bowing the spine and moving into a C-posture stance (bottom picture). Like with all neuromuscular drills, the more
you repeat it, the greater the likelihood that the new movement pattern will become habitual.
The third identified posture is the S-posture. It’s characterized by an arching of the lower back and a protruding butt, resembling an “S” when looked at from the side. This posture is very prevalent in women and younger golfers.
The arched or swayback posture, in itself, is a low back pain producer. Combine it with the twisting motion of a golf swing and it's a pretty sure bet chronic low back pain will develop. In most cases, the arched back posture is produced from the hip rotating forward. This anterior tilt is often the result of tightness in the muscles in the front of the hips known as the hip flexors.
A simple assessment
is to sit on the edge of a flat bench or solid coffee table, carefully
lie back on the bench/table and then bring one knee up to the chest and
hug. If the extended foot rises up off the floor, you’re hip flexor is
tight to that side. Repeat with the other leg as tightness can
be unilateral or bi-lateral.
This knee hug action is also a great stretch to do for tight hip flexors. Hold each leg for at least a 30-second count as you breathe normally. If you’re unsteady on the bench, you can also do this stretch while lying on your back on the floor.
One thing to consider if you do set-up in the S-posture is to pull in the belly button toward your spine while standing at address over the ball. This action will flatten the lower back and take some tension off of the area while swinging the club.
Good posture is not a given and should be worked on for better, healthier golf. In doing so, you’ll set yourself up for a more efficient golf swing, more yards down the fairway, and greater potential for a pain-free swing. Over the winter, take the time to figure out what type of golf posture you have and spend some time each day doing the necessary exercises in order to correct your posture. Trust me, this will pay dividends for you this upcoming golf season and you'll enjoy your time out on the golf course even more!
My latest post deals with golf posture, its importance to the golf swing and some tips to help you improve on your posture, if need be. There are 3 known golf postures, the N, C, and S, but only one of these address positions is physiologically ideal for healthy, productive outcomes. Do you know which one you are?
The N-posture is preferred by teaching professionals, but seems to elude many current-day golfers. It’s characterized by a straight spine or back and is really the precursor to an efficient, textbook golf swing. It also helps keep both the acute and chronic nagging injury to a minimum.
When addressing the ball with a straight spine, the golfer allows him/herself the potential for making a better turn in the backswing. This is a prerequisite for power golf. The better the shoulder turn, the more clubhead speed the golfer should be able to generate. That, in turn, increases the likelihood of hearing repeated acknowledgments such as “nice drive,” “that was smoked,” and “you spanked that drive” from the members of your foursome.
Give it a try. Take your golf stance while standing sideways in front of a mirror to make sure your back is totally straight. Now take a backswing and note how far you’re able to turn. Next, bow (bend) your spine, like in the picture below. Now try to make that same backswing. Make sure your head doesn’t move. Can you turn as much? The answer is no. That’s because it’s easier to rotate around a straight spine than it is a bent one. Unfortunately, there are a lot of golfers out there that don’t set-up at address with a straight, N-posture, spine. And it’s getting worse.
The
bowed or bent spine posture is becoming an epidemic in the golfing
world. Technically, this set-up position is called a C-posture, as the
golfer forms a “C” when viewed from the side, and it used to be more of
an older golfer’s disease. Today, however, we’re seeing more and more of it due to the fact that
many of us are sitting hunched over a computer for a good part of the
day, both at work and when we get home. This static, round-shouldered
position, results in a shortening (tightening) of the muscles in the
chest and a lengthening (weakening) of the muscles in the
upper back. This causes the shoulder blades to fan outward and the
spine in the thoracic region to bow out (known as kyphosis). This
combination does not bode well for the golf swing or your health. The C-posture is showing up in all ages and in both genders. It will
limit your ability to get the club back and that’s going to rob you of
clubhead speed and distance. Yes, there are some C-posture golfers who
do manage to get the club back, but this can only happen if the
golfer stands up in the takeaway. Lifting the head up in order to make a better turn alters the swing
plane and can also throw off balance. Either of these is deadly if your
goal is to make consistent ball contact. The other thing C-posture may produce in the backswing is a reverse
spine or a leaning of the upper body back toward the target. This
common swing fault doesn’t position the golfer well for initiating the
downswing in the proper hitting sequence. . . that being with the hips
first. As a matter of fact, the reverse spine often results in the
upper body controlling the downswing, an over-the-top swing plane, and a
casting of the golf club. The sum of these is usually a powerless
slice of the golf ball and a frustrating round of golf.To physically correct the C-posture, you must stretch the tight muscles in front and strengthen the weak ones in back. In doing so, you’ll allow the shoulder blades to move back toward the midline of the body pulling the shoulders back with them.
A
good exercise for this is the shoulder pinch and one you might consider
doing daily to offset the negative consequences from sitting in front
of that computer. While lying supine on a stability ball or full-round
foam, place your arms out to the side and bend the elbows 90 degrees.
Pinch or squeeze the shoulder blades together, which will lower the arms
somewhat toward the floor. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds and release.
Repeat 5 to 10 times. Remember to breathe. If on the stability ball, make
sure to keep the hips parallel to the floor to engage the glutes (golf
power muscles). A drill to help improve the brain-body connection and break you out of the bad C-posture habit is to hold an iron club against your back, while standing, with the toe of the club resting on top of your head. Slowly bend forward into your golf stance while keeping your head in contact with the toe (right picture). This will ensure a straight back. If the head comes off the club, you're bowing the spine and moving into a C-posture stance (bottom picture). Like with all neuromuscular drills, the more
you repeat it, the greater the likelihood that the new movement pattern will become habitual.The third identified posture is the S-posture. It’s characterized by an arching of the lower back and a protruding butt, resembling an “S” when looked at from the side. This posture is very prevalent in women and younger golfers.
The arched or swayback posture, in itself, is a low back pain producer. Combine it with the twisting motion of a golf swing and it's a pretty sure bet chronic low back pain will develop. In most cases, the arched back posture is produced from the hip rotating forward. This anterior tilt is often the result of tightness in the muscles in the front of the hips known as the hip flexors.
A simple assessment
is to sit on the edge of a flat bench or solid coffee table, carefully
lie back on the bench/table and then bring one knee up to the chest and
hug. If the extended foot rises up off the floor, you’re hip flexor is
tight to that side. Repeat with the other leg as tightness can
be unilateral or bi-lateral.This knee hug action is also a great stretch to do for tight hip flexors. Hold each leg for at least a 30-second count as you breathe normally. If you’re unsteady on the bench, you can also do this stretch while lying on your back on the floor.
One thing to consider if you do set-up in the S-posture is to pull in the belly button toward your spine while standing at address over the ball. This action will flatten the lower back and take some tension off of the area while swinging the club.
Good posture is not a given and should be worked on for better, healthier golf. In doing so, you’ll set yourself up for a more efficient golf swing, more yards down the fairway, and greater potential for a pain-free swing. Over the winter, take the time to figure out what type of golf posture you have and spend some time each day doing the necessary exercises in order to correct your posture. Trust me, this will pay dividends for you this upcoming golf season and you'll enjoy your time out on the golf course even more!
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