Saving par

Even the best players hit sloppy shots into tight spots or confront bad lies more frequently than you’d imagine. And for the average golfer, shots from remote, impossible-to-get-out-of places are much too often the norm. One mistake can sink a hole. A few blunders, and you’ve just scuttled the entire round.

The catch-22 is that, to master golf, you can’t be afraid of hitting from tough lies (the rough) or difficult places (sand bunkers). You need to master your fear, and to do that, you need to prepare for the inevitable, next-to-impossible shots that can sidetrack even the best golfers.

Test the rough with a practice swing to determine how much resistance it will offer to your swing.

Deep rough:

Mistakes:

Selecting the wrong club, that is, not matching the lie with the appropriate club; not using a club with enough loft.
In deeper grass, failing to open the clubface.

Setup:

Take an open stance.
Open the clubface.
Position the ball in the middle or slightly forward of the middle of your stance.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Minimize club’s contact with grass on backswing and downswing.
Imagine a left-to-right ball flight.

Swing:

Take a deeper backswing than normal.
Tighten the grip pressure and hold the club open through impact.

Fluffy rough:

Mistakes:

Grounding the club at address, causing the ball to move from its original position (1-stroke penalty).
Making a descending approach to the ball.

Setup:

Stand taller, grip down on club.
Play ball slightly forward of middle for longer irons and woods and in the middle for short irons.
Widen stance slightly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Think tempo and solid contact.
Watch for possible flyer if there is a chance for grass to get between clubface and ball.

Swing:

Low takeaway.
Take three-quarter backswing.
Sweep ball away, keeping approach shallower than normal.

The single most important factor in hitting this shot successfully is recognition: you must be able to detect a flyer lie. A flyer lie is any lie where the grass is certain to get between the club and the ball at impact. The ball is usually sitting up in the rough, with grass growing in the direction of the target. Flyer lies are most commonly found in the first cut of rough, where grass is high enough to come between the club and the ball but short enough to allow the ball to sit up.

The number one mistake golfers make here is take the same club they would for a normal lie. The common outcome is a shot that sails over the intended target or bounces and rolls farther than anticipated.

You can tell a ball is a flyer because it’s usually sitting up a little bit with some grass behind the ball. If the ball is sitting down, it’s not going to fly as much, even if there is some grass behind it. If the grass is leaning toward your target, then the ball is really going to jump out of there. I take less club and try to deaden the club through impact.

Flyer:

Mistakes:

Failure to recognize the flyer lie.
Take too much club.
Decelerate (fear of hitting the ball too far).

Setup:

Square stance slightly narrower than normal.
Grip down on club.
Play the ball in the center of your stance (or slightly forward of center for cut shot).
Open clubface slightly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Select less club.
Allow for roll when planning the distance of your shot.

Swing:

Take three-quarter swing.
Focus on rhythm and tempo.
Finish with a complete follow-through.

All sorts of things can go wrong when your ball is on hardpan because you can no longer slide the club underneath the ball. You can eliminate any type of flop shot or high shot. You have to hit the ball first, so play it back in your stance. A good word to think of is “pinch” — you want to pick the ball cleanly.

Hitting off hardpan — a firm ground with little or no grass — separates professional golfers from those who only “swing the wrenches” on weekends. To most pros, a hardpan lie is not considered a trouble shot. In fact, finding their ball sitting on a firmer surface is sometimes even welcomed. It enables them to maximize the effect of precise ball striking and apply excellent spin and control.

But amateur golfers become anxious when faced with hardpan. If they don’t hit the ball precisely, the club may bounce off the ground, resulting in a ball that is topped or hit fat. Golfers often overcompensate in this situation and try to strike the back of the ball. This leads to skulled shots — balls hit with the lead edge in the center of the ball, which produces a low line drive and little control over the distance of the shot.

The key to hitting a hardpan shot is to make sure the club does not bounce before hitting the ball. Grip down the club and stand a little taller. Hang the clubhead a little above the ball as you would when hitting a fairway bunker shot. Play the ball toward the center of your stance but back about an inch to make sure you strike the ball first.

Take a normal swing, but limit any excess body motion. In other words, don’t coil back as far as you usually would in an effort to quiet your lower body. Excess body motion may give the club a chance to bounce. You want to strike the ball cleanly. If you are concerned about generating power, grab an extra club and swing smoothly.

Take a three-quarter backswing and concentrate on making a smooth transition from the top of the backswing into the forward swing. Lead with your hands and rotate into and through the hitting area. You’ll hit the ball with the lower part of the clubface so plan on a lower ball flight.

Playing a good shot off hardpan requires confidence. Maintain a positive approach and dismiss any negative thoughts. The fear of bouncing the club often leads a golfer to fall backward and lift the clubhead up as he swings through impact. When the body falls back and lifts up, the low point of your swing moves up also. The lead edge, rather than the clubface, makes contact with the ball and the result is a skulled shot.

Hardpan:

Mistakes:

Using a club with too much bounce.
Grounding the club at address.

Setup:

Stand taller.
Choke down an inch or two on the grip.
Play the ball an inch or two behind center.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Don’t ground the club.
Take an extra club and swing easy.

Swing:

Take a three-quarter backswing.
Keep hands ahead of clubhead at impact.
Pinch the ball against the surface at impact.

To play any golf shot correctly requires an unwavering concentration. The most perfect swing in the world needs direction, and plenty of it, and when its possessor begins to do a little mental daisy picking, something always goes wrong. The concentration must not be occasional, but extends to every single shot no matter how simply it may appear.

Off an unstable lie:

Mistakes:

Failure to select stronger club (drop down one or two clubs).
Carelessness when addressing the ball, causing it to move.

Setup:

Align stance parallel to target line, square clubface.
Grip down on the club, stand taller and closer to the ball.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Allow for lower trajectory (bottom of club will contact ball).
Hover the club to avoid inadvertently causing ball to move while at address.
With highly lofted clubs, avoid bottom out swing before hitting ball (thus fluffing the shot).

Swing:

Keep lower body quiet.
Take club back three-quarters.
Pick ball cleanly, taking shallow pivot.

From a divot:

Mistakes:

Trying to hit this shot with high trajectory.
Scooping ball instead of hitting down and through the ball.

Setup:

Position ball in the center of stance.
Stand closer and take a narrow, slightly open alignment and open clubface.
Grip down an inch or two.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Plan a shot that has a lower trajectory.
Select more club than distance calls for.
Allow for left-to-right flight and roll out after landing.
Think tempo and solid contact, not “hit.”

Swing:

Hinge the club on the takeaway.
Swing down through the ball, keeping the clubface open.
Uncoil and rotate out of the shot to full finish.

Bunkers are not placed on a course haphazard, but they are made at particular places to catch particular kinds of defective shots.

The key to hitting a fairway bunker shot is you have to stay really still on it. I try to think of getting the ball early (before the sand), and that gets the ball up quicker. I really focus on the exact spot on the ball I want to hit. If I’m close to the lip, I don’t necessarily move the ball back in my stance.

Dig in your feet slightly (don’t go so deep that the sole edges are covered with sand). You don’t want to lower yourself too much because this will lower the bottom of swing arc (which is catastrophic when trying to pick a ball cleanly).

When faced with using either a long iron or a lofted fairway wood, choose the fairway wood. Because of the sole plate and mass of the clubhead, the fairway wood will slide a little in the sand and not dig in deeply.

One reason golfers lose control of the lower body is they misunderstand how the weight shift should happen. When a player tries to shift his weight over the right (back) leg, he often slides the lower body away from the target. This leads to the upper body shifting toward the target to maintain balance. The result is a reverse weight shift — left on the backswing, right on the downswing — and a loss of power.

A proper weight shift is the result of the lower body supporting and somewhat resisting the upper body as it coils.

If you want a very high shot, you need to use as much of the back edge of the sole as possible. Set the handle behind the club head — you’ll hit the ball higher. Align the shaft perpendicular to the target and face the leading edge to the right of the target.

Greenside bunker shot, ball sitting up:

Mistakes:

Positioning the ball too far back in stance.
Hands forwards of the ball, de-lofting or using the leading edge of the club.
Failing to keep the club moving completely through the shot.

Setup:

Set the clubface open along the target line.
Weaken the grip.
Align the body to the left of the target.
Point the butt end of the club at the center of your body.
Distribute weight evenly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Think, “Hinge and hold.”
Make smooth downswing and throughswing keeping tempo up throughout.
Let loft of the club lift the ball — do not scoop ball from lie.

Swing:

Hinge the wrists in backswing and swing the club up in backswing.
Take club back three-quarters.
Swing club into sand 1-3 inches behind ball.
Use bottom of club and back edge to splash under ball, keeping heel ahead of toe throughout downswing and impact.
Keep clubhead moving through, up and out of sand while clearing hips to the left of the target line.
Finish with weight on left side.

You must get yourself to the point where you can visualize the ball coming out of the bunker, hitting the green at the right spot, and rolling into the hole.

Because you have to hit beneath the ball to lift it out of the bunker, a fried egg presents a problem since half of the ball is below the surface of the sand. Most golfers commonly make 1 of 2 mistakes here. Some skull the shot because they’ve either opened the clubface at address (as for a normal lie in the bunker), or their clubface enters the sand too close to the ball. When the clubface is open, the lead edge is unable to dig deep enough into the sand to lift it out. Entering the sand too close to the ball simply doesn’t give the clubhead enough time or space to get beneath the ball.

The fried egg is a tough shot in any ordinary greenside bunker. Facing this lie in a particularly steep bunker is even tougher. Because hitting a fried egg lie produces a low trajectory shot, attempting to play it out of a steep bunker is an ill-advised risk. If you don’t have a reasonable chance of clearing the lip of the bunker, you may have to take your medicine and pitch out sideways or even backward.

To use the leading edge, press your hands forward to the front edge of the golf ball. This will take some loft off the club so use a 60-degree wedge, which will “net” you approximately 55-56 degrees. Using your normal grip, choke down an 1-2 inches. This will put you closer to the ball and make it easier to make your swing vertical.

Fried egg:

Common mistakes:

Opening the clubface as if you’re hitting a sand shot from an ordinary lie.
Clubface entering the sand too shallow and close to the ball.
Breaking into the follow-through too quickly (not giving the club enough time to dig the ball out).
Swinging the club on a flat (rather than steep) swing path.
Finishing high rather than finishing low.

Setup:

De-loft the club by moving the handle forward of the clubface.
Stand to handle (club handle bisecting an imaginary line that runs through your midsection).
Lean 60% of your weight on your front leg.
Grip down 1-2 inches on the club.
Play the ball back (1-2 inches) in your stance.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Think of the lead edge as a knife that cuts beneath the ball to pop it out.
Keep the lower body quiet.
Finish low.

Swing:

Swing the club up with the arms and hands; keep the body quiet.
Swing should be steep (V-shaped).
Abbreviate the follow-through.

No bunker shot has ever scared me, and none ever will. The key to this bravado is practice. I’ve practiced and experimented from hundreds of lies with various swings, in effect creating a data bank in my memory that I can cal on no matter what kind of sand shot I’m facing. Just as important, I’ve developed my imagination to the point that I’m confident I can think my way out of any bunker, not matter how tough the lie.

To be really expert in recovering from any kind of trouble, including bunkers, a player must process a certain amount of ingenuity in addition to a highly developed sense of club control. Many of the shots made from such places are not golf shots at all, but are acts of club manipulation possibly never tried before.

This is not a finesse shot, so swing hard and turn your club over forcefully. By keeping the clubface in the sand throughout the shot you will keep from getting hurt, should your club strike the lip of the green. Stay balanced throughout and don’t let yourself fall backward. Lean as much as possible into the bank.

With a ball buried in the bunker, the first thing to hope for is that you have plenty of green to work with. If you do not have much green, it does not matter how good you are; you are really going to struggle with this shot. The best thing to do is to open up your stance, put the ball well back, and keep your hands low during your setup.

What you want is that feel of the club almost getting picked up rather than swung — sort of like a chopping action or chopping a log — and try to come down about an inch behind the ball with the neck of the club.

Buried in deep bunker, nearly under the lip:

Mistakes:

Attempting to do too much with the shot — think “Get it on the green, somewhere.”
Trying to scoop the ball out versus leaving the club in the sand.

Setup:

Open stance and place ball in middle of stance or slightly toward rear foot.
Grip down.
Dig feet firmly into sand; lean into slope to maintain balance and keep from falling backward.
Rotate toe of club close through impact.
Keep club in sand on follow-through.

Pre-swing thoughts:

A “good shot” is one that gets the ball onto the green.
Think positively — if sand allowed ball to penetrate its surface it will allow your club to enter and propel the ball out.

Swing:

Swing hard but don’t lose balance.
Make a steep takeaway and downswing; do not sweep or try to splash the ball onto the green — instead, dig with front edge of the club.
Bury the club in the bank — no follow-through.

This particular shot calls for a steep “V-shaped” swing. If your swing is too flat, you’ll risk coming up out of the shot prematurely and hitting the ball thin (or skulling it). Keep the lower body quiet (nearly still) in the backswing. Do not coil or turn the hips away from the target. With your knees flexed and your legs unmoving, swing your arms down in front of your body.

Remember, never swing so hard that you can’t maintain your body position.

Short, high shot with feet outside, ball in greenside bunker:

Mistakes:

Not enough forward tilt from the hips.
Not enough flex at the knees.
Swinging too hard.
Come up and out of the shot.
Swing path is too shallow.

Setup:

Hold club at full length.
Spread feet slightly farther than shoulder-width apart.
Increased knee flex.
Forward tilt from the hips.
Align feet square to the target.
Address clubface from square to open based on texture of sand.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Create a steeper than normal swing.
Stay down and low through impact.

Swing:

Swing arms up, keep body quiet in backswing.
Swing should be steep (V-shaped).
Swing club down into sand with arms, keeping body relatively quiet.
Make a low follow-through.

Average (soft) sand. Open the clubface and apply the normal hingeback and hold-through method. Take a full swing and finish on the left side.

Heavy and fluffy sand. Use a sand wedge with the clubface set more open, thus incorporating the back edge of the club and increasing the bounce. Grip down an inch on the club and play the ball just forward of center in your stance. Swing with more speed as the heavy sand slows the club through impact.

Hard sand. Use a loft wedge with less bounce. Set the clubface just slightly open. Make the same swing as you would in normal sand.

Wet, compacted sand. Use a lob wedge with the face set to square. Play the ball in the center of your stance. Move your hands slightly ahead of the ball at address. Align your stance parallel to the target line and make your normal bunker swing. Expect a lower trajectory and greater roll.

The most important aspect of hitting a downhill lie in a greenside bunker is the angle you create when hitting the shot. It has to be very steep, yet forceful enough to create a splash. Use a club that gives you the maximum height — a lob wedge. Keep the club open while swinging down so abruptly into the sand. Do not cut the swing off after contacting the sand. Keep the swing moving low and forward and resist the customary high finish of a normal sand bunker shot.

If you keep in mind that hitting firmly into the sand a couple of inches behind the ball will create sufficient pressure to “explode” the ball out of the bunker, half your mental block will be cured. You will cure the other half simply by remembering to hit through the sand without closing the clubface. In other words, follow through without rolling your wrists.

Short, high shot with downhill lie in a greenside bunker:

Mistakes:

Not adjusting for de-lofting effect of club caused by down slope of bunker.
Coming into the ball with an angle that is too shallow.
Losing balance, falling backward while fighting gravity.

Setup:

Take an open stance.
Position the ball in center.
Dig with left foot and set weight on left side over slightly flexed knee.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Swing the club up and down along the contour of the slope.
Keep the clubface open, sliding under the ball.
Allow for roll after ball lands on green.

Swing:

Pick up club with a quick wrist cock and bring it back down quickly.
Swing hard but stay under control. If you’re losing your balance, make sure you’re going forward and not backward.

No one is thrilled when faced with hitting from an uphill lie out of a greenside bunker. Some golfers are mentally defeated even before they’ve hit the shot; they let negative thoughts flood their mind. The self-defeating thoughts raise anxiety and exacerbate technical flaws.

When hitting an uphill greenside bunker shot keep in mind that the slope of the bunker is adding loft to the shot. So forget about using a more lofted lob wedge — the 56- or 54-degree sand wedge is right for the job. And don’t make the mistake of manipulating the club too much — for instance, don’t open the clubface as much as you might for other bunker shots.

Align yourself with a slightly open stance. However, narrow it and play the ball in the center. Set the clubface square to very slightly open. The most critical aspect of your stance and setup is keeping your weight on the left side. Gravity will pull you back and down the slope. To compensate, dig your feet 2-3 inches into the san, leaning into the slope. Make sre to keep your shoulders parallel to the slope.

Swing aggressively. Enter the sand fairly close to the ball, no more than 1-1.5 inches behind it. The ball will fly very high, perhaps as much as 75-80 degrees, and roll very softly upon landing.

Uphill lie in a greenside bunker:

Mistakes:

Selecting a club with added loft, such as lob wedge.
Failing to carry the ball well onto the green close to the pin.
Failing to keep the weight on the forward leg through impact.

Setup:

Align feet slightly open. Narrow stance slightly.
Set shoulders parallel to slope.
Set clubface square to slightly open behind the ball and along the target line.
Set weight over flexed left (forward) knee.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Keep weight on your forward leg throughout sing.
Swing along slope of bunker.

Swing:

Enter sand close to ball, 1-1.5inches behind it.
Swing aggressively but maintain balance.
Complete follow through, do not leave club buried in sand.

Bunker play:

Shorter and higher you want the ball to fly:

Open clubface.
Hinge the club in the backswing.
Weaken grip.
Dig your feet deeper into the sand.

Longer and lower:

Close clubface.
Hinge less.
Normal grip.
Dig less.

The faster your swing, the more velocity the shot will have, which means the effects of your adjustments will be more magnified.

The sand shot is one of the most forgiving shot in golf. Just knowing that will decrease your anxiety when you step into a bunker.

Don’t switch off the power just when it needs a lift up and out — keep your clubhead moving through, out and up.

For the most part, players need to swing more aggressively in the sand because the sand slows down the clubhead through impact. However, it is important to keep the acceleration smooth and rhythmical, not quick and jerky.

Ball above feet on bunker slope:

Mistakes:

Failing to swing around body and approach ball with shallow swing arc.
Failing to move ball closer to middle of stance.
Failing to keep the clubface open and gliding through the sand.

Setup:

Stand taller with knees flexed.
Grip down on club.
Position ball in the middle or just ahead of middle of stance.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Think “around the body” for takeaway and through swing.
Maintain open-faced position of clubface.

Swing:

Exaggerate the flatness of the swing.
Keep club in front of the body and the clubface lofted through impact (no release).
Make a rhythmic pass and don’t add “hit” at impact.
Finish facing the target.

Good results from a sand bunker, like good results on the putting green, depend greatly on your ability to “read the sand.” Use your feet and eyes.

Wet, compacted sand:

Mistakes:

Failing to pay attention to the texture of the sand when digging in your feet.
Failing to use the leading edge of the club to dig in to the sand.

Setup:

Set the clubface square to the target line.
Lean toward the target.
Dig feet into the sand.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Make certain that leading edge of club digs into sand.
Use speed and force of swing, depth of cut or both to vary distance.
Allow for ball to come out faster.

Swing:

Hinge the club steeply on the backswing.
Take club back three-quarters.
Maintain tempo.

One of the easiest ways to add height to the sand shot is to feel like you’re sitting down on your right knee at address. You should widen your stance and choke up a little. You should feel as if you’re “under” the ball more and have a wider base.

The key to this shot is quick elevation combined with a lot of spin. The keys to elevation and spin are a steep angle, maximum loft, and greater-than-average swing speed.

After you have setup properly, start the club in motion by hinging the wrists immediately off the ball, creating a vertical takeaway.

General principals of bunker play:

Secure your balance by digging 0.5 inch into the sand with your feet. This also provides feedback on the consistency of the sand.
The finer the sand, the less the resistance, thus, the slower the swing. Conversely, the heavier the sand, the faster the swing.
In all explosions shots, enter the sand behind the ball.

Sand bunker shot to elevated green:

Mistakes:

Shallow approach, trying to scoop the ball into the air.
Not enough loft at address.
Ball too far back in the stance, with hands behind the ball.

Setup:

Open the face aggressively, with the handle behind the ball.
Take grip after face is set open.
Tilt more toward from the hips, lowering hand.
Take stance with more knee flex, playing the ball off the forward toe.

Swing:

Swing the club up abruptly by hinging the wrists immediately.
Allow arms to finish the backswing depending on how far you need to carry the ball.
Swing the club down into the sand, keeping the loft on the face.
Weight should stay centered throughout impact, with a checkmark finish.

Restricted backswing:

Mistakes:

Trying to do too much (hit a heroic shot) instead of trying to recover.
Quick downswing in an effort to hit the ball farther.

Setup:

Determine the freedom of your backswing and forward swing with slow practice swings.
Take more club.
Grip down 1-2inches.
Move your hands slightly ahead of the ball.
Distribute weight evenly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Focus on getting the ball out to safety; you need to recover.
Accelerate the clubhead smoothly in the downswing.

Swing:

Hinge the wrists earlier than normal.
Coil to generate more power.
Finish low and through.

Making a par after chipping out of the trees can destroy an opponent. Taking a double or triple bogie after hacking your way out of the woods can destroy you.

The most egregious one is, you’ll be surprised to learn, not a matter of swing or power but a matter of ball placement; namely putting the ball too far back in the stance. This creates too much shaft angle at impact. It also promotes “backing up” to the ball, that is, moving to the rear in the downswing. At best you’ll chunk the shot. At worst, you’ll create a reverse pivot and scoop the ball into the overhanging trees.

The driver or 3w can be secret weapons when you need to hit a recovery shot low — such as under low-hanging tree branches — for a long way.

Under or through trees:

Mistakes:

Trying the heroic shot.
Playing the ball too far back in stance.
Misjudging the trajectory of the shot.
Failing to add 2-3 clubs.

Setup:

Narrow the stance.
Position the ball in the middle.
Grip down.
Stand closer to the ball.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Take avenue of escape that presents least risk and greatest chance for success.
Think, “Tempo, solid contact and finish low.”

Swing:

Take it back to a three-quarter length “top” and make a normal turn onto your back leg.
Trap the ball with the clubface, staying on your left side through impact.

The key to hitting a shot over a tree is familiarity. If you are familiar with the trajectories of your clubs and how your balls usually fly, you’ll know how to adjust to nail this shot.

Knowing the graduated trajectories for each of the clubs is not common, everyday knowledge among most golfers.

Step on the clubface until the back of the club is flat on the ground. The angle of the shaft while you are stepping on the club is the approximate trajectory of the ball.

When hitting the ball high, it’s important to uncock the wrists a little earlier than they would in playing a normal shot. The idea is to bring the clubhead into the ball slightly on the upswing. This technique results in more height to the flight of the ball.

If you still need to add some loft, there are other adjustments you can make. When you set up, move the ball forward one-ball width (2 inches) from its normal position in your stance, leaving the hands in the same position as normal. This will add approximately 4 degrees of loft to the clubface. Open the face and stance slightly to play a cut shot, which will fly higher than normal. After you’ve made the setup adjustments, hinge the club a little more steeply than normal in the backswing. Swing through the shot in the downswing but leave a little more weight on the back leg. Swing the club to a high finish.

Remember, the most common mistakes with this shot are failure to judge the needed elevation correctly and hitting the ball with the front edge of the clubface, that is, “blading it” and rocketing it along the ground. When in doubt about the trajectory, always take a club that will give you added loft. To avoid blading the ball, concentrating on swinging through the shot and trust the loft of the club.

***Over a tree:

Mistakes:

Failure to correctly judge the needed elevation. Always select a club that will provide added height to the trajectory. Your first objective is to move beyond the obstacle.
Blading your shot because of trying to lift the ball versus trusting the loft of the club to lift the ball.

Setup:

Position the ball opposite the instep of the left foot.
Open the clubface if added height is needed.
Align feed, shoulders, chest slightly open to the target line.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Will this club accomplish the primary objective, to get over the obstacle?
Is my natural ball flight helping or hindering this shot?
Swing the club through the ball and let the club do the work; trust the plan, the club, and your swing.

Swing:

Hinge the club up more directly in the backswing.
Swing through impact to a high finish.
Finish on the forward leg.

It’s not accident that some of the best drivers in the game have used the fade as their bread-and-butter shot. Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino, just to name a few, are among the most accurate drivers in history, and all are notorious for fading the ball when they had to hit the fairway.

I don’t think about where the club should be; I just picture the shot and try to hit that shot.

2 simple ways to practice the fade:

Swing at balls below your feet on a sidehill.
Swing half speed at balls you’re trying to curve around an object.

The fade:

Mistakes:

Coming across the ball, right-to-left, too much; this is due to lifting the club instead of coiling back and approaching the ball to the inside.
Releasing clubface at impact, creating a “double-cross” (aiming left and hitting it so it also flies to the left).

Setup:

Assume a stance that is aligned along the start line of the ball’s flight.
Aim clubface toward ultimate target.
Position ball slightly forward in stance.
If your natural ball flight is a draw, weaken the grip slightly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Visualize the ball curving from left to right and landing at the final target.
Trust the pre-swing adjustment — no further manipulations needed.

Swing:

In backswing coil behind ball, making a solid weight transfer to back leg.
Swing along line parallel to target line.
Maintain open clubface through impact.

Making a full shoulder turn is one of the most misunderstood concepts among weekend golfers. Two common mistakes come to mind immediately. Many golfers move their hips and shoulders as a unit. They shouldn’t. When hips and shoulders turn together, there’s no foundation for the transfer of weight. The player who turns in this fashion typically ends up with a reverse weight shift, despite the fact that he executed a full shoulder turn. This ironic turn of events results from the hips turning with the shoulders, creating a kink in the forward knee. When you cut a notch in the trunk of a tree, the weight of the tree falls into the notch. Same goes in the golf swing.

A proper shoulder turn coils the weight into the inside of the back leg and behind the ball. The lower body is the foundation for the shoulder turn to coil the weight. In a proper turn, the shoulders start the turn, while initially the hips resist.

The other mistake occurs when golfers don’t rotate their shoulders level to their spine angle versus level to the ground. Many golfers try to turn their shoulders too level because they’ve been told or are aware that they dip in the backing.

Good players maintain their spine angle throughout the backswing by turning their shoulders level to their spine. To do this, maintain an athletic position, bending forward from the hips and flexing the legs at the knees. At the top, however, the left shoulder should be lower than the right because the spine angle is tilted toward the ground.

The hardest part for a player learning is to swing inside-to-out. Most amateurs swing out-to-in, or over the top.

A few things you can do to promote an in-to-out swing: Setup with great posture, keeping your spine angle straight as you tilt forward from the hips. Keep your chin up, which leaves room for the shoulders to turn level to the spine angle without dipping. During the swing, keep your head behind the ball and let the hands release through the impact area. Because of the strong grip, the hands during the through swing and at impact will rotate the clubface slightly closed, thus impacting a draw spin.

Hit balls above your feet because it helps you learn the arc of the draw. Stand taller when the balls are above your feet and turn your shoulders on a less tilted plane — this will keep the club on a shallower plane. When moving down from the top, feel that you are swinging to the right. The release of the clubface will get the ball moving back to the right.

The draw:

Mistakes:

Swinging too far to the inside in the backswing, forcing the downswing to come from over-the-top (outside-to-inside the target line).
Failing to start the ball to the right of the target.

Setup:

Align the body in the direction you want to start the shot; pull the right foot back.
Aim the clubface at the final target.
Position the ball slightly back of center (1-2inches behind sternum).
Adjust to slightly stronger grip if you play a natural fade.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Setup and swing will reduce loft of the club.
The amount you adjust your grip, stance, and clubface will determine the amount of right-to-left ball movement and height of shot.
Start the ball along the line of your stance; trust your release of the clubhead to bring the ball back to the left.

Swing:

Swing a long the line of your body alignment.
Approach ball with slight in-to-out path.
Release hands through hitting area and during impact.
Maintain tempo and make solid contact at impact.

People Beach’s hole 7, a short par 3 approximately 125y that is usually reachable with a P wedge, demands laser-like 5i or 6i shots when the wind is up. Wind is an integral part of golf. If you can’t adapt, you can’t excel.

It also plays on the psyche. Golfers immediately think, “I’m really gonna have to crush this one.” This leads to mistakes like grip tension and over swinging, both faults that lead to errant shots regardless of the strength of the wind.

Direction is always of first importance, and since an opposing wind magnifies errors in striking, it allows fewer liberties than could be taken at other times.

When a club comes in contact with a golf ball, it transfers 2 types of energy: linear (for distance) and rotational (for spin). Each hit generates a limited amount of energy, so if more energy goes to rotation, less is available for distance. Because backspin counteracts the ball’s tendency to fall, however, it enables a ball to fly on a flatter trajectory and once the ball hits the ground, it will roll farther.

Players successful at golf have undoubtedly learned to make spin work for them. The first step in acquiring this skill is to understand how spin influences the flight of the ball; then a player can plan how to impart the appropriate spin.

When a ball is hit dead on, pure backspin is imparted. Up to 8000rpm can be generated. The angled face of the club pinches against the ball and makes it rotate backward toward the club. For just a millisecond, the ball actually climbs up the face of the club. The grooves on the clubface help generate backspin because they increase the amount of friction between the ball and the club. Conversely, wet conditions decrease friction and thus reduce backspin. A headwind increases backspin; a tailwind decreases it. Softer-covered balls stay on the clubface microseconds longer than hard-covered balls and hence have a faster spin rate. A ball’s rate of spin is also determined by the relationship between the ball’s core and its cover. A ball having a harder core relative to its cover will spin faster.

Backspin makes a ball rise.

Rotational forces generated by backspin increase the amount of lift experienced by a golf ball. Therefore, if a ball with backspin has the same trajectory as one without backspin, it will stay in the air longer. 2 seconds in the air can equate to as many as 30y on the course.

With the ball above one’s feet, the natural (and in this case correct) tendency is to stand more erect than usual and to choke down on the club. In my case, setting my weight more toward my toes and making a special effort to swing smoothly and compactly helps me to retain my balance, with a mental picture of me sweeping the ball away cleanly, rather than digging it out of the hillside. Generally I will go with the tendency of the ball to draw, and simply aim accordingly at address.

Make a controlled sweeping swing around your body, almost like that of a baseball player. Concentrate on making solid contact and full follow-through. The ball flight will curve to the left. When hitting from very severe sidehill lies the ball will curve lower and faster.

Ball above your feet:

Mistakes:

Failing to stand taller at address.
Not aiming far enough to the right.
Failing to move the ball back a little (which diminishes the effect of the lie and reduces the right-to-left curving).

Setup:

Align clubface along a target line that is right of the target.
Square feet along the start line.
Grip down.
Ball in middle.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Make solid contact and think “sweep.”
Stay balanced and keep up consistent tempo.

Swing:

Swing around body.
Take three-quarter backswing and full follow-through.

Playing a shot where the ball is lying lower than the feet is one of the harder shots in golf and it’s easy to understand why. Beginners find it easier to contact the ball if it’s raised in the air on a tee, more difficult when it’s one the ground. Now, in the ball-below-feet lie, it’s actually lower than ground level. The tendency is for the ball to be topped, pushed or push-sliced.

The key to hitting a ball below your feet is hitting the entire ball, dead on. This sounds pretty obvious, but you’d be amazed how many players are thrown off by a ball sitting a few extra cm below foot level. They come up and out of the swing and hit the top of the ball. Or they hit the ball to the right because they’ve failed to keep the club square through impact.

The lie itself promotes a left-to-right ball flight. The slope increases your spine tilt, which causes a more vertical swing path. This more upright, less around swing path contributes to cutting across the ball, which sends a ball that’s already “flying right” farther on its way.

Poor posture, such as slumping too far forward, flexing too much at the knees or burying your head in your shoulders, creates swing problems. When you don’t tilt forward from the hips, the club will naturally swing on a plane that’s too far behind the body and too flat. This forces you to move from the heels to the toes on the downswing, leading to a constant feeling of imbalance and instability. This makes it difficult to achieve consistent, solid impact. As a reaction to the instability, you try to keep your head down to contact the ball solidly. This creates poor posture, thus completing the vicious cycle of excess head movement during the swing.

Stay on the downslope and make a few half swings, then three-quarter swings. Determine which length and speed of swing allows you to make a solid pass without losing balance. With this shot you need solid contact and complete balance throughout. Finish low. Let the extra club or two you’ve selected and solid contact carry the ball to the target — do not add any “hit” to the bottom of the swing.

More advanced players have mastered other approaches to hitting this shot. One method is to close the clubface slightly, align square to the target rather than playing for a slight fade, and swing three-quarters.

Ball below feet:

Mistakes:

Failing to stay in the correct posture for making solid contact with the ball.
Failing to make sure the bottom of the swing covers the ball.
Not using enough club, over-swinging and losing balance.

Setup:

Tilt forward from the hips.
Add more knee flex.
Grip at full length. Take extra club or two.
Stand closer to ball. Ball in center.
Aim left and set feet parallel to target line (aim left).

Pre-swing thoughts:

Stay in posture throughout the swing.
Maintain balance and tempo.
Finish low.

Swing:

Take one-half or three-quarter backswing and through swing.
Maintain knee flex and posture through impact.
Maintain smooth tempo — stay balanced.

With either a downhill lie or uphill lie, always play the ball nearer the higher foot.

Confidence breeds success. If you believe in your ability and the shot you’re hitting, you’ll produce positive results more often than not. So what causes a lack of confidence? One major contributor is discomfort. If you don’t feel comfortable at address, you’re less likely to hit the desired shot.

Make sure your shoulders are parallel to the slope. In an effort to not allow gravity to pull you past the ball at impact, set slightly more weight on the inside of your back leg and concentrate on leaving it there throughout the swing. It’s also better to play a fade or a cut shot, which will aid in getting the ball in the air. Set the face of the club slightly open and aim a bit to the left. It’s a good idea to minimize your backswing to maintain control over your weight shift, and stay balanced during the swing. Take a few practice swings to see how long of a swing you can take and still maintain control.

After you take the club back and reach the top, swing down the slope. “Chase the ball down the slope.” Finish low so you don’t catch the top-half of the ball and skull the shot.

The ball flight is low so expect the ball to run once it hits the ground. You may even want to take one less club. The additional loft will help get the ball in the air — the main challenge when hitting a downhill lie.

“He’s staying up on the flat.” What does it mean when they say this? Well, they’re talking about course management. Staying up on the flat means landing your ball in an area that is flat ground. Pro golfers sometimes lay up so they can hit their approach off flat ground and avoid hitting off a hilly lie.

Downhill:

Mistakes:

Setting the shoulders against the slope.
Taking too big of a swing and weight shift.
Finishing high and failing to swing down the slope.

Setup:

Set the shaft perpendicular to the ground.
Set shoulders parallel to the slope.
Stand to the handle, setting a little more weight to the inside of your right leg.
Position ball slightly to the rear of the sternum.
Aim your body a bit to the left of the target with the face slightly open.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Imagine hitting a fade.
Take a swing that can maintain your balance.

Swing:

Take a restricted (three-quarters) backswing.
Swing the club, chasing the ball down the slope.
Finish low to keep you from hitting the ball thin.

An uphill lie looks easy, and most players like it, but it does bring about an astonishing number of topped shots. In almost every case, he will stay back on his leg, and strike upward or across the ball from outside to in.

Your address position is going to feel awkward. The tendency is to hang or fall back during the swing on uphill lies. When this happens, you scoop the ball or hit a drastic hook. The ball will fly extremely high in the air and fall way short.

Players also fear catching the ground with the clubface and altering their swing path. They try to catch the ball too clean (as if they’re hitting off hardpan), pull up and off the shot prematurely. The result is a skulled shot (or shot hit thin).

Rhythm and tempo are also important to hitting this shot. Concern about reaching the target, which can appear farther away at its uphill position, may cause you to overpower the shot. You’ll speed up your hands and cast the club out ahead of your lower body. Instead of just pulling the shot, you’ll end up snap-hooking it. Stay smooth and tempo-conscious through the shot.

Through impact and into the follow-through, try to make the clubhead follow the contour of the slope. This will ensure square contact. Finish with your weight moving forward (uphill) rather than falling backward.

Because it’s very easy to slide the clubface beneath the ball on an uphill lie, you’ll probably hit your shot slightly higher. If you’re on an 8-degree uphill slope you’ll effectively add 8 degrees of loft to the club. Your 6i is now an 8i. Be prepared to take 1-3 more club to hit the ball the desired yardage. This will also make it easier to maintain a smooth tempo, and not overswing.

Fluffy lie: Be careful with this shot. The fact that the ball is sitting on a slope in a fluffy lie makes it very unstable. If you ground the club and the ball moves backward, you’ll incur a 1-stroke penalty. Treat this like a bunker shot. Don’t ground the club at address.

Flyer lie: Use the club you would use if you were hitting off of flat ground. This shot will fly much farther due to a lack of spin. Ignore the rule that a shot from an uphill lie requires an extra club.

Uphill:

Mistakes:

Falling back and losing balance during the backswing.
Swing the club too hard and hooking the ball.
Not taking enough club to reach the desired target.

Setup:

Narrow your stance to reduce your coil and weight shift.
Position your weight with a flexed forward knee.
Position the ball slightly forward in your stance.
Aim your body and clubface to the right of the target.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Stay on top of the ball during the swing.
Minimize weight transfer in your backswing.

Swing:

Swing the club along the contour of the slope.
Maintain tempo throughout the swing.
Extend through the ball; do not scoop it.
Finish with your momentum moving forward up the hill, not falling back.

Avoid “sucker” pins. My game plan for approach shots is never miss the green on the side the flag is on. It’s usually too tough to recover. If the flag is on the right, close to a bad bunker, I’m satisfied with a shot anywhere on the left half of the green. I’m taking most of the risk out of the shot, and I’ll still have a birdie putt. Try never to miss on the green on the flag side. I’ll wager you’ll score better.

Whether it is greed or ego, golfers don’t acknowledge the hazards of hitting to a tight pin. Even the world’s greatest golfers rarely attack a tight pin unless it’s Sunday afternoon and they’re trying to win the tournament. The mature player won’t try a shot he can’t successfully execute a majority of the time.

Pay attention to the pin, but be aware of where you can safely miss the shot. Think big (the green), not small (the pin). There is nothing wrong with a 6-8ft par-saving putt versus a tap-in when faced with this situation. In fact, your execution will improve by discarding an element of the risk. You’ll be more relaxed and confident hitting the shot.

Pitch from a tight lie to a tucked pin:

Mistakes:

Hitting straight at the pin.
Using a club with too much bounce off a tight lie.
Hitting off the back leg, trying to scoop the ball into the air.

Setup:

Weaken your grip.
Narrow and open your stance slightly and stand to the handle.
Position the ball just forward of center.
Distribute weight evenly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Be reasonable when choosing your target.
Think about tossing a ball underhanded.
Take the “less is more” approach.

Swing:

Adjust your backswing to the distance of the shot.
Swing the club on plane toward the ball, keeping the club in front of the body.
Keep the loft of the clubface through impact, sliding the club under the ball.
Finish the shot with your weight on your left side.

A few things to remind yourself before pulling out a flop shot:

The lie permits the shot. You need enough of a grass cushion beneath the ball for the club to slide under; however, too much cushion and the club will slip under the ball without making contact.
Set the clubface open with the handle behind the ball, then center your body to the handle.
When you stand to the handle the ball should be forward in your stance.
Center your weight.
Narrow and open your stance slightly.
Take a full swing. This may scare you because it’s such a short distance to the pin, but the clubhead must move swiftly under the ball.
Keep the lower body quiet in the backswing.
Keep the clubface open and sliding under the ball.
Keep the club in front of the body in the downswing and finish on the left side.

Everyday golfers aren’t the only ones who find shots with less than a full swing difficult to execute. When you’re trying to hit the ball a short distance, you have to remember that you control the length of the shot with the length of your backswing and follow-through. No matter what, you have to accelerate that club through the impact area.

On longer chips, if that means the best club to play the shot is a 5i, then I’ll use the 5i. You shouldn’t feel like some clubs are chipping clubs and others aren’t.

Downhill bump and run to a tight pin placement:

Mistakes:

Reaching the point of impact with an ascending clubhead.
Failing to keep the hands ahead of the clubhead throughout the shot.

Setup:

Place clubhead square to the target line.
Move the handle of the club forward.
Align feet in a slightly open and narrow stance.
Grip down on the club.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Look at ultimate target (pin) then look at landing target (fringe or edge of green).
Let hands lead swing through impact.

Swing:

Chase down the contour of the slope in impact zone and during follow-through.
Make a shot follow-through and keep club low along the ground.

Ask most golfer so hit a high pitch, and they flip the club upward through impact. Yes, this is one way to add loft, but few golfers can make this move without hitting chunks or skulls. The fact is, you rarely need more loft than what a square hit sand wedge provides. To hit it high, focus on swinging the clubhead long and low along the line on the follow-through.

The shots that separates good players from the field are those from 100y in, what is often termed the “scoring zone.” Good players know how to score, and knowing how to score means knowing how to size up the shots that lead to low scores. Better players check not just the distance and the lie but also the pin position and the contour of the green. They consider what’s between the ball and the intended landing area, the softness or firmness of the landing area, and the wind when determining what type of shot will produce the best chance of getting the ball close to the hole.

The pitch shot taken from an uphill lie doesn’t require extra loft in club select. Because your ball is resting on an uphill slope you will naturally gain loft. You won’t have to open the clubface to increase trajectory.

It’s not uncommon to misalign the body and clubhead. When playing shots with an open or closed stance, it is sometimes difficult to keep the clubface square to the target. Often, when you open your stance you unconsciously aim the clubface to the left. The key to overcoming this is to aim the clubface at the target and then step into your setup.

Uphill pitch to an elevated green:

Mistakes:

Misaligning the body and clubhead. Aim the clubhead first, then step into your setup.
Allowing your hands to move too far forward at address, creating too much forward press.

Setup:

Set the clubface square to the target.
Set the handle of the club even with the ball.
Stand to the handle with a narrow and slightly open stance.
Position ball opposite instead of front foot.
Grip down on the club.
Lean slightly into slope, keeping the weight just over the front leg.

Pre-swing thoughts:

No extra loft is needed — simply hit the shot leading with the front edge of the wedge.
Carry shot the targeted landing area; do not allow for significant roll.

Swing:

Accelerate through at impact, striking the ball crisply.
Stay on the forward leg through impact.

Stopping the ball quickly from greenside rough is never an easy shot, but I often play it just as I do a blast from sand: Clubface open at address, abrupt or steep backswing arc, contact about an inch behind the ball while keeping my right hand well “under” my left. Properly played, the ball will rise quickly and drop softly. But again, don’t try it without practice.

When you have heavy rough surrounding the golf ball and you only want to hit the ball a short distance, you need 2 main ingredients: (1) a steep angle of descent and (2) a lot of loft. In order for the club not to get stuck in the grass before impact, the club must come down on a steep angle. In order for the ball to be lifted out of the grass, the club must strike the ball with enough loft.

Practice swings, or rehearsal swings, can help when executing a difficult shot or a shot that requires a heightened sense of feel. Most tour pros make a few practice swings when preparing to hit a pitch or chip. These rehearsals serve to relieve tension, help the player to visualize the ball flight of shot, and reinforce in the mind’s eye the pace and length of the swing.

Chip from heavy rough just off the green:

Mistakes:

Ball too far back in the stance.
Too much arm swing or body movement.
Moving forward of the ball at impact.

Setup:

Open the face slightly, then grip the club.
Set the shaft perpendicular to the ground.
Stand to the handle with weight centered.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Keep body and arms passive and mainly use wrists.
Imagine making a swing that looks like a checkmark.

Swing:

Hinge the club abruptly using the wrists.
Release the club down to the ball, holding the face open through impact.

Most golfers would choose to hit a 135y approach shot over a 65y shot. From 115y, you can hit a full wedge shot.

As a beginner, I spent twice as much time practicing my short game as I did beating balls with my driver and fairway woods. This really has a positive impact on my overall play. Most of your shots on the course are from 100y in, so why wouldn’t you want to be good at those things you do most often?

Less-than-full wedge shots require feel — the ability to sense and control clubhead speed and ball flight. To develop feel you need the correct technique and lots of practice. The greatest mistake amateurs make is they decelerate their hands during the downswing in fear of hitting the ball too far (or too hard). The result is a chunked shot that travels only a few yards or a skulled shot that careens across the green.

The second problem is that golfers are unaware of the distance they hit the sand wedge, pitching wedge, and lob wedge. If you don’t commit these distances to memory, you won’t know which club to hit and how to swing it.

When playing a shot that requires less than a full swing of any of the 3 wedges, narrow the width of your stance and position the ball in the center. By narrowing your stance you will be able to coil onto your back leg even with a short backswing, and therefore uncoil through impact onto your forward leg. This ensure solid, crisp contact.

The distances of your wedges will overlap but the trajectories will be different. Your one-half pitching wedge will go the same distance that your three-quarter sand wedge will go except it will fly lower and will roll farther.

Less-than-full wedge shot:

Mistakes:

Too much club, too wide of a stance, too big of a backswing.
Deceleration during the forward swing.
Not enough knowledge of club distance.
Not enough practice to learn distances.

Setup:

Grip down 0.5 inch for every quarter you shorten the swing.
Narrow your stance to match your backswing length (1/2 backswing = 1/2 stance).
Play the ball in the center.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Shorten the backswing enough to be able to smoothly accelerate through the ball.
After you have made your choice, commit to the shot.

Swing:

Coil and uncoil despite the length of shot.
Smooth acceleration through impact.
Finish on forward leg facing target.

If I want a lot of height on a fullish pitch shot, I break or cock my wrists quickly on the backswing, then use them very actively to “throw” the club under — not down on — the ball. Properly executed, this flips the ball high.

Super lob to a tight pin on an elevated green:

Mistakes:

Trying to lift or scoop the ball into the air.
Bouncing the sole of the club off turf behind ball.
Move laterally, sliding ahead of the ball.
Pulling back, hitting off the back leg.

Setup:

Narrow stance and position ball slightly forward of middle.
Set club behind ball and pull handle one inch behind the ball.
Weaken grip.
Stand to the handle.
Set hands slightly behind ball.

Pre-swing thoughts:

Sliding the club underneath ball.
Use shot when close to pin, 5-20y distance, and when less risky alternative shots leave little chance for getting up and down in 2 strokes.

Swing:

Take club back along stance line.
Break wrists early.
Create a steep backswing.

Chipping with the club up on its toe gives you options.

Players set the club on its toe for chipping for various reasons. If the ball is sitting down a little, it brings less of the club into contact with the ground. Or sometimes, if you are chipping onto a downslope on a very, very fast green, the ball will come out a little bit “dead” if you set the club on its toe — it doesn’t come out with the full spring of the club. Some guys just like doing it because they get their hands up high and just use a putting stroke, removing any other mechanics from the stroke.

Maintain smooth acceleration through the ball and keep your head down. Picking your head up to catch a glimpse of your shot may raise the low point of your swing and cause you to hit the top of the ball.

Just off the green:

Putting with the grain.
Chipping against the grain.

Three-putting is just about the most frustrating failure for a good golfer. It’s also the quickest route to a poor score. It’s sinful to bogey a GIR.

More than one-half of your putts will be from 30ft or more, so there’s definitely a scoring payoff for finding a way to 2-putt from monster distances.

One of the most common causes of poor lag putting from long distance is a faulty stroke. Many players take a shot backswing and then over-accelerate the club as they come through the ball. They almost punch it. This is because the brain knew the shortened backstroke wasn’t long enough to propel the ball the intended distance on the through stroke.

Another mechanical fault when putting long distance is hitting up on the ball versus through the ball.

A popular tip for very long putts is to try to get the ball inside 3ft circle that surrounds the hole. It sounds good, but when applied, rarely works. The best way to get a long putt close is by focusing on making the putt.

Monster putt:

Mistakes:

Taking too short a backstroke and then surging, or over-accelerating, in the forward stroke.
Allowing the putter to swing to high through impact, thus striking the ball with an ascending and glancing blow.

Setup:

Use a normal setup (no changes from regular stance).

Pre-stroke thoughts:

Get behind the ball and visualize path to the hole.
Focus on making the putt at the right speed to get as close as possible.

Stroke:

Keep the club moving at the same pace through the ball.
When lengthening the backstroke allow the club to swing in a slight arc, staying as close to the ground as possible.

I don’t know anyone who likes putting downhill and left to right. Most bad misses on left-to-right stem from stroking the ball too hard and too straight. Instead, try to leave the putt short. And allow for more break than you think you see. Aiming the ball farther up the slope will help you control its speed and bring it toward the hole more softly.

Left-to-right downhill putt:

Mistakes:

Looking at the hole instead of the apex.
Failing to trust your line.
Underplaying break, overplaying speed.

Setup:

Align the clubface to the apex you’ve chosen.
Normal stance and setup.

Pre-stroke thoughts:

Let the ball fall into the hole — focus on the high side of the cup.
Focus on putting the ball to the apex; once it reaches that point, gravity will complete the job for you.

Stroke:

Stay committed to the line you’ve chosen.

The most common error in making this type of putt is trying to completely take out the break. Players bang the ball into the back of the cup.

I’ve never missed a putt in my mind.

This sounds rather simple, but don’t underestimate the power of imagination. Great putters have great visualization — they see the putts going in the hole.

Short breaking putt:

Mistakes:

Trying to eliminate the break by ramming the putt into the back of the cup.
Focusing on the hole instead of the break point or apex point of the putt.

Setup:

Align putter head to the intermediate target, the break point.

Pre-stroke thoughts:

Visualize ball toppling into hole from top side of hole.
Remind yourself, “Maintain a light grip pressure and make a smooth stroke.”

Stroke:

Breathe deeply, slowly before stroke.
Take final look at break point.
Bring eyes back to ball and stroke the ball.