The player may deem the ball unplayable at any place on the course except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge.
The most misunderstood rule in golf: the lost ball.
There is only 1 option if you lose your ball, and that is to return to where you hit the ball from and replay the stroke under the penalty of stroke and distance. If you lose your tee shot, the only option is to go back to the tee. You will then be playing your 3rd shot. A good practice is to play a “provisional ball” if you think your ball has been lost. This saves time and is the correct procedure.
One major way to improve is to be aware of the target. When we watch great players, we notice that they take great care in setting up to the ball. After they set up, we also see them look up at the target several times. It is part of their routine. They will always take the same number of looks. Most recreational golfers stare at the ball and get “ball bound,” with little or no awareness of where they are trying to hit the ball.
How far away you stand from the ball at address is an important factor in making solid contact. To achieve the correct distance, hold the club waist-high, with your upper arms touching your chest. Tilt from the hips and stick out your tailbone, letting the club head sole rest on the ground. That is the correct distance. With a longer club, you will naturally be farther away than with a shorter one. Being the correct distance is the only way you can achieve proper balance. (If you tend to lose your balance and fall forward at the end of your swing, you are definitely standing too far from the ball.)
You feel the panic setting in. Your hands get clammy, and your knees shake. Your throat goes dry, and you feel as if you’re going to throw up. Golf is the ultimate pressure-situation sport, and it pays to remember the first (and only) rule for relaxing: Slow down and concentrate on your breathing. Take a few deep breaths as you prepare for that big shot.
A weak grip should be used only by very strong players who tend to hook the ball too much. A strong grip should be used by most players, as the player will easily be able to return the club squarely to the ball. Many expert players use a strong grip. A neutral grip can be used by advance players who have no problem slicing the ball.
One of my keys has always been trying to keep my elbows the same distance apart during the swing. If my elbows are 10-12.5cm apart at address, they should be the same distance apart in the takeaway, the top of the backswing, at impact, and in the follow-through. The more the arms can stay at that same distance apart, the more consistently I will play.
The most important part of the golf swing is the proper grip. The grip must be correct so the wrists hinge properly on the backswing and unhinge properly on the forward swing. This hinging is similar to the hinges on a door. Holding the handle of the club in the fingers and high in the palm in the top hand will ensure the proper grip and hinging.
Grip the handle in the fingers for straighter and longer shots. Many golfers hold the handle in the palm of the top hand. This is a weak position and results in a slice and a lack of power. To get the proper feel of finger and palm, turn your club upside down so you are holding the shaft. Take your hand on and off the shaft a number of times until holding the club in your fingers begins to feel comfortable.
A good test is that you should be able to wiggle your toes in your shoes. That will show that your body weight is in the middle of your feet, where it should be.
Right-handed golfers who straighten their left leg and knee too soon will tend not to transfer their weight, creating an outside-to-inside swing, resulting in a high, weak slice. Strong players who tend to hook the ball too much would benefit from straightening the left leg sooner. Most average players would benefit from keeping the front knee bent as long as they possibly can in their swing.
Good tempo is very important to great golf and low scores. There are keys to achieving the smoothest swing possible. Remember to relax everything — hands, arms, and shoulders. Breathe deeply. Stay in balance.
He said that everything simply went back together. Modern teachers would call this a connected swing. The club head, hands, arms, and center of the body stay together in the takeaway, and then throughout the swing.
If you can’t hold this position until the ball hits the ground, you are out of balance.
That transition from backswing to downswing must be smooth. The tendency is to make too hard a move from the top. This will ruin any chance of a powerful, repeatable swing. Soft grip pressure will also help you make that smooth transition.
To be a good iron player, particularly with the short irons, you must hit the ball on the downbeat. The club face should solidly hit the ball and then take a long, shallow divot. This can only be done properly if the handle is ahead of the club face at contact. Most players try to scoop the ball into the air, letting the club head get ahead of the handle.
We all know that balance is the real key to consistent golf. Try to hold your finish after every shot. If you’re having trouble maintaining your balance, check your starting position and the distance you stand from the ball. You must start in good balance to be able to finish in balance.
Don’t scoop the chip shot.
Most golfers try to scoop the ball up when they chip, resulting in either hitting behind the ball or topping it.
The setup is very important in order to hit a chip shot crisply. Your weight should be slightly forward, so you are leaning a little toward the target. Ball position should be center or slightly back in the stance. The handle of the club must stay forward of the club head through contact. Hit the ball with a descending blow, taking a small divot after the shot.
The most common error in chipping is when the club head passes the hands before impact. Uncocking of the wrists before impact creates a scooping impact that will never lead to consistency.
If there has ever been a thought that has wrecked golf scores, it’s the idea of finessing the ball to the target. Even short shots must be hit decisively. Rather than finessing the shot, thinking of hitting the ball solidly with a shorter swing.
Grip pressure on chip shots.
Grip pressure depends on how the ball is sitting in the grass. If the ball is sitting up, grip pressure should be soft, and you should use a smooth and sweeping motion. If the ball is sitting down in the grass, you should hold the handle more firmly. A firmer grip will produce a little more downward pressure, which will loft the ball from the turf.
A good phrase to remember when playing short shots is this: “Down is up and up is down.” To hit the ball in the air, you have to hit it on the downbeat and brush the grass. If you try to lift the ball up with the club head, the ball will stay on the ground. You can’t lift the ball. Any lifting lifts the club off the grass, creating a “topped” shot.
The ball sometimes comes to rest just off the green, on the apron and against a cut of rough. This is a difficult shot because if you try to chip the ball you will snag the grass behind the ball. The way to play this shot is to use the shortest wedge in your bag, either the sand or the lob wedge. Open the stance and open the club face. Use a putting stroke. Make sure the leading edge of the wedge contacts the equator of the ball. The ball will role like a putt.
A good and simple key for all shots around the green is to keep your arms moving. Most missed hits occur when the player quits on the swing. So keeping your arms moving will get you through the ball and help you attain the necessary follow-through.
The flop shot.
This is a high, short shot, used to go over a bunker or hit to an elevated green. The best clubs for this are the sand wedge and the lob wedge. You need a fairly good lie if this is going to be played well. Play the ball forward in your stance; open your stance; make a big, slow swing; and keep your arms moving. You should finish the swing facing the target with your weight on your forward foot.
The bunkers tends to get the best of the average player. As we get into the sand, we get anxious and usually swing hard and fast, resulting in a poor shot. We try to get the shot over too quickly. An often-overlooked aspect of good bunker play is good rhythm. Try to match the speed of the backswing with the speed of the downswing. A slower tempo will produce higher and softer shots. A hurried swing will create a steep swing and some digging.
So much of golf is identifying how the ball sits in the bunker. If the ball is lying cleanly, you play the ball forward, hit behind it, and follow through. If the ball is in a hole, play it back, and bury the club head behind the ball. Take a good look at how the ball is sitting in the sand. If it’s down even a little bit, play it as a buried lie.
If you find your ball on the upslope of a bunker, under the lip, with a long distance to the flagstick, try using a less-lofted club than a sand wedge. An 8 iron will still give you enough loft to carry the lip and will produce enough forward momentum to reach that flagstick on the other side of the green. The ball position should be center, and your shoulders should be at the same angle as the slope of the bunker. Your weight will be on your back foot. Try to have the club head enter the sand 2 inches (5cm) behind the ball. Open the face of the iron slightly so you achieve some bounce — this way the club head will not dig into the sand.
The putting stroke is initiated by the shoulders, not the hands. You should feel a rocking motion in the shoulders as you make the putting stroke. Hold the follow-through until the ball either goes in the hole or stops rolling. This will ensure an accelerating stroke.
The most important step now is to commit to the line and trust that you have correctly read and lined up the putt. Most putts are missed by not committing and not trusting your putting stroke.
Make every putt a straight putt.
Golfers may become confused with putts that have some break. After you read the putt and determine how much the slope will affect the line of the putt, think of the putt as a straight putt. If the putt will break 15cm, aim the lines or writing on the ball to that point. Putt the ball directly at that point and let the break take over. You can only start the ball on its course. Gravity does the rest.
To control the distance you need when putting, you have to control the length of the stroke back and the stroke toward the hole. The backswing and forward stroke should be equal in length and rhythm. Think of a pendulum. When the pendulum changes direction, it is unhurried. The ball should be in the middle of that pendulum swing. A smooth stroke will produce a pure roll.
All you have to do to improve your putting is watch how the great players putt. They all have soft grip pressure. None of them move their legs or hips. They each keep their head steady. They don’t use any wrist break. They accelerate through the ball. If anything, their putting strokes are either the same size back as through, or their follow-through is longer than their backswing. They all hold their follow-through. Only the neck rotates after impact.
Another way to make sure your head stays steady when you putt is to close both eyes after you have established your address position. It’s the best cure for the yips that I have found. Just close both eyes, make a putting stroke, and listen.
We all know that to putt well you have to keep your head steady. One of the best ways to do that is to focus on one small spot. Try focusing on one dimple on the ball when you putt. You’ll find that you stay very steady and make every solid contact.
Deep rough will normally close the club face as the club head reaches the ball. To prevent that, it’s good to steepen the angle of the club head on the downswing. The easiest way to do this is to position the ball in back in the stance. This ball position will automatically create a steeper downswing. For shorter shots from the deep rough, place a little more weight on your forward foot. That, once again, will steepen the angle of the downswing. The long grass will normally twist the club face a little, so be sure to allow for that.
Ball in the rough, near the green.
Often the ball will be just a foot or two off the green, but will be nested down in the rough. It’s very difficult in this situation to hit the ball cleanly with an iron. Try putting the ball out of the rough with a hybrid. It takes a while to gauge how much swing or stroke you need for the given distance.
It’s very important to plan your round. Before you play, go through every hole on the course. Where should you play your tee shot? What holes should you try and to play aggressively, and which one should you play more conservatively? Are there holes that you always have trouble with?
The first rule is to plan where I want to play my next stroke from. I want the next one to be as easy as possible. The second rule is to plan where I want to be if I lay up — whether it be yardage on the next shot that I like or a plan to leave the ball well short of any trouble. If you’re going to lay up, do it well.
If you make a poor score on a given hole, ask yourself if it was a result of a bad swing or poor shot selection. Mis-hit shots happen. Poor shot selection doesn’t have to happen. Playing smart golf means playing the shot with the best percentages for success.
We’re often faced with the choice of loft versus distance when we are selecting a club for a particular shot. In almost all cases, the more lofted club is the better choice. Simply put, the longer the ball stays in the air, the farther it goes. Choosing a more lofted club will also get the percentages in your favor. A mis-hit shot will still get in the air.
The most accurate way to determine the break is to keep your eyes open. If another player is in your line and has to putt first, carefully watch the ball roll. How it rolls will tell you how much your ball will react. If you putt and the ball goes past the hole, carefully watch which way it breaks as it rolls. (Many players look away as the first putt misses.) Also, keep your eyes open on a chip or pitch shot that runs by the hole.
We are often faced with a choice, to play it safe or to go for it and gamble. Think about it this way: “If I take the chance, will it save me a stroke?” If the answer is no, don’t take the chance.
If taking a chance by hitting the ball over a pond gets you on the green, it may make sense. If hitting the ball over a pond only shortens your next shot by a few yards, it probably doesn’t make sense.
Golfers who want to improve practice. It’s as simple as that. To get the most from your practice session, buy a small notebook. Jot down the different things you tried, what worked, and what didn’t. If you keep this book, over time you will see a pattern of successful strategies emerge. It will save you countless hours and journeys down the wrong road. All players like to tinker in search of the secret, but you’ll find the greatest success if you stick to the fundamentals and keep track of what works.
To hit solid, consistent chip shots, the club head has to stay low to the ground, particularly on the follow-through.
This drill will develop a swing as opposed to a hit.
Do your arm and club form the letter “L” on your backswing at the 9 o’clock position and a backward “L” at 3 o’clock position during the follow through?
To chip consistently, you must strike the ball on the downswing. Most recreational golfers try to scoop the ball, resulting in poor contact.
To gain a few more yards on your tee shot without swinging harder, make a wide takeaway. Place a golf glove under your lead armpit and squeeze it just tightly enough to prevent it from dropping. Your lead arm is now connected to your torso. Now take some swings. The clubhead will remain low and extended in the backswing. This connected takeaway widens your arc, which will add distance and height to your tee shots.
Step drill for proper sequence.
Golf instructors can teach mechanics, but not feel. Acquiring feels takes time and patience.
Moving the body laterally, or swaying, on the backswing gets you out of position to make a solid, repeating swing. To prevent the sway, place a golf ball under your back foot. As you begin the backswing, the ball will keep you from going to the outside of your back foot. To swing correctly, you should be in balance, with pressure more toward the instep, rather than the outside of the foot.
Most errors in the golf swing begin with the backswing. Golfers incorrectly begin the backswing with their arms and hands, rather than with their body turn.
Most golfers incorrectly place too much weight on their back foot at impact. This robs the golfer of power and solid contact. At impact, your weight should be on the front foot, with your lower body rotated toward the target and your back heel off the ground.
If you have a tendency to laterally move too much to the right during your backswing, here is a tip that will help. Place a tee in your mouth as a reference point. If your head stays fairly steady during the backswing, the tee will always be steady.
Most golfers are under the impression that they must keep their left arm straight. This is often misunderstood to mean ramrod stiff. There is no place for unnecessary tension in the swing. The left arm should get long on the backswing as the right arm gets long on the follow-through. This happen naturally. Neither arm should be stiff.
You really can’t keep your head anywhere. Your head is on the top of your spine and will follow wherever your spine takes it. In the perfect swing, your head may move slightly back on the backswing and slightly forward on the forward swing. The swing should be rotational so there will not be a lot of side-to-side motion. Concentrate on a good rotation and don’t worry about keeping your head back.
In reality, the hands should operate as one single unit. They should work together. Try to have equal pressure and equal “feel” in each hand.
Fired by caffeine and sugar, our friend manages a successful start for the first 4 or 5 holes, and then the floor falls out from under him. His blood sugar drops, and a voracious hunger announces its arrival. His concentration wanes. His hands sweat and shake, and he notices some tension in his shoulders. He looks in the golf bag to find a candy bar. He devours it, and the sugar spike-and-plummet cycle starts all over again.
To play golf successfully, there are 4 elements of fitness that you should develop: strength, flexibility, cardiovascular, endurance, and balance.
We spend very little time learning how to deal with the mental side of the game. What do we do on the first tee with 20 people watching? What do we do going to the last hole when we’re in the lead? Let’s start by doing all the thinking before we start our pre-shot routine. This includes how you want to play the shot, the conditions, and any swing thoughts. Once this is done, you start your routine, which should be the same every time. Think about nothing when you swing.
A very common problem in golf is not completing the swing, whether it is a driver or a short putt. You should commit to keeping the club swinging through the hitting zone. If you decelerate in the hitting zone, a poor shot will result. In the case of putting, this deceleration is referred to as the yips.
Recreational golfers rarely appreciate the value of internalizing a clear picture of where they want the shot to go. Particularly when there’s trouble, such as water or trees, the average golfer tends to think in terms of avoiding the hazard. This is negative thinking. The smart play is to eliminate the image of the trouble spot and visualize the fairway or green that represents the target. Think about the positive, what you need to do, rather than what you want to avoid.
Most golfers usually fall into 3 or 4 bad habits over their entire golf life. These habits tend to repeat themselves over and over again and are the product of the body looking for a less stressful way of swinging the club — in other words, we get lazy! The quickest way to get rid of bad habits is to be aware of them.
I asked him once what he thought about when he was about to hit a shot. I expected a technical answer. He said he thinks about where he wants to play his next shot from and what type of shot he must play to put the ball in that position.
It is easy to do too much thinking, standing over the ball at address. A good way to correct that is to stand behind the ball, looking at the target. Do all your planning and thinking there. Draw an imaginary line behind the ball. After you have done all your planning and thinking behind the ball, cross the line and just do it.
Pressure is self-induced. No one cares about your game except you. Other golfers are too worried about their own games and swings.
The length of a golfer’s set of clubs should be based on talent, not height. Many good, tall players have benefited from standard-length clubs.
The golf shaft is the key element to a golf swing. The shaft is basically a spring. It will bend or spring through the force created by the power of the swing. If the shaft is too stiff for a given player, it will not flex enough to add to the speed of the club head. If the shaft is too flexible, it will spring too much and the player will lose control of the club head.
80% of players are putting with a putter that is too long.
Irons are accuracy clubs. When getting fit for irons, the first consideration should be accuracy. Distance is not an important factor. Consideration should be the following: lie, shaft flex, length, and shaft type. The best style club head would be a perimeter-weighted design, as they allow better results for off-center contact.
The 3 most important clubs in your bag are the driver, the putter, and the sand wedge.
You have to invest plenty of time with the lob to become proficient with it.