GOLF CALIBRATION IS KEY

Calibration is the key achievment a young competitive golfer must attain to move into the level of top flight short game skills.  Calibration is the key to effectively become a factor in tournament play.  There is calibration in putting, and calibration in short game skills.  In the next few weeks, I will lay out the steps and practice routines needed to achieve putting and short game calibration.  But the fundamental knowledge skill is calibration.  The pros know that for sure.  Amateurs, even very good college golfers, or others with low digit handicaps often have no clue what calibration is.

Without calibration, the competitive golfer will not be able to push his or her golf game to a consistent level of scoring.  With calibration understood, embraced and incorporated into one's golf game, a golfer's competitive scoring ability can be continualy boosted to move to an elite level of tournament play, whether that be at the local level, the state level or the national amateur level of tournament play. 

Young high school golfers who want to play scholarship golf at a college or university must understand calibration to succeed.  College golfers who want to be the best golfer they can be cannot short cut the process of calibration to move into the elite ranks.

Next week, I will explain what the difference is between short game "feel" and "calibration".  

THE KEY FUNDAMENTAL TO A GREAT GOLF SWING

I have to admit that used to not think David Leadbetter was that good a golf swing teacher, but I  just saw this.  I now have to agree he is a great teacher - because this is one of the absolute key fundamentals of the golf swing.  This is probably the most important swing secret of all.  And it is so basic, and it dispenses with all the band aids and quick/trick fixes.

 

If you can adopt this movement, your swing fundamentals will be exponentially improved.  You can totally copy a tour swing this way with your own body motion.

 

Curtis Elliott 

See this link:

https://shop.leadbetter.com/blogs/news/learn-the-proper-turn

 

 A FEW PUTTING THOUGHTS

It is time for a few solid putting thoughts.  This is not about putting practice. I have said it all in another post.  But here are some stroke improvements to consider:

1.    The way to keep your head still while putting is to keep your hips still.

2.     The 100% effective way to cure your yips is very simple.  Without a golf ball and in the comfort of your home, simple practice stroking your putting stroke back and forth as smoothly as you can with very slight acceleration on the down stroke.  Swing your putter back and forth, back and forth, looking solely at your putter blade and watching it square up at impact wiht any hand or wrist motion at all.  Practice this for 5 minutes back and forth like a pendulum each night for at least 3-5 nights a week.  After a couple of weeks, your putting yips or jerks will disappear forever.  Unless you give this a try, please do not argue wiht the solution.

3.    Get your eyes over the putting line for the ball.  Buy a putting mirror and do it.

4.    Propel your putting stroke wiht your rocking shoulders - or rocking sternum.  All else is fluff.

Wind Play

THIS WAS INITIAL POSTED IN 2019 BUT IT BEARS REPEATING!

The Golf Channel recently published a statistical study that is surprising for most golfers encountering the wind.  Most folks believe 1 or 2 clubs will do it.  But the pros know better and so should you!

In order to be a good player in the wind, you must fully understand how powerful the wind is. The study indicates that for every 10 miles per hour of headwind, you should take at least two (2) extra clubs.  For a headwind of 20 miles per hour, you should take four (4) extra clubs!

The secret to playing in the wind is to not underclub yourself and not swing harder but EASIER than normal.  So when you take 4 extra clubs in a stiff headwind, a smooth three quarter swing should do the trick.

Most golfers over-swing and take vastly too little extra club.  Try taking as much club as you feel you  need to make a smooth three quarter swing, and do not ever again be intimidated by the wind!

Rock Solid Pathway to Putting and Short Game Success

 There are many full golf swing fundamentals - grip, set-up, posture, ball position, balance, takeway, backswing, swing plane, shoulder turn, hip turn, impact, tempo and follow-through - and two or three ideas from expert instructors for each aspect of that.

But, if you are looking for one sure pathway to develop your short game and your putting skills and capabilties to a potentiall world-class elite skill level, the practice routines in Chapters 8 and 9 of my book, "Breakthrough in Golf" are it.

I promise your short game and putting will go to an entire new elite level if you adhere to these practice routines.  These are fantastic practice routines for young golfers in high school or college who really want to build top in class scoring skills, and who have the time to work on their golf games!

These two chapters are perfect for the competitive young golfer who truly wants to build a first class short game and putting ability.  You will amaze yourself at how good you can become!

 IS PUTTING IMPROVEMENT WITH PRACTICE POSSIBLE?

Answer:  Yes and No!

First the "no" answer is that it takes some patience and practice - so it is possible, but you have to work at it.

Now for the yes answer!

If you use this practice putting routine, and putting technique aside at all costs, then do this and you will see immediate results in 45 minutes to 1 hour:

        1. First, on a left breaking putt, you MUST make 5 in a row from 3 feet, then 5 in a row from 6 feet.  The 3 foot routine is not so hard, but the 6 footer is challenging.  If you make 4 in a row and miss the 5th putt, START OVER!

        2. Next, on a right breaking putt, you MUST make 5 in a row from 3 feet, then 5 in a row from 6 feet.  Again the 3 footer is manageable but the 6 footer takes some work!  

        3.  It will take some grinding, but you should expect it to take 45 minutes to 1 hour to achieve this 5 in a row goal.  Once you have it down, if you can repeat this practice routine 2 or 3 times a week, believe me you will have something.  Most pros don't really make many 12-15 footers, but they make almost all of the 6 footers, because that is what they practice!

        4.  If you think about it, it is really pretty simple.  It is like practicing shooting free throws or 3 pointers in basketball.  The hand eye coordination of seeing it go in is invaluable.  Or it is like practicng throwing darts at a dart board or shooting pool.  You replicate what you can do and it works!  It is like building up a callous.

        5.  The same kind of routine is needed for long lag putts.  Take a 30 foot putt and do not stop putting that putt to a hole until you put 5 putts in a row into the leather.  In other words, putt 5 gimmes in a row from 30 feet and you have that lag putting "feel" down.

        6.  This practice putting routine is THE way to improve your putting. 

        7.  Remember, if you can confidently make almost all of your 6 feet and under putts, you don't need to make many or even any 10-15 foot putts.  The 6 footers will cover your round at around 28-30 putts a round, which is good enough for almost anyone!

        8.  If this routine works for you, please show your friends and tell them who taught you!

The One Crucial Putting Fundamental

 This is worth repeating:

There is only ONE critical putting fundamental that you cannot ignore.  Tiger Woods says it.  And I have tried it.  And I saw my putting go from 35-40 putts per round to 28-30 putts per round.

    This is it:  

YOU MUST HAVE YOUR EYES DIRECTLY OVER THE BALL LINE.

    The way I got there was with a putting mirror.  It insured that my eyes were directly over the ball line.  They can be ordered online or at a sporting goods store for little money.

      Why is this key issue so important?  When you stand or crouch behind the ball to line up a putt and gauge the degree of break, when you have your eyes over the ball at address, you get 100% translation on where you are aiming and are lined up.  If you eyes are not over the ball, you cannot line up your putt to replicate the break you saw when you lined up the putt.  But eyes over the ball and/or ball line puts your putting alignment in harmony with your break reading.  If you correctly read the break and have your eyes over the ball or ball line at address the only issue remaining is the speed and pace of your putt.

        That is it.  Give that a real try and your putting will dramatically improve.

The Secret of Scoring: "Throwing Darts with the Wedge"

If you are a competitive golfer who plays tournament golf, I have a very important message for you.  One of the secrets of scoring is to learn how to hit your wedges stone close to the hole.  I call it "Throwing Darts" because that is how accurate you must be and can be from 100 yards in.

What is "Throwing Darts"?  It is taking a wedge from 100 yards in and KNOWING you will get it within 3-4 feet of the cup for a virtual tap in.  That is what the pros do day in and day out, and they know how to do it consistently.

Why am I directing this to competitive amateurs?  Because the pros already know how to do it, and casual amateurs like me, who have a regular job or career, do not have the time to hone and maintain that skill level.  It takes at least 3 times a week with a wedge in your hand.  Once learned, it takes 4-6 hours of week for maintenance, so 1.5-2 hours a day three times a week to keep the feel level up.    So only serious competitive golfers can benefit.

Why is it so critical?  It is fun to learn to bomb it off the tee and drill your irons.  But to cut your putting average per round, you have to stick it close to the hole time in and time out.  There is no better or more effective way to reduce your putts per round.  I have had Tour golfers tell me that and they know what they are talking about.

How do you learn to Throw Darts?  There are 5 critical steps:

Step 1:  Learn to hit your wedge as straight as frozen rope.  How?  It is simple.  Make sure you have a firm left wrist at impact and make sure you lead the clubhead into impact without the left hand breaking down.  It is almost like a block shot.  Don't release the club, just hit it firm.  That is all you need to do to hit it dead straight every time.  It is not any more complicated than that.  I add that to hit down on the ball firmly I like to put a little more weight (60%-70%) on my left foot at address to let me deliver the clubhead at a steep angle.  I like to dig out a good divot, to get spin on the ball.

Step 2:  Hit every wedge shot about as hard as a driver.  I mean it.  Whether from 20 yards or 100 yards, hit the ball as hard as you can.  That way you can never have to worry again about how hard you hit it.  The only variable on the distance you hit the wedge is how far you take it back in your backswing.  If you only take a choked down wedge back to where your hands are hip high, you can hit it as hard as you can and it will only go 20 yards.  But it will be straight and it will have spin - and you don't have to ever worry again about how hard to hit it.  And by definition you will accelerate the clubhead thorugh impact.

Step 3:  As indicated above, hit it shorter or longer by only two adjustments:  How much you choke down on the grip and how far you take it back.

Step 4:  This may be the most important step of all.  Hit the ball with every increasing lenghth of backswing with a "driver" level of hitting the ball hard from 20-40-60-80-and 100 yards out until you learn by feel how far to take it back to pinpoint those distances.  This takes practice.  I recommend you hit 30 balls at each distance interval for about 5 or 6 straight days to "dial in" those distances.  Then watch you confidence soar as you get to the point of KNOWING that you are going to stick inside 4 feet from each of those distances!  I guarantee you that will happen. And at that point you are Throwing Darts at the flagstick!  Rory McIlroy calls it getting "dialed in."

Step 5:  To maintain your skill at Throwing Darts, practice the 30 balls at each distance drill at least 3 times a week. 

If you are a young tournament golfer, I promise you will reduce your putting at least 2-3 putts per round.  So if you are a scratch handicap player, you will go to minus 3.  When I was 24 years old, it took me about 6 weeks to reduce my handicap by that exact figure.  So you can try this and see if it does not put you at an entirely different level of golf competiton and performance.  And if you think this is too high a hurdle, remember that it is not more difficult than Stephan Curry making 3 point shots.  Human hand eye coordiation and the radar capacity for distant targets is truly amazing.

 NEW EDITION OF THE BOOK, "BREAKTHROUGH IN GOLF" - AND A NEW BLOG THEME!

I am very pleased to announce that the Second Edition of Breakthrough in Golf has been published.  The new edition has a new cover and back cover, but most importantly two new chapters have been added.  

New Chapter 8 addresses putting fundamentals, and practice routines to play your best golf.  It explains the key fundamental of putting.  Moreover, it explains in detail a particular practice routine you can follow, that is guaranteed to reduce your putts per round!

New Chapter 9 is entitled "For Tournament Golfers Only"  This chapter will explain in very full detail what a competitive golfer must do to putt and hit short shots at a level that a PGA Tour professional would being playing at.  The techniques described and the practice routines are unlike anything I have ever seen published on golf instruction.  So we have changes our blog theme as well.  THIS IS THE SITE FOR SERIOUS GOLFERS WHO TRULY WANT TO WORK ON THEIR GAME AND TAKE IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!

Those who are very serious about playing tournament golf and striving to be a top competitive golfer will not want to miss this new edition. Once the re-publication is issued, we will let everyone know about it and where to order your new copy!  

 Learn Ben Hogan's "Secret" to the Golf Swing!  It is all right here!