Good things come in small packages

In this edition of Finding the Tips, we attempt to prove that good things come in small packages.

While we typically feature a number of videos in our weekly missive, this time we offer just two.

But don’t be fooled by the quantity. These tips pack a powerful punch.

So drive into these selections and discover how a pair of well-chosen insights can make a world of difference when you are golfing your ball.

The great compression

I’m always looking to compress the golf ball with my irons, hybrids and fairway woods.

My biggest mistake with those clubs – particularly the irons – is flipping. My hands release early, and I hit the ball excessively high and short. Or I blade the ball. Either way, it feels awful, and it often turns what should be an easy par into a bogey or worse.

YouTube coach Chris Ryan shows us the most common cause of flipping in this video so that we can eliminate that cause and discover the real feeling of crisp compression at impact. If that feeling is addictive, I wanna be a junkie!

Chris gives us a drill so we can feel great compression.

And that’s great. But he also shows why we release our hands early and kill any chance at compression.

For me, understanding what causes a swing flaw is the first step to fixing it. If you feel the same, you will want to know the number one reason for flipping — the trail elbow is stuck against the trail side on the downswing. With the elbow there, the hands are forced release early to give us any chance of hitting the ball.

When the club is parallel to the ground on the downswing, we want the hands to be closer to the ball than they were at address. After the hands and wrists release, the butt end of the club moves up and closer to the body as the clubface approaches the ball. The clubface contacts the ball first and then the ground.

Go to 6:19 in the video and watch Chris demonstrate both the mistake and the correction. He also gives us a drill to help us feel and see the hand position that ensures the trial arm elbow is not stuck to our body.

Let’s hit our irons, hybrids and fairway woods more crisply!

Master the shortest chip shot

David Partick from Titleist UK and Ireland brings a short chipping lesson this week. In less than two minutes, this lesson shows you how to master the one-yard chip shot.

For me, a short chip with very little green to work with is the toughest chip of them all. It’s so easy to hit it too far and effectively eliminate the possibility of an up-and-down.

But once you learn to control the power in your chipping club by hitting a one-yard chip, the longer short game shots will be much easier.

But be forewarned: this drill is not as easy as David Patrick makes it out to be. If you stick to it. though, it will deliver dividends!

Good things DO come in small packages!