Lofty goals

Now that I’ve been back on the golf course for a week, I’ve come to a conclusion about my game.

It sucks.

Every spring, no matter how much time I spend inside a simulator booth during the winter, the first few rounds of golf are full of shots that look like I’ve never played the game.

Worse, those shots were caused by a voice in my head while I set up to the ball. That voice says things like:

• “That’s a helluva wind. Are you sure you can hit your seven-iron that far? (Spockian eyebrow raise)”

• “Why do you wanna hit a draw when you can go ahead and hit a snap hook? (maniacal laughter)”

• “Don’t bother to check your alignment. It’s probably good enough. (smirk)”

And there are dozens of other comments that the caddy inside my head delivers just at the moment when they can do the most harm.

The truth is that I need to commit to each shot I plan to play. Once I’ve made my decision, I need to address the ball, go through my pre-shot routine, and then pull the trigger.

The result is not always great, but it’s much better than listening to that voice.

I don’t know who said it, but this is a golf truism: No good comes from thinking during the golf swing.

So let’s dive into this week’s edition of Finding the Tips.

In this issue

• Three keys to effortless power

• Master delivery loft with putter

• This week’s playlist

Three keys to effortless power

Adam Bazalgette of the Scratch Golf Academy channel is one of the most respected teaching professionals on YouTube. He’s earned that standing by delivering instruction that works.

In this video, he focuses on three areas of the swing and give us easy drills that will help deliver the effortless power that all of us want.

First, he advises us against snatching the clubhead back with the hands and wrists at start of the backswing. He calls this an “energy waster” and wants us to engage the core of the body as we start the backswing.

To get the feel of that engagement, grip the club with your lead hand and put the back of your trail hand on the target side of the grip so the palm is pointing toward the target. Then pull the club back with the back of your trail hand. Do this three times in succession with the butt end of the grip moving back to your trail thigh.

This will give you a feel for a swing that starts from core. Once you have that feel, take your normal grip and hit a short pitch shot.

The second area of the swing where we can leak power is the transition from the backswing to the downswing.

If we use the core to start the backswing, we want to get to a point where the wrists are cocked when our lead arm is parallel to the ground. The wrist cock stores energy.

However, most of us dissipate that energy by casting the club, and releasing the wrist cock too soon.

Great ball strikers add wrist cock, sometimes called lag, as they transition to the downswing. Adam shows a great slow-motion clip that demonstrates it very clearly. That added wrist cock is stored energy that can be released (and unleashed) through the ball.

The drill he wants us to practice is often called a pump drill. Use your core to start the backswing. Let your wrists cock as the lead arm is parallel to the ground. Then shift pressure to your lead foot once, twice, and then hit the ball.

For me, I concentrate on keeping my back turned to the target as I feel the pressure on my lead side through the flexing of my quadricep muscle above the knee.

This a great drill that not only delivers power, but also crispy contact with the ball.

The third part of the golf swing where we lose power is at impact if we fail to create forward shaft lean.

I need to be particularly vigilant because I tend to flip the club at the ball. This results in the club moving down too steeply. That overly steep angle of attack results in no shaft lean at impact, excessively high ball flight and loss of distance. My seven-iron, for instance,  behaves like a nine-iron.

Instead of a steep angle of attack, we want the much-ballyhooed shallow angle. This produces shaft lean and delivers less clubface loft at impact. As a result, your seven-iron thinks it’s a five-iron!

The drill Adam gives is a short swing with just your lead hand. Hold the club near to the bottom of the grip. Without a ball, take a very short backswing. Move into your downswing and let the knuckles on your lead hand point down to the ground.

Take a few of these short, one-handed swings without a ball. When you’re comfortable with the move, tee up a ball and try to hit it. No long swings, though. Just develop the feel with short swings.  

You’ll develop a shallow downswing and, more importantly, you’ll feel it.

Practice these three drills diligently and your swing will improve dramatically.

Master delivery loft with putter

Delivery loft with a putter?

Todd Kolb of US Golf TV says that all great putters control delivery loft at impact.

Wait a minute! Loft? With a putter???

All putters have two to four degrees of loft. If the putter strikes the ball with that loft – two to four degrees – the ball rolls perfectly.

Most of us add loft at impact by swinging up at the ball with the putter head.  You’ll know you’re doing that if the butt end of your putter is pointing towards your trail hip.

Players who do this are ones who have the most problems with distance control. The upward stroke tends to hit the top half of the ball and often causes the ball to hop and skip.

The aim, then, is to deliver the putter face on a level or neutral path at impact. Todd offers two drills to help us achieve that goal.  

First, practice putting using just your trail hand. Take some practice swings (no ball) with just your trail hand and see if the butt end of the putter is moving towards the target. When you get comfortable with the swing and have control of the butt end of the putter, try hitting some putts.

The second drill is called pause and go. Using both hands, take the putter back, pause for second or two, and then continue the swing. Just like the trail-hand-only drill, you need to focus of the butt end of the putter and ensuring that it moves toward the target.

Like the full golf swing, the transition from backswing to forward swing is key to great putting. With the pause and go drill, you can feel the transition and groove a forward swing where the butt end of the putter is pointing forward — and the ball is dropping in hole.

This week’s playlist

Every week, I crawl through the dusty corners of the YouTube golf instruction space, looking for tips that will help you play better golf.

Be the second person to view the playlist and see if you agree with my selections of the highlighted videos in this edition of Finding the Tips.

Go ahead. I dare ya!

And keep an eye on your email inbox on May 2, 2025 for the next issue of Finding the Tips.