All tips - great and weird

How can it be July already?

Seems like just yesterday I was booking time on an indoor golf simulator. Now I’m booking times to play and practice at the club where I’m a member (and elsewhere). If time keeps flying like this, winter will soon be upon us.

Say it ain’t so!

Let’s make use of the summer weather as often as we can.

Swing shorter, hit longer

In this video, Danny Maude shows us how to set up with the driver so that we can swing to the ball from the inside and make contact with the ball on the way up.

If we do that with a clubface that is just a tiny bit closed to the swing patch, the result is a beautiful baby draw. But more than that, the ball flies farther and rolls out to distances we may not have seen before.

Now that we understand that, Danny challenges us to find the backswing that gives us the best chance to hit the ball on an inside-out path while the driver hits up on the ball.

Very often, especially for older golfers (like yours truly), that backswing is shorter than the one we try to use when wanting extra yards. But the longer swing is inconsistent, often delivering a lack of control.

Using a shorter backswing ensures better contact with the ball, improved accuracy, and longer drives.

Give it a try!

Best/weirdest putting tip ever?

Having trouble making putts? Paul Wilson has a drill that he says never fails. Some of his students were skeptical, but nearly all of them reported that they had personal best putting stats after doing this drill before playing.

The next time you feel like you are not making any putts, go to the practice green and wiggle your way to being a better putter.

Yep, Paul Wilson wants you to wiggle your putter on the back stroke. Rather than taking the putter straight back or slightly to the inside or outside of the target line, he wants you to wiggle the putter head back from the ball. Then hit it.

Putt 25 balls on the practice green to a target 20-30 feet away. You’ll find that you are far more target oriented after completing the drill.

Then go play, using your normal stroke (not the wiggly backswing). My prediction is that you will roll the ball on your intended target line more often and at a speed that gives the ball a chance to go in the hole.

 Seven tips to wicked smart golf

Michael Leonard is a +1-handicap golfer who has played in a lot of state and USGA qualifiers. But he concedes that players who hit the ball great with picture perfect swings can still score badly on the golf course.

In this video, he offers up seven tips to help you score better through better course management. He calls it playing “Wicked Smart Golf,” which is the name of his YouTube channel.

Here’s what you have to do to play Wicked Smart Golf:

1. Think through your approach shots. Don’t just get the distance to the flag. Consider your lie. Is the pin front, middle or back? And adjust for weather conditions.

2. Stick to your pre-shot routine. If you don’t have one, create one.

3. Stop caring so much about the first tee shot of the day. Messing up the opening shot of the day doesn’t mean you’re going to have a bad round. It’s just one shot.

4. Never trust tee markers. Some point you at danger.

5. Middle of the green is your friend.

6. Take an extra club approaching the green. Most of us are chronically short with our approach shots.

7. Accept the result of each shot and move on to the next one. Eliminate temper tantrums.

Let us know if these course management tips work for you!

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