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Being a short game instructor, the most common questions I get are about putting. People just can’t seem to do it. The thing about putting is that it’s an EXACT science. You have to be nearly perfect if you ball is going to go in the hole. You can miss a little bit with other parts of the game, but with putting, you better be deadly accurate.
So what are my best putting tips? Well I can’t give them all away in one post. What would I have to write about 
Here’s one that will help you from swaying the putterface a little bit. And it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the stroke itself. It has everything to do with how you hold your putter.
See in putting you want your hands to counteract one another perfectly, or to put it in a simpler manner, you want them to work together as a single unit. The best way to do this is through your grip. In the full swing the grip is held in the hands, because you need your hands for power. The putting stroke is completely different. It is all about control so the hands are NEVER going to come into play.
With your putting I want you to focus on gripping the club in your palms. This will minimize the movement of your wrists and hands in the stroke, stabilizing your club. Now what I want you to do is take your left index finger and wrap it around your right hand inbetween your middle and ring fingers. This will lock your grip in place even more and ensure that there are no gaps in your grip.
Now putt.
This little setup change will help you improve your short game drastically!
Be sure to drop by my homepage for your free short game guide! You can get that here.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: break80, bunker, chipping, golf, lowspinner, pitching, putting
Have you ever seen the pros on TV hit those low spinners that just seem to check up on a dime. That’s probably the coolest shot in golf isn’t it? You wanna know how to do it? Well there’s actually quite a bit to it, but I’m going to break it down for you in pretty simple terms, something I’m sort of known for. It helps when you’re trying to learn how to break 80.
The first two things to consider have NOTHING to do with how you are swinging the club. These are equipment questions. One, these tour players have top of the line equipment, or tour preferred equipment, which sometimes is not available in the mainstream golf market very easily. You’ll have to search a bit for “tour” grade equipment, but it’s gettable. My bag is full of it. But be warned, tour equipment is for low handicaps only.
What do I mean by equipment? Well first, the grooves on the clubs are going to need to be very sharp, and very clean. As the ball slides up the grooves, they’ll impart spin on the ball, so the sharper and cleaner they are, the more spin you ultimately achieve. Secondly, the ball you are using has a large impact as well. You want to shoot for a soft cover, high spin ball, like a Pro V1 (not Pro V1x). The softer the cover and lower the compression, the more spin you can get from a wedge. You’ll also want to make sure you have a really good lie. It’s tough to spin wedges out of the grass, well at least that much.
If you want to learn more about this and other short game mechanics, I am now offering a free short game guide <— there, so pick it up if you want some free advice. It’s only going to be there for a limited time. The book comes out soon.
If you have the right equipment in place, or at least you try to, there are only a few swing mechanics to consider, but this post is getting a bit long, so I’ll go into those tomorrow. I am also working on a video to go along with this post, and others like it, so stay tuned!
Be sure to check out the free short game guide here!
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You know know how mentally challenging the game of golf can be. With the magazines puting swing thought after swing thought into your heads each month, its a wonder some of you can even still hit the ball. The fact is, it is nearly impossible to effectively control your body’s movement with a conscious thought. The only time you should be thinking consciously to control your swing is when you are on the range trying to correct a flaw, or establish a new habit. This is best demonstrated in the short game, since is has the most simple moves.
It’s sort of ironic that the short game has the most simple moves, yet it impacts score the most of all huh?
Want a FREE Short Game Guide – Here You Go!
Anyway, I am going to tell you a story. I once had a student who, when he got nervous, absolutely could not hit a straight putt to save his life. I had noticed that he was looking at the blade of the putter trying to correct what he THOUGHT to be flaws in his putting stroke, throughout each stroke. Whether he did this on purpose or on accident I don’t know, but I had to fix it.
So I showed him the most simple mental putting drill on the planet, and possibly the most effective. The kid had a solid putting stroke through the work we had done already, but he wasn’t using it effectively. He was letting his head get in the way. So what did we do to fix it? I just took his head out of the picture and let his natural stroke take over. How?
The eyes closed drill – I had him line up to his putt, address his putter to the ball and then said – Ok kiddo, now close your eyes and putt. He looked at me like I was nuts, but I persisted and finally he just shut his eyes and putt. Bam. Right in the center, and the next four as well.
Want to Make Every Putt You Take?
The fact is, putting is so simple, that it’s sometimes easier with your eyes closed. Your eyes receive information and make subconscious adjustments to your stroke based on them. But the problem is, they are usually wrong due to your perception, and that causes your stroke to get wayy off line. If you don’t receive any visual information, all you can do is let your stroke happen naturally, and it usually works. Vijay Singh does this quite often, often times in competition.
Heh speaking of that, the kid still putts with his eyes closed to this day. It’s a spectacle and always stems a cool conversation when someone notices.
You can find this drill and more in my new short game e-book, Revamp Your Short Game. Learn how to putt today. Just check out the page for a free getting started guide.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: improveputting, putting, puttingbook, puttinghelp, puttingtips
Yesterday I told you about how to let your arms control the putter. What this does is uses the large muscles of the body to control the putter instead of the small muscles. Using the large muscle groups lets you have more control because you are not making super small adjustments throughout your putting stroke. Instead you have one solid fluid stroke. This is a key to improve your short game.
Today I am going to give you a little drill that will help you with this. What you are going to do is assume a putting stance (hopefully you have a good square stance). If you are having trouble with your putting stance, please visit this link to help. I have posted a free e-book there for a very limited time. Get it while you can.
Click Here to Learn How to Break 80 by Improving Your Short Game
Now on with the drill. Assume your normal putting stance. Now what you are going to do is toss your putter to the side. That’s right no putter required for this one. Now hang your arms straight down in front of you like you were going to grip your putter. But instead of taking a putting grip, what you are going to do is place your hands flat against each other, like you were going to squish a bug inbetween your palms.
Now make a putting stroke using your shoulders to move your arms back and through. Notice how when you make this stroke, you CAN’T use your wrists. Your hands pushing against one another locks your wrists into place. This is the feeling you should strive for. Not only will you improve your aim, but you will also improve your distance control.
I have literally seen people shave 5 strokes overnight with this single tip. If you want more tips go to http://improveshortgame.com for my free short game e-book.
Hello all. I’m excited today! Today is the first day of this blog. See here’s the thing. I’m a golfing NUT. I play it. I teach it. I have even mastered one of those golf ball globe toys, haha. I love it. But I can’t play right now because I broke my arm! OMG it’s awful.
So instead of golfing, I am going to be writing about golf for the next 6 weeks while my arm heals. The first thing I want to write about is how to improve your short game with a one quick step.
Here’s what you are going to do. Next time you are out on the putting green, focus on letting your arms control the putter, not your hands. Think of your hands as just being glued on the putter. They have no control over it. They’re just there to hold it. This is why you are seeing so many different grips on tour. Players are trying to eliminate the hands from the putting stroke.
Try it. You’ll hole more putts I promise! And you’ll discover how to break 80.
We’ll talk again tomorrow 
