January 31, 2016 Posted by Matt

Your lie will often dictate what shot you should hit.  If your ball is in the rough, look at your lie carefully to see what the ball will do when you hit it.  If the ball is down in the grass, you will not be able to strike the ball cleanly.  The ball will fly out of the rough with little or no spin and it will run a great deal when it lands.  If the ball is sitting up on top of the grass, you have a “flyer lie” and you need to be careful the ball does not sail over the green.  In this case, use a more lofted club and hover it behind the ball at address.  If the grain of the grass is with you, the ball will fly farther, but if it is against you , it will lose distance.

January 29, 2016 Posted by Matt

Do not worry if you hit a drive down the middle of the fairway and find yourself in a divot hole.  While it might seem like a bad break, the ball is definitely playable with a few small adjustments.  Play the ball back in your stance and lean the shaft forward so it points toward your belt buckle.  Hinge the club up steeply and then come down on the back of the ball with a good amount of force.  Let the club pass through after impact and hold your finish about waist high.  You might need to play the shot as if it were 5 to 10 yards longer and take a little more club.  The ball will fly low and you will have backspin that will allow it to stop on the green.  Practice your divot shots on the driving range, and you will find the shot is much easier than you originally thought.

January 27, 2016 Posted by Matt

If you want to make solid contact with the golf ball, first you need to find out where you are currently making contact.  To hit solid shots, you must strike the ball with the middle, or sweet spot of your golf club.  Buy a can of foot spray powder and spray the face of your driver.  Hit several drives as you would normally do, then check your club face.  You will see impressions of exactly where you hit the ball.  Shots hit near the toe will go weakly to the right, while those near the heel will tend to go low and left.  You may start to make corrections by standing closer or farther away from the ball, or adjusting your hand position up or down.  Keep using the spray to track your progress and see if you make solid contact on more shots.

January 25, 2016 Posted by Matt

Does temperature affect your golf game?  Yes!  The molecules in the air contract in the cold and expand in the heat.  For golfers, this means that the ball will travel farther on warm days and it will fly shorter on colder days.  Keep in mind the temperature throughout the round and changes that may affect your club selection.  A change of 10 degrees one way or the other may mean a difference of a half a club.  In other words, if you hit your nine iron 120 yards normally, it will only fly 115 yards on a cold day and 125 yards on a warm day.  So adjust your club selection to account for changes in temperature.

Another great reason to move to Naples, FL….golf balls fly further due to the warmer weather!

January 21, 2016 Posted by Matt

When you are putting, focus your eyes on the target.  Your eyes and brain are finely tuned instruments that you should allow to function naturally when you putt.  Look at the hole and then slowly drawing your eyes back to your ball.  Once your eyes are back to the ball, stroke it so that you send the ball back along the line that your eyes just traced right towards your target.  By using this method, you remove technical information such as amount of break, speed of the green, or amount of grain.  You will gather this information all in one process if you let your eyes and brain do the work.

January 20, 2016 Posted by Matt

Always start from behind the ball during your pre-shot routine.  You can visualize your shot down your line then take one practice swing.  Once you have taken these steps, you should feel that you have completed everything that you need to do to hit a good shot.  Move up to the ball, check your target, and then swing away.  By using this method, you will avoid the tendency to focus on mechanics while you are in the address position.  Once you take your stance up to the ball, you should be able to commit to the shot and swing with confidence.  It is important your pre-shot routine is the same on every shot.  Find a method that is comfortable for you and you will find your golf game will be more consistent.

January 16, 2016 Posted by Matt

The center of the tee box is not always the best place to start from when you are hitting your drive.  Most golfers automatically tee it up right between the two tee markers.  On many holes, it’s not your best option.  You need to consider where you want your ball to land.  For example, if there is trouble along the right side of the fairway, tee your ball up on the right side of the tee box and hit away from the trouble.  On a par three, if the flagstick is located on the left side of the green, tee the ball on the left side to give yourself a better angle for your next shot.  You should have a strategy for where to tee up your ball on the tee box for each hole.

January 15, 2016 Posted by Matt

Be cautious when you have an uphill drive.  If you come to a hole that has a steep hill directly in front of you, then you will need to make some slight adjustments.  Often times, amateur golfers will have a tendency to hold back on their back foot in order to hit the ball high to get it up the hill.  If you tee your ball up normally and make a good move onto your front side, you should be able to drive the ball at a height that will get over most hills.  The ball will appear to fly low but it actually is your normal flight with your driver.  Avoid trying to lift the ball into the air on an uphill drive and you will improve your scores on these types of golf holes.

January 13, 2016 Posted by Matt

Plan your putting practice. When you go to the putting green to practice, narrow your focus on specific putts and drills that you want to work on that day.  Simply hitting putts over and over will not help you improve your golf game.  Plan your practice so that you start with short putts, work on distance control, left-to-right putts, and right-to-left putts as well as uphill and downhill.  Plan a specific time and sequence for practice and use drills and training aids to help you progress.  Consider getting a putting lesson from your local PGA professional.  You will make better use of your putting practice time if you follow this process.

January 12, 2016 Posted by Matt

Use the correct type of golf ball for your golf game.  Most golf ball companies offer a wide range of balls to fit most golfers.  For example, Titleist currently has 6 different types of golf balls for varying skill levels.  If you slice or hook, select a distance ball.  It will not spin as much, and you will have fewer shots that go left or right.  If you are a senior or have a slower swing speed, use a low compression ball.  You will be able to gain more distance from this type of ball.  If you are a single-digit player, look for a ball that has good spin and will help you with your short game.  Ask your pro which golf ball might be best for you.