April 3, 2015 Posted by Matt

Weekly golf joke – Unfortunately this is probably the only way I’ll be able to lower my golf score!

April 3, 2015 Posted by Matt

Learn how to play this money shot.  Great players rely on a low, spinning wedge shot that hits the green and stops quickly near the hole.  This shot puts a big emphasis on accuracy and distance control.  Play the ball back in your stance with your pitching wedge.  Make a three-quarter backswing where your hands go only as high as your rib cage and the club points straight up in the air.  Keeping your weight on your left side, drive down on the ball and keep your hands firm by not letting them roll over at impact.  Hold your finish about waist high.  The ball will rise up on a low trajectory, hit, and spin to a stop.  You can control the distance by the force of your swing.  Remember, you are going for accuracy and distance control when you practice and not trying to hit the ball as far as possible.

April 1, 2015 Posted by Matt

Learn proper extension.  Extension is the release of our arms after impact that is the result of a full and powerful move through the ball.  A good extension helps both power and accuracy.  In practice, place a tee in the ground about one foot in front of your ball.  Hit your shots and then try to drive the ball over the tee and let the club head pass over it as well.  This drill will force you to extend your arms down the line instead of decelerating or pulling the club head left or right through impact.  You will gain better accuracy and contact.  On the course, pick a spot on the ground to act as your guide for extension.

Try using your hybrid from the rough.  Many times you will face medium-length approach shots of 150-175 yards from the rough to the green.  For most golfers, it is difficult to get enough power to hit an iron through the heavy grass to get the ball up and out and carry a good distance.  Hybrid clubs offer greater versatility for these shots.  The hybrids tend to glide through the grass and not get stuck as the irons do.  Learn to choke down on the handle and use less speed in the swing to get the proper distance that you need.  You will find that getting out of the rough and getting distance will become a lot easier.

Swinging over the top means that a player moves his/her back shoulder outward as the downswing starts and then swings from out-to-in through impact.  The result is usually a badly pulled shot or one that starts left and slices back to the right.  In practice, over-exaggerate the opposite move by keeping your back shoulder under as you swing into the ball.  Feel as if you are lowering your shoulder under your chin and hitting the ball with an uppercut punch.  Head to the driving range and practice some shots with this method until it feels comfortable and then return to your normal swing.

World renowned PGA Teaching Professional Butch Harmon share 4 ways to turn bogey into par on a regular basis.  Click HERE to check out how!  Butch Harmon has been named America’s Greatest Golf Teacher for 12 straight years by his peers.  He teaches some of the top men and women PGA Touring professionals around the world.  Also known for his golf academy which caters to armature golfers.

For more golf tips visit Naples Golf Guy’s Golf Tip blog.

About Matt Klinowski
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Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Courses released their latest rankings.  Topping the list is Pebble Beach in California.  The top ranked Florida course, TPC Sawgrass, comes in at number ten.  Click HERE to view the full list.

Streamsong’s Red Course also made the list coming in at number eighteen and the Blue Course came in at number twenty-four.

Even though Naples is known as the golf capital of the world, there are actually only a handful of public golf courses in the area.  If you’re looking for a place to play, check out Tiburon or Lely Resort.  Both golf communities included two golf courses open to the public.

A great way to help you hit your putts in the sweet spot of your putter is to use 2 adhesive bandages on the face as a training aid.  Place the bandages on the face of your putter so that the soft pads are laying down the front of the face.  Leave about a one-inch space near the center of your putter.  In practice, stroke putts of about six feet in length.  If you strike the ball in the center, the putt will roll normally to the hole.  If, however, you hit the bandage pads, your ball will roll weakly.  Keep practicing until you can hit the center of your putter face almost every time.

What do you do when the ball is below your feet?  You should be aware of what goes into the shot.  First of all, the ball is farther away from you than with a normal stance, so you must widen your stance and flex your knees to get to the ball.  Gravity wants to pull you toward the ball when you swing, so you must remain still and stable during the shot.  Your club head will not square up to your line, so you should aim well left of your target. Make these slight adjustments when the ball is below your feet and you will improve your scores.

Use your own equipment when practicing around the green.  Whether your putting, chipping or pitching, always use the same type of golf balls that you use on the golf course.  Range balls are hard and often out of round.  You will not learn the proper trajectory, feel, spin, and roll that is so important to your short game by using them.  Make a shag bag of good balls that you accumulate after playing with them and set them aside for your short-game practice. You will improve your game if you are using the same equipment you use on the course when you are practicing around the green.