April 15, 2016 Posted by Matt

Many golfers think their golf swing should go straight back and through to make the ball go straight.  In reality, this type of swing causes a steep up and down swing which creates a whole bunch of issues.  Think of a hula hoop which is tilted about 30 degrees.  A good golf swing should put your hands just over your back shoulder not up by your head.  Your follow through should result with you standing straight up on your left side in perfect balance.  If you swing up and down instead of around your body, it will be impossible to finish your swing on balance.

April 11, 2016 Posted by Matt

Use more than your eyes to determine the slope and break of your putt.  A good way to get a handle on how much your putt is going to break is to walk the line of your putt from the ball to the hole.  Use your feet to help sense if you are moving uphill or downhill.  You can also feel whether or not the green slopes left to right or vise versa.  Try using both your eyes and your feet to determine the slope and the line and you will sink more putts!

April 10, 2016 Posted by Matt

Do you want to improve your short game and hit better chips and pitches? One of the main reasons amateurs hit poor chip shots and pitch shots is due to too much tension in their arms and hands.  You will often see them make a jerky motion which results in a chunk shot or they skull the ball well past the pin.  When you address the ball, try thinking of the word “relax” and concentrate on removing all tension from your hands and arms.  Take a breathe and then make a smooth swinging motion.  You will start to hit better chips and pitches right away.

April 9, 2016 Posted by Matt

When you are hitting your second shot on a par five, hitting the ball as far as you can may not be the best option.  Just because you can hit a full three-wood doesn’t mean you should.  You may end up with a difficult approach shot to the green from forty to fifty-yards.  Take a step back and decide what distance would be ideal for your third shot.  Play your second shot so that you leave yourself a full sand, gap, or pitching wedge into the green.  It’s even more important when the pin is in the front of the green and you don’t have as much room to stop the ball.

April 8, 2016 Posted by Matt

Hit good drives into the wind.  When you have a strong wind in your face on the tee, you can make some adjustments to improve your chances of hitting a good drive.  What you don’t want to do is swing harder, that will just get you in trouble.  What you do want to do is tee the ball a little bit lower than normal and choke down on your driver about an inch or two.  Stand a little closer to the ball and play the ball slightly back in your stance.  Make a three-quarter backswing and swing through the drive holding your finish at about shoulder height.  Your ball should be a straight line drive which will run a good distance when it hits the ground.  Watch the pros this weekend in the masters, the winds are expected to be high and you’ll get a chance to see this shot.  I suggest trying this out with your irons as well.

April 7, 2016 Posted by Matt

Have you ever considered using your hybrid clubs to chip around the green?  If your ball lands in the light rough near the green, you might want to swap out your wedge and try chipping with one of your hybrids.  The bottom of the hybrid club will glide through the rough and not get stuck in the grass like an iron might.  Head to the practice green and practice this shot.  You will want to try the shot from different distances to see how far the ball rolls once it lands on the green.

April 5, 2016 Posted by Matt

If you are a right handed golfer, when you are chipping and pitching the ball, your left hand should be in charge. Grip the club more firmly with your left hand to prevent the club face from rolling over at impact.  You should feel as though your left hand is in control of the club and your right hand is just along for the ride.  If you’re a left handed golfer than your right hand will be in control.  Head to the practice range and experiment with varying levels of pressure with your leading hand.  You will find you hit more controlled and solid shots which will ultimately result in lower scores.

April 4, 2016 Posted by Matt

If you find your ball in deep rough near the green, you can use the same swing you would use in a bunker to get the ball up and out of the deep grass.  Play the ball a little bit forward in your stance.  When you swing, you want to strike the grass behind the ball so the club slides smoothly underneath it just like you would if you were in the sand.  However, unlike a sand shot, the club face will have a tendency to close so you need to have a firm grip with your left hand so the face does not close by becoming tangled in the thick grass.  Commit to the shot, make an aggressive swing and watch the ball pop up and out of the deep rough.

April 3, 2016 Posted by Matt

How do you know if you are lined up properly? Often times, golfers feel as though they are lined up correctly for their putt, only to realize they were lined up left or right of the hole.  To check your aim, line up a ten to fifteen-foot putt.  Address the ball as you would normally.  Have a friend remove the golf ball and place a pen along the face of the putter.  Step behind the pencil to see where it is aimed.  If you’re missing putts, there is a good chance you may be aiming way left or right.  Adjust your aim and try this process again to see if you are lined up properly.

April 2, 2016 Posted by Matt

One of the toughest shots in golf is when your ball comes to rest in a low area near a steeply elevated green.  Your main objective should be to get on the green and two putt.  There are multiple ways to hit this shot. If the ground is firm, the grass is short and slanted towards the green you can putt the ball up the hill.  A second option would be to use a lower lofted club such as a 7-iron to pitch the ball into the slope so that it hits about two feet from the crest and then pops up and lands on the green.  The third and most difficult shot is to open the face of your lob wedge and flop the ball up on to the green.