Improve Your Game

Putting tips # 2 

Long Putts. Not easy. But here are some tips from five European Tour stars on how to avoid those infuriating three-putts…
 

Padraig Harrington
“Pace is the most important thing. When I’m taking my line I tend to go a little on the high side. I’m not trying to make the putt- but if it goes in, then I’m happy!” 
 

Raphael Jacquelin
“I’m more focused on the pace than the line. I pick a spot in front of my ball in the direction I want to hit it, aim at this spot and hit the putt with good pace on this line.
 

Graeme McDowell
“I make my practice strokes looking at the hole. That gives me a feel for the pace. Then I just try and make the same stroke when I hit the ball. Pace is the key to long putts.”
 

Francesco Molinari
“I break long putts up into two halves. I go halfway to the hole, on my line, and make practice strokes from there to the hole. This really helps if there is a big slope or a tier.”
 

Jeev Milkha Singh
“I pick a mark in front of the ball over which I want to roll the ball. My practice strokes gauge the speed of the greens and then I try to make a good stroke.”

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Delicate chips around the green

When playing a delicate chip to the green out of lush grass it can be easy for a player to stub the ball forward a few feet because of fear of hitting it too hard and overshooting the green.

So what to do?

You must accelerate through the shot and not quit on the downswing otherwise you’ll fluff the ball. 

To get the ball up in the air, play with soft hands and practise this shot regularly at your local driving range. This is a shot that comes down to feel and tempo, the more you practise, the more natural it will become.

Try to control the length of your backswing, focussing on consistency and repetition. You would then adjust the length as necessary for the distance of the shot. A good drill to help you accelerate through impact is try to finish the swing with your belly button aiming at the target.

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Clean up your act

Everyone loves to see the ball land on the green and spin back a little towards the hole, but it’s without doubt one of the most difficult shots to perform.

Manufacturers spend fortunes on wedges to try and make the ball spin – and we pay top dollar for them! But all too often we neglect our clubs and fail to clean them properly, leaving mud in the grooves that can seriously hinder performance.

Apparently, a clean 56 degree wedge will carry eight yards further, with 20% more spin, than it’s muckier counterpart.

So now you know the benefits, here’s the best way to ‘get into the groove’…

Step 1
Leave your dirty clubs to soak in a bucket of water for a few hours.

Step 2
When the mud has been loosened, you can whip most of it off with a cloth or some kitchen roll.

Step 3
Now here’s the tricky part – getting the mud out of the grooves! There are loads of gadgets out there to try and give you a helping hand, but nothing works better than your average golf tee. Scrape the mud out of each groove before rinsing the club head in water. If your clubs were particularly dirty, then you can do this a couple of times.

Step 4
Dry them off and stick on your Ray Ban’s to counteract the glare from your shiny new wedges and start attacking those pins!

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Putting tips # 1

There are countless bits of advice that you will be given when it comes to putting, but the fact of the matter is this; everyone is different.

Some players visualise the ball going in, they even imagine the sound the ball will make as it sinks. Padraig Harrington changes his grip, he putts with his left hand over right, as oppose to his usual right over left.

Some players mark their balls, while others just hit it.

I reckon that practise makes perfect, or if not perfect, at the very least, quite near the hole.

Take a look at this video. It has helped my putting, and may help you too.

So remember… distance is much more important than accuracy. It doesn’t matter if you don’t sink it at the first attempt, but at least you’ll be close enough for a 2-putt.

Over the next few weeks I will give you more drills that may well help you clear up those infuriating 3-putts!

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Tips at home

Tired of looking out the window and seeing rain? Bored of going to the driving range over and over? Well… I can’t really help you out on the weather front, but what I can do is give you some handy tips about improving your game from the comfort of your home.

1) Chipping

Get a washing basket and your wedges, grab some balls (aim away from a window) and start chipping away. Make targets for yourself. Try and get three in a row, then try from further away. If you are scared about using a real ball, then purchase some air balls; just as affective.

2) Putting

Couple of things you could do here. Either turn an empty toilet roll on it’s side and try and sink it in, or aim for something smaller like a chair leg, or a table leg. Alternatively you could buy a putting matt such as this bad boy:

3) Check your stance

Mirrors are not just there for you to do your hair, oh no, they were also created to help golfers perfect their stance. Flex your knees and keep your spine straight, and you’re on to winner!

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All about the swing

More often than not, a golfer’s personality matches his or her golf swing. John Daly has an out-of-control backswing, Ernie Els has a silky-smooth tempo and Tiger has a ridiculously athletic downswing.

Then there’s Padraig Harrington.

His blue-collar, never-say-die, workmanlike attitude shines through in his simple, yet extremely effective golf swing. What makes his golf swing so great is that it’s so consistent. In fact, his mechanics are so solid that it’s hard to find fault with just about anything he does. His angles are perfect, his pivot is unremarkable, yet flawless, and his commitment to the finish is unshakable. As a result, he’s competitive on every type of golf course, in all conditions, against the toughest competition in the world.

This is an excellent swing to copy because it doesn’t require Tiger’s physique or outrageous flexibility. The simplicity of Harrington’s motion makes it among the very best in the game.

Obviously this is a slowed down video of the swing, but note how smooth his action is. The way he shifts his body weight on to his front foot and the fact he doesn’t raise his head until a few seconds after he has struck the ball. All key components in improving your game.