We all know golf is very much a mental game. The brain has a profound effect on the results of each and every one of our shots. A fine example is to look more closely at a common problem like the yips. If you don't already know, the yips are involuntary wrist and arm twitches right before impact, which can affect anything from chipping to those three footers impossible.
Golf Drills
Stop Topping and Thinning It
For players who suffer from an overly flat swing, getting solid impact below the equator of the ball is often difficult. Especially with the irons, a steeper swing path into the ball is needed to produce better contact. In case you don’t understand the difference between a flat an upright swing, here is a quick rundown.
Triangle Chipping Drill
Over 60% of the shots you make on the golf course are from 100 yards and in. Improving your short game is the best way to lower your scores. Consistency is the key to a solid short game. Having a repeatable, reliable chipping stroke will help you learn how to gauge distances better, judge the spin and also help you choose the proper club for the situation.
The Cons of a Weak Grip
It’s a simple fact, 85% of the golfing population slice the golf ball. Many slices are caused by something as simple as a poor grip. For all slicers, a weak grip is one of your worst enemies. We are not talking about grip pressure here…a weak grip has both hands rotated to far to the left on the grip as shown in this diagram (lefties are the opposite).
When you perform a swing, your wrists will move into the position of least resistance – in this case, one where your hands are in a more neutral position. A clapping position – with both palms facing each other and thumbs on top of the club is considered neutral. So naturally if your grip is weak to begin with, your clubface will be open at impact.
Now, if you can hit the ball straight with a weak grip, great, but this means you’re making another ‘quick fix’ elsewhere in your swing to compensate for this to square the clubface.
Impact & Distance
If you imagine your wrists, arms and hands in a race to impact, who should win? The clubhead? Your arms? Your wrists? The answer is – your wrists. The clubhead should trail your wrists coming into impact, because your wrists should still be releasing from their cocked position. This can only happen properly if you created lag on the downswing. This last minute snap at impact leads to more power.
Many amateurs don’t seem to understand this concept. They make an arms-only over-the-top swing into the ball, and struggle to hit their drives over 200 yards. The wrists are so influential in the golf swing because they help set the club at the top of the backswing in the proper position which, during the downswing, will lead to a proper 'lag' position. Lag is the secret move in golf for more distance.
4 Must Have Angles in the Golf Swing
When it comes to consistency and power generation, there are specific angles that are visible in every player on the tours today. These fundamentals are universal and are imperative to incorporate into your swing before you can take your game to the next level. If you employ these moves, I can assure you, you will develop more power and spin, your contact will be more solid, and your shot making will improve.
The four angles are spine angle, spine tilt, knee flex and lag angle. As you might have guessed, three of these angles can be setup before you even start your backswing. I cannot stress enough how important a solid setup position is to create consistency, power and accuracy. These angles are crucial to creating a balanced setup capable of making a powerful swing. You'll be amazed at how simple the golf swing gets once these elements are incorporated into your golf game…
Spine Angle
This is one of the most important…the reason for this is twofold, because the littlest of changes can negatively affect your shot outcome…
The 3 Secrets to Solid Bunker Play
The sand trap. This simple course feature has been a thorn in the side of many golfers, especially beginners. More often than not, a professional however, relishes the chance to hit from a greenside bunker when faced with the alterative of a chip from deep rough. Why? Because, with a few simple rules, hitting a bunker shot is rather easy.
You have more control over the direction of your shot, where it lands, the spin it holds, and how much it’s going to roll. You can be on the offensive, not defensive and getting up and down is a mere formality. Does this sound like your sand play? Likely not… but here’s how to get your game there.
Open Everything
You need to open up everything – this basically means align everything to the left of your target (assuming your right-handed) your feet, hips, shoulders everything. The most common fault I see, is a body that is aligned well, but shoulders that are not. Your shoulders dictate your swing path, so your shoulders are the most important area to fix. The clubface needs to be open as well, it, however, should face the target. Your open body and clubface make it easier for you to swing with a shallow path which is our next secret.
Reseting your Putting Fundamentals
Having troubles on the dance floor? It’s time to check your putting fundamentals once again. It’s a sad but true fact that approximately 90% of all putting faults occur because of poor fundamentals. So the next time you’re fed up with your putter – instead of going out to buy a new one, learn to implement proper putting fundamentals.
The most common putting faults can easily be corrected by the station I have set up in the picture to the right. Start by aligning a flagstick parallel to your target line. Next, address the ball with the flagstick against your feet. Ensure your shoulders, knees, hips and eyes are square to your target line. A great way to check this is to place your putter across your chest, knees and hips – is it parallel to the flagstick? If so, you’re set – if not, you have some work to do.
Golf Flexibility and Workout Tips
The winter season is a great time to build strength and flexibility through various workouts at the gym. The trick is… knowing what to work on. Generally speaking, a well-rounded workout is perfectly fine for to help build overall strength. It’s also good to focus on your rotary muscles and joints – specifically your shoulders, arms and wrists. Playing very wristy sports like squash and tennis are also great.
YouTube has plenty of great golf workout videos. Some of the best ones are from Mike Pederson – you may have seen him on our site before. Here’s a collection of some great golf workout tips and flexibility drills. Check them out!
Winter/ Down-Season Golf Drills & Tips
Winter for many of us, is a time to put away the clubs and golf shoes and replace it with a hockey stick and skates – especially here in Canada. The truth is, the winter is a great time to work on your swing in ways you wouldn’t normally consider during the summer.
The winter is a great time to…
Work On Your Weaknesses
Do you often come over the top? Is your grip too strong? Do you collapse your right elbow at the top of your swing? Working on your swing path, fundamentals and grip is a great way to improve your game – the issue with working on these faults during the golf season is that it takes a long time to adjust to the new “feel” of the swing/position. Below you’ll find three quick drills you can perform at home to fix the problems described above.
Coming over the top? Try the Yoga Golf Swing Drill – setup with a short iron in your living room. Complete a swing at half speed, then quarter speed, and slow progressively further until it literally takes you a minute to complete the full swing motion. Really focus on your transition – to ensure your club stays on path at the top. This drill will help build strength throughout your swing (after a couple slow-mo swings, you’ll see why), and help reinforce the path of the club, and movements of the body.
Is your grip too strong or weak? When you’re watching hockey, football or tv, grab a club and have a seat on your couch. Grip the club in a more neutral position – re-grip the club continuously. Do this consistently for awhile, and the “this feels wrong” feeling of the new grip will go away. Keep a close eye on your grip when the season starts up again.
Do you collapse the right arm at the top? Try the Split Grip Drill. By splitting your grip, you force yourself to create width – effectively ensuring the club stays far from your body – this move helps store and create power. We’ve posted this drill before, you can view it here – Split Grip Golf Drill