Short Game Drills

The 3 Secrets to Solid Bunker Play

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sand secrets

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.

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Reseting your Putting Fundamentals

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fix putting fundamentals and yips

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.

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The SW Chipping Mentality

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The mentality that the sand wedge is the one and only club to chip with is a common mistake among amateur golfers. I see many players use their sand wedge to chip from everywhere – anything from a shot over a tree to a tight pin, to a back pin from a tight fringe lie. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for using your sand wedge to chip; but it isn’t all the time…

chipping tips

I think that the ‘sand-wedge-only’ thinking stems from a lack of confidence chipping with other clubs. Practice creates confidence. To become a more rounded player, you need to work on chipping with your lob wedge, pitching wedge all the way to your six or five iron, even consider using your putter. Learn through practice what types of situation you would use each club. The general concept for chipping is to get the ball as close to hole as possible with the least room for error.

Hitting a sand wedge from a tight uphill lie to a back pin with no trouble in the way isn’t the right play. A six or seven iron will the get the job done with more consistency and control. The next time you’re at the range, forget the driver. Take that large bucket to the putting and chipping green and have at it. Better yet, invite a golf buddy and compete against each other. Improving your short game and versatility around the greens will lower your score far faster than an extra 5 yards with your driver. Besides, you get to reuse your bucket of balls as much as you want anyway.

A solid short game is the key to lower scores…

Don’t forget that!

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Stroke Saving Chipping Drill

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save strokes chipping drill

Poor chippers setup with their weight on their back foot and make a flippy, wristy stroke at the ball. Good chippers on the other hand, know that solid contact is of the utmost importance when it comes to chipping. This drill really helps with contact.

The next time you’re out practicing your chipping – setup with your body weight resting on your front foot and your back foot resting on its toes (as shown in the picture). You will likely need to move your trailing foot back from the ball (effectively closing your stance) to ensure you can complete the stroke.

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Flagstick Putting Setup Drill

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Putting is the most personalized part of the golf game; it is all about individuality, feel and confidence. That being said, putting styles differ quite a lot from player to player, especially on tour. Because of this, there are many things about putting that are not worth teaching. Take the putting grip for example – when it comes to putting, I’ve seen all sorts of grips work… on tour for example, you will find players who putt using left hand low, reverse overlap or even the claw. That being said, there are two fundamental of putting that needs to be used by all golfers.

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The Bunker Board Drill

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How many of you struggle getting out of the sand consistently? How often do you actually manage to get up and down from the sand? Bunkers are usually considered hazards you want to avoid, but with a little practice and confidence, you can play from bunkers like you can chip around the greens.

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Top 5 Putting Mistakes

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Every single shot in golf is equal.  Whether it's a 300 yard drive, or 1 foot putt, on a scorecard, both shots are equal.  Time and time again though, I see players whacking driver after driver out on the range, completely neglecting the putting green in their practice sessions.  Your putter is intended to be used for half of your shots in a round of golf ,practicing with it, will ultimately lower your score a lot faster than the extra 10 yards you've gained with your driver. In this post you'll find the top 5 faults I see in amateurs who suffer on the greens.

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Square Contact Putting Drills

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Is your putting stroke square to your target line at impact?  I doubt it…

 

Many of you will be surprised to find out that completely straight 15 foot putt will miss the cup – if your clubface is either open or closed by simply 1%. That’s a very large margin for error.  This post will cover some cool little drills you can perform to gain a better understanding of  where your clubface is aimed at impact – and how to improve your consistency on the greens.

 

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Focus Putting Drill

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It’s time to take charge on the greens… by playing a little mini putt. The hole is quite a small target, but by using this drill – you’ll start to learn how to use every part of the cup to your advantage.

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