I started playing golf tournaments when I was about 10 years old.

Through the years, I’ve competed in hundreds of different events at the amateur and professional levels. I can tell you without a doubt that there is some skill involved with preparing for a golf tournament.

Golf tournament preparation goes beyond just working on your shot game or knowing how to master that first tee shot. There is a deeper level of thinking here and some mental work that needs to get done in addition to these basics.

If you are wondering how to prepare for a golf tournament, be it a friendly competition or something a bit more substantial, here are my 10 best tips.

1. Practice Rounds Are Key

If you have the chance to get a practice round at the golf course where your tournament is being held, it can help. Playing the golf course before competing in your tournament will ensure you have a better idea of where to hit the ball and which clubs to use.

I understand that this is not always possible as many golf courses are out of town or too difficult to schedule a practice round. If this is the case, you can use google earth or a golf yardage book to get a better look at the holes you will be playing.

Some golf GPS units also allow you to go through each of the holes on the course to see what you may be up against.

2. Nerves Are Normal, Expect Them

One of the things that I struggled with as a young player was being extremely nervous before an event. At one point, I went to a sports psychologist and explained that I was apprehensive about the event and was having difficulty even showing up for the first tee shot.

The psychologist asked what would happen when I did play, and I told him my game was always the best it is and that I would pull off shots that I couldn’t even think of doing in non-tournament rounds.

We eventually discovered that the nerves were there because I cared and because it mattered to me to play well. These are all things that you want when playing in a golf tournament. Of course, they need to be controlled enough to allow you to swing and participate, but you should have some.

3. Spend More Time on The Practice Green

Before a tournament, you are going to want to know the speed of the greens.

The greens are typically rolled to the same speed that the practice green is. Even if you watch professional players, they will spend the majority of their time warming up on the practice green and not on the driving range.

The driving range on the day of the event will be filled with people doing last-minute preparation and working on getting ready for their event. However, there won’t be much you can change on the day of the event on the driving range.

Hit a few balls to warm up your body, and then head over to the practice green and get the speed down. This is what will help your scoring.

4. Fuel Your Body

Be smart about what you eat before a golf tournament day. Have some small snacks like granola or a power bar.

Save the big meal for when you are finished with your round. The last thing you want to deal with is a stomach problem as you are trying to focus on your game.

In addition, make sure that you stay hydrated. With all of the other things that you are thinking about, forgetting to drink water is a major mistake that many first-time tournament golfers make. Always keep a water bottle in your bag and take a sip or two after each hole.

If it is warm out, start drinking water the night before so you never reach a level of dehydration.

5. Take The Day of The Tournament Slow

When preparing for a competitive round, you will have some tension, and your muscles may get tight.

One of the best ways to deal with this is to take deep breaths and allow plenty of time. Don’t run to the tee box with half an energy bar in your mouth, waving at your playing partners and apologizing for being late.

This is not the way to show up for your first golf tournament, and we can guarantee you that the start of this tournament will be less than ideal.

Show up at the golf course about an hour before your tee time. Create a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Having a game plan as to how to prepare for the tournament will only help eliminate those first few bad holes that cost you too many strokes.

6. Set a Goal

Playing in a golf tournament is a big accomplishment in and of itself. However, you should set other goals for yourself.

Be careful to set a goal of winning the tournament; to be honest, we all want to win. This is a challenging goal to put on yourself, and it could cause unnecessary pressure.

Instead, you will want to set smaller goals that are attainable and that you can check on throughout your round. Something that I have used in the past would be a goal to never three-putt or try to hit the center of the greens at least 10 times.

Sometimes a goal could be to par every par 3. The key is to pick something that you can focus on that you have a bit more control over. Winning the golf tournament is likely something you don’t have much control over.

Even if you play the best round you have ever played, you won’t necessarily be the winner of the event.

7. Have a Plan For a Bad Shot Situation

Bad shots happen. When they happen, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences. Any golfer who goes into a tournament thinking they will not experience a bad shot is doing themselves a disservice.

There are hazards and bunkers and sand traps all over any golf course, and if you hit the ball into them, you must know how to recover. Learn the rules of golf, and have a rule book on you to help in any situation where you may have questions.

The key here is to ensure that your plan is something that you can stick to and that you have the skills for. Learn how to hit a knock down or punch shot to get yourself out of trouble. In addition, work on bunker shots and get up and down from difficult locations.

In a golf tournament, you may get into some bad situations, but if you recover quickly, your score will likely not be overly impacted by it.

8. Expect Some Adrenaline

If you are playing a tournament, it may amp you up a little bit. This is a natural reaction that many golfers have and something that can actually be helpful. Some adrenaline in your body will increase the distance you can hit the golf ball.

As long as you are expecting this, then it should not do much harm. Expect your irons to go about half a club longer if you have some adrenaline going. Be aware that this does not increase your tempo.

Sometimes when your adrenaline is running strong, you can get a little out of balance or lose your tempo. Deep breaths and sticking to your pre-shot routine should help to slow things down and keep you in control.

9. Remind Yourself of The Prep You Have Put In

One of the most helpful mental tips I’ve ever used on the golf course is to remind myself of the prep work that I have put in through the years. When standing over a golf shot in a tournament, you may start to doubt yourself and your ability.

However, if you can remind yourself of all the work that you have put in to get there, the chance of you pulling off a great shot is considerably higher. Don’t stand over a four-foot putt and hope to make it.

Instead, stand there and remind yourself of the thousands of four-foot putts you have made in the past.

10. Don’t Over Practice The Day Before

The day before a golf tournament is not the time to put in months or even years of work.

This is a time to get yourself into a good mental place, ensure your body is loose and ready to swing, and take care of proper nutrition and water requirements.

You may put too many thoughts into your head if you try to get a bit too aggressive the day before a golf tournament. These thoughts lead to trying to change your golf swing, and that’s a mistake the day before an event.

Instead, work on creating some awareness of the course, maybe even a game plan for the first few holes. Practice putting and chipping, and if you have the time, play a leisurely 9 holes of golf.

These are all good ways to prepare and ensure you are saving your focus and energy for the day of the event.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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When you first learn to hit the golf ball straight, it can feel like you are really getting somewhere with the game of golf.

Unfortunately, after some time, you realize that it also helps to be able to shape your golf shots. For golfers that want to cross into that low handicap range, shaping the golf ball is essential.

We will look at 9 types of shot shapes in golf and whether or not you need to learn how to hit them before your next round.

The 9 Types of Shot Shapes in Golf

Shot shaping involves not just the left to right turn in your golf shots but also the height of the ball. Low and high shots will open the doors to many more possibilities for you on the golf course.

Straight Shot

The basic shot in golf, with a clubface square and a mid trajectory, the straight shot will likely always remain your go to ball flight. When a pin is tucked in the corner of a green or a hole has a dogleg, the straight shot can sometimes get you in trouble.

Low Straight

I’ve always called the low straight shot my wind cheater. If you are playing rough conditions and want to keep something bumping along, the low straight is a perfect option to consider.

High Straight

A high straight shot allows you to get over trouble or even take advantage of a downwind situation. High golf shots land on the green considerably softer.

Fade

A fade is a golf shot that starts at your target and then fades to the right of your target. Most golfers learn to hit a fade by changing their address position, but it can be done with swing path and club face as well.

Low Fade

Most fade shots are pretty high, as the fade spin can also increase trajectory. However, if you are good at hitting different shots, you can also learn the low fade, which is an excellent option for control, and a soft landing on the green.

High Fade

High fade shots can be the easiest fade shot to learn. With a slightly open stance and the clubface traveling on the right line, the high fade will land softly on the green and impress your playing partners.

Draw

The draw is my go-to ball flight. My natural swing tendency is to hit a draw, so other shots like fade and straight are where I need to be when I work the ball. The draw starts to the right of the target and then turns left of the target.

Low Draw

A low draw is a great shot when you need a bit of extra distance. Draw shots tend to have more topspin on them, so you can get one of these running down a fairway and then have it take a turn for the green.

High Draw

Since a draw doesn’t always have the same spin as a fade, adding a bit of height back into the shot will help you stop it on the green.

Why Advanced Golfers Shape Their Shots

When you stand on the tee box, each hole will look a bit different.

Some have trees down the left and water down the right, others are wide open off the tee, but in order to hit the green, you must be on the left side of the fairway. Amateur golfers start to learn more and more about golf course setup and course management.

When you analyze each hole and see the way it should ideally be played, the ball flights come back into mind and make you think about how important it is to shape your shots to score on the hole.

The bottom line is, that if you don’t know how to shape your shots, you will miss out on opportunities on the golf course.

Which Shot Shapes The Average Golfer Should Focus On

It’s a lot for amateur players to head to the range and try and systematically learn 9 different golf shots. I think this will happen over time and with experience. However, there is something that all amateur players should start working on, which is being able to control trajectory.

Even if you can’t hide a fade or a draw, see if you can learn to hit the golf ball high and low. Typically speaking, your natural shot shape will be the mid trajectory. If this is the case, there are only a few quick adjustments you will have to make in order to control overall distance and ball flight.

Once you have learned how to control ball flight, I also find it much easier to learn to hit a draw or a fade. If you have ever heard of a punch shot, that is probably the best place to start. This type of shot can help you advance the ball when you are stuck in a bad situation on the course.

Tips to Shape Your Golf Shots

Depending on the golf professional you talk to, there are quite a few ways to shape your golf shots.

After you play around with your natural shot shaping and your shot shaping abilities, you may find that you are better at one type of ball flight or shot shape than another. Here are some of the best tips I use in my own game and when teaching the game of golf.

1. Use Golf Alignment Sticks

Golf alignment sticks can be your best friend when learning how to shape shots. In order to know how you are set up and how that needs to change to be able to shape the ball, you need a point of reference. Golf alignment sticks help provide this.

When I practice, I like to have a few alignment sticks on the ground to help me see where my feet are headed, where my clubface is headed, and then which way I would like for things to turn as I shape my golf shots.

The best thing about using golf alignment sticks in your practice is that it is an easy visualization the next time you head out to the golf course. Simply picture what you were doing on the range and try to replicate it on the golf course. If you use alignment sticks, this becomes considerably easier.

2. Understand Swing Path (Video It)

To shape your shots more consistently, you must learn about swing path. The swing path will be critical as you come through the impact position. Golf clubs either travel straight down the line, from the outside in or from the inside out.

To have a great idea of what your swing path is naturally and how you can make adjustments when shaping your shots, video your golf swing. The video will show you where your swing is thriving and where it may need some work, but awareness of swing path makes shaping the ball considerably easier:

3. Keep Adjustments to a Minimum

One of the mistakes that most amateur golfers make when shaping their shots is to overcorrect. Have you ever seen a professional drop his front foot back six inches or turn a clubface in their hand so it’s obvious to the viewer? Chances are the answer is no.

This is because the adjustments that the professionals are making are kept to a minimum. Golf is a very exacting game; you don’t need to do much or to make a huge change in order to see a big difference.

Most golfers that try shot shaping and are unsuccessful are those that have overdone it. When you think about the fade or the draw that you are trying to hit, most times, you will only want to move the ball a few yards. This takes just the slightest adjustment to your stance and your path.

We always recommend learning this process on the driving range. Trying to shape your golf shots on the course as the first adventure in shot shaping is a mistake. You don’t have enough confidence or experience to truly pull this off until you spend a bit of time getting a feel for it.

4. Choose The Right Club

As your golf clubs lower in the loft, they become less forgiving. This is why most golfers are not using a 3 iron in their bag; they are just too difficult to hit. When learning how to shape golf shots, try to stick with a club that you have confidence in.

The 7 iron is one of my favorite places to start. The loft of this club is high enough to make it somewhat forgiving, and you can also get a good amount of distance with the shots that you are hitting.

Don’t work on hitting a fade or a draw with a 3 wood or 4 iron until you can successfully do it with other golf clubs in your bag. The 8 and 7 are the perfect clubs to start with, and then you can move on from there. Great players are able to control the shot shape of their driver in addition to their wedges and irons.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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Growing up in a sub-tropical climate, I was exposed to sweltering heat, which caused profuse sweating.

Besides the overall discomfort, this restricted my ability to induce a firm grip, leading to a loss of traction. In this guide, I will teach you what to do if you’ve got sweaty hands while playing golf.

I have provided 15 tips to combat moisture to maintain dry hands while on the golf course. These tips are a mix of methods I use combined with a couple that worked for my peers.

We will look at ideas to implement between shots, the best golf gloves, golf grips, and a few accessories which do the trick.

1. Breathable Glove

My first recommendation is to source a breathable glove that encourages maximum airflow to keep your hands cool and dry on the links. You’ll find that breathable golf gloves feature a perforated mesh lining across the knuckles, where the air enters.

Golf gloves with limited breathability maintain heat internally, generating moist hands in record time. Even if you remove your glove between shots, a minute with these gloves on in warm conditions can onset sweat.

The FootJoy WeatherSof design is my best golf glove recommendation to promote air circulation inside the glove for maximum comfort. It is also reinforced with Cabretta leather on the thumb and palm for a soft texture and solid grip.

2. Take Off Your Glove Between Shots

A simple tip that most golfers employ is removing the glove between shots.

You’ll notice that this practice gives your hand a chance to breathe and soak up the fresh air, reducing heat and exiling moisture from your palms.

In addition, many players remove the glove for short game shots to enhance the feel and feedback around the green. Implementing this tactic on scorching days gives your hand more time out of the glove than inside, which goes a long way to keeping it refreshed.

3. Carry Multiple Gloves

Gloves are an inexpensive purchase as far as golf equipment goes, and there is no reason not to own multiple units. Having at least two gloves in your bag covers you should one is drenched in moisture and no longer offers sufficient traction.

Playing with a wet glove leads a golfer to remove it and swing barehanded. You’ll notice that sweaty hands with no glove further reduce your traction and can lower your clubhead speed and control of the golf club.

4. Use A Rain Glove

Remaining on the glove topic, I had a buddy who used a rain glove year round because he found it enhanced his grip.

The way he described it, the glove helped him induce sufficient grip pressure for maximum control in all weather.

5. Carry Two Towels

Always carry two towels on the golf course in hot weather, besides the towel for your clubheads after each shot.

Keep one towel wet and as cold as you can. Golfers operating a golf cart can even store the towel in an ice box with some water. Use this towel to wipe your hands before and after each shot to cool them down.

The other towel must remain dry to shed the cold water from your hands before and after every shot. This routine keeps your hands cool and dry to ensure the best grip possible in wet weather.

6. A Cool Bottle of Water

A refreshing bottle of water is an alternative measure you can take to remove sweat. Instead of the wet and cold towel, throw some cold water directly on your hands between shots.

Then rub your hands together to shed dirt and debris and chill your hands. Follow it up by whipping out the dry towel and removing the moisture from your palms and fingers.

7. Use Wet Wipes

Yes, I know they are used for babies, but wet towels are a more hygienic method of shedding sweat and keeping your hands dry and clean.

Pull out a wet wipe before each shot and clear your hand of sweat, dirt, and other grime.

8. Dry Your Grips Before and After Each Shot

Another simple tip that is common practice among caddies and players is drying golf grips before shots.

This is an extra step in the process, but it ensures you remove as much sweat and debris generated on your previous shot. This clears the surface for enhanced contact between your hand and the rubber material.

Take a dry cloth and run it up and down the grip until you are satisfied that it is dry and ready for action.

9. Rosin Bag

A rosin bag is an extreme measure, but I have seen it work for several players. The powdery substance helps their hands stick to the club grip like glue.

Admittedly, I find it uncomfortable and annoying to have the substance on my hands for an entire round of golf, but it is effective. You can also use other powders, such as baby powder or chalk if you cannot source a rosin bag.

10. Gripping Solution

Products such as Dry Hands are gripping solutions to help you hold the club better in any condition. The solution eradicates moisture from your hands, keeping you sweat-free during your round.

Plus, you’ll notice that the substance does not stick to your hands and become an annoyance like other products.

11. Use Tacky Or Cord Grips

If you have tried every trick in the book and still struggle for optimal traction with sweaty hands, new golf grips may help. The best golf grip designs for maximum friction are tacky or cord setups.

Corded grips are typically equipped with moisture-wicking technology that sheds sweat and water from the surface for elevated traction in all conditions. Conversely, tacky rubber golf grips possess sticky layers to keep your hands fastened to the golf club.

An excellent tacky option is the Winn Dri-Tac grip construction. Besides maximizing your hold on your golf club, it promotes lighter grip pressure for optimal comfort during your golf swing.

12. Sandpaper Your Grips

This is not my favorite approach, as sandpaper can wreck your grips. However, I am suggesting it because I know golfers who do it with corded grips, and they swear by it.

Sanding down the surface of your grips will smooth them out and enable you to gain firm control of the grip in hot conditions.

13. Blow Dry Your Hands With A Mini Fan

My final suggestion is a pompous approach to drying your hands. However, I have seen multiple lads and ladies employ the method. All you need is a battery-operated compact fan which you can snatch up one for next to nothing and store it in your golf bag.

When walking between shots or waiting for your partner to play, turn the fan on and let it blow onto your skin. A few moments of cool air hitting your skin will help refresh your hands and dispose of moisture.

14. Ice Pack

This is a tip I use on days when I am driving a cart and can store additional accessories. A mini ice box with a frozen pack is a game changer for comfort.

I reach for the ice pack when my hands are burning and chill them with the freezing chunk of goodness. It is not the most hygienic approach to stick your dirty mitts on the same block of ice all day, so I suggest carrying a couple with you.

15. Botox

It sounds extreme, and it is, but one of the members of my club went in for treatment because sweaty palms became a daily struggle. It was not limited to warm conditions on the golf course. Their condition is known as Palmar Hyperhidrosis which prompts profuse sweating of the palms.

The member in question explained that a medical professional administered the botox to significantly reduce sweating. This is an option for golfers who suffer from Palmar Hyperhidrosis and is not recommended solely for added grip on the golf course.

FAQ

What do pros use for sweaty hands?

Golf pros employ a mixture of methods to keep their hands dry and reduce the impact of sweat. Firstly, they wipe their hands with a wet towel and dry them with another. If this is unsuccessful, they employ a gripping solution or powder to enhance their traction on the golf club.

Furthermore, you will find that professional golfers carry a host of gloves and towels to ensure that every base is covered in warm weather.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years. Current Handicap: 8

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My best wedge tip: I feel like the most accurate wedge players are the ones who can control trajectory, so it’s vital to develop more than one stock short-game swing. To hit a low shot (good for back pins), finish your swing with your hands and the clubhead in line with your forearms. This sharply reduces the launch angle. To hit a high shot, line up your hands and forearms in the finish, but release the club up and to the left.

4. How to make more putts

Over the years I’ve tried to be perfect with my putting stroke. That’s not the way to make birdies, because there were times when my stroke was perfect and I couldn’t buy a putt. You’re better off working on improving your green reading than overthinking your stroke.

The way I read greens now is to walk behind the ball in a semicircle. Using my feet, I’ll try to feel the point on the green where I go from walking downhill to walking uphill (or vice versa). Finding this “inflection point” (it’s not hard to do with practice and added awareness) gives you important clues about how the putt will break: If your ball sits left of the inflection point, it breaks right; if it sits to the right, it breaks left. And the farther the ball is from the inflection point, the more it will curve.

My best putting tip: I’ve tried a lot of putting tips over the years, but the one I keep going back to is “keep your eyes still.” As soon as you start peeking, you’re toast. If your eyes move, then so will your body, and this will ruin any chance you might have for centered contact. I challenge myself to watch every inch of my putting stroke — if I keep my eyes still, I won’t miss a moment of action. Even on long strokes I’ll use my peripheral vision to track the putterhead back and through. Listen for the ball to drop, don’t watch it.

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Using a Divot Board consistently will transform your practice routine. It’s the easiest way to gain awareness, develop better ball striking, and see results faster.

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When used correctly, a hybrid can be one of the most versatile weapons in your armoury. They’re great tools to help you navigate tight lies, edge yourself closer to the green on longer holes, escape the rough or even tee off on shorter holes.

But they’re very much the Marmite of golf clubs. Some swear by them, whereas others rue what appears to be an inconsistency of outcomes. If you find yourself in the latter category, constantly wondering how to hit a hybrid, you’re in the right place. Here are six tips to get to grips with hybrids and add another string to your golfing bow.

What are hybrids?

A hybrid golf club is a combination of a long iron and a fairway wood, designed to replace the former and offer a simpler technique.

Hybrids were first released in the late 1990s and are particularly useful if you struggle with long irons. They really gained popularity when TaylorMade introduced its ‘Rescue’ clubs in 2003, which are all but synonymous with the clubs to this day.

Though they look like woods with their seemingly open club faces, hybrids are really irons and are generally used in their place. That said, you can tee off with them instead of your trusty drivers, and it’s versatility like this that has made them popular with pros and amateurs alike.

6 essential tips for using a hybrid

Keep reading, and you’ll see the steps necessary to maximise the effectiveness of these jacks of all trades.

1. Treat ball positioning a little like an iron 

First things first, the position of your ball is going to have a big impact on how well you’re executing your shots with hybrids.

Imagine where your ball would be if you were using a mid-length iron. Your feet are shoulder-width apart, and the ball is about as central as it can be. Now, move it ever so slightly forward – but not quite as far as if you were using a driver.

This is where it’s easy to go wrong with hybrids. Just because it bears the resemblance of a wood while largely having the characteristics of an iron doesn’t mean you can treat it as either club. A hybrid is an iron – you’re trying to compress the ball to maximise distance, so you don’t want to position the ball as you would for a wood. A sweeping swing might initially feel natural, but you risk hitting thinner shots.

So, your ball is located slightly further forward than a mid-length iron, but not so far as a driver.

2. Get your body positioning right 

As already mentioned, your feet should be shoulder-length apart. Your grip on the club itself should be neutral, and you should lean forward slightly so your sternum is a little in front of the ball.

The point of this is to create as steep an angle of attack as possible. This is a really versatile stance too – wherever your ball is on the course, it’s an appropriate and effective way of preparing for your shot.

3. Compress the ball

As you would when striking the ball with an iron, the best way to maximise the strengths of a hybrid is to compress the ball. In layman’s terms, this means using the ground as a third party in your shot.

This is why the correct technique is to hit down on the ball, not to sweep it. By delofting the clubface and hitting down (first the ball, then the ground), you’re squeezing both surfaces against the ball and compressing it, so it shoots off and travels farther. There are few feelings in golf quite as satisfying as getting this right and watching the ball rocket off into the distance.

If your technique is correct, you’ll make a divot in the ground.

4. Trust the clubface

Though the clubface of a hybrid looks quite open and lofted, it’s important to let the club’s design serve its purpose. Your goal is to compress the club, so even though a hybrid doesn’t entirely look like an iron, you should still trust it to behave in a similar way.

5. Perfect the swing

Like with any golf club, you’re not going to reap the benefits of using a hybrid if your technique in the swing is incorrect.

A smooth, consistent swing is necessary to get the maximum out of your hybrid. It’s important to keep the speed and power the same throughout your swing, but don’t rush it.  

Really commit. Get that clubhead down and compress the ball.

6. Know where to use your hybrid

The rough, the fairway, or tight lies. You name it. If it’s outside the green, a hybrid will likely be a viable option.

There’s a reason TaylorMade called their hybrids ‘Rescue’ clubs. After all, even if you’re in a fairway bunker, a hybrid offers you a way out and back into the game.

Additionally, teeing off – particularly on a shorter course – is an option with a hybrid, though it’s important still not to treat the club like a driver.

In many ways, a hybrid is best at setting up the shot, which will get you into the green, not necessarily getting you there itself. In some cases, rushing your way to the green from miles out can have negative consequences, so a methodical extra shot with a more forgiving club like a hybrid can pay dividends – even if it’s not quite as exciting.

Ultimately, these clubs were designed for fairways, and that’s where they’re particularly effective. That said, one of the great things about hybrids is that they can be used just about anywhere except on the green itself.

Key takeaways

If you remember to treat your hybrid like an iron and not a wood, you’re already making steps in the right direction. Swinging down, maximising that angle of attack and really compressing the ball are the keys to making hybrids work for you.

But, like everything, practice makes perfect. Hybrids may have been designed as an easier option than a fairway wood or long iron, but that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to thrive with them from the word go. Spend time practising, perfect your technique, and you might never have a bag without a hybrid ever again.

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To master your long game, you’ll need to work on your driving to improve your range and accuracy. In this blog, you’ll find 10 handy golf driving tips and guidance on how to practice each one at home.

How to practice driving for golf

1. Perfect your grip

You can’t drive successfully without holding your club properly. Using the wrong grip is usually the culprit for slices and hooked shots. 

How to do it

Hold the club with your lead hand (left for right-handers) so that the grip sits diagonally across your fingers. Both of your thumbs should point down the shaft. Place your trailing hand so that your palm covers the lead thumb with your fingers wrapping around the grip. Use a neutral grip.

Practice at home

Use a spare club to rehearse your grip if you have a spare few moments. Focus on doing so correctly and building muscle memory so the correct grips grow to feel natural.

2. Use the right stance and ball position

Using the proper stance provides stability and allows you to put power into your golf swing. Correct ball placement also helps ensure solid contact. 

How to do it

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent, and your weight evenly distributed between both feet. Your back should be straight with a slight tilt from your hips. Your arms should hang loosely from your shoulders. Position the ball in line with the instep of your lead foot. Of course, the club you’re holding will also affect your drive, and using a more forgiving driver will come in handy here. 

Practice at home

You can practice your stance and ball positioning with a club and a ball to ensure it becomes second nature. Alignment sticks can be a big help with this. 

3. Tee the ball high

A higher tee encourages an upward angle of attack, which helps with clean hitting and maximising the distance you generate from the force you use.

How to do it

Position the tee so that half the ball sits above the top edge of your driver. Roughly three-quarters of the ball should be above the club’s head as it strikes, allowing you to sweep into the ball with an upwards motion without the driver making contact with the floor.

Practice at home

Whilst this is most effectively practised at a driving range, you could use foam or plastic practice balls to rehearse your tee height and swing at home.

4. Master your backswing

A smooth backswing is essential for generating power and maintaining control throughout your drive.

How to do it

If you’re a right-hander, keep your left arm straight, and your wrists relaxed as you move through your backswing. Rotate your shoulders fully, creating a 90-degree angle between your upper body and your hips. Try to avoid over-swinging, though—you can stop when your club is parallel to the ground.

Practice at home

Practice slow-motion backswings in front of a mirror (in a room with plenty of room) to check your form. You could also record yourself going through the motion to work on perfecting it.

5. Focus on a controlled downswing

A powerful drive comes from a well-timed downswing that maximises energy transfer from the club to the ball.

How to do it

Your downswing comes from your core. Start by rotating your hips toward the target, following with your knees, then your arms. Keep your underarms relatively close to your body and tuck your trailing elbow in. Keep your lead shoulder down and make sure your hands and arms stay relaxed so you don’t skew your release.

Practice at home

As well as watching your swing by recording yourself at home, you can also use resistance bands to strengthen your hip rotation.

6. Improve your follow-through

You don’t want to ruin all that work on your backswing and downswing by not following through properly. A good follow-through ensures you complete your swing with full power and balance and strike the ball cleanly.

How to do it

After impact, allow your arms to extend naturally toward the target. Finish with your weight on your lead foot and your chest facing the target. Your back foot should be on its toe, with your hips fully rotated.

Practice at home

Use a slow-motion drill to exaggerate your follow-through position and improve your balance. Speed up the motion once you’re sure you’ve got it right to make sure it becomes a natural motion for you.

7. Focus on a consistent tempo

A smooth, consistent tempo throughout a swing leads to better contact, and the Holy Grail of driving—better reliability. 

How to do it

Count in your head during your backswing and downswing to establish a rhythm. Most professionals recommend a 3:1 count for a drive, counting three on your backswing and one through your downswing.

Practice at home

Try using a metronome app or a swing tempo trainer to develop a steady rhythm.

8. Use your legs effectively

Your legs might stay reasonably still during a drive, especially compared to your upper body, but they provide balance and generate a portion of the power of your swing. Using your legs effectively can help you get more distance out of your drives and will aid in controlling your swing.

How to do it

Start with a slight bend in your knees. Push off your trailing foot during the downswing to transfer energy to your lead side. Shift over to your front foot during the downswing to add momentum. Maintain your balance throughout the swing and aim to move smoothly.

Practice at home

Use step-through drills where you step forward after impact to emphasise weight transfer and leg engagement.

9. Work on your core strength

Your core muscles play a significant role in generating power and stability during your swing. The stronger your core, the more strength you’ll be able to generate throughout a round on the links. The more you can engage your core muscles during driving, the more stable your drive will be and the more power you’ll be able to put into it.

How to do it

Focus on engaging your abdominal muscles as you rotate your torso. Avoid overusing your shoulder and arm muscles, and let your body’s rotation drive the swing.

Practice at home

Improve your core strength by exercising at home, including doing planks, Russian twists, and medicine ball rotations. When you practice your swing, focus on feeling and engaging your core muscles.

10. Incorporate visualisation into your game

Visualisation is a powerful mental technique where you mentally rehearse an action and its consequences, such as visualising your swing and the flight of your ball along the fairway.

Whilst it might sound like wishful thinking, visualisation really works and is practised by professional golfers and athletes from other sports, too.

How to do it

Try visualising your ideal drive before stepping up to the ball. Focus and try to make your visualisation as real as possible. See your ball landing on a specific target. This can feel odd at first, but the more you do it, the more natural it’ll become.

Practice at home

Spend 5-10 minutes each day visualising perfect drives and imagining yourself performing confidently on the course.

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Vokey officially launched its new SM11 wedges last month, and PGA Tour adoption happened almost immediately. Why? That answer is simple.

SM11 was engineered with a brand new CG story. The T Grind seemed to be a widespread favorite among players on the PGA Tour, specifically due to the flight it produced. But the T Grind wasn’t necessarily the best sole shape for every player. This meant PGA Tour reps needed to custom grind wedges, or create special offerings, to give players that nice low T-Grind flight with the sole shape that actually fit their game. That leads us to the SM11. 

The entire SM11 family was matched to that SM10 T Grind CG location. Across the same loft every grind has a precise CG location that’s identical to each other. It does change progressively, however, as you change loft with a lower CG in the pitching and gap wedge lofts and a higher CG in the sand and lob wedge lofts. This helps to encourage an easier to launch full swing option in the longer, lower-lofted clubs and more control and a lower flight in the shorter, higher-lofted offerings.

So with all the CG locations now precisely matched, the only question you need to answer is what grind works best for your game. The first step? Click here and do some research on the new lineup and who the different grinds are designed for. Vokey does an amazing job explaining their lineup, and you’ll likely learn something new as well. Once you feel confident and armed with some knowledge, head to your local PGA Tour Superstore and start investigating.

Titleist Vokey SM11 Tour Chrome Wedge

Titleist Vokey Design’s new SM11 wedges feature a new precise CG position across each grind in a loft, meaning every wedge will now perform the same way with the same strike.

When testing wedges, it’s important to play around with different grinds. (I suggest hitting about a 50-yard pitch shot, or something similar. You’ll notice quickly the ones that just straight up do not work for your delivery.) The key here is to work on eliminating the ones that aren’t working. What you’re looking for is the ability to hit the wedge consistently with a new sound and feel off the face. Impact between grooves 2 and 5 is really the sweet spot we are after. At this point, pick the three that felt the best to you, and continue to the next test. 

After you’ve picked your three favorites, now it’s time to start hitting different types of shots. The most important thing a good lob wedge can do for you is unlock creativity around the greens. That level of creativity though is set by the player. Some are going to have different types of shots in their arsenal and it’s important you try whatever you have locked and loaded. For example, an important shot for me is about a 45-degree open face that I sort of chop down on. That adds a lot of effective bounce to the wedge and can be a hard shot to match up to the right grind. It’s one of the reasons I got put into an M Grind when I got fit for SM11. Take the three options you selected and hit lots of shots. Go back and forth between the different options and hit the same shots. Hit a couple in a row with one and then switch to another, then go one for one. You’ll quickly realize that one of these three is no longer as good for you as the other two. With the final two selected, we can finish the fight for the bag. 

With the last two in your selection process you need to make sure that you can hit the 75-80% swings you’ll use on the course. For me, with a lob wedge, that’s about a 90-yard shot. Depending on what options you’ve picked for yourself at this point you may notice that there is a significant difference in impact on these more full shots. As you translate that to playing on course, we’re talking about the differences in clean contact and heavy or thin contact due to different sole designs. A steeper player may get more comfortable in a higher bounce offering with a little bit more leading edge relief, something like the 14º K grind from Vokey. Shallow players, or players who have really good control of their low point, may find themselves working better into something like the 6º T grind. 

Some golfers will complain about doing this step off mats, but take it as a blessing in disguise. The mat is consistent. It’s giving you the same lie on every swing. When testing these last two options against each other, you’ll be able to feel the contact difference between them on these fuller shots. It may also be the time to ask an employee to borrow some impact tape and see exactly where you’re hitting each club. If you’re noticing the contact ride up the face a bit, you may be in a grind that’s too sharp, or doesn’t allow you to get smoothly through impact. Remember, we want that contact point between grooves 2-5.

This process should take no more than about 50 swings from start to finish. My best advice is to be harsh with your feedback. All you’re doing here is picking the right option for YOU. There’s so many options available from Vokey now that spending some time in a PGA Tour Superstore bay and grinding to figure out the right one for you is not only worth the time for the purchase, but it can be really fun. Bring a buddy with you and decide together, or take the chance to bring your bag and get some practice in as well.

To learn more about the Vokey SM11 and to pre-order, click here.

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One of the best things about playing golf with a group of buddies is the fun betting games you can play against each other. One of the most entertaining golf games is Wolf, which can be a refreshing break from standard stroke play.

If you’ve never played Wolf before, you’re in for a treat! Let’s go over the rules and basic strategies of this incredible game.

How to Play The Wolf Golf Game

Wolf is a type of match play where each hole is worth a set amount of points or dollars. Because of this type of scorekeeping, no person or team is ever really out of the match. There are many variations of Wolf, but let’s cover the basic rules first.

1. Decide The Wolf Rotation

Line up your crew on the first tee box and toss a tee into the air. Whichever golfer it points to gets to be the wolf on the first hole. Continue throwing the tee until the rotation is set. This will remain the same until the end of the round.

2. The Wolf Tees Off

After hitting his tee shot, the first player gets to decide if he wants to play as the lone wolf or with a wolf partner. If he chooses the partner route, he’ll then watch the second golfer tee off.

After that shot is completed, the wolf must decide whether to partner with that person or to pass and watch the third player hit. If the wolf doesn’t like the tee shot of the third player, he’s automatically paired with the fourth player.

3. If Partner Format is Chosen, Each Team Plays Their Best Ball

You know what Best Ball means if you’ve ever played in a golf scramble. If not, it simply means that you and your teammate will hit your shots and play whichever ball is the best.

4. The Team or Player With the Lowest Score Wins the Hole

So, if Team 1 scores a 3 on the hole and Team 2 scores a 4, Team 1 is declared the winner, and each player will receive 1 point. No points are awarded if there is a tie, whether in team format or lone wolf format.

5. Lone Wolf Holes Are Worth Triple

Now, before you get cocky and choose to go lone wolf each time you can, remember that each lone wolf hole is worth triple the points. This means that if the lone wolf wins, he’ll receive 3 points while his other non-wolf partners will get 0.

However, the inverse is also true. If the lone wolf doesn’t win the hole, the other three golfers get 3 points while the wolf gets 0. In other words, going the lone wolf route is a huge gamble.

How Many Players Do You Need to Play Wolf?

The Wolf golf game is typically played with four golfers, but some variations allow for three golfers to play. All that’s needed is a few modifications to the rules. With three golfers, there’s no predetermined order for who’s going to be the wolf.

After all golfers hit their tee shots, the one with the second longest drive automatically becomes the wolf. The other non-wolf partners become the wolf hunters. The rules are slightly different for par 3 holes, however, as the wolf is awarded to the player that is the second closest to the hole.

The scoring system for a threesome is also a bit different. After all three golfers have finished the hole, the wolf’s score is doubled and then compared to the combined score of the wolf hunters.

The team with the lowest net score wins. If the wolf wins, he gets two points, but if the non-wolf golfers win, they get one point each.

Players can also decide if they want the points to carry over in the case of a tie. For example, let’s say the wolf and the wolf hunters tie on the second hole. Those points will carry over to the third hole and make it worth double the amount.

3 Tips to Help You Win at Wolf

Now that you know how to play Wolf, the next step is to learn how to win! We’ve compiled this list of 3 tips to help you win more often at Wolf. If you take these tips to heart, you’ll win more bets on the golf course.

1. Play with Confidence

Playing wolf on the golf course is a lot like playing poker at the casino. The golfer who isn’t afraid to take big risks exudes lots of confidence. This can psych out the other golfers in the crew and make them even more nervous.

One way to show confidence is to announce yourself as the blind lone wolf before you even hit your tee shot. This is known by many in the golfing world as the wolf hammer, and it carries a 4x multiplier of points instead of just 3x! This will shake your buddies up and let them know that you aren’t messing around.

2. Team Up with a High Handicapper

This tip only applies if you are playing Wolf with full handicaps involved. When that rule is instilled, it makes a lot of sense to team up with a high handicapper because they’re given at least one stroke per hole.

That means if the high handicapper scores a 5 on a hole, their score is actually recorded as a 4. This can make it easier for you to rack up points, especially if you happen to hit a poor tee shot as the wolf.

3. Don’t Take The Game Too Seriously

This may be the most important tip of all. While there’s nothing wrong with being competitive, remember that Wolf is supposed to be much more fun than regular stroke play. You aren’t playing for millions of dollars like on the PGA Tour, so just lighten up and have a good time out there!

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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There is a lot of information out there on how to putt and how to putt better. After all, putting is, without a doubt, the most important part of the game.

For many amateur players, it can be difficult to narrow down which information is worth following.

With putting tips, you don’t necessarily need to follow them all. Instead, it’s about getting a simple thought or feeling that can change the way you look at the game. Sometimes all it takes is one tip, and things start to fall into place on the golf course.

Putting has always been the weakest part of my game; however, by working through issues with routine, rhythm, and alignment, it’s become one of my strong points. With putting, there is always room for improvement.

Dave Stockton: How To Sink Putts

As a kid, Dave Stockton was my favorite golfer. He was at the top of the leaderboard week after week, was a solid player to watch, and for the time being, won more money than any other player on the senior PGA Tour.

When it comes to winning money on tour, one thing that seems to be a trend is being a good putter.

In this video, Dave Stockton goes through all of his best tips on how to approach putting. There is a lot of information here, and I recommend going through it in steps.

However, the tip most golfers will benefit from is how Stockton relates putting to shooting pool. He talks about standing behind the ball as you approach. In pool, you never come from beside the ball to line up your shot; you must be behind it, looking down the line.

Clay Ballard: 2 To 1 Putting Stroke

Clay Ballard is a top instructor and great golfer that knows how to instruct the best golfers in and around the putting greens. One of the best tips that Clay gives is that the pendulum putting stroke can be a little misleading.

With a pendulum type stroke, golfers often think you will take the club as far back as you swing it forward. This is not the case.

After doing quite a bit of studying of professional golfers, they found that these players take the club back about half as far as they swing the putter forward. If you were going to time this, it wouldn’t be one for the backswing and one for the follow-through; instead, one on the backswing and two on the follow-through.

We learn from this tip that acceleration in the putting stroke is incredibly important and something that professional golfers focus on.

For you, as an amateur player, it will feel like a shorter backswing and extended follow-through. The putts should come off the clubface with a bit more jump.

Matt Ballard: Keep Moving To Make Short Putts

Mall Ballard is another PGA Teaching Professional that has a unique approach to teaching the game of golf. We loved his tips in this video about making those shorter putts that matter even when money, scores, or trophies are on the line.

One of the issues that players face when trying to sink shorter putts is tension. You know in your mind that you must make the putt, so tension starts to creep in. Instead of your stroke feeling smooth and confident, it feels forced and almost jerky.

The best way to deal with this is to learn to get the tension out.

Of course, you can tell yourself to relax, but we know that doesn’t work all that well. Instead, Matt Ballard says to keep moving. Don’t stand over the ball for so long that you feel locked in and stuff.

Move your feet around, get the blood flowing, and keep yourself more dynamic. This is the best way to ensure that your golf putting stroke has less tension. Even in your hands, the tension will decrease.

Lag putts are important and help you get close to the hole, but these short putts allow you to score, and Mall Ballard’s tip makes it much easier to get that done.

Dave Pelz: Circle Putting Drill

Dave Pelz is a short game and putting expert. His information and knowledge have led to some of the best putting drills in the game. Pelz talks about everything from distance control to speed control to alignment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk8ma48F-UE

However, in this particular drill, Pelz wants players to work on making a series of 3-foot putts. These putts are set up in a circle around the hole from a distance of about 3 feet. Try to get ten golf balls to fit in this circle.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been known to do this drill and have had tremendous success with it.

When making these putts, you will immediately know your putting stroke and alignment are correct. When you miss one, there is a chance that your putter face is not lined up correctly or your stroke is not consistent.

One of the most important aspects of becoming a better player is knowing where your mistakes come from; this drill will help narrow that down for players. If you get really good from 3 feet and want to move to 4 feet, it’s only going to help you the next time you try to shoot lower scores on the course.

Rickie Fowler: Take The Same Amount of Time

We know that consistency in putting is important. You will want to ensure your putting stroke is about the same each time you swing it. In addition, making sure the setup is perfect will help increase the number of putts that go into the hole.

However, there is another important aspect here, and that is the timing of your routine. In this video, Ricki Fowler talks to coach Butch Harmon about his putting routine and how he does it the exact same way every time.

What is so important about this video is that the putting routine does not change even on the shorter putts. The time it takes to line up, get into the address position, stare down the hole, and eventually make a stroke is the same for short putts as it is for long putts.

For golfers to get the feel of the putt down and shoot lower scores, this consistency in the timing of the routine is incredibly important. This is what trains our brains to make more putts. If you watch golf professionals on the putting green, you will see that they remain incredibly consistent in their actions and motions.

Tiger Woods: Right Hand Only Putting

Tiger Woods is arguably one of the best putters the game of golf has ever seen. In fact, his putting under pressure was something that didn’t even seem human for a while. One thing we know about Tiger is that he puts a lot of time on the putting green. He knows that this is where tournaments are won.

One of the most important aspects of putting, according to Tiger, is ensuring that the putter’s face is square at the address. Some golfers take an arc-style stroke and rotate the putter head open and the square at address.

Others will take the club straight back and straight through.

Tiger’s point is that it doesn’t matter which way you take the club back as long as you can consistently return to square every time.

He sets up a drill on the putting green using two tees that will be a guide for a square putter face. In addition, Tiger likes to start with a drill that allows him to make putts with just his right hand on the putter.

This putting drill encourages a better start line and more putts that roll the way you expect them to. In addition, when you can properly incorporate the right hand into your golf stroke before you get out to the course, you will notice more consistency.

Some golfers will even add a few right-hand-only practice strokes to their putting routine when they get this feeling down.

When Tiger works on a drill like that, he will do it from about 4 feet away. Although you can do it longer, the putter head may start to wobble on some of the longer putts, and this could defeat the purpose of the drill.

Tiger has plenty of other important information to share about putting, but you have to find the tidbit of information that works for you.

Britt Olizarowicz: Look Before You Go

With all of these great tips from some of the best golfers and instructors in the game, I was inspired to share one of my own. I’m not sure of the origin of this tip, but I know that it has helped me in my ability to make more putts on the golf course.

One thing that amateur golfers struggle with in putting is focusing on hitting the ball. Of course, we need to make contact with the ball, but in putting, our main goal is to roll the ball into the hole.

In order to roll the ball into the hole, we need to focus on the hole more than on the golf stroke.

Most putting routines have players stand over the ball for much too long. They don’t look down the line at the hole after being set up to putt. I feel as though this technique allows our brains to forget the original goal.

The goal is to roll the ball to the hole, and the last thing I do before I make a stroke looks at the hole. This has become so effective that I have incorporated it into my full swing. The last thing I do before I pull the trigger on any shot is looking at the hole.

I look at the hole, look back down at the ball, and go.

Of course, you will have to establish timing on this that works for your game. It’s intended to happen slowly and with a smooth feel, but if you can be smart about allowing your brain the time it needs to look at the hole, you will putt better.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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Chipping is my favorite area of the game to practice. When you can get good at chipping, you can save almost any hole.

However, chipping is a real problem for a ton of golfers.

In reality, most golfers overcomplicate the chipping process, and it’s entirely unnecessary.

I gathered some of the best chipping advice around; of course, there is no perfect way to chip. Take a look at some of these options and see if any of them could change the way you approach chipping the next time you play.

Right Hand and Left Hand Only Drill (Sean Foley)

Sean Foley is a highly accomplished instructor capable of helping all levels of golfers with their short game and long game. This particular tip is one of our favorites because it talks about the importance of the body in chipping.

So many golfers make the mistake of using their hands and wrists as opposed to the rotation of their bodies. When you take one hand out of the equation and take one handed golf swings, it becomes much easier to get consistent chipping results.

You will notice that when you do the right hand only chipping, your right arm needs to stay stable and maintain its angle. The same goes for the left hand only drill. This video also demonstrates that there is no perfect way to accomplish a chip shot.

Learning various methods will help you improve your performance and become a much better player.

Don’t stick with a one handed drill for too long. It’s best to go back and forth between the one handed drills and your regular shots. In the end, both hands need to work together to hit golf shots, and you won’t want just one to dominate.

Watch The Height Of Your Lead Shoulder (Adam Bazelgette)

One of the biggest mistakes that golfers make is they tilt their body in a way that their front shoulder is pointed high. This makes it difficult for golfers to get through the golf ball; instead, they hit a chunk shot or even blade it a bit.

It’s best to have your shoulder set up a little more square to ensure that you can make the proper approach to the golf ball.

The way that Adam says it is best to do this is to set up as if you are about to hit a chip shot, then hold the club cross handed and then, with little movement in your shoulders or head, put your clubs back on the club correctly.

What this will do is keep your left shoulder a little lower and promote a more solid shot with less flipping or skulling of the chips around the green.

The great thing about this concept of lowering the lead shoulder is that it improves turf interaction and encourages several of the other mistakes in the chipping area to go away. An expert tip here, you may find that this concept even helps with the full swing.

Keep Momentum In The Swing (Clay Ballard)

Since many golfers struggle with chipping, they often freeze up and hit poor shots. The first thing that tends to go is any natural movement that they may have in their swings. Therefore it makes sense to listen to this great tip by Clay Ballard to keep momentum in the chipping stroke.

The first step here is to use something like a sand wedge and keep the club face slightly open. Then swing the club so that there is some tempo involved and it is not as rigid of a motion. If you have the ball position and swing path correct, the ball should get up in the air without any issues.

As you watch Clay Ballard hit his chip shots, he shows you that even these shorter chips need to keep this momentum through impact if you are going to make great contact with each of your chips and pitches.

There is More Than One Way To Get This Done (Tiger Woods)

When you watch videos of Tiger Woods hitting some of the best shots around the green, he always looks as though he has a different type of technique or club in his hand. That’s because he does!

Tiger never thought about a chip shot as a singular chip shot. Instead, he looked at this process as being a decision. He had to choose which golf club would make the most sense for his short game and then combine that with the proper stroke.

With most golfers carrying four wedges in their bag, your opportunities to create a variety of golf shots have expanded greatly. You can hit shots with less loft and higher backspin or shots that have a very little spin and roll from the front to the back of the green.

The concept here is that the more prepared you are for the different types of shots you need to hit, the easier it is to be successful on the course.

Weight and Hands Forward (Phil Mickelson)

Another master short game excerpt is Phil Mickelson. Phil does a tremendous job on the flop shots that he hits around the greens, but Phil has more to his game than just these flops. In fact, some of his chipping technique is considered the best in the game because of his consistency.

You can look at some players and notice that they are very methodical and by the book in their chipping. However, when you look at Phil’s short game, there is an artistic element mixed in. He is a bit of an artist around the greens, and the best way to see this is the way he can get himself out of trouble when he’s in a bad spot.

Whether it’s bunker shots, flop shots, or a standard run of the mill chip, Phil Mickelson knows how to get it done.

The two best tips that we get from Phil Mickelson is to keep your weight forward and to push your hands forward.

There is a bit of mixed advice out there about what the hands should be doing. Something that it’s best to keep them in the middle of your stance, but he feels that for more control, your hands should be pushed forward.

We like this technique quite a bit for the golfer that struggles to hit the ground on their chip shots; the forward press will help ensure that this happens for you.

Open Clubface and Use The Body (Mr.Short Game)

The Mr.Short Game videos do a great job of simplifying the importance of an open clubface. Tips in this video initially stemmed from the advice of Bob Vokey, the creator of the Vokey wedge. Certainly, the man knows a thing or two about hitting a great wedge shot.

The key here is to keep your elbows connected more toward your body if you want to ensure consistency. Essentially if you are hitting shorter chips or longer chips, you must ensure that your body stays more connected. When the club gets away from you, that’s when you see the chunk or the shank shots that you must try to avoid.

Opening the clubface also allows for the use of the bounce on the wedge. Bounce is there to be forgiving and can really help when you want to get the full loft out of your shot as well.

Don’t close the clubface down thinking that it will actually be more forgiving; it won’t be! The most forgiving shots you will hit are the ones with the more open clubface, where you take full advantage of the bounce.

I recommend working on this concept on the chipping practice green first and then bringing it out to the course. The open clubface concept takes a few swings to get used to.

Think Small (Britt Olizarowicz)

Maybe this concept or technique is easy for me because I’m short, but the one thing I’ve always told golfers who struggle with their chipping is that they must think small. You can’t expect to hit a short little shot that lands softly on the green while setting up to hit a large full-swing approach into a hole.

Think small, to hit it small.

The idea here is that your stance, setup, and swing all need to be simplified. Some of the best chips I’ve ever taken in my life are with my feet entirely next to each other. The full stance with your feet shoulder-width apart does not help when chipping.

Essentially you must ensure that you have set your brain up to adjust to this shorter distance shot. The easiest way to do this is by thinking of everything as being a miniature version of the big swing.

Small stance, small swing, choke up on the grip to make the club smaller, and see how this works for your short game. It has always worked for me.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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