Editors Tips #1

Arms Vs. Legs
One of the best on-course tips I’ve ever heard came from a fellow golf professional back in the day when I used to be one too. As a general rule, my friend let me know that if I was struggling with either hooking or slicing the ball off the tee, the instant fix was to make adjustments to how my upper body vs. my lower body performed during the swing. For instance, when struggling with slices, the key is to accelerate the upper body to prevent a swiping motion across the ball. For hooks, the trick to the be confident with your body turn and rotate fully through impact. “swing hard with the arms if you slice; swing harder with your legs if you hook.”  Keep it simple on the golf course. That was the secret.
 
Ball Drop
Often, when I’m struggling with proper direction on short putts, it’s because I lose sight of the putting line. This happens when my eyes aren’t directly over the ball at address. This tends to happen most when experimenting with a new putter, grip or even grip style. To check and make sure my eyes are above the ball, I hold one ball in my hand setup in the address position. From there, I hold a ball at my eyes and drop it. If it hits the ball below me, I know I have my eyes in the right spot. This makes seeing the “true” line a lot easier than if I were off the ball.
 
Slice your wedge shots
For me, few shots are more frustrating than missing the green with a wedge. When I do, generally its to the left—a problem all too common with many types of players. The reasons are obvious, since most wedge shots are played with an open stance and a less than full power tempo. To offset the pulled wedge shot, the best tip I’ve received was one that reminded me to “slice my wedge shots.” This meant weakening my right hand position and holding the face open through impact. Doing so, not only rid me of the pull, but it also generated more spin and trajectory, further allowing me to swing harder and with confidence around the green.