GET COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR PRE-SHOT ROUTINE, AND USE IT FOR BOTH PRACTICE AND PLAY...

GET COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR PRE-SHOT ROUTINE, AND USE IT FOR BOTH PRACTICE AND PLAY...
By Ed Grant, Author of Subconscious Golf

You should get comfortable with your pre-shot routine on the practice tee, then take it to the golf course. Make it a well-grooved habit. Go out late at night or early in the morning when you're not rushed and just really focus on making your pre-shot routine a habit under playing conditions. Adapting a pre-shot routine will actually allow you to play faster. You'll get rid of indecision, you'll feel more confident, and in turn you'll play quicker. Make a pre-shot routine part of both your practice and play, and it will really help add consistency to your game.

Swing Easy When it's Breezy...
With Roger Gunn, So.Cal PGA Teacher of the Year

If you hang out with some of the great players over the years, sooner or later you'll hear "Swing easy when it's breezy". Is that right? Or is it just some old cliché that doesn't apply any more?

Most clichés are based in truth, and "Swing easy when it's breezy" is no exception.

When you're playing in the wind, a ball with too much backspin can be a real killer. Too much backspin makes the ball balloon up into the air where it's really likely to be blown offline. Using more club than usual and swinging much easier will keep that spin rate down, which will give you much more control.

Does that mean you never want to swing hard on a windy day? Not exactly. When you have a shot that's straight downwind, that's when you can take the shorter club and swing away.

"Swing easy when it's breezy," now that's some advice that really stands the test of time!

Keep your head steady to make more short putts

Keep your head steady to make more short putts
With Bruce Fleisher, PGA Professional

Many of my pro-am partners miss key short putts during their rounds because their eyes are moving during the stroke. As a result their heads are not steady. What I try to do from four feet and closer is to focus on the ball and then listen for it to go in the hole. Try this tip, and you'll be amazed at how many putts you'll make it. If you learn to use the ears during your putting stroke, you'll become a better short putter.

Some quick tips on reading the grain...

Some quick tips on reading the grain...
With Roger Gunn , So.Cal PGA Teacher of the Year

Reading the grain of the grass can be done in a very simple way around the hole, and that is to see how the hole is cut. That's right, if you look when you cut a hole, it basically cuts down through the root structure of the grass, so the grass that's growing in this direction is actually going to have its roots cut and it's going to die. Basically what happens pretty quickly is that you'll see a little dead spot on one side of the hole. Whatever side of the hole that dead spot is, that's the way the grass is growing. You can actually look around the hole and get a really good indication as to what the ball's going to do.

Another tip is to go ahead and look towards the sun, if you can, and try of look at what's happening in terms of if the green is shiny or if it's not shiny. If it's shiny, that means those blades of grass are lying away from you, and that's the direction that the grain is going. If it's not shiny at all, if it has a dull look, then that means that the grass is growing towards you, you're seeing basically the tops of those blades of grass, there's nothing to shine off of, and so that's the grain coming into you. That's also an excellent way to take a look at the grain, to see which way it's going and you can factor it in to see how it might influence your putt.


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Take More Loft Off The Tee

Take More Loft Off The Tee
with Jack Lumpkin

Take a club with sufficient loft that you can hit down the fairway. Too many people think they have to drive with the driver. The driver may or may not be the best club for you. For players with a slow swing speed, the driver may not get the ball up in the air enough, and you may find a 3 wood will actually give you better distance.

A good rule of thumb. If you're shooting in the mid-80's and down, you should probably use the driver. If your driving poorly, use a little more loft. If your shooting in the mid-80's and up to 100, you may find that you can actually get more distance with a 3 wood. If you're a beginning golfer, you might even want to try a 5 wood.

Take a little more loft, and improve your driving!