putting

Reading the Green From Behind the Hole

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I was out at the range yesterday. I hit my usual small bucket (30 balls) in about 20 minutes, then went to the practice green. Truth be told, I would rather spend all my time on the practice green, but I’d feel guilty about not paying anything to use the practice facility, so I always buy a token.

Every time on the green there’s a new lesson to be learned, and yesterday’s was good one. I find it hard to read downhill breaking putts. The contours don’t stand out like they should. So I walked around once behind the hole and took a look. Wow!

I could just see the putt rolling down and curving into the hole, and I could see how fast it would be rolling on its way. Line and speed in one glance.

I got my starting line, walked back to the ball parallel to it, put my putter down square to it, and was ready to go.

Now I‘m not going to say I made everything I looked at, but I was much more at ease over difficult putts, and I did make more than my share. I tried lining up from behind the hole for every putt, and got much better results.

Another advantage of reading from behind the hole is that you get a clear picture of what’s happening around the hole, which is a key factor in leaving the ball close.

Try it yourself. Just because everyone reads the green from behind the ball doesn’t mean you have to. Whatever works.

short game

Short Game

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There was a time when I thought that golf was about swinging and putting, and the short game was for the times when your swing didn’t work that well. Damage control, I called it. No longer.

About twice a year, my swing goes on automatic and I turn my 82 into a 77. I finally figured out that with a better short game I could turn those 82s into 77s every time out. Score when my swing isn’t on fire. If I hit nine or more greens in regulation, I’ll score low. I usually hit six, but I could still break 80 by getting more up and downs if I work on that part of the game.

The point of golf is to get the ball in the hole, not to hit good shots. Why wait around for those golden days to have a low score? Why not have a good enough short game to shoot a low score most of the time? And when my swing is clicking, it could take me down to par.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com

playing the game

One Question

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Wherever you are on the golf course, wherever the ball is, there’s only one question you need to ask yourself. One question that will help you shoot the best possible score. That question is, What’s the best shot I can hit from here?

What is the best shot I can hit from here, given my skills and what I have to do to get the ball in the hole as quickly a possible from here. That’s the long version, but that’s the question.

The question is not, What’s the best shot Arnold Palmer could hit from here? The question is also not, What if I hit my 5-iron like I did two months ago one time? It’s, What’s the best shot I can hit from here, right now?

Brad Faxon once said that you should play conservative shots with a cocky attitude. He meant to play shots you know you can hit, with all the assurance you can muster.

If you have 160 yards from the fairway into a well-defended green, and you know you can get the ball there, then hit the shot. If you have 160 yards into that same green, but from the rough, the best shot you can play from there might be a layup to your favorite chipping distance.

Attack the course with the best shots you have, and you’ll get the most out of your skills and have the most fun.

See more at www.bettergolfbook.com

tournaments

Masters Musings

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The Masters will begin tomorrow, the first men’s major of the season, although why it’s a major escapes me, because it’s not the championship of anything. Kind of like the Kraft Nabisco on the LPGA circuit.

I’m picking Sergio Garcia to win this year. It’s about time for him to win his major, so let’s get it done. Since you can’t win the Masters without putting the lights out, a win here would be a big monkey off his back.

My other favorite is Rory Sabbatini. He does things for people behind the scenes that are exemplary. He should be rewarded for that with a big win.

Were I the defending champion, I would select this menu for the past champions dinner:

Potato-leek soup
The romaine salad they serve in the restaurant of the OGA course in Woodburn, Oregon
Spring chinook salmon (you have never tasted fish this good)
Polenta
Green beans
Reine de Saba cake (see Julia, volume 1, page 677)
Wine by St. Innocent of Salem, Oregon

Let’s eat, let’s play.

See more at www.bettergolfbook.com

mental game

Keep Playing, Don’t Quit – 2

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I addressed this point a few months ago, but it’s so important, I want to touch on it again now that a new golf season has begun.

There is a tendency to quit after a bad shot. After all, the hole is ruined, and you’re shooting for bogey at best, and maybe a double. But the thing is, that’s not true. Keep playing. Don’t add up your score until the ball is in the hole.

Remember the 2009 Masters, when Angel Cabrera, contending, hit his tee shot on the 72nd hole into the trees? Usually the pros find a little gap and hit a rifle shot straight through it onto the green. Not him. He truly had no opening.

He did all he could do, which was chip out into the fairway. His third shot was an 8-iron that ended up 12 feet from the pin. He sank the par putt, got into the playoff, and won the tournament on the first playoff hole.

As long as you can keep hitting the ball, there’s a chance. I’ve made par from a tee shot into the weeds. Not the rough, the weeds. I’ve made par from a tee shot into the water.

So when you hit a bad shot, don’t kick yourself. There will be plenty of time for that after the round is over. Instead, start thinking how you can make your next shot count – how you can make a bad shot part of a good score, and not the cause of a bad one.

See more at www.bettergolfbook.com

equipment

A Chipper

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GolfWorld magazine had an equipment article recently in which they asked what would equipment be like if there were no rules restrictions. One of the rules is a limit of 14 clubs. Which additional clubs would pros carry if there were no limit?

A second driver, a second (stronger) 3-wood, a 5- or 6-hybrid for out of the rough, a second putter, you could figure this. But they also mentioned a chipper. This is a club intended solely for making greenside chips, where the ball lies just a few feet off the green. You know, the shot you hit with five different clubs, depending, and chili-dip with each one.

My brother-in-law gave me a Ray Cook chipper about five or six years ago and it’s sat in my basement the whole time. Sissy club. Real men chip with irons. But the article got me thinking. So took this chipper to the range and once I learned how to hit it, I had magic hands.

Time after time, right next to the hole. Three feet away was a miss. It hasn’t let me down on the course, either. Up and down is almost a given from the edge of the green now.

I took out my 21-degree hybrid to make room for it. I hit that club maybe twice a round, just to eat up yards. I hit the chipper five times a round to get pars. Good trade.

Bobby Jones played with 15 clubs in his bag (there was no limit back then). Guess what the fifteenth club was? A 30-degree run-up club, with about the loft of a 4-iron. Just a word to the wise.

Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com

short game

Learn the Short Game From TV

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Yogi Berra said you can observe a lot just by watching. It’s a funny comment, but there’s a heavy element of truth in it. You can learn a lot about the short game by watching the pros on TV, provided you know what to look for.

First, look at their setup. With the right setup, the shot is halfway hit. Where do they place the ball–up, center, back? Is the clubface open to any degree? Are they leaning toward the target a bit? Is the stance square or open? Where are the feet pointing? How much knee bend is there? Are their hands even with the ball or ahead of it?

Watch the backswing. Does the club stay low, or is it allowed to swing up? Do the wrists break or not? How much longer or shorter is the backswing than you might expect, given the distance between the ball and the hole?

Impact happens too fast see carefully, but the follow-through is telling. How much of a follow-through is there? Does the club stay low? Is there any wrist break?

Finally, watch the flight of the ball–distance in the air, distance on the ground, how quickly the ball stops. This tells you what the other things you noticed were trying to accomplish.

See more at www.bettergolfbook.com

mental game

Keep the Golf Simple

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Let me tell you what golf really is all about.

You hit the ball, you go find it, you hit it again. You keep doing that until it falls into the hole. Then you take your ball out of the hole, write down your score, and start the whole thing over.

Keep it no more complicated than that and golf will be lots of fun.

supporting your golf

Spring Tune-up

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Now that you’ve played a few rounds to scratch your golfing itch, take a break and get yourself and your equipment ready for the season.

Replace your spikes. The ones on your shoes now are worn down to nubs. Better yet, maybe you need a new pair of golf shoes. Are the the ones you have now really that comfortable anymore?

Get new grips on your clubs. When the grips get smooth, you start holding on tighter, introducing tension and causing all sorts of swing problems.

Get some lessons. That swing that worked so great last fall is a little rusty. Get a putting and chipping lesson, too. You’ll get a few adjustments that will make a world of difference.

Buy a wide-brimmed hat that actually does, instead of pretending to, keep the sun off your face and neck.

Get that new driver. Just kidding. Learn to get the driver you have in the fairway and use the $399 to pay for golf lessons.

Purchase and read Better Recreational Golf, (www.bettergolfbook.com) by yours truly. Applying the information in this book will help you shoot lower scores.

Little Differences That Make a Big Difference in How Well You Play