(and what to do about it)<\/p>\n
When I watch players who don\u2019t break 100 (notice I didn\u2019t say “can\u2019t”), I see two reasons. One is that they hardly ever hit the ball straight. Two is that they don\u2019t have a good idea of how to play the ball around the green. <\/p>\n
I see two reasons why players struggle to break 90. One is that they don\u2019t hit the ball straight often enough, and two is that they don\u2019t have a good idea of how to play the ball around the green.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s solve the hit straight thing first. I have lots of posts on this subject, under the label, golf swing. Look them up. They get specific. I\u2019m going to stay general today. <\/p>\n
The number one reason why you don\u2019t hit the ball straight, if this is a problem for you, guys, is that you try to hit it too hard. That\u2019s not the only reason, but it is the main one, especially if you\u2019re under 40. Do two things for me. First, slow down your swing. Slower than that. You don\u2019t have to belt the ball for it to go straight (and far). Centered, on-line contact is the key, and you get that by slowing down to control the clubhead.<\/p>\n
Women, many of you need to do the opposite. You need to hit the ball harder. You don\u2019t swing hard enough, and you lack control of the clubhead because of that. You can<\/em> swing too slowly. Step it up a bit. Make an athletic swing. <\/p>\n Now the green thing. All I can say is this takes practice. I go to the range and see the tees lined with golfers and there\u2019s just me on the practice green. I\u2019m not kidding. Maybe someone will come along, throw down a few balls, hit some putts for five minutes, leave, and think they practiced. <\/p>\n As for chipping, I see all sorts of chipping strokes around the practice green, and none of them work. People spend their time trying to make an impossible stroke start working. I want so much to go up to them and say, \u201cThis is the easiest shot in the game if you know how to do it, but what you\u2019re doing now isn\u2019t it. Go into the clubhouse, sign up for a lesson and have the pro show you. You won\u2019t regret it.\u201d I won\u2019t say that to them, but I\u2019ll say it to you.<\/p>\n A putting lesson might be a good idea, too, come to think of it.<\/p>\n And then practice, like I said. I spend about 90 minutes when I go to the range, and an hour of that I spend around the green. Why? I\u2019ll never have a great swing. Takes too much time to develop. But I have a good enough swing, coupled with a dynamite green game (chipping and putting) that lets me shoot some very respectable scores. <\/p>\n No reason you can\u2019t either.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (and what to do about it) When I watch players who don\u2019t break 100 (notice I didn\u2019t say “can\u2019t”), I see two reasons. One is that they hardly ever hit the ball straight. Two is that they don\u2019t have a good idea of how to play the ball around the green. I see two reasons … Continue reading Why You Shoot High Golf Scores<\/span>