SANDY MEYER (PGA PROFESSIONAL)
Reading the Green
Added: 1 January 2012 (TIP# 33)
Are you struggling to read the greens? Here are a few tips to help you as a beginner who is still gaining the experience to read a green. Imagine someonw pours a huge bucket of water into the middle of green. Where and how will the water run? Usually it will follow gravity and follow the slopes down and around in order to reach the lower area of ground. This will give you some idea as to how the ball will run off the slopes and also assist with fast downhill putts and slower up hill puts. These are the slopes, but you can also read the green by the nap of the green (the way the grass is growing). On a clear day you can see the nap of the green, as you stand on the green the grass will look lighter almost silvery, this show the nap is growing away from you. If you walk around the green you will see that the grass gets a darker colour. This means the nap is growing towards you. You can also look around the hole where the cup is, you will see on some greens a rough edging of the hole and a smooth cut side of the hole. This shows the way the grain of the grass is growing and the ball will always break towards the rough side of the cup.
Distance Away From the Ball on the Set-up
Added: 1 December 2011 (TIP# 32)
Judging how far to stand away from the ball is a problem many players have and dont realise that is can cause swing problems if not correct. This simple basic on the set-up is important and here are a few tips to ensure you are set up the correct distance from the ball.
Firstly you must make sure to take your posture before proceeding to check. Tilt forward from the waist keeping the spine angle straight and gently flex the knees. In this position the shoulder and knee flex should be on the same line, if measured from the shoulder to the knee. Once this is done, let your arms hang naturally down. Your hands should be under your chin. This is where the club should meet the hands. There should be no stretching out of the hands, or pushing down of the golf club. The club should sit naturally at the point where the arms hang down. This will vary in angle slightly when using clubs such as a sand wedge or Driver as these clubs are the shortest and longest of the set, however your natural spine angle will adjust automatically to these lengths.
High Lob shots
Added: 1 November 2011 (TIP# 31)
Some times players face situations where they have to play a high pitch shot over a bunker, water or to an elevated green. The best club to use for this shot is a sand wedge which has a 54 degree loft or even better try and invest in a more lofted wedge with 58 to a 60 degree loft. The set up to the shot is the same as any other pitch shot however there is a slight difference in the technique. On the backswing try and feel a little more wrist hinge than normal. This wrist hinge helps to create a steeper decent onto the ball encouraging height and back spin. This is also a great technique to remember when you are playing greenside bunker shots. The wrist hinge allowes the club to decend into the stand at a steep angle enabling the club to lift the ball out with no problem. Remember ! Never try and scoop the ball into the air with the hands and wrists, let the club do the lifting.
Check Your Swing Path
Added: 1 October 2011 (TIP# 30)
If you are having a problem with direction and ball strike you can check that your swing path is is moving in the right way through impact. The correct path the club should travel when coming in towards the ball and after it strikes the ball is vital for consistanct ball striking and directional control. To check this swing path, hit some golf balls on the dirving range and aim towards a specific target, using a club at your feet to help with alignment of the body. Once you have hit a few shots have a look at your "divot" pattern. Are you divots straight and aiming towards you target? If not your swing path is not correct and the most common problem is when divots are facing to the left of the target. This is called an "out to in" swing path and needs to be corrected as soon as possible. A great way to work on improving your swing path is to put a tee in front of your ball on the line towards your target. Get a feeling as you are hitting the ball, to try and throw your hands over the tee in front of the ball and towards the flag stick. This in time will start chaging and your ball strike will start improving.
How to Hit From A Divot
Added: 1 September 2011 (TIP# 29)
Unfortunately some of our good shots are penalised by landing up in a divot in the middle of the fairway. This is sometimes inevitable and the key is to know how to deal with this kind of situation. Club selection depends on the depth of the divot, as sometimes players do not repair these with the original grass or sand and this leaves a huge hole. Take a lofted club in this situation.
Firstly, play the ball further back in your stance, so the club can hit directly down on the ball, avoiding any uneccessary contact with the fairway. You will need to try and play more of a punch shot. So take a wider takeaway, swinging only to approximately three quaters avoiding too much wrist hinge. Hit down on the follow through and due to the overall positioning of the backswing you will find your forward swing will be slightly restricted. The main things to remember are: Ball position, less wrist hinge and punch the ball out.
How to Solve Short Putt Problems
Added: 1 August 2011 (TIP# 28)
Some playes have a problem with short putts. This could be anything from five feet to one foot away from the hole. Here is a great excersie to test yourself on, when you are faced with these situations, and that is to "Listen to the ball go into the hole". This sounds like a basic tip, but in reality so many players who are nervous about short putts, tend to move out of the stroke to quickly causing problems with direction. In other words, the player, as soon as they strike the ball, will look up immediately and even in some cases move their shoulders as well. In turn, this causes the arms to swing off line and putter blade miss hits the putt. Next time try and make the stroke and before looking up, count to three! You will be amazed at how many times the ball will actually fall into the hole. My other suggestion for practicing, is doing a short putt drill on the practice green. Take a number of balls, place them two to three feet from the hole and then without taking a backswing, push the putter through to the hole. This will improve the forward swing motion, which is the most important part of the stroke to sink short putts. Good Luck!
Hitting From a Down Hill Lie
Added: 1 July 2011 (TIP# 27)
One of the hardest shots in golf is hitting from a downhill lie. This type of shot is difficult as the ball lies in a position where getting it in the air becomes much more difficult. Prior to hitting the shot you have to accept (depending on the severity of slope), that the ball will go much lower in flight than normal and as a result will roll much further than expected. Clubbing down by one or two clubs may be a good option. The actual technique of the swing is the same but how you set up to this shot is very important. Firstly, when taking your stance, make sure you weight is about 80% more on the lower foot, as this is required to keep you balanced and allow the club to follow through correctly. Next keep your ball position in the center of your stance or a fraction toward your higher foot. Thirdly, adjust your shoulders so that they are running parallel to the slope. This will feel slightly uncomfortable and you will feel the weight move much more towards the lower foot. During the swing, two things are vital to feel. The first is a half to three quater backswing, do NOT try and swing full and second just after you strike the ball feel that the club is following the slope for a fraction of a second more. This will result in a shorter more punchy follow through than normal, but will keep your posture down through the swing as long as possible.
Body Rotation
Added: 1 May 2011 (TIP# 26)
Understanding how your body rotation works in the golf swing is important for consistant ball striking and distance. Many problems occur when there is incorrect shoulder rotation on the backswing and this causes a problem with weight transference throughout the whole swing. Here is an excersis you can do to help you get in the correct position on the backswing: Take your set up position and cross a golf club across your chest. Now rotate your shoulders until the end of your golf club points over your right (left for lefties) knee. You will feel a natural weight shift to the right. You must also be aware that the right knee must be kept flexed throughout the whole backswing and MUST not straighten. Your head must maintain a central position.
How to Hit from a Plugged Lie
Added: 1 April 2011 (TIP# 25)
Have you ever been in a situation where the ball has landed in the bunker but has pitched and stopped in its own divot. This is called a plugged lie. If you know this technique it is very easy to get our from this situation. Use the following tips:
a) Use a Sand Wedge only for this shot and close the club face, pushing the hands down the grip shortening the club.
b) Place the ball position directly opposite your back foot and then push your hand position opposite you leading leg. This create a huge angle between the ball and the club.
c) Flex your knees more.
d) On the backswing hinge your wrists immediately and remember do not go more than half way to a three quater swing, using a huge wrist hinge.
e) Then accelerate hard DOWN and into the back of the golf ball. This will ensure the ball gets out.
Shoulder Rotation for the Driver
Added: 1 March 2011 (TIP# 24)
Shoulder rotation when using the Driver is vitally important to give you maximum distance. Not only this, but it also ensures you turn fully through the backswing and forward part of the swing. If the shoulders dont rotate properly this can lead to faults like, reverse pivots, in-correct weight distribution on the back and forward swing and loss of distance. A great way to understand and feel the movement is to imagine the rotation of the chest. On the backswing imagine you are turning your chest to the right and on the forward swing imagine you are turning your chest to the left. (Opposite for left handed golfers). Keep your head still, in order to promote the rotation and prevent swaying. Another way to feel the correct backswing is to make sure you rotate your left shoulder so that at the top of your backswing, your shoulder is over the right knee. (vice verce for lefties).