Hit golf tip as usual made so much sense – to use my golfing brain which really is a 15^th club a lot more.

I’m convinced his golf tip is regularly saving me at least three shots per round.

Perhaps your brain really can save you some shots when the course is playing tough?
Here are a few of the thoughts and strategies I’ve been adopting over the last couple of months – I hope they’ll at least get you thinking and maybe save you some shots as well.

your brain is your 15th club

GOLF TIP#1

LENGTH OFF THE TEE ISN’T EVERYTHING – Get the ball in play when faced with a tough tee shot.

When faced with a long par 4 or par 5, length isn’t everything. It is so tempting to pull the driver out of the bag and give it a rip, but this has so often got me into trouble by missing the fairway on some tighter holes that I’m now adopting a different strategy.

I’ve been using a long iron, gripped down the shaft a bit and just tried to get it into play. With the rough up you’ve simply got to get the ball on the fairway at the moment……… Sure this usually leaves me too far back to get anywhere near the green in two, but I’ve kept it in play and scored a 5 the last three times by laying up with my second and then hitting on (or near) to the green followed by a solid two putt or chip and a putt.

So next time you’re faced with a tough driving hole why don’t you consider this golf tip and use a 3 wood or maybe a long iron and get that ball into play. I know I’d rather be 220 yards from the tee and in play than 270 yards off the tee but out of bounds!.

GOLF TIP#2

AVOID THE SHOTS YOU DON’T WANT TO FACE
The shots I fear the most are those pitching shots from between 30 and 80 yards where it’s not a full shot. I struggle to control distance with these shots, so I try to avoid them by making sure I hit the ball into a place that leaves me with at least 100 yards to the hole. This enables me to make a full swing and in all honesty I’d rather have a full swing with a seven iron than a 25 yard shot with a wedge. I also get more consistent spin on the ball with a full swing so I know what the ball will do when it (hopefully) lands on the green. For you it might be a different type of shot that you want to avoid (although some are unavoidable) – so think about these and how you can avoid them.

GOLF TIP#3

DON’T BE SUCKERED BY THOSE TEMPTING FLAG POSITIONS!
My golf course has very few bunkers, so I don’t get too much practice playing out of them and hence it’s not the strongest part of my game – it often isn’t for amateur golfers. So often the flag is just behind a bunker, and so often people (including me!) get suckered into having a go at the flag and ending up in that damned bunker – only end up scoring a 5 or even worse. I’m now playing straight at the middle of the green or slightly to the left just to avoid that bunker, and I’ve carded three 4’s and one 3 in the last four outings. Even when I miss the green I can then normally get on and two putt for a 4 which with an index of 7 I’m quite happy with. So again – use your grey matter  when the green keeper has put the flag stick behind a hazard such as a bunker or water ‘feature’..

GOLF TIP#4

WHAT SORT OF PUTT WOULD YOU PREFER – An 8 foot lightening downhill putt or a 16 foot uphill putt?
Some of the greens on our course must be up there with the Augusta National green speeds now! This has caused me to three putt a few times when I’ve left myself with a downhill putt because I simply cannot stop the ball once it starts rolling – the greens really are that fast at the moment. So – if you’ve got good knowledge of the greens and are able to control where that little white ball is going (it’s hard sometimes!), use your brain and think where you’ll have the best chance of two putting from. Certainly be aware of where you could easily three putt from and steer clear of those positions.

Some final GOLF TIPS and thoughts which might help you think more before you go for that one in a million shot which never seems to come off!

• In golf it’s not HOW that’s important, it’s HOW MANY.
• There are no pictures on a scorecard, only scores.
• Play within yourself – who do you think you are – Phil Mickleson??

so you want to start playing golf?

1. Don’t go out and buy some expensive gear just yet. It’s going to be a waste of money to buy expensive clubs until you have reached a basic level of competency. Hire a set or borrow from a friend until you’ve decided if golf is for you or not.

2. As hard as it will be to contain yourself, do not even contemplate going near a golf course until you have reached a basic level! It would not only be dangerous but you would also end up making yourself very unpopular at the golf course when the queue starts building behind you. Not very good for the stress levels I can assure you.

3. Start by learning the three fundamentals: Grip, Stance and Posture. Without them you will never build a good golf swing. Our videos will help you with the fundamentals.

.

4. Take at least four or five lessons with a PGA qualified golf pro.

5. Start off at a driving range.

6. Learn the rules of golf and basic golf etiquette.

7. Practice your putting – watching our videos is an excellent way!

8. Take your swing from the driving range to the course and start with a 9 hole course.

And then my dear friends…eventually the day will come when you venture out onto an 18 hole golf course.

Personally I have invested in an indoor putting green and I try to practice 30 min everyday while watching the Golf Putting Lessons DVD.

Good luck with your journey. I’ll keep you posted about mine!

Luke Donald’s 2011 season statistics (from EuropeanTour.com)

Category Ranking

Stroke Average……………………1st
Greens In Regulation……………..1st
Driving Accuracy…………………..1st
Putts per round……………………11th
Putts per GIR………………………1st
One Putts…………………………..2nd
Sand Saves………………………..1st
Scrambles…………………………46th
Driving Distance………………….143rd

Yes that last statistic is correct!

Luke Donald – the current #1 golfer in the world was One Hundred And Forty Third in the driving distance category!!!

One statistic that cannot really be measured is how he performs under pressure. But watching him play and seeing how he holes crucial putts you can see he never changes his pre-shot routine. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first putt on the first day of a tournament, or the 18th hole to win a tournament – his pre-shot routine stays exactly the same…

the current #1 golfer in the world

I wish there was some statistics about his pitching, chipping and iron play. Clearly being number one in the Greens In Regulation means he is hitting his irons accurately. Most golf pros control the distance of their irons exceptionally well but don’t always hit the

ball straight at the target (see Dave Peltz’s short game bible if you need proof). However Luke Donald clearly has great distance control AND hits them at the target…

Similarly if he is ranked number two in ‘One Putts’ then he must be chipping and pitching it absolutely stiff, and holing out very well too!

Here are a couple of other ‘interesting’ statistics about Luke Donald:

Height – 5′ 9″ (Tiger is 6′ 2″)

Weight – 73kg / 160lbs (Tiger is 80kg / 176lbs)

As a golfer he is not big – Ernie Els is 95kg/209lbs – 22kg/48lbs heavier! (I’ve watched Ernie playing at the Open and he is simply HUGE!) But my word Luke Donald knows his strengths and works on them – and works very hard. I know he also works hard on his strength and fitness to make up for his size…

Breaking records

As I’m sure most of you also know, Luke Donald topped the 2011 money list on both the US PGA tour AND the European Tour. He is the ONLY PLAYER IN HISTORY to have achieved this. Not even Tiger has managed to do this…

In 2011 Luke Donald was the #1 world golfer for a consecutive 40 weeks. Ok, this might not compare too well with Tiger in his prime (281 weeks!), but I think only Greg Norman has exceeded 40 consecutive weeks at the top. Other players have held the #1 position for over 40 weeks, but not consecutively so it’s a very impressive record.

To me what is even MORE impressive is when you look at those 2011 season statistics – being that highly ranked in so many categories is very impressive.

What can you learn from Luke Donald?

Looking at Luke Donald’s statistics above, I think it’s clear that to become the #1 golfer in the world is simple:

1. Keep it on the short stuff (fairways and greens).

2. Have the best short game in the world.

Of course in practice it isn’t that simple! But I do hope you agree that HAVING A GOOD SHORT GAME IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOW FAR YOU DRIVE THE BALL.

With summer now heading towards us in the northern hemisphere, next time you are about to head to the driving range maybe leave your woods and long irons at home. Just work on wedges, putting (if you can find a green) and chipping.

As Luke Donald’s statistics show, the three most important elements when it comes to low scoring are:

• Short game
• Short game
  and
• Short game

If you need help with your putting, get some lessons with me – CLICK HERE.

Golf will prolong your life!

There are many reasons to play golf but how about this one?

GOLF IS GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Experts agree and I agree with experts that playing golf could actually lengthen your lifespan. If that’s not a good enough reason to play, I don’t know what is!  Not only is golf fun, but there are many other benefits associated with golf – both mental and physical.

Golf is excellent for physical fitness for men and women of all ages and backgrounds. The golf swing itself requires a turning of the torso that is great for the back and the abs and will keep you slender and in shape.

7 TOP BENEFITS to golf fitness:

Golf Benefits For Your Physical Fitness:

• Golf Benefit #1
  Golf Burns Calories!
  

  Golfers walk an average of five miles during a round of golf and burn over 1400 calories  – possibly more if the course is hilly. Even golfers who use a golf cart instead of walking the course, or those who only play nine holes, can burn more calories in one round than many would in a typical hour at the gym…ss

• Golf Benefit #2
  Golf Is Good Exercise

  Your back, core muscles and abdomen are all exercised as well as your arms and legs during a typical golf drive.  This is because of the motion of the golf swing – the body fully turning back and forth with each swing.  On an eighteen-hole course, this means that this motion is repeated at least thirty six times a round unless the player is extremely good. For amateur golfers this number can be much higher, and of course whatever level of golfer you are this number can be a lot higher during a typical practice session at the driving range.

• Golf Benefit #3
  Golf Is A Low Impact Sport

  Unlike sports such as football, tennis, squash and running, golf is a low impact sport. This means that your joints are not subject to impacts which in the long term can develop into worn joints. This also means that age is no barrier to playing golf for many years.

But golf isn’t just good for your physical fitness – it’s also a great game for the mind. It keeps you sharp, provides you with much-needed human contact and much more. Here are some very good reasons how golf benefits your mental fitness.

Golf Benefits For Your Mental Fitness:

• Golf Benefit #4
  Golf Is A Social and A Family Sport
  

  The golf course and club house are great places to meet new people, make new friends and to socialize. Most days there is a group looking for a fourth player and if not, you can always shoot a round on your own.  The clubhouse is full of people and is a great place to make new contacts.
  The best aspect of golf is that it can be played at almost any age, and mixed ages and abilities can all enjoy the game together – this is a great way for the family to bond.

• Golf Benefit #5
  Golf Helps Reduce Stress

  Being away from the usual stresses of modern life such as mobile phones and being out in the fresh air can really help you relax and reduce your stress levels.

• Golf Benefit #6
  Golf Is An Easy Game to Learn

  There is nothing more taxing that trying to learn the basics of a game that you just cannot get.  While mastering golf can take a great deal of time and dedication, just getting out and playing a few holes does not take much to get started.  Once you learn the basics, you can get better and better every time you go out.

• Golf Benefit #7
  Golf Keeps Your Mind Sharp
  Calculating odds on a shot, adding your score up and other aspects of golf all help keep your mind sharp, no matter how long you’ve been playing. Fresh air provides you with a steady supply of oxygen which is needed by your brain and every single cell of your body.

Be Fit - Be Happy - Play Golf!

If you become more serious about your golf and might even be considering turning professional then you’ll need to take certain aspects such as physical fitness and mental conditioning to another level…

As you can see, there are many benefits to playing golf. This is not only my opinion, but is a conclusion based on studies that have been conducted over many years.

Most professional golfers these days are very fine athletes because of the physical and mental demands that are placed on them at the highest levels in the sport. For the amateur or intermediate player, these benefits are no less.

Because we are becoming more and more aware of how the game of golf is good for our health, organizations are jumping in to promote better golf fitness and healthy practices. For example, a new initiative, Tour Fit for Golf’, has been launched in cooperation with The European Tour to help recreational golfers of all standards from beginner to scratch. Each week it brings us advice and action plans to help optimize our fitness, thus improving our golf and even lengthening our lifespan!

So don’t procrastinate, get on the golf course and by this time next month you will be fitter, healthier and happier!

• Won’t cost you a penny
• You can practice from the comfort of your home
• Will REALLY improve your golf putting
  

  Get off that sofa!

There are many reasons why you might not get to the driving range to practice as often as you’d like. Time is usually the issue of course but motivation is another one… If you’re

struggling to get to the range I hope you can at least manage to get off your sofa, get your putter out and start improving your golf putting at home, because you can improve a lot by practicing (correctly) at home, and here’s how…

Let’s get started!

Get off that sofa (you can leave the TV on) and start improving your golf putting…

As a minimum to improve your golf putting at home you’ll need the following:

• Your putter!
• Three or four golf balls.
• A piece of carpet to practice on – ideally 8 feet (approx 2.5 metres) or longer, and ideally with a similar ‘speed’ to a real putting green.
• A target. This could be a practice putting cup available from golf stores but anything of a similar size to a golf hole (or smaller) will be fine.
• Three other golf clubs – wedges / short irons are best.

If you don’t have a suitable piece of carpet you can buy ‘practice greens’ which roll-up and are really good value for money.

What parts of golf putting can you improve at home?

There are a few parts of your golf putting you can’t work on at home such as turning putts or uphill/downhill putts, but there are many areas you can make real improvements on including:

• Psychology
• Short putts
• Ball striking
• Stance
• Ball position
• Alignment

Use your practice time wisely

As you’ll know if you’ve read some of my other articles or watched my golf putting video lessons, I don’t believe you should practice any part of your golf game unless you practice the RIGHT things and are given FEEDBACK as you practice. Without this you’re probably better off staying on that sofa!

All of the golf tips below which you can work on at home will improve your golf putting if you do them CORRECTLY and LEARN FROM THE FEEDBACK that each drill will give you.

What should you practice at home?

Let’s look at each area that I said you can improve and what practice drills you can work on at home to improve them.

• Psychology
  Work on really short putts (like 3 feet) and keep holing the putts counting them as you go. As soon as you miss one reset your score back to zero.
  How many putts can you hit in a row? I once hit over 120 and the PRESSURE was HUGE. As the pressure mounts really focus on your pre-shot routine and keep it the same for every putt.
  .
• Short putts
  There are a couple of great golf tips for helping you improve these, but here are two simple ones.
  Firstly practice the ‘push’ putt from 3 or 4 feet. This will ensure your clubhead is aligned correctly. Simply PUSH the ball into the hole/target.
  Secondly take the three clubs. Set two up aligned at the hole so you can JUST swing your putter between them and use the third to align your feet PARALLEL to the other clubs. Then simply practice short putts swinging the putter back and through between the clubs. Every putt should go in.
  .
• Ball striking
  You need to somehow draw a nice straight line with a pen around one of your golf balls. Once you’ve done this try and hit some putts so the ball rolls along the line you drew. This will show you if you are hitting the ball 100% square on. This is a GREAT golf tip to see if you’re striking the ball straight at the target, and one you cannot easily work on at the practice green.
  .
• Stance
  Ideally you need a mirror or a friend to help you with this. There are many areas of the stance to work on, but the two key ones are stability and your posture.
  Looking carefully in the mirror and ignoring the ball (but use one), watch yourself face on hitting some putts. Is your body moving at all? Watch your shoulders and torso – they should not move left to right at all…
  Secondly check your posture – a friend is ideal for this or maybe use a video camera. Check your arms are hanging straight down from your shoulders and the back of your head is parallel to the ground (not pointing up).
  .
• Ball position
  Hold a golf ball just in front of your left eye (for a right handed golfer) and set up for a putt. Now drop the ball. Wherever it lands on the carpet is where your ball should be when you are putting. You can try dropping a ball onto another ball you’ve placed on the carpet to see if it’s in the correct place, but be careful it doesn’t bounce off and smash the family crystal.
  .
• Alignment
  The golf tips I gave you about short putts will ensure your putter head and body alignment are correct…

So as you can see there is a HUGE amount you can work on to improve your golf putting without heading to the driving range.

I guarantee these golf tips will help improve your golf putting, and I’m also sure you can find a little bit of time to get off that sofa and work on some of these drills. Just finding 10-15 minutes per day can really make a huge difference to your golf putting!

Tiger’s average drive measures around 300 yards

If you have a look at the golf swing of many tour players you will see many variations, but when they arrive into impact at the moment of truth you will find they are all extremely similar in their impact alignments. I will share with you a little later what those impact alignments are but first of all let me try and help you assess your golf swing alignment at the moment of truth.

Is your alignment at the moment of truth correct?

• Do you hit the ground before the ball?
  .
• Do you hit the top of the ball?
  .
• Do you hit the ball thin a lot of the time?

If you answered YES to any of these questions then your alignment at the moment of truth needs some work…

Here is another question for you: where do you think the divot should happen in the golf swing? (I gave you a clue in one of the earlier questions)

The divot should happen after the ball and it’s extremely difficult to make your divot happen after the ball if you have poor impact alignments in your golf swing. The lower a golfers handicap the further after the ball the divot happens at impact and the higher the handicap the further behind the ball the divot happens at impact.

Quite a few golfers I teach struggle with impact alignments in their golf swing and it’s really holding them back from improving and reducing their handicap. If you want to reduce your handicap then you need to improve your impact alignments which in turn will improve your golf swing. If you don’t practice your golf swing you simply will not be able to improve your impact.

Work through it to improve it

You probably don’t want to hear this, but I’m not going to be one of those golf instructors who feed you with a load of rubbish. I will not tell you that you will change your golf swing in 20 minutes and everything will be alright. It simply is not possible, and if any instructor tells you that they can change your golf swing for life in 20 minutes, well quite frankly they are not serving your best interests. They are just telling you what you want to hear and fooling you into giving them more of your hard earned money.

How do you attain good impact alignments in your golf swing?

First of all you need to know what they are. At impact you need a flat left wrist and you need the shaft leaning forward towards the target. There is a warning with this though. You should only do this if you want to hit the ball straighter and further than you ever have before. It will take practice for you to achieve this in your full golf swing so stay committed to working at it during your practice sessions.

At first you can practice it by hitting small shots. You must hit down with your hands ahead of the ball at impact. Do not try to lift the ball in the air, you will only learn to top the ball if you do this. So hit down and have those hands ahead of the ball when you strike it. Once you can achieve this in a small golf swing then you can graduate to a longer golf swing.

Good luck with it and if you have any questions about this or any other blog post don’t hesitate to contact us.

At the annual Foremost Golf Industry awards in association with Golf Monthly UK, Maurice was awarded the highly coveted ‘Professional of the Year’ award for 2011.

Here is a statement released by Foremost Golf:

“At the recent Foremost Gala Dinner and Industry awards night, Maurice Campbell, Professional at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club, received Foremost’s most coveted award, ‘Professional of the Year’.

Paul Hedges, CEO of Foremost Golf, presented the award to Maurice on the night at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate UK, by Foremost in conjunction with Golf Monthly and GBD (Golf Business Development).

Professional of the Year

More than 200 PGA professionals and leading golf companies attended the event hosted by the BBC’s Andrew Cotter, including current world number 1 golfer Luke Donald, 2011 British Open Champion Darren Clarke and Matteo Manassero (18 year old winner of the Malaysian Open) who also all won awards.

You can read more about the event at Golf Business News.com

The top Foremost honour, however, went to Maurice due to his support and implementation of many Foremost services, as well as the enthusiastic professional manner in which he delivers the very best service to his members online and offline.

Hedges went on to say that Maurice epitomises everything that is good about a PGA professional and is a fantastic role model.

Maurice has embraced the Foremost Academy, the Elite Marketing Programme and many other Foremost initiatives, which have helped him deliver the highest possible standard of service to the members and customers at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club.

Furthermore, Hedges proclaimed that, while Foremost knew what an excellent PGA professional Maurice was, a recent survey amongst his club members had confirmed the decision. Poignantly, every single Leighton Buzzard member who submitted the survey said what a great job he did and that they would be delighted to recommend his services.

Foremost is delighted to have Maurice Campbell as their Professional of the Year 2011 and know that he will continue to inspire golfers, help his members and customers to play better golf and get the most possible enjoyment from their game. He’s everything a PGA professional should be.

Maurice is to be featured in an interview next month with a leading UK golf industry magazine – we’ll make sure to send you a link.

On behalf of Maurice I would like to thank you all for your support here at Golf Coaching and Golf Putting Online. We are delighted that we can improve your game with the best PGA Professional in UK.

In this article I share some top golf putting tips to help you get your first putts closer, and there is one crucial factor to help you do this.

With longer putts the most crucial element is PACE but how do you control PACE ?

Of course you need to read the line of the putt correctly, but even if you pick the correct line and then don’t judge the pace of the putt correctly, you’re likely to hit a poor putt. Also note that any object (including a golf ball) slows down as gravity takes over. As a golf ball slows down on the greens it turns more if the pace is too slow, or turns less if the pace is too high.

Judging pace comes with experience, but even if you can judge it correctly, you need to be able to CONTROL the pace when you strike your putt.

Let’s have a look at some golf putting tips which will help you control the pace better.

Your back swing and follow-through should be the same length

To practice this start by placing some tee pegs into the green approx 1M (3 feet) apart. Now swing your putter from the centre of the tee pegs ensuring you touch both tee pegs – i.e. swing the putter the same distance back and through. Vary the distance between the tee pegs but make sure the length of your backswing is the same length as your follow through. Finally repeat this with some practice balls just working on the length of your swing each time.
It’s actually OK to have a slightly longer follow-through, but never a shorter follow-through – this will mean you are decelerating the putter giving a poor strike.

Ensure your tempo is consistent

If you swing the club at different speeds you will get different results every time you putt. A great golf putting tip to help you with this is to place two cushions on the floor and simply hit each cushion in turn like a pendulum or metronome. Increase the distance so each swing will take slightly longer, but ensure you move the putter at the same speed back and through on each practice stroke. As you do this drill just count in your mind 1-2, 1-2, 1-2. When the distance between the cushions increases, so will the length of time it takes to count 1-2 in your mind.

Control distance by changing the length of your swing NOT using more muscle power

This is hard to do under pressure, so a great putting tip to help you with this is to 100% relax the muscles in your arms and keep them relaxed. Then simply rock the shoulders back and forth varying the length of the swing to control the distance. Trust your swing and let the putter head do the work…

the most crucial element is PACE

A final thought when practicing this golf putting tip is to close your eyes and take some practice swings. Really focus on keeping your grip pressure consistent especially as you strike the ball. It’s so easy to tense up when you’re hitting the ball, especially when you’re under pressure! This can bring small muscles into play that will affect your putt – leave the small muscles out of the equation since they are harder to control..

As with all things related to golf there are rarely any immediate fixes! You need to invest some practice time working on these, but the results will start to come very quickly.

And as with all golf putting tips you may find some tips work better than others, so get onto the practice green and try them before taking them onto the course.

I really hope some (or all) of these golf putting tips will help you improve your distance control and get your first putt close every time every time. Let me know by posting your comments below, I’d love to hear from you.

However this is just the tip of the putting iceberg!

Our Golf Putting Lessons DVD contains a wealth of information in full length lessons covering:-

• Long putts
• Reading greens
• Putting psychology
  And much more…
  

CLICK HERE to find out …

Why is playing golf in the wind so difficult?

For a few reasons –

1. Whenever the ball is spinning (which is most of the time when it’s in the air), wind has a dramatic effect on the golf ball. Side winds and head winds (into you) are the toughest ones to cope with, although a tail wind (from behind) is also tricky since it makes distance judging harder.
2. Judging the wind and how much it is going to affect your golf ball can be extremely difficult, especially if the wind direction is changing – which it will as you walk around the course.
3. If the wind is really strong it can actually affect your balance when you are swinging the club.
4. Wind can also affect your putts! Clearly the ball will not be spinning, but on longer putts points (2) and (3) above can be a factor.

How do we cope with playing golf in the wind? Golf tip – use a low spinning golf ball

Manufacturers are doing their level best to help you with the balls they produce. It really does matter which ball you use. Any distance ball on the market is a low spinning ball. They are easy to spot because they normally say ‘distance’ on the ball or packaging. They are also usually the cheapest balls to buy. The most expensive balls are the highest spinning balls. If you struggle with direction then do not buy a high spinning ball.

By the way – the other thing to watch out for with golf balls is to look for the word ‘titanium’ on the side of the box. This is just marketing because when titanium is placed inside the cover of a ball it means it makes the cover whiter. It makes no difference at all to the performance of the ball – but of course they are more expensive!

How to play golf in the wind

Ok – so now you’ve got a low spinning ball let’s look at what you can do to beat the wind…

When playing with a side wind, if you place side spin on the ball in the same direction as the wind you are in trouble. The reason is, if your ball gets on the wind and spins the same way as the wind your ball will fly an extremely long way off line. The best way to

what you can do to beat the wind...

play in a side wind is to curl the ball back into the wind. This is the answer if you can do it. So for a left to right wind you would curl the ball right to left. If you do this successfully the ball will fly fairly straight. If you do this as well as keeping the ball little lower than normal, you will definitely have the beating of the wind.

If the wind is a right to left wind then you need to do the opposite, which means you need to fade the ball into the wind. These options for side winds are extremely difficult to achieve for the general club golfer and really only for the elite golfer.

Here are some solutions for the general club golfer. First of you must learn to hit the ball low. This is achieved by placing the ball slightly further back in your stance, which means for a right handed golfer the ball is placed slightly to the right of the centre of the stance. Take more club than you normally would. For example I was playing into a head wind the other day and it would have normally been an 8 iron for me, but I hit a 6 iron. I placed the ball a little further back in my stance, but I also hit the shot softer with a slightly shorter swing. If you hit the ball softer it does not impart as much spin on the ball as when you hit the ball harder.

You must practice this before attempting it on the golf course

I find it’s one of the more fun parts of the game to work on and I have to say I love playing in the wind. Two reasons really – one its fun and two, everyone else moans about it which means you have the beating of them before they play. At least I am not too competitive!!

Judging the wind

Most judgement only comes through experience, but there are some clear signs to look out for on the golf course to help you judge the wind – most of them are fairly obvious.

• Look at the flags on the greens to see the wind direction and strength of the wind.
• Throw some grass up into the air and see which way it flies.
• Generally the higher you are the windier it is, but that’s not always the case – certainly in Scotland!
• Watch the clouds to give you an idea of the wind direction. This is especially useful if you are playing a tree lined course – it will be a little sheltered on the ground, but once the ball is up in the air the wind will of course be stronger.

Putts can also be affected by the wind

As I mentioned earlier – do remember that putts can also be affected by the wind and make adjustments as you see necessary. There is nothing to change in your technique – just bear the wind in mind when reading a putt based on your judgement and what your competitors putts are doing. It should be pretty obvious how the wind will affect your putt – a fast down hill putt with the wind behind you is going to be even faster!

One final golf tip for putting in the wind – if it’s really windy make sure your stance (feet) are nice a wide to give you an extra stable platform. Remember your body needs to be as still as possible when you are putting…

When I am out with a golfer on a playing lesson or playing in a pro-am I am often amazed at some of the decisions players take. So many times I see them take on hero shots that really have no chance of coming off.

Here is a great example of a poor golf shot selection

save your shots by making the right decisions

I was out on a playing lesson with a lady golfer who can hit the ball very nicely. We were on the 8^th hole at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club and it’s a hole where you can curl your tee shot around some trees and if successful you will only have approximately 120 yards into the green for your second shot.

This is only true if you hit the ball long enough and consistently enough to take on such a high risk shot.

The other problem is there is out of bounds all the way down the left side of the hole and the hole is a dogleg. If you go for it as I have already said you must be long enough to get past the dogleg and you must not over hook the ball otherwise you will go out of bounds.

So, I was on the tee with the lady golfer and I asked her where she wanted her ball to end up. She proceeded to tell me that she wanted to hook the ball around the trees onto the fairway. Now, in her dreams that might have seemed like a good idea, but unfortunately in reality it wasn’t. The reason is simply that it was far too risky for such little reward.

When selecting your golf shot, ask yourself these questions:

• How high is the risk?
• What could happen if the shot doesn’t come off?
• Is the reward big enough to take on such a high risk?
• Am I honestly capable of hitting the shot?

9 times out of 10 the reward is too small for the risk you are taking

This can change depending on the scenario you are in. For example if you are playing a match against one opponent then it might be realistic to take on a high risk shot if you have to. In medal  play it’s rarely wise to take on a high risk shot at any time. The reason for this is that in a match-play against an opponent you will only lose one hole which you can recover from. In stroke play or medal play if you have a disaster after taking on a high risk shot you can potentially have a double, triple or even a quadruple bogey and that is extremely difficult to recover from when playing stroke play.

So think carefully and assess the situation before you make a decision. It may seem like a good idea but believe me when I say it really really hurts your pride and your scorecard if you make a complete mess of it. Know your limitations and what you can realistically achieve and don’t judge yourself against the best players in the world that you see on TV.

Remember golf is about how many shots you take – the fewer the better! I think the best example (if  a little extreme) was in the film ‘Tin Cup’ where he goes for a hero shot on the last hole of the US Open. It made for great entertainment, but we all know he should have laid up, taken a par (or still birdie) and taken the money. If you haven’t seen this film I highly recommend it. Click HERE to purchase.