Things You Can Do Now to Play Better Golf
by Bob Duncan, Author of the GolfeCoach
You’ve heard it before: don’t work harder, work smarter! Since golf doesn’t always seem to follow logic, try
the contrarian view: You don’t have to hit hundreds of balls on the range to play better golf. Any of the
following will help, and put them together and you’re really playing better.
Golf Clubs Have you been properly fitted for all your clubs, including your putter? Remember, the less
accomplished you are, the more a clubfitting helps. Check out your clubs - do you have more than 1 type of
shaft from your 5 iron to your lob wedge? Do you have more than one type of shaft from your hybrids to your
fairway woods? Do you know if the weight, flex, and loft of your driver are truly right for you?
As I mentioned in a previous article, VJ Singh swings a driver at about 120 mph and has used a 10.5 degree
driver extensively. If your swing speed is lower, then you need a higher loft. If it still doesn’t go straight, you
probably need a different shaft - either heavier or a different flex, or both.
Graphite is often recommended for seniors in their irons, but it isn’t always what they need. A proper
clubfitting will feature different weights of shafts so that you can see and feel the difference in performance.
What does a change in shaft weight do? Weight is perhaps even more important than flex - heavier shafts
are straighter, lighter are more variable, but there’s no way to tell other than hitting both to see which is the
one you hit the best.
Ideally, hitting different weights, flexes, lengths, lies, and head designs with a qualified golf professional will
show you the specifications you hit the best. Don’t buy clubs just because you fit into a demographic
category or someone recommends them. Buy them because you hit them better.
A Better Swing? Maybe, maybe not. But if you already play golf, a better swing might not be the answer to
playing significantly better. Have you taken lessons on your golf swing only to see that your scores haven’t
improved?
Golf instruction has often become an examination of the perfect golf swing rather than a method to make you
a better player. If you do improve your swing, that’s fine, but it doesn’t automatically make you a better
player. Tiger is so good because he has a great swing, but more importantly he knows when to change it!
Sidehill, Uphill, Downhill Lies The golf course is not flat, and golf is not a linear game! So if you really don’t
know how to play these shots, what good is making your perfect, flat-lie swing that much better? You need to
learn how to play a shot from different slopes.
Remember this - whatever direction the hill is sloping, the ball always wants to go downhill. On side-slopes, if
you aim your body squarely to your target you should be aware that your golf club is no longer square to your
target. So hitting the ball straight here is: #1 - not going to happen, and #2 - not what it should do anyway.
How would your swing plane need to change to hit a ball lying on a slope above your feet? And, if it did,
where would it go? The answers are flatter and left. How far left depends on how high above your feet the
ball is. In other words, if the ball is above your feet and it doesn’t go left, you’ve actually failed to hit it where
the clubface is aimed!
35 - 60 yard Pitch Shots These shots are really easier than you think. If your ball is in this range and you
aren’t getting it within 30 feet of the pin, this is an important place to put more focus. Some players try to
avoid this distance, but many players don’t have that option since they’re often faced with this yardage.
Your sand and lob wedges should become your good friends for these shots, and the fit of these is extremely
important. Mainly, the sand wedge will send the ball up at about a 45 - 50 degree angle, which is the best
launch angle to hit your intended landing zone. Don’t accept the old adage that you have to hit down to make
it go up. Hitting the ball at the bottom of your swing when it is traveling level with the ground will be the most
effective place. The loft will send it higher.
Here’s a tip: If you use a full-swing address position for these 1/2 to 3/4 shots, you may be starting in a
position suggesting failure. Move a little closer to the ball and make sure the clubhead is not heel-down, so
the shaft is slightly more vertical. Since you’re not stressing the shaft with an aggressive full swing, the head
will not bow to the playing position. On these shots, even starting slightly toe-down is better than heel-down.
The Mental Game Relaxed mind, mental imagery, mental coaching, golf psychology - are these really what
you need? In many ways these may be simple placebos to take the place of what really matters mentally: the
knowledge of how to play the next shot. This may sound like blasphemy, but all that mental strength is
irrelevant when you’re faced with hitting a 3-wood straight from a tight fairway lie that is slightly below your
feet.
In this case, knowledge is much more important than mental imagery. This one is not going straight! I’ll lay
you 3 to 1 odds you’re going to hit it to the right, and I’m heading to Vegas on this one. Sure, you can
compensate with several techniques, but which compensation is the right one? Of course there is that one in
100 chance it will go straight, but at 3 to 1 and 99% right, I’ll give you that one. Besides, if you know the
direction it is going, then why wouldn’t you (aim left!) let it go that way?
Golf often seems contrary to logic and certainly to straight shots, but once you accept the anarchy you can put
some semblance of order to it.