How to play consistent golf: Golf Digest Magazine

Print E-Mail Feeds Share

Tips from our staff of 35 top players and teachers: From power to putting, make this your best year ever

STAN UTLEY
Putt away from the cup: Photo By Darren Carroll; I see a lot of players struggling with makable six- to 15-footers, missing them on the low side. And it has nothing to do with mechanics. From close range, the tendency when you aim is to look at the hole instead of where you want the ball to go. That causes you to either play too little break or to subconsciously manipulate your stroke to get the ball on line. In the photo on the left, I have a putt with a foot of break. The flagstick shows a straight line to the hole, and the tee shows the high point in the break. Once I figure the high point, I extend a line from the ball through that point to a spot even with the hole. That's the aiming point I use, and it's where I take my last look. Practicing with a tee and a flagstick this way trains you to be more precise on breaking putts.

Good extension produces a firm, downward hit.

JUSTIN LEONARD
Firm left side for solid strikes: Photo By Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images; When I'm hitting my irons well, I'm feeling three things: (1) My right hip is turning down through impact and supporting my upper body during the strike; (2) I'm not sliding my hips toward the target; (3) I feel full extension of my arms down and through the ball. If your arms bend and get slack through impact, it means your chest isn't turning, and you're just swiping at the ball. As a result of these things, I feel strong in my left side. My hands aren't breaking down and flipping over through the hitting area, and that extension in my left arm flows down through the muscles in my side and into my left thigh. The feeling is, I'm getting everything I can out of my swing, but I'm still in complete control.

For more control, shift your right leg toward your left.

BUTCH HARMON
How to hit more fairways: Photo By J.D. Cuban; Most of the amateurs who come through our golf schools swing the driver way too hard to hit it with any consistency. You can see too much effort in the lower body, especially the right foot, which pulls backward and gets up on its toes well before impact. The right foot should lean inward on the downswing, the heel leading the toe and the right knee shifting toward the left knee. If you get this right, your lower body can't make a violent move as the club comes into impact.

To train your lower body to work correctly, place a tennis ball at the inside of your right heel at address. With the correct foot and leg action on the downswing, your right heel will nudge the ball toward your left foot. If your right heel jumps backward, as it does when you go too hard, you won't move the ball at all. Use this image of rolling the tennis ball when you play. With a quieter lower body, you'll stay in balance, and the club will swing into impact from the inside -- two big keys to being a great driver.

Good extension produces a firm, downward hit.

PHIL MICKELSON
Speed up your pitches: Photo By J.D. Cuban; To hit effective pitch shots, you have to create height and backspin to make the ball stop dead when it lands. Start by setting up with a slightly open stance and an open clubface. Also, keep your weight forward -- a big shift makes it much more complicated to bring the club back to a consistent impact point. To generate height on this shot, you have to hinge your wrists in the backswing, as I'm doing in the left photo above, and swing with a good bit of speed. The harder you swing, the higher the ball will go, without gaining much overall distance.

: A common mistake is taking the club back low, with straight, stiff wrists (left). If you swing the club back that way, your tendency will be to try to scoop at the ball to help it in the air, because you're subconsciously aware that you haven't generated enough speed. The stiffness in your hands and arms also hurts your sense of feel, so your distance control won't be as sharp.

CHUCK COOK
Change club, not swing: Photo By Chris Stanford; On long greenside sand shots, instead of trying to punch or chip the ball out of the bunker with a sand wedge, make your same bunker swing but use a club with less loft. With a little practice, you can hit a perfectly acceptable explosion shot from the sand with an 8-iron -- which will come out on a lower trajectory and roll more. That's a nice shot to have in your bag when you're 40 yards from the green.