32 WAYS TO PLAY GREAT ALL SUMMER
This 11-page special, presented by a group of top coaches, will have you playing your best golf ever this summer.
T here is only one sure way to play better than you ever have before this summer, and that’s to do things just a little bit di erently. Bring your usual approach to your game and you can expect the usual results; but make even one or two smart improvements to your preparation, practice and play and you can start to break through your own personal performance barriers. We asked a group of top coaches to reveal the quickest and most e ective ways to sharpen your approach leading into 2019. They have obliged with 32 welcome doses of advice covering equipment, technique, technology and course management. We hope this formidable package of information and enlightenment will help you take your game to the next level as you say goodbye to 2018 and hello to a better 2019. Good luck!
1 STREAMLINE YOUR PRE-SHOT ROUTINE
Most golfers will know the importance of a pre-shot routine; it improves your set-up and gives you consistency as well as confidence through familiarity. But for a pre-shot routine to be eective, it has to be short; the less time you spend over the ball, the less time you have for doubt to creep in. So adopt a simple “two looks and go” method. Use it for every shot and make it consistent. Walk in Aim the club Look at the target Take your stance Re-focus on the target GO.
2 IMPROVE YOUR BOOK-KEEPING
A notebook is one of golf’s most underused performance aids. Use one for:
Swing thoughts After the round write down which ones worked, which ones didn’t, what you were thinking of during your best rounds, and so on. You can then look back at them in the future when your game goes sour.
Preparation Make a note of what you did prior to the good rounds as well as the bad rounds. A pattern will emerge. You will perhaps discover you play worse when you spend more than 20 minutes warming up, or that your putting massively improves with five minutes on the practice green. Use your findings to inform future round preparation.
3 USE YOUR DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICE
DMDs make it simple to know how far away from the green we are. But most club players use the middle-of-the-green yardage and pick a club they need to hit perfectly to send the ball that distance. This often results in trying to force the shot, and mis-strikes. Instead, look at the yardage to the back of the green and choose a club that will hit it that distance. Even if you flush it, the very worst you’ll be is at the back of the green.
4 BUILD A SECURE GLOVED-HAND HOLD
If you want 2018/19 to be your best summer ever, it’s important you are placing your hands on the club in a way that allows you to control it. To achieve this, focus on your gloved or lead hand and follow this golden rule: “Palm first, fingers second”.
This simple rule is the best defence against your lead hand slipping under the handle – a very common error that robs your action of power and control.
Begin by placing the palm of the hand against the handle, as shown. Check the grip runs from the palm crease under the heel of the hand to the index finger knuckle. This will help you get the feeling of the palm being more on top of the grip than under it. From here, simply close your fingers around the handle. Your thumb and index finger joint should be level, with the line between the two pointing up to your trail shoulder.