6 MORE TIPS TO HELP YOUR UR GAME GA

A selection of my favourite tips to help you in all areas of the game.

I’m a good iron player but there’s more to hitting it close than simply hitting it pure. One of the biggest di erences in my play in the past 18 months is patience. By that I mean I’ve learned not to go at every flag, especially when my swing isn’t firing on all cylinders, something that happens more than you might think. I play short-range chips with a slightly closed stance to stabilise my lower body. Everything else I’ll play from a slightly open stance. The key is to keep your weight on your front foot and your chest covering the ball during the swing, which will help you keep the body turning and let the club do the work. Even at the pro level, your swing changes daily. I don’t have the same game plan when I’m hitting it well as I do when I’m struggling a bit. If I’m not fading it very well on the range before a round, those right pin positions on the course aren’t in play so I have to be more conservative on those holes. In the past, I would still try to go for those flags and get myself in trouble. If you let your pre-round warm-up tell you what you have on a given day, you can turn your liability into an asset. If you slice it every time, aim down the left and let the ball slice. Knowing what your ball is going to do is much more beneficial to your game – even if you don’t like it – than trying to fight it. I vary my grip to hit di erent types of pitches. If I want a high, soft pitch, I weaken my left-hand grip so that my thumb is more on top of the shaft. For a low spinner, I do the opposite and strengthen it. The important thing is to keep your body rotating towards the target. This way, the club will do the work for you and give you much more consistent contact. Let’s face it, you’re not going to hit it inside 10 feet very often. I now spend much more time working on putts over 10 feet than I used to. To improve my feel, I’ll constantly vary the distance I hit putts. That way, I’m always focusing on speed. To me, that’s the best way of reducing the possibility of three-putting.