JONATHAN THOMSON 5 How to practise

The big-hitting Englishman offers advice on how to improve results from sand, add yards to your drives and get the most out of your practice

1 Beating a slice

I see so many amateurs who pick the club up steeper in the backswing and slash left across the ball in the downswing to try and hit it higher. You should feel like your swing path is going from in to out, but really exaggerate that when you are at the range.

2 Better ball-striking

Try and slow things right down and stay in the shot for longer. Feel like your head stays down through the shot, even post impact. Keeping the head more stable will result in better strikes and more consistency, which we all want from our shots.

3 Reading greens

If time permits, read your putts from behind the hole and also look from the low side. From here, you get a good visual of the putt’s slope. Visualise the line you see the ball travelling on all the way to the hole.

4 Course management

Obviously it pays to know where the better miss is on every shot in order to favour that side, but you should really be thinking about what you want to do, not what you don’t want to do. So pick your target, adjusted to your ball flight on the day, and make a fully committed swing. When you go to the range, just take your wedges and a 7-iron rather than smashing driver. Focus on the small things that then integrate into the bigger things. So if you start pitching the ball well – getting your start lines correct, etcetera – that will feed into your short-irons, long-irons and then your woods. It’s like a domino effect, but it always starts with the short game.

6 Holing out from three feet

The best drill I do is called the spiral drill. I position four tee pegs each at three, four, five and six feet around the hole, and start at three feet. Once I’ve holed four in a row, I move on to four feet and so on. This builds pressure and will help your performance on the course.

7 Increasing power

Much of it comes down to genetics and body type, but technique has just as big a part to play as gym work. With good technique you can swing it faster and hit it further.

8 Chipping

Experiment with different clubs when you practise as this will prepare you better for all the different situations you’ll face on the course. Don’t be afraid to try the 7-iron chip and run, or the high lob shot. If you’ve practised them, you’ll feel more confident hitting them on the course.

9 Bunker play

Always use the bounce rather than the leading edge – you can activate the bounce by opening up the clubface. You want to feel the back edge of the wedge hitting the sand. Remember to also create the loft in the backswing and keep the speed up through impact.

10 More wedge spin

This is all down to a good strike, so focus on that and you’ll find your distance control improves too.

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