Dan Bradbury

The Joburg Open winner reveals some great ways to sharpen up your game as the golf season swings into action

1. Warming up efficiently

Always start with some stretching – never hit balls on the range cold as you don’t want to be changing your game when you’ve warmed up. Start with pitching positions; go through a 20-30-40-yard ladder and build it up, always hitting some threequarter shots and some full shots. There’s no need to hit all 14 clubs – odds and evens is fine. I will usually go lob wedge, gap wedge and then 8-iron, 5-iron, 3-iron, 3-wood and driver. You might not hit some of your irons that much in a round, so always practise what you’re going to use. If you won’t hit many 8- or 9-irons where you play, there’s no point hitting them too much on the range.

2. Bunkers and your left foot

One common fault with amateurs is lifting up too early and not striking enough sand. If you open up your left foot a lot more and bend your knee, that will get your weight down and into your left side. Point your left foot not to the target but close – that will help you stay down in the shot and keep your chest low. Don’t try to finish with a full swing, always abbreviate it to get more speed through the ball. So, pretty much just use your body, open the clubface, don’t flip your hands and let your body drag the club through. It’s similar to chipping, but with a more aggressive move.

3. What makes for a great rhythm?

Trying to hit the ball too hard and rhythm go hand in hand. People who hit within themselves and swing it smooth tend to have great rhythm. Just look at Ernie Els. On the other side of the coin, there’s Matt Fitzpatrick. He swings it quite short, but when you break it down, his rhythm is just faster than everybody else’s. It’s important to have a difference between your backswing and downswing. Make sure you complete your backswing and then come down and that will instantly help your rhythm and timing.

4. Finding more fairways

The benefit of hitting it ten yards further versus the risk is not really worth it most of the time, unless you’re going for a green. Generally, you won’t need that extra distance so focus on getting yourself in the fairway and pick a shot that you’re comfortable with. If I want to hit a fairway finder then I will aim left of the fairway and slide one back in. It might not look a great ball flight, but it works. Hitting fairways is about comfort and being confident. If you do want a bit of extra distance, stand a bit wider, transfer your weight more and hit up on it.

5. Putting – all about the pace

The biggest difference between pros and amateurs on the greens is pace. Amateurs hit three putts and then hit three more and, if they do any drills, they will generally do the short ones around the hole. From outside 20 feet, statistically, if you were to lag your putts, you would be better off. Some will go in, but you will have so many more tap-ins and stress-free rounds. You should be trying to finish on a spot 6-12 inches behind the hole. Put a box down from 20-30 feet and practise your pace putting – from 20 feet it should be a two-foot box and from 30 feet a three-foot box. Put a tee in the middle of that box – that’s a good spot to aim for. You’ll be amazed how much difference it’ll make to your putting.