4 Keys to Better Golf

#2 Key area to better scores. The Up & Down save. This area should be at least 50% of your practice time. You can shave strokes off your short game quicker than any other part of your game. 50 yards and in is the area we will focus on today. Up & Down saves are basically a chip and a putt. You want your pitch or chip shot to end up close enough to the hole for an easy par saving putt. 

The four areas around the green to practice from are: sand, rough, fairway and uneven lies. 

First pick a lie from the 4 areas, start at 10 yards from the hole. Now make your stroke focusing on a landing spot that will let the ball roll to or near the hole, do not focus on the hole or most likely the ball will go right by the hole leaving you a lengthy put to save par. From 10-20 yards try to get the ball to stop in a 3ft circle near the hole and from 30-50 yds try to get the ball to stop near a 6 ft circle. Now grab you putter and make the putt. Do this from each of the 4 locations. Par from each location is 2, par from all 4 locations is 8, play a round trying to get par. 

Once you have completed all 4 locations at 10 yards now move back to 20 yards and so on up to 50 yards. You may not have a bunker at 50 yards so just play the bunker shot at the same distance each round so you are getting sand shot practice every round. If you can routinely get up and down in 2 strokes you should gradually see your total round score slowly drop. Up & Downs are a great way to warm up before each round of golf as well.

Good luck and go low.

Key #4 to better golf is Greens In Regulation. Your shot into the green if possible should hopefully be planned with your previous shot, leaving you the distance and angle of approach that you feel comfortable hitting wedge or short iron. For most golfers it’s the 100-50 yard range. The biggest mistake that most golfers make is that they aim at the pin. If you want to score better you would be wise to aim at the center of the green. If you miss the shot left or right you still have a decent chance to score well. 

Here are a couple of tips to help you hit more greens.

1) Aim at the center of the green. It doesn’t matter if the pin is on the left or right side of the green. The center of the green gives you the best chance to make birdie or at least par. If you miss left or right of the pin you still are in good shape, compared to missing the green short side and having to chip onto the green and try to salvage the hole.

2) Here is a practice drill that I will have competitive golfers practice everyday of the playing season. Start at 50 yards and hit 6 balls into the green while aiming at the center of the green. You can’t move onto the next yardages until you have put 5 balls onto the green from that yardage. Once you have move to 75 yards and repeat, then out to 100yards. Once you feel comfortable from the 50-100 yard range now move onto the 105-150 range and repeat the process until you are at the 150 marker. You can move back in 10 yard or 25 yard increments, what ever your approach yardages are for you. 

Now once you are consistently hitting near the center of the green from 150-50 yards you can now try aiming at the pins and repeat the approach shot process for pin hunting. Just remember with approach shots, it’s a risk vs reward, play to your strengths and how you are paying that day. If the approach shots are not great that day don’t aim at pins go for the center of the green. Good luck!!