Stop the Yanks! Slow and Easy Does IT

You're in the tee box staring down a 450 yard par 5. You need a
good long drive here. So you take a couple easy practice swings
with your driver... line up your shot... take the club back...
then -- somewhere in the back of your mind -- a little voice
whispers to unload with everything you have.

And that's where the problem lies.

You should NOT be thinking about "unloading" anything at the
top of your swing. This leads to one of the biggest
power-robbers ever conceived by man or beast -- the dreaded
"yank" from the top. It activates your left shoulder, arms and
hands (ALL of which should remain loose and tension free) and
promotes a poor pivot (because your brain thinks your power is
coming from the "yank" -- which is doesn't. It comes from the
PIVOT).

The classic "yank" also results in your arms and hands coming
"over-the-top", pulling the club off-plane, and eratic shots
that spray the course like buck shot.

Okay... so here's the big tip of the day.

You must think "slower" and allow your pivot to take over your
swing. Let the club accelerate near the ball instead of
"blowing your wad" at the top. Think to yourself "I'm just
gonna hit a nice easy shot about 180 yards". Do that and "whap"
-- suddenly your shots are longer, straighter, and a heck of a
lot more consistent.

Don't worry about how long you need to hit it, or "hitting it
hard", or getting the club to the ball quickly, or anything
like that. This is what prompts your brain into activating the
"yank".

Instead be patient and concentrate on keeping your left
shoulder, your arms and wrists loose and limber.

Do this and you'll instantly have a slower, smoother,
effortless looking power swing (your buddies will swear
you're just coasting).

If it feels fast, it's not. If it feels slow and easy, it's
fast. How's that for irony.

Drive for Show aned Putt for Dough

Practice makes perfect, and the more you practice
your putting, the better you should become at it.

The other saying that rings true is, "Drive for show
and putt for dough".

You may get the ego boost of being a long hitter,
but at the end of the day, it's those eighteen greens
that you putt on that will have a bigger impact on
your scorecard than those ten tee boxes that you
were able to launch monster drives from.

The key to becoming a better putter is developing
a consistent putting stroke that you can rely on
every time you reach the green.

Putting is one of the few shots in golf that should
not change significantly based on distance and ball
lie.

The best part about practicing your putting is that
it can be done virtually anywhere, whether it be
on the course, on a practice putting green, on a
practice turf mat, or even on the carpet.

Though the surfaces you practice on may be different,
and may cause the ball to roll differently, there is
no replacement for the muscle memory that your body
will gain with each practice stroke.

If you watch the pros putt, you will notice that they
are perfectly still over the ball, and their heads
do not move.

A good drill to help you keep still is to lean your
head against a wall while you take some putting strokes.

You should be able to feel your forehead move against
the wall if you are not perfectly still.

This perpendicular alignment to the wall should also
show you if you are taking the putter head on a
straight line back and forth.

Playing a game called "golf ball bocce" is another
good practice drill, and one you can play at home.

To play the game, take out about five or six golf balls,
including a colored ball.

Putt the colored ball a distance away from you, and then
try to hit the colored ball with the other white balls.

This is a good drill to gauge speed and distance on
flat surfaces, but it gets really fun on practice
greens that have undulations that will force you
to read the break of the green.

Another good drill is called "around the world, and it
should be played on a practice green.

Take four golf balls and place them at equal distances
around the hole (start at three feet away).

Putt around the hole from the same distance until you
can sink all four balls from the various points
surrounding the hole.

Good luck on the greens!