Hands Ahead for Solid Putts

When players struggle with their distance and direction on the greens my first look is at the hand position. If your hands are not slightly ahead of the ball at address and impact, it can and will lead to inconsistent rolls off the putter face. I like to see players set up and move your hands slightly in front of the ball as shown to get the proper hand position. This will promote little hand movement and a low follow through for more solid putts.

Iron Fitting

Getting fit for irons has become a very popular and necessary way to improve your game. Every golfer has different physical shapes and different ways to swing the club. Even if you feel that you do not swing the same every time, it is important to get fit to your irons so your bad shots will be not so bad and your good shots will be great.

I find that most golfers do not realize how easy it is to get fit by your PGA Professional and often times hesitate to make an appointment. It is a process that takes only about 10-20 minutes and all you need to to is set up an appointment with your PGA Professional. Your golf professional will help you find the right shaft, lie angle, shaft length, grip, head style, and set makeup that will benefit your game the most. He will take static measurements from your body and watch to see where you make contact with the ball and the ground to make the proper recommendations.

Whether you are in the market for new irons or want to see if your irons are properly fit for your game, set up a fitting with your PGA Professional.

The Long and Short of Putting

I find practice putting to be much more basic than people think it is. In college, I was taught to practice extremely long putts and very short putts. The PGA Tour average from 3 feet is nearly 100%, about 70% from 6 feet, and close or under 50% from 10 feet! Assuming that the average player is not as good as a PGA Tour Pro, I would bet that the averages are more like 90% from 3 feet, 45% from 6 feet, and 20% from 10 feet. I ask my students why they would practice putts they can not make routinely?

Practicing putts from inside 3 feet will help you in many ways.

1. It will improve your stroke

2. Help your alignment

3. Build your confidence

The routine I would like to see players use would be to start with one or two balls and hit putts from very long distance. The goal of these putts is to simply learn the speed of the greens. After you have learned the speed of the greens, go to inside 3 feet and make anywhere from 25-100 putts. Learn to love watching the ball go into the hole and the solid feeling you get when you hit a perfect putt right in the center of the hole.

Remember: Practice really long putts to get the speed of the greens followed by very short putts to build confidence in your stroke.

Head Still - Tiger

If you were watching the PGA Championship this week you may have noticed Tiger's caddie Steve Williams do this drill seen above over and over again. Steve would hold a club up against Tiger's head and he would try to keep his head as still as possible to maintain his swing center. Tiger picked this tip up from his rumoured new swing coach Sean Foley. Tiger has had a problem over the past couple of years of his head moving back on the takeaway and downward on the downswing. That assists Tiger in getting "stuck" and hitting large blocks to the right or he flips his hands and hits it left of his target.

This is a great drill for any golfer to work on. Have someone hold a golf club just beside your head as you hit a golf shot. Your goal will be to not have any pressure on the club helping you keep a still head and a consistent swing center. It will be very easy to tell if your golf swing has too much head movement.

Try this drill to maintain your swing center and help you create more consistency in your golf swing.

Pancakes and Sand Wedges???

One thought I like to give players when they are in the sand is to imagine the the club head is a pancake. I want the player to slap the sand wedge into the sand 1 1/2 inches behind the ball just as if he was slapping a pancake on his breakfast plate. When a sand wedge enters the sand flat like a pancake it will bounce off the sand and produce a high spinning shot that lands softly next to the hole.

Remember: Slap the pancake (your sandwedge) into the sand 1 1/2 inches behind the ball

"You came out of it"

A lot of my students have a hard time understanding what I mean when I say "you came out of it." When a player "comes out of it" he loses his posture and will hit shots high, short, and right of the intended target. One tip to help a player that comes out of his shots is to focus on keeping the club head very low through the impact zone. This can help your release and also improve your contact with the golf ball.

Remember: to help you stay in the shot, keep the club head driving low through impact.

Make a "y" for better chipping

View the video below that shows how to make a "y" for better chipping.

Remember:

-Make the "y" with your arms and club shaft

-Maintain the "y" for solid contact with the ball

Chosing the Right Golf Ball

When I fit golfers for golf balls I like to start from the green and work back to the tee. Every golfer no matter how low or high their handicap will hit more shots to the green than off the tee. Shown below are some statistics that will help you understand.

If you shoot...

PAR - <36>22 shots to the green, 14 shots with the driver

80 - 36 shots on the green, >30 shots to the green, 14 shots with the driver

90 - >36 shots on the green, >40 shots to the green, 14+ with the driver

100 - >36 shots on the green, >50 shots to the green, 14+ with the driver

These statistics show that more golfers will improve with a golf ball that will give them better results to and around the green.

Keep in mind that it is a misconception that hard golf balls fly farther than soft golf balls. In fact, Titleist says that there is only a 4 yard difference off the driver between the Pro V1X and NXT golf ball.

To sum up, find a golf ball that gives you the best feel and results to and around the green. Buy balls by the sleeve to start and try them in real on course conditions. If you need help, ask one of your PGA Professionals today!

Putting Posture

Putting posture is an important element of a good putting game. Getting yourself into the proper posture will allow you to create the best pendulum stroke you can. I look for the following 3 fundamentals in putting.

Eyes over ball – When the eyes get over the ball it gives you the best view of the target line.
Arms underneath shoulders – Your elbows should be slightly bent with your arms hanging directly over the shoulders. This position allows your arms to swing freely.

Weight balanced over center of feet – the hips should line up directly over your heels. This allows you to keep your body and head still throughout the stroke.

Please note in these photos how the hips are over the heels, arms are under the shoulders, and the eyes are over the ball. Get yourself into this putting posture to improve your putting today!

Working the Ball

I often get asked by players how to hit draws and fades. Most of the time players do too much when they try to work the ball creating bad habits in their golf swings. I am reminded of a playing lesson I saw with Jack Nicklaus where he made working the ball seem extremely simple. Jack wanted players to set the club face where he wants the ball to finish (target) and set the body up where he wants it to start. After making those adjustments he would swing as normal as he possibly could and the adjustments of the body and club face would produce the shot he desired. Try this technique to start moving that golf ball in the right (correct!) place.

Remember:

To hit a draw (right handed golfer) - set your club face at the target (pin) and aim your body the amount to the RIGHT you would like the ball to start and swing normally

To hit a fade - set your club face at the target (pin) and aim your body the amount LEFT you would like the ball to start and swing normally

Spott Short Game Method

This is a method that I have developed over the years that is simple and easy to learn to help your short game improve dramatically. I have a set of fundamentals and a system that will allow you to hit great short shots every time. I have always believed that we as humans can dictate what happens on the ground much easier that in the air. Similarly why we like to drive in a car instead of fly in a plane. For that reason I want all players to try and get the ball rolling on the greens as fast as possible. Below are the fundamentals and system of the Spott Short Game Method.

Fundamentals
Pre Swing:

1)Get your weight forward - 70% left leg, 30% right (right handed golfers)

2)Set your hands ahead of the golf ball

3)Ball positioned underneath the sternum

4)Feet close together and slightly open

5)Grip Down on the club

In swing:

1)Equal back swing to forward swing

2)Hands ahead of ball at impact

3)Consistent speed through the ball

System

1)Same set of fundamentals

2)Get the ball rolling

3)Use different "tools" (clubs)

8-Iron

Pitching Wedge

Sand Wedge

Lob Wedge

As you can see I have used different "tools" to create the same shot at different distances.

Remember:

Use the Spott Short Game Method to improve your chipping today!

Importance of a Good Routine and Positive Thinking

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be a part of a team that won the Dixie PGA Section Pro-Pro. My partner Matt Sheppard and I played well enough to force a playoff against two very accomplished players. Neither one of us had ever won a section tournament so you can imagine how nervous we were when the playoff started. To ease the tension, I made a point to focus on my routine and have positive self talk that ended up producing the best shots that I had hit all day. Below are some of my thoughts on developing a solid pre-shot routine.

The most important part of a solid routine is developing one that is unique to you. If you walk slow and talk slow, make sure your routine moves at slow speeds. If you walk fast and talk fast, develop one that that is quick and to the point. No matter if you take practice swings or not your routine is developed to ensure that you are as confident and repeatable as you can possibly be over the shot. This routine will become what you can focus on during nervous times on the course taking your mind of the outcomes. That is were positive self talk comes in...

Positive self talk has to do with thinking though shots in a way that allows for you to stay confident and in the present moment. There was a point that I missed a green on a par-3 and I looked at Matt and said "That might be where I am supposed to make birdie from today." Sure enough, I chipped in a very difficult shot for birdie that propelled us into "birdie mode." Positive self talk does not ensure that you will hit the shot perfect, but I promise if you get negative you most certainly will hit bad shots from time to time. So, stay positive!

During the playoff, I focused on making two smooth practice swings, relaxing all my muscles, visualized the shot I wanted, and finally I gave up all expectations and accepted whatever the results were. Lucky for Matt and I, the results led us to a victory.

Remember:
-Develop a repeatable routine that is unique to you
-Always stay positive and avoid negative thoughts at all times

This post is dedicated to "The Man." - Thanks for a fun tournament!

Shaft Lean Angle

In response to the new blog, I was asked by an educated golf teacher and accomplished PGA Professional how I felt about where the club should lean at address. This is an interesting topic because shaft lean has a lot to do with your swing plane and your impact position that are vital for an efficient swing.

I am reminded of one of Harvey Penick's chapters in his "Little Red Book" where he talks about where the club should point in relation to your belt. Mr. Penick said that the shaft of all of your irons should point directly into your left hip socket (for right handed golfers). This will promote a "hands ahead" of the ball position (see Zach Johnson above right). With a driver, he mentioned that it should point at the zipper in your slacks putting your hands slightly behind the ball at address (see Tiger Woods below right). I love this method of shaft lean because I believe that your body will do it's best to return to where it started at address. So if your hands are ahead at address, they will try tobe ahead of the ball at impact promoting a "compression" of the golf ball equaling more distance and accuracy. The backward lean of the driver will promote a "sweeping" of the ball off the tee to create the optimal launch angle for your drives.

The last point I would like to make about shaft lean is in addition to the forward or backward lean of the shaft, it should also point into the level your belt (see picture right of Rory McIlroy). For most golfers, the optimal lie angle of the shaft will be at this position promoting good placement of the hands. If the shaft leans too low, your hands will be low, if your shaft points above the belt, your hands are too high. This shaft lean has a large effect on your swing plane that can make or break the efficiency of your golf swing.

Remember:
-All clubs point to the level of your belt
-Irons: point the shaft at your left hip socket promoting "hands ahead" position
-Woods: point the shaft at the zipper on your slacks promoting optimal launch angle

Thank YOU!

Thanks to all of you for your recent support of my new blog! I am very excited to help out golfers of all levels that keep up with this blog. I plan to keep it up to date and have all sorts of helpful new tips for your golf game. I would like point out that my blog will compile all kinds of instructional tips that I have heard from other people, seen in golf magazines, experienced during my playing, developed while teaching, or asked about by golfers. Please to not hesitate to send me questions! Thanks again for your support and don't forget to bookmark jakespottgolfinstruction.blogspot.com!

Jake

Chipping Yips! - No problem.

I recently had a student come to me with what he believed were the "chipping yips." After watching this student practice his chipping it became clear to me that there was a anxiety problem when he was about to hit chips. The first thing I noticed was that the majority of the student's focus was on the golf ball. Golf can be a complicated game because it involves 2 targets - the ball and the hole. I found that if this student made his practice swings with his eyes focused on the hole, it would ease the tension of the primary target - the ball. This technique worked for a few swings, but I noticed that the anxiety came right back. I remembered a lesson that I watched as a junior golfer where the teacher told the student to put his right index finger on the right side of the shaft. This technique gave the student something different to feel and think about. Although it was not a complete fix and he will need continued practice for improvement, his chipping improved dramatically.

2 thoughts on "chipping yips"
- Eyes on the hole during practice swings to gain better feel
- Put your right index finger on the side of the shaft

Stay Tuned!

Welcome! Please stay tuned to Jake Spott Golf Instruction. This blog will contain daily, weekly, and monthly posts about various instructional topics that will help your golf game.