This is a lesson from PGA Golf Professional Bret Hartman on the fundamentals of chipping a golf ball in your short game. Learn how to chip in golf with this tutorial video.
More golf lessons from Bret Hartman are available here.
Golf Lessons – How To Chip in Golf
May 1, 2019
Correct Your Golf Slice
May 1, 2019
You Can Correct Your Golf Slice!
Golf can be a frustrating game. Today we’re going to analyze one of the most frustrating parts of the game: The golf slice. We’ll also show you how you can correct your golf slice.
What’s happening:
Golfers are slamming their clubs on the ground, uttering four-letter words and having a miserable time on the tee-box! Why? Because they are slicing the ball! If this is happening to you, you are not alone. Golf slices are a big problem for most golfers.
What is a slice?
A slice occurs when you hit a shot, and it spins off to the right. (to the left for lefties). This often occurs when the club face is open, and the path of the golf club comes from the wrong angle. This usually happens when your club is on an outside-to-inside path as the club nears the ball. If your clubface is open while on that outside-to-inside path, the slice can be extreme!
How to correct your golf slice
It’s one thing to know what is happening. How are you going to fix it?
We have a few quick tests that will help you correct your golf slice.
1. The Rope Test – when your hands are at the top of your backswing, imagine that you are holding a rope that is attached to a tree straight in front of you. Now your object is to pull the rope straight down. As you begin the downswing, you want that same straight down motion. This will force your right elbow to stay close to your body, and prevent you from going “outside-in” with your swing motion.
2. The Box test – Get along, skinny box, and lay it on the ground. You will be hitting the end of the box with your driver. Your goal is to make the box go straight in front of you. If you hit the end of the box and it goes to the right or the left, than your swing is off. This is a good way to test new improvements to your swing if you can not make it to the driving range.
3. The Tennis test – If you’ve ever tried to put topspin on a tennis ball, you know that you have to turn over the racket as you hit the ball. This same rolling of the wrists needs to happen when you hit a golf ball. As you are impacting the ball, make sure that your right hand ends up on top of your left hand. Just as you want that to happen in tennis to get topspin, your goal in striking a golf shot is to roll the hands. When you roll the hands over properly, you can be sure that you are closing the face of the club, when will severely decrease the likelihood of a slice.
Hopefully these tests gleaned from years of experience by golf professionals, can help you to correct your golf slice.
The Benefits Of Golf!
April 30, 2019
The Benefits Of Golf – Who – What – Why?
Hollywood feels similarly about golf. Samuel L. Jackson is a huge fan, even though he only started playing at the age of forty five. There are also movie stars who state in their contracts that location sites must provide easy access to major golf courses. And then there are stars such as Johnny Mathis, who spend more time on the golf course than on their jobs.
Golf is increasingly becoming less male and less white, too, in part because of networking possibilities and in part because it is a fun way to stay in shape. Experts believe that golfers that walk eighteen holes once or twice a week can improve their health dramatically. Golf is also the game of choice for a number of physicians and health care professionals. “Usually when I walk and play a round, I lose about four pounds,” says teaching pro Marvin Childress.
Minorities are turning to golf not only because the game is fun and challenging, but also because the game provides a great deal of access and networking opportunities that are not always readily available in the boardroom. The senior vice president of Nova Chemicals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jeffrey Pina learned this the hard way when he was invited to play the game with his boss but had to turn him down since he did not know how to play. So, Pina made sure that never happened again. After a crash course, he hit the links and discovered the real world. He says, “I saw how business was conducted on golf courses. I saw how relationships and trusts were built.” He was surprised to see the level of business that is carried out on the course. “The account executives delivered all the news they needed to deliver instead of having a business meeting, and it was done in an environment that was more cordial and far more supportive, because you’re playing a game as well as conducting business.”
Black women are among the most passionate supporters of the game today. Another golf plus, according to the publisher of the African-American Golfer’s Digest, is that the game gives you a personal edge. Given that golf is such an expensive sport to play, it can act as a major personal selling point. There is, moreover, a fraternity or sorority of golfers, and once a golfer meets a golfer – a client, CEO or a potential date – they enjoy an instant rapport. Although corporate executives and celebrities spend relatively large amounts of money on club fees and green fees, most golfers spend relatively modest amounts playing municipal courses.
Celebrity golfers like Michael Jordan are fueling the golf craze. Not only do people pay attention to what celebrities are doing, but they also try to incorporate the competitive spirit of the likes of Jordan. Leonard S. Coleman Jr., former president of baseball’s National League, says he enjoys golf because “it’s extremely competitive, and I relish playing the game with my friends and competitors.” And the vice president of multicultural marketing at Schieffelin & Somerset Co. says he enjoys the camaraderie of the game and the opportunity to relax in beautiful natural settings with like-minded colleagues.
Is Your Golf Course Management Up to Par?
April 30, 2019
Golf course management is essential to your success as a golfer. Do you know what separates the great players from the good players? It is course management! While you may not be able to hit the ball like a pro or putt like a pro, you can learn to think your way around the golf course like a pro. Here I am going to give you 3 tips on how you can manage your game better.
1. First and foremost you need to realize the number one mistake that many golfers make is that we all tend to not take enough club. By this I mean that most golfers, especially men try to hit the ball hard and think they can hit their clubs further than they really can. I know for the longest time I tried to hit my 9 iron 150 yards on every shot, and then I realized that I have much more control from that distance with an 8 iron. The point is that in most circumstances it is better to hit too much club than not enough.
2. Another thing that many golfers do is try to get too close to the greens on a par 5. This may sound weird but what you need to do is lay up to a yardage that is comfortable to you. If this means laying up to 60 yards or 80 yards then that is what you should try to do. Most professional golfers tend to lay up at around the 100 yard marker because this gives them a full sand wedge to the green. This is a great way to improve your golf course management.
3. Last but not least you must remember that every golfer has weaknesses, but you must play to your strengths. Every successful golfer at every level does this. If you have trouble with your driver, then hit 3 wood off of the tee, if you have trouble with hitting your wedge then try to hit bump and run 8 iron shots around the greens.
Golf course management is crucial to your success, so to maximize your potential make sure you do not neglect this vital part of your game.
Working on Your Golf Swing vs. How You Play the Game!
April 30, 2019
Don’t just play golf. Understand it.
Your Golf Swing vs. How You Play the Game
I recently played in the Southwest PGA Senior Open. I was hitting the ball great, but it didn’t translate on my scorecard. This reminded me of a few lessons I’ve shared over the years.
1. Remember that your score is not necessarily a reflection of who you are as a player. Use your experiences on the course to learn and improve.
2. Playing the game and working on your golf swing are two entirely different things.
Here’s a great conversation I had with Brendon DeVore @bebettergolf, talking about this very subject. It’s part of a 6-Part Golf Talk Series you can watch at malaskagolf.com.
