Golfing News & Blog Articles

While I would love to have a simulator at home, that’s not the case and I know I’m not the only one. When I want to practice golf indoors on a cold or rainy day, I keep things simple. Here are five drills that don’t require anything fancy like a simulator or a launch monitor.

The pause chipping drill

Chipping at home is one of my favorite ways to practice. Purchase golf balls like the Almost Golf Balls that won’t damage anything inside your home. Even if you have a small space to work with, a little half swing is a great way to work on your consistency and strike. This drill works well to help that transition from backswing to downswing.

How to Do It:

The chair drill: Stop swaying in your backswing

I use this drill on the driving range with an alignment stick. It helps you become more aware of your turn and reduce your backswing sway.

When indoors, you can do it with a chair in place. You don’t even have to use a club for this drill but if you have the room to swing with a club, go for it.

How to Do It:

The towel putting drill

Putting is the easiest thing to practice at home. One of the complaints I hear from amateur players is that the carpet speed or putting mat speeds never feel the same as the course.

Every golfer craves more consistency. You hit a great shot and then wonder, “Why can’t I do that every time?” While repeating the perfect shot is rare, certain common mistakes may kill your consistency. If your game feels like a constant battle between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it’s time to see if these issues are to blame.

Your ball position keeps changing

If your golf ball position changes from shot to shot, even a little, it will alter your swing path, contact point and ball flight. You may have heard the “low point” in the swing mentioned and how important it is to find it.

Practice your ball position on the driving range using alignment sticks. Check out our full guide on ball placement for irons if you want to dive deeper into this topic.

You’re constantly switching golf balls

I have a favorite golf ball (Titleist Pro V1) that I’ve played with for many years. I know it’s the right fit for my game.

However, I still test almost every golf ball that comes out. I play a round with it and see how it impacts my game (especially the short game). I’m always suprised at the difference it makes.

The PGA Tour season is more than a month old and it's time to check in on some early takeaways and what we've learned so far.

In this week's Monday Finish: An oddity of the WM Phoenix Open, Detry, Spieth, JT, LIV, Tiger, Trump, Yealimi and how slow play is hurting you.

The post At WM Phoenix Open, an important lesson: 30-somethings still down for a party | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.

The qualifying process for the 2025 U.S Open at Oakmont is open to professionals and amateurs with a handicap no higher than 0.4.

The post 2025 U.S. Open qualifying sites, dates: Every local and final qualifying location appeared first on Golf.

At the opening of Cabot Citrus Farms, Cabot's co-founder discussed his life in golf and travel, and the timeless allure of both.

The post Ben Cowan-Dewar riffs on Cabot’s latest grand opening, golf travel and more appeared first on Golf.

Looking for the TGL results and standings? Here's everything you need to stay update with the latest in golf's newest league.

There’s no reason to let Father Time wreck your game, just follow these tips from three-time major-winner Julius Boros.

The post Make sure your golf game ages gracefully with the help of a 3-time major champ appeared first on Golf.

What Thursday-Sunday viewers don't often see is the impact of community-focused early-week events at the WM Phoenix Open.

The post The WM Phoenix Open’s best moments happened before the tournament even started appeared first on Golf.

In this edition of Play Smart, top-ranked long-drive pro Colton Casto explains how to generate more power with your drives.

The post How to create ‘effortless power,’ according to a long-drive champion appeared first on Golf.

Tiger Woods said he's still processing his mother's death and won't play in this week's Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course, which would have teed off just nine days after Kultida Woods' death.

The R&A joined the United States Golf Association in adding a qualification pathway for golfers competing in the LIV Golf League, the R&A announced Monday.

We tested a total of 23 bags weighing from about five pounds to double that. The median weight was just over seven pounds. Here’s a look at the lightest golf bags and how they performed, some lightweight options that performed really well and, finally, the one cart bag you should avoid if you want something lightweight.

The lightest cart bags in the test

The three lightest cart bags are the Mizuno BR-D3C, Datrek DG Lite III and the PING Traverse. If weight is the only factor you are concerned with, the Mizuno BR-D3C is the way to go. It lost some points for the amount of storage it has (something that comes with the territory for a lightweight bag).

One thing to keep in mind as you look at the advertised weights in this guide is that these are the weights we measured during testing. They may or may not match the manufacturer’s website.

The Mizuno BR-D3C and the Datrek DG Lite III are also some of the more affordable cart bags in the test.

Sometimes, these lightweight bags don’t have all the same features simply because of their size but if you are worried about pushing or lifting, you’ll get what you need with three three bags.

Have you ever made two birdies in a row and followed them up with two double bogeys? How about starting a round with a drive in the middle of the fairway and walking away with 7 on the card? Golf is just as much a mental game as a physical one (some may argue even more). If you think your mental game might have something to do with your inability to reach your goals on the course, here are a few mental traps you may be up against.

1. The “all or nothing” self-talk trap

With the “all or nothing” self-talk trap, after one bad shot, you immediately think that you are terrible at golf or that there is no recovery for this hole or maybe even the entire round.

Absolute language, used negatively, has no place on the golf course. Saying “I always slice” or “I’ll never hit the green” leaves you with little hope.

Bouncing back, recovering and making saves are all part of the game and you have to be willing and ready to do them if you are going to succeed.

The fix:

When I was younger, my favorite shot to practice in the backyard was the flop shot. There’s something fun about launching the ball high into the air, watching it travel a short distance and stopping it exactly where you want. As I got more confident, I’d open the clubface more and more.

But as much as I practiced flop shots, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve hit a true, full-on flop shot in a competitive round. The conditions must be just right for the risk to be worth it.

So when should you attempt a golf flop shot and when should you play it safe? I’ve broken it down, along with some tips from the best in the game to help you execute it properly when the situation calls for it.

When you can consider a golf flop shot

The ideal conditions for a flop shot are when you have a ball sitting up in some rough and you have short-sided yourself with an obstacle like a bunker between you and the pin. You need to clear the obstacle but don’t have much room to work with.

Short-sided with an obstacle (bunker, rough, etc.) – If you need to clear an obstacle and have confidence in your technique.
Fluffy lie in deep rough – Ball sits up, allowing the club to slide under it.
Soft ground with plenty of grass – More margin for error, making it easier to use the club’s bounce effectively.
Casual round with no consequences – A great time to practice the shot without pressure.
If you’re confident in your execution – This is not a shot to attempt if you are worried about your ability.

Every experienced golfer has made mistakes but, if you’re just taking up the game, you don’t have to make the same ones. Here are nine rookie mistakes that sabotage new golfers plus a few ways to fix them so you can start off on the right foot.

Taking too much advice

One of the first things I learned as a young teaching professional was to be careful how much advice I delivered to each golfer I worked with. In the beginning, I was excited to find the dozen or so swing faults players had and I wanted to let them know all at once.

However, I very quickly realized that one problem at a time is really all any golfer should deal with.

As a beginner, everyone will want to give you advice and, before you know it, you can have 20 to 30 swing tips rattling around inside your head at the same time.

Don’t do this to yourself.

Belgium has a tour winner and strong Ryder Cup contender. Plus, a bunch of notes from the last Phoenix Open in its traditional form, along with international wins by Li, Oh, Geary, Newman and Raad.

Thomas Detry nearly aced the rowdy 16th hole in a stretch of four closing birdies, shooting a 6-under 65 on Sunday to win the Phoenix Open.