Phil Mickelson has really been playing well on the Champion’s Tour. We all know that Phil has an amazing short game. He learned it with constant practice in his backyard when he was a kid. Practice really is the best way to ingrain the right swing for every club. Your brain needs to remember it and your body needs to feel it. Was it his short game or his long game that helped him win so many recent tournaments?

Phil has one of the longest drives on the senior’s tour, but it is not always straight and not always landing on the fairway or in bounds. During the second round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in 2021 he hit 2 tee shots out of bounds on the 547-yard, par-5. That’s two penalty strokes and still on the tee and hitting his 5th stroke. Bernhard Langer won that tournament and became the oldest winner in PGA TOUR of Champions history at 64.

Bernhard and Phil both learned important lessons during that tournament. Bernhard is not the longest driver, but he sure has an amazing approach shot to give himself a chance to sink more birdies.

On the other hand, Phil was 81st in driving accuracy and was well back in that tournament. When Phil was interviewed, he pointed out that he was number 1 in driving distance and his amazing skill in chipping and pitching normally get his out of trouble. On most courses he does not have to worry about driving accuracy as long as he has an open shot at the green to save his game.

Lanny Wadkins was the commentator that day who replied to Phil’s comments: “Life is just much easier from the fairway.”

As you finish the final 30 yards of every hole that you play, ever golfer has an equal chance to minimize their strokes. Strength is taken out of the equation for success. It all comes down to skill and intelligence. Your goal is to land on the green and sink your ball in 2 or less putts. Don’t play this game unless you spend time to practice the easy part of this game. Sharpen your chipping skills to get it close and then sink it in 1 or 2 putts.

Chip it Close
When your ball is within about 30 yards, all you need is the right club loft with a good “putting” stroke to hit your ball close to the hole. Think of your short chips as a putting stroke. You don’t need power but you do need a consistent cadence to swing through the ball with a putting stroke that will direct your ball directly at the point on the green where you are aiming for the right roll-out.

Your point of impact for your chip needs to be at the bottom of the arc of your swing. You are not trying to take a divot. You are only trying to direct your ball with enough power to let it roll out to the hole. Choosing the right lofted club is easy to figure out IF you practice with all of your higher lofted irons and wedges. You need “a feel” for each club for flight and rollout.

Putt it Close
Sort out the slope and break on the green before you chip and then again when you setup for your putt. Know the speed of your greens. Stare at the hole while you make your practice swings TO LET YOUR BRAIN TUNE INTO THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SWING needed to pass the hole. Always putt to the high side as your ball will drop down to the hole or at least stay closer to the hole for an easy 2 putt.

If you can improve your chipping and putting game, you should be able to cut 9 to 18 strokes out of your score for every round of golf. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for your trailing wrist control with a slight lag when you chip and a flat leading wrist when you putt. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf is the most frustrating game on earth and that’s exactly why we play this crazy game. We all have our good and bad days in golf. Unfortunately, we have more poor than amazing results. We constantly read golf blogs and articles searching for that magic bullet that will turn our games into excellence. Finding golf’s Holy Grail must be the reason why we play this crazy game.

Will there every be an End to our Search?
We have all heard about golfers who break their clubs or throw their bag of clubs in the pond and walk away in discussed. Very few of us get to that point. We are drawn back to our weekly rounds with friends and their constant abuse. We beat up on ourselves when we miss a shot or fire one into the trees (never to be seen again). Fortunately, we see a glimmer of light when we hit that amazing shot that ends up close to the hole and we may make or miss the putt but we all marvel at our potential for success.

What do Non-Golfers think of this Game?
They see this game for what it really is. A bunch of crazy men and women chasing a ball around a beautiful field of dreams and trying to get that ball out of sand traps or out of the rough in total frustration. Only to finally sink a putt and move on to the next fairway of misery or ecstasy. I’m one of the lucky ones because my wife has also caught this disease. I can’t imagine the abuse that golfers must take from a spouse who is a non-golfer.

Does this Search Ever End?
I was inspired to summarize my thoughts when I saw a blog which highlighted a “Eureka” moment by Bryson DeChambeau. Yes, even the pros who seem to have the perfect game are constantly searching for improvement. Bryson was working out at a driving range with World Long Driver Martin Borgmeier.

Bryson was working on his right miss (which you can’t afford to have on any fairway – especially if you are hitting 350 yards to the right): [“Yup, was it. Oh my god,” he says. “I just figured something out in my golf swing.” As Bryson explains, the shift has to do with his wrist position at impact. During the downswing, the force his trail arm generated, forced his club face open, leading to that right miss.] He carried on about a feeling that he needed to create during his downswing to close the face of his club. Even Bryson is never happy with his complete game.

We can all walk up to any ball location and know with a certain amount of confidence that we can make a shot. But hitting a ball and making the perfect shot to hold the green are very different problems when it comes to hitting your ball out of a bunk. It’s even more difficult when you have a long greenside bunker shot with at least 15 yards of carry. I found this simple set of steps on a Performance Golf Zone promotion ad.

The rules change. In a basic bunker shot your club enters the sand about 2 inches before the ball and exits the sand about 2 inches after the ball. You are actually swinging your open faced sand wedge with enough force to slide it under the ball and lift sand and your ball into the air. Floating your ball on a carpet of sand, you know that you are not going to blade it over the green.

Longer sand shots takes a lot more skill because you are taking less sand and you risk making a thin shot. Knowing the right steps will give you the courage for success:

1/ Use a gap or pitching wedge depending on the distance that you want. For a shot over 30 yards you should consider an 8 or a 9 iron.

2/ Your club face and stance should be slightly open (or even square to your target for longer shots).

The best way to lower your scores is to land on more fairways, hit more greens in regulation and make more putts. That’s easier said than done. The most important shots in golf which hold mid- and high-handicappers back are hitting more greens in regulation. That’s the key to getting more two-putt pars and the occasional birdie. If you are missing greens you are faced with bunker shots, short sided chips out of the ruff and bladed or chunked chips which really boost your scores.

In a recent issue of GOLF Magazine, using data from ARCCOS Caddie Link, they shared how many greens in regulation their users are hitting. [NOTE: ARCCOS is a system that records your golf statistics for every shot on every round your play.] Five handicap golfers average 8 greens in regulation per round, while ten handicap golfers average 6 GIR per round and fifteen handicap golfers average over 4 per round.

Cameron Smith is the current PGA Tour leader of greens in regulation (GIR) by hitting 80.56 %, and the Tour average is 68.20 %, which is about 12.5 greens in regulation per round (based on 18 holes, including the par 3’s). Those two numbers are not too realistic for weekend warriors.

The following chart lists the handicap (in the white circles) and corresponding GIR percentage for golfers

who use the ARCCOS data recording system

Based on my personal experience with Greens Hit In Regulation, these percentages seem to be lower than they should be. This chart shows that 15 Handicap golfers are hitting Greens In Regulation a little over 4 times every time they play. [That seems to be surprisingly low.] To hold a 15 handicap those golfers must be chipping and 2 putting on 14 holes for about 14 bogies. I suspect that these golfers are taking a lot of gimmes.

Every shot in golf is important but if you can’t hit your greens in regulation, you better be a good chipper. Golf Magazine feels that chipping is the quickest way to lower your scores. You don’t need strength to make this shot so anyone can become an excellent chipper. That’s the primary reason why so many aging golfers can often beat those younger long ball hitters. A skilled chipper can hit it close for a one-putt green. Young or old, we can all learn to be great chippers if we just spend more time honing our skill with a number of different lofted clubs.

A chip shot is a short-game stroke where the ball rolls more than it carries in the air. The stroke is directly related to putting, and actually looks a lot like a putting stroke when executed properly. Because the chipping stroke is short, it’s also very simple to execute.

The proper setup for chipping will lead to consistent contact and also make distance control simple. Because a chipping stroke is a weaker motion than a full golf swing, you only need to adjust your setup to allow for a shorter backswing and follow through up your target line.

Chipping Setup
• Slide your hands down to the bottom of grip (forcing you to bend more at your waist).
• Your stance should be 6 inches apart at your heels to limit the power in your swing.
• Your weight and sternum should be forward relative to the golf ball throughout the entire stroke. Drop your leading shoulder and allow the shaft of your club to lean slightly forward. This position helps you finish your swing up your target line without releasing your wrists.
• The loft of the club will do all of the lifting so you need to choose a lofted club that will allow your ball to clear the rough or the fringe and roll out to the hole.

Thank you for being one of our GOLFSTR Swing Tips subscribers. You may also be using our GOLFSTR+ Training Aid which gives you 6 swing solutions.

We are now working in partnership with GOLF AVENUE offering you trade site for your old golf clubs for CASH or a CREDIT to buy new or used clubs.

Act now before December 31 for a 25% bonus on your the trade-in value for your old clubs. Use your credit for the purchase of new or used clubs.

Click here to see the complete offer and for access to the GOLF AVENUE website.

Golf is a very personalized game. Every shot that you make depends on your absolute focus to apply YOUR BEST knowledge for success. You have to block out any external interference from your environment and your foursome. It really comes down to your personal skill in making a prefect shot every time you swing a club.

Don’t kid yourself: Consistent hitting with every club is NOT easy. You should study your swing for every club and take lessons to correct your swing. You need to understand what’s wrong with YOUR swing BEFORE you can develop consistency. Then use these tips to achieve the success you want on the course.

Play the Tees for your Age and Strength: If you can’t reach the green on in 2 strokes on par 4’s with 50% of your attempts then more to forward tees.Weather Can Be your Friend or Your Enemy: Don’t expect your low rounds on a windy or rainy day. They will be more challenging and frustrating.Avoid Blow-up Holes: If you make a poor shot by mishitting or landing in a hazard, accept your mistake and work on performing the best recover shot to a safe location. Don’t compound your error by trying to make a hero shot and ending up with a SNOWMAN 8.Believe in your Skills for Every Shot: When you prepare for every shot remember the great shots that you have made when you relax with a full backswing and a balanced finish. Think positive words like “I’m calm and I can do this.” It’s only 18 holes and if you can par 1 hole you can par them all.Play with Partners who can Inspire You: Play with friends who play at your speed. Who can relax your mind and take your mind off the low score that you are shooting.Luck Helps: If you make a bad shot don’t start stewing over it until your find your ball. Focus on knowing your ball location and finding your ball, then sort out a positive solution. More often than not, you get a lucky break so that you can salvage a bogey. Find the positive and make the best of it.Don’t Focus on a Low Target Number: Don’t focus on your end result. You can’t afford to be thinking about your chances to make a birdie or the glory if you break 90 or 80. Block those thoughts out. Make your prefect practice swing with the right cadence and a balanced finish. Then repeat that swing to execute the shot. Staying totally focused on the shot that you are making is your best way to make a final winning score.

Pros who lose their focus and start thinking about the glory of finishing with a win, never win. That’s why pros often have an emotional breakdown when they finally realize their accomplishment after their final winning putt. They can’t afford to start thinking about victory celebrations or they will they will lose that calm balanced finish on every swing. The same principals apply to you.

Practice with your GOLFSTR+ to control the 6 key components of your swings. Building confidence and consistency will help you reach more milestones in your game and solve the Golf Truism below. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #84: Golf is the only sport where the most feared opponent is YOU.

Technology in the advancement of the golf ball design over the past 70 years has been revolutionary for the game of golf. But, you need to take advantage of the technology that fits your game. Your swing speed is the key factor in determining the ideal ball for your game, so you should choose wisely.

In the 1950’s, golf balls normally ended their life with a deep cut through the cover. As a kid I spent hours cutting off the skin of those damaged balls, finding the end of the single strand of elastic and running out hundreds of yards of elastic banding to get to the rubber core of the ball. I was amazed at the elastic stretching and wrapping process that must have been used to create those balls.

More recently balls are made from multiple cores of rubber with various formulations for durability and flexibility. One manufacturer tried to change the manufacturing concept by using a metal ball bearing for the core of the ball. The PGA never approved that design even though the manufacturer argued that it had superior features of length and control over other balls. In my experience I could never get that ball to draw and constantly hit fades with it until I deepsixed it in a pond.

You may have seen slow motion videos where a club deforms a ball at the point of impact, but this video shows a 150 Mile Per Hour impact of a ball on a steel plate. It’s incredible that the ball returns to a round shape after this impact.

I included this video to help you understand that you need a swing speed of at least 100 MPH to compress the 3 part Titleist Pro V-1 golf ball. Bryson DeChambeau has a swing speed of 133 MPH. The typical swing speed of 20 to 50 year old golfer can be over 100 MPH. That’s the minimum swing speed needed to benefit from the 3 part Pro V-1.

I was happy to see that Colby on a recent GolfersRX blog suggested putting with a swing like a pendulum. As a graduate engineer I decided to swing my putter like a pendulum many years ago. It really is the only way to direct a putt directly up your target line. If you read the breaks and hit the right target line with the right speed, you should be able to sink more putts. A perfect “pendulum” swing is ideal for your success.

Your your swing must impact the ball with a square face and with a follow through swing directly up your target line. Unfortunately, we all have a natural tendency to swing our putter around our body as our arms are attached to our rotating shoulders.

Pendulum vs Arc Putting Swing
There are too many putting contraptions that encourage you to swing the putter in an arc as you rotate your body during the putt. This really is a dumb approach to putting as your putter only squares to your target line for a fraction of a second as it arcs around your body. If your ball is not resting exactly at that spot which is square to your target line, you will never hit it on the right path. A perfect pendulum swing is the only solution to minimize miss-directed putts.

The Colby Recommendation
To eliminate the wrap around the body effect, he suggested that you practice with your leading left arm wrapped around your ribs to your right side while you practice putting with your trailing right hand (for right-handed putters). He stated that “the toe of the putter should turn over just slightly after impact”. Unfortunately, if you don’t place your ball on the perfect point before your putter turns over, you can expect a pulled putt.

Solution
Because your leading arm is on your left side (for right-handed putters) it’s much easier to make a pendulum swing up your target line if you use your leading left arm to swing straight up your target line (and not around your body). That’s right, let your leading arm be your pendulum and your trailing arm my even let go of your putter as it impacts the ball (and continues swinging up your target line).

Wouldn’t it be nice to score a round of golf where you could play a MULLIGAN every time you miss-hit a ball? I’m NOT talking about a shot that is a little off-line or short of your target. I’m talking about drives into the woods or fat fairway shots or thinned chips over the green. If you could cut out those miss-hits, you could shoot in the 80’s or even the 70’s. We have some suggestions to get you on track to avoid those miss-hits. [I wish we could totally eliminate miss-hits but I believe practicing as often as the pros could do the trick.]

Every successful shot has 4 DISTINCT STAGES. Don’t skip one: Preparation, Practice Swing, Mental Focus and Rhythm. Take your time and get these right to eliminate those miss-hits.

1/ Preparation
Take your time to chose the right club to reach your target and to setup on the right target line. Knowing your normal draw or fade or the slope break on a green are all critical to making a good shot on the right target line. Don’t try for the high risk shots. Hit a layup if you know your shot will not hold the green. Get rid of your dumb thoughts while you have plenty of time to sort this out.

2/ Practice Swing
After you choose your target line, take your practice swing stance. Make a perfect full practice swing with the exact backswing, lag and cadence that you need in order to hit your target line. Build confidence that you will swing with power for your drives; brush the grass with your fairway woods & hybrids and impact your ball before turf with your irons.

3/ Mental Focus
Establish your confidence by remember past excellent shots with your club, which were caused by a full backswing, smooth release and a balanced finish. Be confident that you are about to duplicate that amazing feeling. [NO negative thoughts.]

Getting out of any bunker with a short or long shot is every golfers dream. A recent blog by GOLF Magazine gave us the 10 steps for success. These steps may not guaranty that you make more SANDIES (a bunker chip plus 1 putt) but they should at least help you reach and stay on the green.

1/ Balanced Stance: Setup with equal weight on both feet.

2/ Forward Ball Position: Your club must contact the sand before it slips under the ball so place the ball a few inches forward of the center of your stance and aim for your club to enter the sand directly in the center of your stance.

3/ Shuffle Into the Sand: You want to lower the height of your body to ensure that you club will power through the sand. Dig your feet down so that the soles of your shoes are below the level of the sand.

4/ Swing to Take a Dollar Bill of Sand: Your swing needs to enter the sand just before the ball but more important it needs to take sand under the ball and well after the ball. Imagine that you are placing a quarter after the ball and that you have to clear the ball and the quarter out of the trap.

I love to see great tips from the old pros like Lee Trevino. I notice that his swing, like Jack Nicklaus’ swing evolved as he got older. They added features to increase rotation to minimize distance loss as their bodies tightened up with age. Lee suggested these changes:

1/ MOVE YOUR FOOT AWAY: Move your trailing foot back a few inches off the line parallel to your target line. It allows you to rotate for more backswing and avoid swinging over the top and slicing the ball.

2/ MOVE YOUR BALL BACK IN YOUR STANCE: Lee noticed that most of the aging golfers and want-to-be-golfers impact the turf about 2 to 3 inches behind the ball. Of course, that kills the distance. He suggests moving the ball back in your stance slightly for every shot that you make. He points out that you are swinging your arms around you body in a circular motion which pulls your club away from your ball and your target line. If you hit a lot of THIN shots, just move your ball back in your stance. (Pros shift their weight forward to avoid thin shots.)

3/ SWING STRAIGHT BACK: By swinging the head of your club straight back to start your backswing, you will force your shoulders to rotate more. You need to rotate your hips and shoulders and your arms but if you rush your swing you often miss the chance to rotate all 3 and add lag with your wrists. Remember: there is no need to rush your backswing. It is just the windup for your body and it only gets your club in position for the perfect shallow downswing and release.

4/ AIM FOR THE INSIDE QUADRANT: Swing down to hit your ball at 7 o’clock (where 6 o’clock is directly back and 12 o’clock is straight up your target line). When you aim to hit up the inside quadrant of your ball you are adding draw to your flight path for more distance.

We often hear the debate about distance and control to lower the scores for pros but is that relevant for your game? We all know that longer drives will get you closer to the green and shorter approach shots are easier to make than longer approach shots. But the real solution to take your scores below 100 or 90 or 80 for Weekend Warriors and Aging Hackers really lies in your ability to make consistent shots.

Bryson DeChambeau is the perfect example of a player who may be a little misguided. His efforts to build strength and distance are not helping his consistency in hitting greens and sinking putts. Mind you his driving distance as a pro is far more important than yours where YOU can choose a tee to suit YOUR game. You should be playing from a tee that allows you to hit the green in regulation on par 4’s and 5’s.

Where Distance is Critical
If you play with friends who chide you into playing longer tees because they are younger or stronger and love to hit longer drives, you have 3 choices: (1) Learn to hit longer drives, (2) improve the accuracy of your drives and approach shots OR (3) IGNORE THEM and play from the tee that suits your game.

The longer you try to drive your balls the more miss-hits you can expect to make and the more your drives will fly deep into the rough. Long ball driving contests are the perfect example. The harder they swing the greater the chance they have to miss their target grid (AND THEY OFTEN MISS ON MOST OF THEIR 8 TRIES).

Kyle Berkshire won the recent longest driver contest. It’s not a great idea to try to duplicate what he is doing. First he is athletic but not overly muscular like Bryson DeChambeau. His plan for speed and power takes years to develop. He trains his body for speed by hitting at least 50 balls as fast as he can about 3 days every week and he works on adding arm and body strength without adding a lot of body mass.

Wouldn’t it be nice to start your takeaway with a move that will guarantee a perfect swing with all of your irons? Well bless your stars because this is your lucky day. I have been working on using a flat wrist swing with lag that will power every shot directly up my target line. I have actually done this for years but I could not find consistency to do this with all of my clubs. 10% to 20% of my shots have often been miss-hits. I finally stumbled over a simple trick to create consistency using a wrist move at the start of my takeaway.

Many pros have used a forward arm “press” to start their backswing. Even Phil Michelson and Jordan Spieth use it for the start of their putting stroke. I have also noticed that a Pete Styles a PGA instructor on the Golf-Info-Guide training videos adds a forward press with a slight shift of his hands at the start of his backswing. No one has explained how this affects their performance.

Flatten Your Wrist to Start Your Takeaway
I have been trying to incorporate a flat wrist in my backswing before I reach the top of my swing where I also add wrist lag (with a 90 degree angle from my forearm to my shaft). Somehow I have not been able to capture these 2 moves consistently so I decided to copy Dustin Johnson.

Dustin Johnson must be doing something right with his swing. In addition to being the #1 golfer on tour, he just won 5 points for the USA Ryder Cup Team. He starts bowing his wrist (forming a bump on the back of his wrist) and gradually adding lag from the start of his takeaway. I don’t have his power so I decided to just STRAIGHTEN my wrist at the start of my backswing (instead of BOWING my wrist). This is my eureka move that creates consistent hits with better direction control.

I noticed that the leading wrist on every golfer during setup has a slight cup shape when you setup for any of your clubs (especially for your driver where you setup with the ball further forward in your stance). Only Bryson DeChambeau sets up with a flat leading wrist for his driver and all of his driving clubs.

We all want improve our scores but we struggle to keep our focus as we play every round of golf. By now you must know that the most important shot in golf is your next one (Thank you Ben Hogan.) Unfortunately it takes about 3 great shots to par every holes. Yes, that would be 3 shots in a row on every hole. Unfortunately those miss-hits in the middle of your sequence don’t turn into Mulligans. I have found that your focus on hitting the fairway with your driver and hitting more Greens In Regulation (GIR) are critical for your success on every hole.

Rhythm and Direction Control
You may be able to hit further than others in your foursome but if you can’t hit the fairway or hit the ideal target for your next shot, your playing partners will usually take you down. You will never be successful in this game until you generate the following two (2) consistencies:

1/ Rhythm: Don’t let a burst of adrenaline spoil your rhythm. Consistent rhythm, at about an 85% swing speed, is so critical to allow time to shift your weight to your leading leg at the top of your swing. Think of it as “The PAUSE THAT REFRESHES”. Rushing at the top will kill your weight transfer and create an inconsistent impact. I use the mental words “1 and “ to give more time to add wrist lag and weight transfer at the top of my swing before I begin my down swing at the count of “2”.

Counting in your mind will slow down your backswing and give you time for the perfect position at the top.

2/ Draw or Fade Control: When you swing with the same rhythm, you should end up with a consistent draw or fade depending on the club that you are using. It is critical that you figure out when you will draw or fade with every club when practicing on the range. Of course sometimes our expected draw or fade turns into the dreaded straight shot. So make sure that you line-up properly to avoid trouble with any surprising straight shots.

Golf is a wonderful game. ONLY YOU have the personal control over every aspect of every round you play. It’s up to you to consider your environment, your stance and your club selection. It’s even more important to manage your mental state of mind to create your success or failure for every swing that you make. That’s why we love and play this game.

Look for weaknesses in your game to improve your CONSISTENCY and your ACCURACY. Miss-hits and poor direction control with the wrong club are all downfalls for our games. Every swing that you make can be a learning experience. It’s up to you to mentally take note of the problems with your game and to take corrective action. So why not categorize the weaknesses and strengths of your game to improve your next round of golf.

Strategic Planning
1/ Accept Your Physical Strength and Limitations: It’s up to you to add exercise and stretching to your daily routine to improve your body for every round of golf. Your diet, shape and strength can all improve your game but as Weekend Worriers you will never achieve golf pro status, so limit your expectations based on your existing physical condition. Set your own personal goals for yearly improvement as it will not happen overnight.

2/ Test your Golf Skills at the Range and Putting Green: Before you play every round of golf you really should hit some balls and putts to confirm the cadence that you need for your driver, irons and putter. Apply the setup and swing that you know will eliminate miss-hits and improve your accuracy.

3/ Know the Limitations of your Clubs, Balls and Skills: Golf is a game that you play against your past successes. Don’t try to out muscle your playing partners. Know your limitations and play the game within your skill level so that you can hit the distance and direction you KNOW THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE.

Have you ever considered that Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is holding you back from lower golf scores? I first discovered this problem when I tried to develop a golf training aid to remind me to keep my leading arm straight in my backswing. All of the pros swing with straight leading arms. Our club pro pointed out my bent leading elbow during a golf lesson which was causing me to “swing over the top”. I quickly learned that it was difficult for me to change to a straight leading arm swing because I was hurting my arm with a Repetitive Strain Injury. IT DOES RECOVER OVER TIME.

My Personal Swing Problem
I am naturally a left handed person. I write with my left hand and play baseball and hockey with a left handed grip. When I first started to play golf with friends in our local park I had no choice but to grab the only available clubs: right handed clubs. I somehow adjusted and just learned to swing with a bent leading arm.

PROBLEM
The longer you swing a golf club incorrectly the more difficult it is to correct your swing. Repetitive Stain Injury is very common for anyone trying to change to a straight leading arm golf swing. If you want to become a good golfer with a consistent swing, you have no choice but to retrain your body and your mind.

SOLUTION
I developed a golf training aid call GOLFSTR+ to remind me to keep my leading arm straight. At first I developed a minor Repetitive Strain Injury and I had to keep recovering and returning to my training program with GOLFSTR+. Physical changes in our bodies take time. I have gradually learned to swing with a straight leading arm by limiting my backswing and learning to rotate my hips and shoulders during my backswing.

BONUS SUCCESS
With my straight leading arm swing my swing consistency improved but I struggled to generate a lot more distance. I now realize that I was limiting my wrist release because I was bowing my wrist during my backswing. Another swing fixes with GOLFSTR+ is to train for a flat wrist swing. Again I briefly suffered with RSI during my transition but the change is paying off in spades.

You will never lower your scores until you master your Mind Control. There are 3 areas of Mind Control that you need to apply when you play golf: Memory, Mental Distractions and Focus. Golf is a very simple game if you could only APPLY your mind to control the PERFECT OUTCOME for your game.

Unfortunately we are not all professionals so our memory tends to forget to execute our most successful swing sequence with each club. We also let our mind get distracted as we think about a pain in our body or distracting comments by our playing partners. And the worst mind control problem is letting our mind think about the glory of success or the impact of failure instead of focusing on the execution of your most important shot: YOUR NEXT SHOT.

1. Memory of the Motion to Execute Each Type of Shot

After you discover the swing skills that work for your game for every club, you need to WRITE THEM DOWN (and don’t forget them). Learn to use those thoughts for each club in your bag. Control your mind to only think about the setup, stance, take-away, impact and cadence that works for your body. Forgetting to slow down your backswing or forgetting to shallow your backswing with a flat leading wrist or forgetting to finish your swing in balance can all be critical for your successful swing.

You should know (and write down) the single most important thought for your drives, fairway shots, chips, sand trap shots and putts (both long and short). Your notes and mental queues are the keys for every successful round of golf.

2. Ignore External Distractions

Our minds are mysterious animals. They seem to be looking for anything to change our attention from your primary interest. Abnormal noises like a bird chirping or a passing vehicle may cause a momentary distraction but comments from a playing partner often have longer lasting impacts. Even a comment like “Take your time!” can echo in your mind with a whole train of thoughts like “Wouldn’t you like to see me miss this putt?” or “I wonder how many shots I’m behind.” It’s up to you to first recognize this problem and then refocus your mind back on your calm and relaxed swing.

This game would be easy if we could hit every green in regulation. If your drive is reasonable and even if your drive is in the light rough you have a good chance that your next shot can reach the green. Unfortunately hitting the perfectly shaped shot to hit the green is the most difficult to make for pros and even more difficult for the Weekend Warriors.

When you are within 160 yards you can easily see the shot that will be ideal to land on or near the green and hold the green. You know the distance that your clubs will reach and you know that your lower lofted clubs will roll-out further on the green than on the fairway. So why is it so difficult to hit the green and stick on the green?

The Problem
For some strange reason, when the pressure is on to make the perfect shot we often push or pull the shot into the deep rough, a trap or the surrounding bushes. If your leading hand grip is completed correctly, the back of your leading hand should be facing directly up your target line. That is also the position that you want your leading wrist at the point of impact in order to hit directly up your target line.

If your club face is slightly open at impact, your ball will fade and if your club face is slightly closed at impact, your ball will draw. Your club face is just an extension of the position of the back of your leading wrist.

The Solution.
Colin Morikawa has the most consistent record for strokes gained when targeting the green. He slightly bows his wrist at the top of his backswing (which is nothing like the exaggerated wrist bow that Dustin Johnson creates and more like Jordan Spieth’s slight wrist bow). Colin’s goal is the same as all professionals. He wants his club to impact the ball when his leading wrist has a slight bow and is pointing directly up his target line.