10 Tips to Get Your Golf Game Going in the Right Direction

Biltmore Lifestyles Magazine

If you’re looking to improve this year and more importantly, have a ton of fun, here are 10 tips to get your golf game going in the right direction this year.

1. Getting Your Clubs Fitted

Get your clubs fitted and/or re-gripped with a new product that is tacky enough to stay in your hands. The correct size should see the third and fourth fingers on the glove hand lightly touch your palm.

2. Correcting Your Grip

Always grip your club low in the fingers of your gloved hand, this will encourage a free wrist set and more feel for the clubhead, creating and allowing for speed through impact with the club.

3. Practicing Alignment

Use alignment sticks for perfect alignment when you practice. Put two sticks down at or just parallel to your target then get your feet, legs, and torso, along with your eyes, perfectly square with the clubface at the target line.

4. Setting Up in the Tee Box

Resolve to use the tee box for better use this year. Use the side of it to help create better angles on doglegs and with the wind. A good rule is to always tee off on the side of trouble.

5. Adjusting for Wind

When playing in the wind, always stay over your front foot during the swing and choke down halfway on the grip. This will flight the ball lower, and by not swinging hard, will get the ball under the wind.

6. Finishing Your Swing

Back to the target on the backswing, chest to the target on the follow-through. This helps all golfers to get a full, rotary turn in with their swing with a balanced finish.

7. Practice Make Perfect

Improve your awareness of the tension and tempo of your swing when you practice on the range so you can become more aware of it on the golf course. One way to do this is with your eyes closed.

8. How to Practice

Commit 75 percent of your practice time to short game work. Vary your shots, then putt the ball in the hole from the chip or pitch shot. This will prepare you to play on the course.

9. Picking Your Shots

Play the shot that you know you can execute based on your skill level. A good rule is to play the shot that you will execute 5 out of 10 times.

10. Routine on the Course

Work on a routine that fits your game. See the target, feel the shot, feel tempo, balance. Have the courage to commit to that focus. If you deviate or forget, keep practicing it on the range, grade yourself on how well you stayed focused.

Author: Tina Tombs, Director of Golf Instruction at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club

Tina Tombs is the Director of Golf Instruction at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club. She is the 2014 LPGA Central Section Teacher of the Year and 2014 LPGA National Teacher of the Year. For more information about Tina, visit https://tinatombsgolf.com