Have you ever missed a putt because you gave it a quick hit? Not necessarily a jab stroke, but a stroke that definitely was not smooth?

I think we all have at one time or another.

I while ago I tried something that worked so well I thought I’d share it with you and, hopefully, you’ll also get the same benefit.

“Try putting the same way
but just do it with a
much slower backstroke.”

I decided that, even though my putting stroke is quite smooth, I would try to take the putter back much slower than I had been.

I still used my pendulum stroke, but I simply took the putter back very slowly.

And guess what happened?

I have been putting like a magician ever since!

And the faster the greens are, the more effective this is.  It really helps you keep the putter on line through the ball.  Which, of course, helps you hit your putts on their intended line. Watch David Toms to see what I mean.

It’s not like this is some radically new idea. It’s just that we all tend to get a little too fast taking the putter back.

So, try it yourself.  Go to the putting green and hit some putts as you have been.  Then, try putting the same way but just do it with a much slower backstroke.

Be patient.  Give yourself a few minutes (OK, so we’re not too patient) to get adapted to your new tempo.  And don’t be afraid to try it on the golf course.

And the beauty of it is, as with most all of my tips, you really don’t have to change any of the mechanics of your putting stroke.  Go ahead and stroke it as  you always do, just do it more slowly.

I think you’ll find that your putting will improve, just as mine did.

Keep your hands warm!  Simple as that.

Remember the last time you played and your hands got cold?  Pretty hard to play well, wasn’t it?

Here’s the best way I know to do this.

Get these little handwarmers that come wrapped in a plastic bag.

They are used for golfing, hunting and fishing in cooler weather.  Most all sporting goods stores sell them and they only cost a buck or so.  Some pro shops have them, also.

And, Amazon has really good deals… especially if you are looking to buy a box of ‘em.

Matter of fact, one spring I bought a whole bunch of ‘em for something like three for a dollar.  The store was trying to reduce inventory as summer approached.

They work by oxidizing with the air as soon as you open up the packet.  And they do get very warm and will last about 7 hours, more than enough to get you through even the slowest of golf rounds.

They fit right in your hand easily and you can either put them in your pockets or inside of your fleece or cotton-lined cart gloves.

They really work.  You’ll have warm hands even if the temperature becomes quite cold.

Now you can also use any conventional hand-warmer as well. Your choice.

But I find these little, disposable hand-warmers more convenient and easier to use.  Plus, they are just as effective.

Give ‘em a try and you can play some great golf very late into the season.

The ability to focus on a golf shot

One of the biggest problems that golfers have is being too focused on score. This is especially true in tournaments or at the end of a round of golf.

I’m going to share with you an amazing mental golf tip to not only help you focus better, but also help you have a much better attitude about the challenges you’ll face in your round of golf.

Have you ever hit a shot you were unhappy with? I’m guessing you probably have. I know I sure have.

When that happens the next time, I want you to look at the next shot in a different way. Instead of being mad that you hit a shot that left you in the rough with a bad lie, or in a bunker, or with a difficult downhill, sliding putt… I want you to play a little mental game with yourself.

I want you to pretend that all the other golfers (your foursome or the rest of the field in a tournament) have to play the same shot. That’s the game today. They all have to play out of this terrible lie, or hit that difficult bunker shot, or attempt this perilous downhill putt.

Next, I want you to picture in your mind everyone gathered around that particular shot. Each is going to take his or her turn at it.

Now, it’s your turn.

And your job is to hit this shot better than the others to win the game. I want you to just focus on hitting this shot as if it wasn’t even a bad break or a bad shot that put you here. Everyone has to play from here.

So, all you have to do to win is hit this shot as well as you can.

By the way, when I say hit it better than the others, I don’t mean for you to hit a go-for-broke foolish shot. I simply mean that you should try to hit a smart, well-executed shot or putt.

Now, let’s take a look at what we accomplished here.

1. First, we quickly took our mind off from the fact that we just hit a shot that could be pretty upsetting. This will help our composure and temperment tremendously.
2. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, we have put our entire focus on hitting the next shot with total concentration. We’ve left no room to be distracted by our grumbling over the bad shot we hit or the bad break we got. This is where we are, so play it!
3. Thirdly, it takes the focus off from score and puts in on making the shot or putt.

Next time you’re watching a golf tournament on TV, look for the reaction of the top players when they hit a bad shot. The top players will seldom get upset. They just consider bad shots part of a round of golf and play on.

I will admit that Tiger does show his emotions quite a bit on bad shots. As great as Tiger can play, this is not one of his best traits.

The golf psychologists have written chapter after chapter about not getting attached to a bad shot. They call it disassociation.

They say…

“Feel the good shots. Treat the bad shots as if you were watching someone else hitting them.”

But, that’s an article for another time.

So, imagine that each and every shot you have is a one-shot game by itself.

Treat it that way and you’ll find your focus is precise and your scores will be dropping.

We have a neat little 2-man best ball, match play event at our golf club.  This one is a lot of fun as we all play the regular tees and handicap strokes are given.

Many of the lower handicap players use it as a chance to play with some of their higher-handicap golfing buddies.  Lots of interesting match-ups.

Our match was delayed an hour due to a rain storm.  Course was practically flooded.

But we were finally able to head out and try to get the round in.

Our opponents had caps of 0 (scratch) and 9.  Bob, the scratch player, chose to only hit a few putts before we went out.

He did not hit one practice ball.  Not one.

So how did this affect his game…

Well, he ripped his opening drive straight down the middle.

AND THEN HOLED HIS WEDGE SHOT FOR EAGLE 2!

So much for warm-ups.

This was followed by a rash of birdies and before we knew what hit us, they were six under par after six holes.

This was not good.

But, we’re pretty competitive guys and we were able to hang in there.

Finally, we were able to get within one hole after Bob had an uncharacteristic 3-putt on 16.

Then, with a real touch of class, he hit it stiff on 17 to close us out 2 and 1.

Here’s what was neat about the whole thing.

Bob had the eagle and six other birdies, not even counting a birdie putt of only 5 feet on our toughest hole that he didn’t putt since his partner had already made net birdie.

It was an awesome display of golf by one of the top players in our state.

Were we disappointed in losing?  Absolutely!  We were just coming off a local best-ball win the week before and felt we had a good chance, even in a handicap format.

But you know what?

It was just a treat to be in such a fun match and see such great golf being played.

When you lose like that, all you can do is say “great playing” and put it in your memory bank of great golfing experiences.

If you are just a beginner to golf, or a casual player, I hope you someday find out about the thrills of competition and the fun it can bring.

If you do, or if you purchase one in the future, I’ll show you the simple and cheap way to make that club do just exactly what you want… and you won’t have to change your swing at all!

Now, before we get going, this is not going to cure a huge slice that is caused by inherent swing flaws. But, it will tone it down.

All you need is some lead tape and a little time on the range… not really practice time but time to see your new results.

You can get lead tape for golf clubs for just a few dollars at most places where golf supplies and accessories are sold.

By applying the tape to the back of your club, you can affect the amount of hook/fade and trajectory of your ball flight. Let’s take a look at the hook and fade corrections.

I recently purchased a new Taylor-Made  driver and adjusted the internal weights to get my optimum trajectory.

But, that left me with a dead straight ball flight and I wanted to draw the ball a bit. (Hey, I’m getting older, ya know, and I could use the draw to pick up a few more yards).

By the way,  drivers can be had really cheap now that the season is ending for many people and stores want to unload some inventory.

Anyway, what I did next was apply three strips of lead tape to the heel of the driver and, wallah, I had a nice little hook. Now, I could put more tape on for more hook or less on to get just a slight draw.

And it took all of about two minutes to do.

Now, you can do the opposite to reduce or eliminate a hook. In fact, I did just that with one of my hybrid clubs.

My Taylor-Made Rescue club was great in every way except this particular club hooked too much.  And I want this club to go dead straight.

So, a little tape on the TOE of the club, and, all of a sudden, I had the perfect club… dead straight shots that felt awesome.

To summarize where to place the tape…

You place the tape on the heel to promote a draw (or reduce a slice) as this helps close the clubhead during impact.

And you place the tape on the toe to promote a fade (or reduce a hook) as this slows the closing of the clubhead during impact.

If you’ve ever looked closely in the bag of most pros, you’ll see lead tape on many, if not all of their clubs.

This is how they fine tune their clubs to get just the right ball flight pattern they desire… as well as feel.

While they may be much more talented than you and I are, you can use this same adjustment to help your game and get immediate results without even having to change your swing.

Give it a try on any “problem” clubs you may have.  You’ll be amazed at how well it works.

So, given that premise, how can we shoot our lowest score knowing that we’ll be in trouble at some point.

Follow this one simple rule and you will see your scores drop, sometimes dramatically.

That rule is…GET OUT OF TROUBLE.

I know, I know…you were expecting something really deep.

But the truth of the matter is, most golfers do not get out of trouble fast enough.  They try a shot they can’t pull off 2 in 10 times.  And that leaves them still in trouble, maybe even worse trouble.

Here’s a couple examples:

1. You’re in a bunker with the pin close to you.  You try to blast out right next to the pin and leave it in the bunker.
2. Or you have trees blocking your shot but decide there is enough room to smash a low hook under the branches. But you hit dead into the trees and now you’re really in a mess.
3. Or how about the time you missed the green and had to pitch the ball up onto an elevated green to a tight pin.  You tried your lob wedge and left it short, only to watch it roll back down to your feet so you could try it again.

Any of these ring a bell?

Here’s the easy wasy to lower your score…

Just get out of trouble.

Let’s see what we should have done in each of our examples above.

Example #1-

Unless you are extremely proficient out of the sand like Seve or Gary Player or Fred Couples, forget about  the great shot.  Just put the ball on the green with your most basic bunker shot.

This gives you an easy bogey with still a chance for a one-putt par.  But more importantly, it eliminates the dreaded double-bogey or worse.

Example #2-

Instead of the spectacular shot through the trees that probably won’t work, play the ball back into the fairway and go on.  You’ll probably be able to play somewhat toward the green anyway, so you’re not really losing a whole stroke.

But even if you do, losing one stroke is better than losing two or three trying something nearly impossible.

Example #3-

Tough chip to a short-sided pin on a elevated green. Hit a running chip with a 7-iron up the slope and safely onto the green.

Or if you must hit your sand wedge or lob wedge, make sure you hit it hard enough to get safely on the green. Don’t try to get it close to the pin.  Just make sure you get on!

Here is a great thought to prevent yourself from being tempted to try something with a low chance of success…

…The spectacular recovery shot doesn’t have to be the next shot!

Let me repeat that.  The spectacular recovery shot doesn’t have to be the next shot.

It doesn’t have to be that bunker shot or the unbelievable chip shot.  It could just as well be the 20-foot putt that your “safe” play left you.  Make that putt and you did just as well as if you’d pulled off that unlikely great bunker shot or chip shot.

Or, hit your wedge close to the pin following that shot you safely pitched back to the fairway.

Problem is… we know that we can hit some of these great shots. But reality is, the percentage of success is just too low to give it a try.

So, when you have a trouble shot, be honest with yourself.  If you don’t have a reasonable chance of pulling it off, then make the safe play and try to save the stroke later.

Now I will say that if you are in competition, especially in match play, the state of the tournament can influence whether you have to “go for it”.

But even in stroke play, unless it’s the last hole or two and you need to gamble to win, you’ll find that the safe, smart play will help you shoot lower scores.

Well, if you want to hit a really long drive to reach a par five in two or you are playing a long par 4 with little trouble, try this.

Hold your driver with very light grip pressure. Perhaps you shouldn’t even think “grip” as it implies tight pressure.

Think about holding a bird in your hand.

Then, address the ball as you normally would…with one exception.

Start your takeaway as soon as you are aimed at your target.

Don’t rush, but start as soon as you can.

Here’s why…the idea is to swing immediately so as to keep any tension to a minimum.

This will enable you to swing uninhibited by tension…resulting in a faster and freer swing…

And you’ll find you will make more solid contact and hit longer drives!

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We have a dogleg right par five with trees at the corner of the dogleg.  And if you hit your tee shot down the right side of the fairway, you are faced with a shot requiring a fade hit under some high branches.

I’ll bet you’ve faced similar shots as well.

Here’s one of the best ways I know of to play this shot and you don’t have to change your swing at all.

Just hit your driver off the deck.  That’s right.  Hit your driver.

Grip down a little bit for control and just make a swing with good tempo.

The ball will fly low and fade due to the low loft of the driver and the fact that you are hitting it off the ground.

Now, you probably should practice this on the range before you try it on the course.

And don’t try this if you are a beginner.

But if you find yourself facing this shot, give it a try.  You will be suprised at how easy it is to hit… And how it can lower your scores.