Putting

Listen before Looking

I really changed some old habits while getting ready for my rookie Champions Tour season. One habit was looking up too early. I re-trained myself with a drill of not looking up until I heard the ball go in the cup. My signature shirt and my grip: A winning combination.

Grip

How you grip the putter is an individual preference. However, work on a grip that keeps your palms facing each other.

Takeaway

Outside the Line

As you swing your connected triangle back (hand, arms and chest), the clubhead follows the correct swing plane. A good check point is when the club reaches a position that is parallel to the ground. At this point, the clubhead should be slightly outside of the target line. If the clubhead is on the target line, you are taking the club back too shallow and will have to take a swing compensation to get back on the correct plane.

Chipping

Chipping is one of the key parts of your game where you can save strokes. You don't have to be long off the tee; you just need to get the ball into the hole in fewer strokes than your buddies. Getting a chip close gives you an excellent chance of converting the putt.

Try this basic technique:

1-Keep your hands ahead of the club head through the shot.

2- Practice from all different lies- uphill, downhill, side hill, short grass and tall grass. When Tom Watson chipped in to win The Open at Pebble Beach from the high grass with an awkward stance, that wasn't the first time he saw that shot. He practiced one just like it for years.

3- We play competitively every week so our level is different than yours, but you'll be surprised how much your short game will improve if you just spend some quality time working on it instead of banging balls off the driving range tee and calling that practice.

Sand Play

To be more consistent with your sand play:

1- Feel the sand with your feet as you walk into the bunker. This tells you the texture. Is the sand soft, hard, wet?

2- You never want to hit the ball; you should hit the sand and let it propel the ball out of the bunker. For fluffy sand, a few inches behind the ball is a good place to start. Draw a line and practice hitting it before placing a ball. You'll develop confidence.

3- I suggest an open stance to the target line but have the club address the ball on the target line.

4- Pros are not troubled by sand shots, unless they are up against the bunker face. If you find yourself in that situation, consider declaring an unplayable lie within the bunker and follow the Rules of Golf as to relief available and the penalty stroke. An extra penalty stroke may be a better choice than repeatedly trying to beat it out of an unplayable position.

Improve your Grip

Before changing your swing

If your shots consistently go off target, check your grip before making any other radical swing changes. Very often your misdirected shots are being caused by swing compensations for a grip that is either too weak or too strong. This is not referring to the pressure you're holding on the club but the direction of the v's (formed between your thumb and forefinger) are pointing. A Neutral grip has the v's pointing inside the right shoulder, Strong Grip: more to the left shoulder. Weak Grip: to the outside of the right shoulder. My v's point inside my right shoulder. Weak grips promote fades and in some cases slices while strong grips promote draws and in some cases hooks. Experiment by trying different grips to see where you fly the ball with each.

The Trigger Finger

The club should lay in the 2nd knuckle of the right index for righties and left hand for lefties. Pros always have it this position while amateurs seldom do.

Posture

Much has been written about posture. You have to set the correct body angles at address to swing correctly on plane. Once you can do that consistently, your swing has to improve.

Some angles that are sometimes overlooked are the positions of the shoulders, knees and feet and how the arms hang.

An imaginary line should connect the top of your feet, touch your knees, and continue into your shoulders. That establishes the amount of flex you need.

An imaginary line that extends from your shoulders down to the ground clearly shows how your arms should hang naturally. Let gravity properly position the arms to set the correct shaft angle.

One aspect to consider is make sure you have enough room between your chin and chest so your shoulders can swing the club back and forth without getting knocked off plane by banging into each other. This can sometimes occur because the chin sets up too close to the chest at address while trying to keep your head down.