Golfweek online the other week offered an interesting breakdown on how users of different putter styles tend to misalign their putts.

Mallet-style putters tend to aim golfers to the right, while offset putters aim them to the left.  Aiming lines influence putts to the left.  The more lines, the further left.  Longer putters tend to promote putts to the right.  Shorter putters favor leftward misses. 

Finally, the slower the putting stroke, the more shaft flex is required.

Another little smile

This is my first golf lesson

The schoolteacher was taking her first golfing lesson.

"Is the word spelt p-u-t or p-u-t-t?'' she asked the instructor.

"P-u-t-t is correct,'' he replied.

"Put means to place a thing where you want it. Putt means merely a vain attempt to do the same thing

Golf Instruction

Free tips: -

Driving it longer - We all want to do this!!

Unless your name is Tiger Woods who can fade a ball 300 yards, the first thing to achieve is a set-up that helps you draw the ball which gives it a top-spin rotation for added role.

First of all stand as you would normally and then draw your trailing foot back to about the middle of your leading foot. Open your trailing foot a little to allow an easy turn. Bend ensuring that you bend only at the hips; chin up; weight should be a little more on the front foot, normal slight bend of the knees. Do not over react by sliding too much weight onto the back foot, take a normal swing and concentrate on pushing the weight through and rotating the hands, the back of the club should be facing the target when you have completed your follow through.

Try to keep a smooth tempo whilst accelerating through the ball.

If you are losing distance

Concentrate on: -

Making a full body turn

Relax the arms,  shoulders and grip
Firm up your left side, keep that left knee bent through impact
With the driver swing around with the irons swing more upright---but swing through the ball.

Maintain a wide extension of the arms through impact.

Putting tips

Keep your eyes still and look at where the ball WAS this should keep your head and body still, and for putts less than 2 meters listen for it to drop.

Good putters follow these rules: -

Practise! Which gives the confidence

Eyes over the ball, head still

Accelerate through the ball with follow through same length as backswing your distance control is learnt by your length of your stroke.

Shoulders and arms move only (same as a short chip)

Square shoulders, even if you prefer an open stance

Square putter blade, left elbow should also point down the line of your putt to ensure that you don’t cut across the ball after or even before contact. Long follow through along your chosen putting line.

Sand shots

Don’t be greedy with your sand play around the green; until you are proficient at this shot just ensure that you get out safely onto the green.

The basics: -

First do not be scared of going into the sand traps, (unless they haven’t been racked) it can be a most rewarding shot. Make sure you have a firm base, dig your feet in to the sand, you can legally test the sand this way as well, depending on the length of your shot to the flag or point on the green practice how much to open the club face, the more open the less distance. I also suggest that you do NOT look at the ball! Look at a piece of sand about ½ inch behind the ball, this needs again to be practiced as the more sand you go through the less distance you achieve. Stand still and swing with a weak grip and an out to in swing plane cutting through the sand and finish with a high follow through - easy! Keep a smooth tempo throughout.

Pitch shot

I often wonder whether this isn’t the most important aspect of the Amateur game. Whatever standard we have the pitching wedge or the club chosen to be used for the pitch will be used probably as much during a round as any other.

So, to be consistent again we have to practice. Practise a short back swing with long even tempo follow through, accelerating through the shot. Head I think should stay down longer, so you must visualise the shot before hand, get your feel with a few mental swishes. (Don’t hold up play—do it as you walk up to the ball).

A slightly open stance should be adopted with shoulders square to the target and the blade of the club also pointing at the target. Ball should be further back in the stance with a steeper attack at the ball, keep the weight forward. A little tip---bend the left elbow as with a putt, this keeps the club head on-line longer.