Leveling The Playing Field!

Getting the Most Out of Our Golf Games!

 

I had a little time today to skim the latest Golf World magazine, and a feature article in it was about how Luke Donald pays attention to details in his golf game.  For sure he and all PGA Tour players have way more overall talent in playing golf than us mere mortals – but there are some details that WE can all pay attention to that can inch a few strokes off of our handicap.  Many of these might not result in sales of some of the new Longer and Longer and Longer drivers, but I would bet most golfers would have more fun if they knew they could score lower than they presently are.  Her are some of these Playing Field Levelers….

 

1.  Find a driver that we can hit in the center of the face consistently.  Do what the Pros do, play a driver that is on average 44-1/2 inches long rather than the 46 inch and sometimes longer drivers you can buy in stores.  Opt to get the driver fit with the right shaft, right weighting, right loft and face angle to help make our misses a little bit better and stay more in the fairway.  Do not believe that "longer and lighter" is necessarily going to result in longer and straighter drives.

 

2.  Find fairway woods that have enough loft to get the ball in the air, and that also allow you to hit the center of the face consistently.  Again "longer and lighter" will not necessarily give more distance, in fact Heavier shafts in fairway woods, and often fairway woods shorter than "standard," for most people works better than lighter shafts and longer.  And if you can, find a shaft that has a flex profile consistent with what works for your driver.

 

3.  Play a mixed set of Hybrid irons and regular irons that are Matched To Each Other.  Most people (though not all) swing their hybrids like they swing their conventional irons.  So be fit for irons that give you best distance, accuracy, and feel, and make sure that those Hybrids that you like the looks of feel Just Like your other irons.  

 

4.  Be sure you know the Lofts of your Irons – particularly your Short Irons.  Make sure that there are no significant loft gaps around the 8, 9, PW, GW, and SW clubs in your bag that can leave you with gaps in your short game distances.  Have the lofts of these clubs measured at least once a year.

 

5.  Get the Right Wedges in Your Golf Bag.  With items #1 through 4 above you keep the ball in play and sometimes hit shots on the green and/or close to the pin.  But just in case you are mortal and do not hit all greens in regulation, have Wedges in your bag that are Easy To Hit even for those 30 to 50 yard short shots.  The PGA guys may have more of an advantage here that we realize.  They do not play with the kinds of Wedge Grinds that we buy in stores…..do you EVER see them hit that Chunk Shot that many of us are "good" at?  They have great Short Game Shot Technique but more than that they have Wedges with grinds and bounces that are easy to hit.  

 

6.  Remember that Your Putter is the Most Important Club in Your Bag!  If you can Aim your putter at the hole and control the Speed of your putts, you will Know that you have the chance to save shots on the green.  Maybe the biggest secret in golf is that getting a Custom Fit Putter will have the biggest influence on your ability to score well.

 

So Luke – Bring It On (if you want, I can fly down to Augusta tomorrow and play a practice round with you?)

 

The Fit Is IT!!

Tony