Category: Gameplay

Top Golf Putting Tips – How to Master the Greens

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If you fall into the recreational golfer category, there is a good chance you are neglecting your putting practice. Don’t worry, it is a common thing. Most of us tend to prioritize our swing over putting all the time. With that being the case, check the top golf putting tips below in order to help you master the greens.

There is no shortcut to getting better at golf, that is the truth. In the same way, there is no shortcut to getting better at putting. However, there are things that can help you on the green.

It takes time to see results when you start changing your golf game.

We all have some routines when it comes to putting. Sometimes we have to change them to see better outcomes.

There is a reason why professional golfers seem to be putting with such ease. Besides all the hours they put into practicing, they do certain things that help even more. Some are related to putting techniques and others are related to knowing the greens better. You will find a few of those things as you keep reading this article.

Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash
Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

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Learn to Read the Greens

Reading the greens the right way is the recipe for lower scores. You can be great at controlling the putting pace, but if you do not get it on the right line all is for nothing. Now, there are things recreational golfers do to read the greens and there are additional things the professionals do.

You will not have enough time to do the reading thoroughly as the pros do, since you can’t spend that much time on the green due to the pace of play. Nonetheless, there are a few things you can do to read them better. Walking around the green and reading it from different positions is one of them.

Additionally, you can walk your putting line and stop at certain spots to see if it tilts either way and how much it tilts. It is also a good idea to observe other golfers in your group when they putt. That will give you an idea of the green speed as well as where the putts are moving toward. You can also find other ways that can work to improve your green reading skills.

Use Practice Greens to Your Advantage

Usually, the golf course has a practice green where you can warm up before your tee time. What I notice a lot is that not that many golfers take advantage of that. It is a shame because it is complementary. On top of that, it can help you a lot for the round of golf you are about to play.

First of all, it is a good way to warm up. There is nothing worse for your body but to start hitting balls cold. Any form of warm-up is good, this one included. Besides that, it can give you information on the current greens’ condition. You can see how fast the greens are so you can adapt your putting for the day.

Image by Frederik Rosar on Unsplash
Image by Frederik Rosar on Unsplash

Rotate Your Shoulders

One of the things that lead to putting inconsistency is using arms or wrists. That way is harder to control the stroke pace and the putter head. If you have a look at the tour pros you will notice how they move their shoulders and arms in sync. It almost looks as if their putter is an extension of their arms.

When you move only your shoulders and arms while putting you leave less room for errors. It might feel weird in the beginning, but once you get hold of it brings more consistency. Everything should be basically locked in with no separate arms or wrists motion. Start doing that and you will see better results.

Strike the Ball Firmly on Short Putts

Greens can be very tricky and sometimes short putts are harder than long ones. For one, you feel more pressure in making a 3-foot putt compared to a 20-foot one. As simple as it seems, it can be far from that. There are a couple of reasons for missing short putts. One is missing the line and the other is the pace.

If you have a look at the pros they rarely make a short putt that dies off by the time it reaches the hole. They always strike the ball firmly on those occasions. Assuming that their line is correct, those firm putts will end up in the hole. That leaves less room for a mistake that can happen if the putt is too soft.

When a short putt is too soft the ball can easily get off the line on the way to the hole. There can always be some slight bend on the way to the hole that you can’t see. Striking the ball firmly eliminates surprises and makes sure your ball goes straight into the hole. Next time find the right line and hit the ball firmly enough to hold the line on its way in.

Image by Lukas Opekar on Unsplash
Image by Lukas Opekar on Unsplash

Find the Most Comfortable Grip

As trivial as it sounds, the grip is very important when it comes to putting. There are many variations of it and it can make a difference. The last thing you need on the green is a grip that does not feel comfortable. Not just that, but it is also important that it brings you consistency putt after putt.

You can try classic grips, unconventional grips like the claw, or even the lead hand lower grip. Play around with it and find the one that suits you the most. On top of that make sure you are using a putter that matches your stroke in order to feel complete comfort while putting.

Strengthen Your Putting for a Lower Score

If you were ever wondering ways you can lower your score besides hitting the ball further, putting is one of them. Think about it for one moment. When you putt with an average of 2 strokes per hole, you end up with 36 putts in a round. If you lower that to around 1.7 putts per hole, you are now at 30 or 31 putts for the round. That is 5 to 6 strokes less on your card.

Who would not like to shave off a few strokes of their scorecard? It may take some time and persistence but it is achievable. The chances are it won’t happen every single round even when you do improve. But when it starts happening more often than not, it will be a good feeling. It is definitely worth working on your putting in order to lower your score.

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Golf Putting Tips for Beginners – How to Putt Better

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Categories: Gameplay Golf Tips Putting

Tips for Playing Golf in the Winter – How to Be Ready

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In case you have never experienced golfing in the wintertime, it is something completely different. If you fall into the category of golfers who do golf year around, you know what I am talking about. Tips for playing golf in the winter will help you to be ready to golf in more challenging conditions.

To be clear, I am not referring to golfing in areas of the world with mild to non-existing winter conditions. I am talking about cold and wet weather.

It is when you have to make changes in your game approach to have a decent round. To put it in simple words, it is another game.

Image by C. Shii on Unsplash
Image by C. Shii on Unsplash

However, there are ways to adapt your game to changed conditions. It goes from dressing up appropriately, choosing the right clubs, ensuring your equipment is clean, and potentially changing the golf ball you play. If you want to keep golfing after the nice days are over check below what can help you with that.

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Categories: Gameplay Golf Tips

Simple Tips to Improve Your Golf Game – They Work

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Most of us golfers are really passionate about the game. How not to be, right? It is something to look forward to every week. Just the thought of hitting that perfect shot brings the chills. No matter how fun golf is, it is far from being simple. Luckily, there are some simple tips to improve your golf game. And they do work.

However, there is a catch. Of course, there is always a catch. It is that you actually have to follow the tips to improve your game. Some of them will require you to develop a habit, while others are related to a slight equipment change.

Either way, these tips will contribute to an increase in your happiness on the golf course. You might already be happy just by going out on the course, which is great. But why not increase that to make your rounds even more fun?

Image by Cristina Anne Costello
Image by Cristina Anne Costello on Unsplash

It is usually the details that will make a big difference in your round. Sometimes it is just a sequel of bad decisions you make while playing. Other times it has to do with the pre-shot routine or equipment maintenance. Whichever the reasons are, check these tips that can help you navigate your rounds in a better way.

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Categories: Gameplay

What Is Golf Club Fitting? – Complete Guide for Beginners

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Golf is hard. I have said that so many times and I will keep saying it. However, that does not mean you can’t enjoy it, quite the opposite. You can enjoy it even more if you bring your game to the next level. This is where fitting can help you. In case you are asking yourself what is golf club fitting, you came to the right place to find an answer.

Like any other fitting, the clubs should be fitted to you personally. In other words, the fitters give you different clubs with different specifications until they find the right ones for you. This saves you time adapting to your clubs, making the clubs adapt to your game.

Golf bags at driving range by Cristina Anne Costello
Image by Cristina Anne Costello

It can literally change your game almost instantly. The fitters observe the numbers on the simulator in order to see which clubs suit you the best. When they see something they are happy with they suggest you those clubs. In the end, it will be up to you to decide if you want to buy the suggested clubs.

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Categories: Beginners Gameplay

Golf Tips for Beginners – How to Play Better

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Often when you start golfing you can’t wait to get out there. Every week can’t pass fast enough until the next round. You want to get instantly better to improve your game. The reality is golf is more challenging than a lot of sports. Luckily there are golf tips for beginners that can help get you closer to your goals.

Honestly, you will probably not improve as quickly as you want. The good news is that doing certain things will get you on the right path. You just have to do them consistently and the results will come. Easier said than done, right?

Kingswood Golf Course Ohio by JPDC
Image by JPDC

If you look at professional golfers, they all do things in a certain way. They do have all the help they need from coaches, caddies, and their whole entourage. But at the end of the day, they are the ones executing each and every shot on the course. There is a reason those things work for them and we’ll have a look into what some of them actually are.

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Categories: Beginners Gameplay

How to Hit a Wedge – 5 Tips for Beginners

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Among all your clubs, on average, you will hit your wedges the most each round. For that reason alone you should know how to hit a wedge solidly. That can help you shave off a few strokes per round.

Wedges are the most versatile clubs you have in your bag. There are so many situations where you can use them for so many different types of shots. Consistency is vital, and you must know certain things to achieve that.

Wedges by golfballsworld.com

Because of their versatility wedges come in so many different setups. There are longer hitting wedges like the pitching wedge and the gap wedge. Those have stronger lofts compared to the sand wedge or the lob wedge. Ideally, you get comfortable hitting all of them or at least three out of four. Below are some tips that can make your job a bit easier.

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Categories: Beginners Gameplay Wedges

Different Golf Games to Play – Change Your Routine

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Golf is a fun game. That is true up to the moment when it becomes frustrating. As a lot of us know, that turn can happen in an instant with a simple thing as a bad shot. Luckily there are different golf games to play on the course that can break your routine and make golf just fun.

Stroke play is the most common and popular type of game with match play being the next one. However, there are so many other games you may not know about to enjoy on the course by yourself or with your family and friends. Some of them require luck, some skill, and some both.

Below you can check what types of games you can find in this article:

  • Single Player Games – these games you can enjoy all by yourself
  • Multi Player Games – when you are out there with your family or friends try one of these games
  • Games With Stakes – if you are feeling lucky you may try one of these games where you can win or lose a previously agreed prize.
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Categories: Gameplay

Golf Chipping Tips for Beginners – Scramble Like a Pro

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This is a segment of the game that can be your jail-free card every time your approach shot fails you. It is something every top scrambler on the PGA Tour executes next to perfection. With some golf chipping tips for beginners, you could elevate your game and make your rounds more enjoyable.

There are a lot of golfers, new or experienced who find themselves in tricky situations on the course. A lot of those situations involve chip shots. They are very different from any shot that involves a full, three-quarter, or half swing. Golfers can get a bit nervous over chip shots, mostly because they can go wrong in so many ways.

You find yourself so close to the green, and all you need to do is hit that ball just enough to place it close to the hole. Sounds easy, but it is far from that. Chipping has often a hard learning curve, and it can take a longer time for a golfer to get comfortable doing it. Luckily, there are ways your golfing life can get easier.

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How to Prepare for Your First Golf Tournament – Be Ready to Compete

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That long-awaited day is finally approaching. You have been practicing for a long time for that moment. Now the only question is how to prepare for your first golf tournament in order to have a solid performance. One thing is to get into the tournament, but it is something completely different to be ready to compete for a good result.

Maybe you do not want to set too high expectations, but that does not mean you should not fully commit to it. After all, it isgolf tournament going to be a great learning experience for future tournaments. If there is a cut involved, you will definitely want to make it. The longer you stay in the tournament, the more experience you gain.

There is going to be only one first golf tournament you play, and you want to make it memorable. Not just because it is the first, but also because you actually prepared for it. There are a lot of things you can do to get ready, we will focus on a few of them that will set you on the right path.

  • Learn About the Course – one of the most important steps, you want to know what you can expect out there.
  • Make a Practice Schedule – prepare based on the type of course and possible conditions.
  • Get Enough Rest – this includes recovery time and good sleep.
  • Believe in Yourself – be confident and approach it the right way, the results will come.

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Golf Club Distance Chart – Reasons to Build One

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A lot of recreational golfers out there do not know their exact clubs’ distance, and that is a big difference compared to professional golfers. Even more than just knowing the distances, you can build your own golf club distance chart to know how long your clubs reach when you are hitting the golf ball in every situation. There are a lot of things you can do to improve your golf game, and this one is often overlooked.

Typically, when you ask an average golfer for every club distance, they will have a general idea. That general idea can be deceiving, and it is definitely not reliable on the golf course. The average distance difference between clubs is 10 to 15 yards, but what about all the gaps between? This is when the chartgolf swing comes in.

In this article you will find out:

  • The Importance of Knowing Your Distances – this could be the difference between a higher or lower score on your card, and it could save you time on the course.
  • How to Build a Distance Chart – it is a simple process, but it takes time to build.
  • Wedges and Irons Charts – these are more in-depth charts because they include less than full swings as well.
  • Driver, Hybrids, and Fairway Woods Charts – more basic charts, but important for your game.

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Categories: Gameplay