FOCUS ON THE AREA OF THE GAME THAT MATTERS MOST
I'm sure you have heard the saying "Drive for show, and Putt for dough". Most golfers enjoy hitting a long bomb off the tee, I do too, but when you look at where the most amount of strokes are used you soon realize hitting long drives off the tee although fun, is not going to necessarily lower your scores. A 280 yard drive equals one stroke just as does a 3 foot putt!
In a round of golf you will at the most use your Driver 14 times, maybe even less if there are short Par 4's where good strategy would have you tee off with less club for optimum position of second shot. The only time I recommend spending the little practice time most people have on the Driver would be if you are adding penalty shots to your score by hitting your Driver out of bounds or in hazards. Knowing where you use all your strokes is key to prioritizing your time practicing.
In a round of golf you will at the most use your Driver 14 times, maybe even less if there are short Par 4's where good strategy would have you tee off with less club for optimum position of second shot. The only time I recommend spending the little practice time most people have on the Driver would be if you are adding penalty shots to your score by hitting your Driver out of bounds or in hazards. Knowing where you use all your strokes is key to prioritizing your time practicing.
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SHOTS PER ROUND ANALYSIS
** This analysis was provided by Titleist**
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Looking at the shot analysis above we can see that if you want to improve your score by 15 shots the areas we need to spend our time practicing are Putting (4 shots), and shots to the green (11 shots) which include Pitching, Chipping, and Green-side Bunker shots.
PUTTING -
My favorite part of golfing is putting. To be a great putter you have to have confidence. In order to develop confidence you need to practice. I use a variety of putting games to improve percentages of putts being made. See graphic below:
**Photo provided by Titleist** My golf ball of choice.
PUTTING GRIP- It's very important to grip your putter more in the palms and less in the fingers as we would with an iron or wood. By placing the grip more in the palms this helps to keep the wrists quiet. See the pictures below to help with placement. There are many variations you can use, but main goal is placing grip in palms. Many golfers have gone to an over-sized putter grip to also help with gripping more in palms and thus keeping the wrists quiet during the stroke. Join today to see video!
KEYS TO MAKING MORE PUTTS- Find out these KEYS and gain access to more PUTTING DRILLS by joining today.
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EQUIPMENT - The importance of properly fit clubs
Something that is often overlooked as a way of improving your score is the golf equipment. The best player's in the world play with clubs that are fit for them. The average golfer tends to think they are not good enough for fitted clubs when in fact they would benefit the most from them. Think about this.... would you wear a pair of shoes that were two sizes too small for you and walk around in them until you learn how to walk??? You don't realize but your body will make compensations in the swing in order to hit the ball with ill fitted equipment. The problem is it's too hard to be consistent playing golf like that.
There are 6 club fitting factors to consider. There are different size grips depending on the size of your hands, lie angle, shaft length, shaft flex and weight, as well as club head design all play a role in helping you play to your potential. Go to the benefits page to see a video on the importance of lie angle. I became a Master professional with the LPGA in 2011, one of the criteria's that had to be met was to write a Thesis. I wrote my thesis on Steel Iron Shaft Weight: Lighter and Mid weight steel iron shafts versus heavier weight shafts to increase the distance for avid male golfer. To read my thesis click here >>
There are 6 club fitting factors to consider. There are different size grips depending on the size of your hands, lie angle, shaft length, shaft flex and weight, as well as club head design all play a role in helping you play to your potential. Go to the benefits page to see a video on the importance of lie angle. I became a Master professional with the LPGA in 2011, one of the criteria's that had to be met was to write a Thesis. I wrote my thesis on Steel Iron Shaft Weight: Lighter and Mid weight steel iron shafts versus heavier weight shafts to increase the distance for avid male golfer. To read my thesis click here >>
GOLF FITNESS - Golf Specific Exercises
More than ever golfers are turning to exercises off the course to improve their games. The combination of flexibility, mobility, balance, and strength is important for the motion of the golf swing. Mobility is the combination of Joint range of motion and Muscular Flexibility, this mobility creates Elastic Energy which = Speed and Power! Developing muscular endurance, strong muscles in the "Core", and balance create stability in the body which allows for a powerful golf swing. This must be a priority for golfer's looking to reach their full potential.
Michelle is a TPI certified golf fitness professional (C.G.F.I) The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) - the leaders in elite player development is leading the way in golf fitness. Michelle has developed a daily golf fitness workout that will help you play better golf. There are videos and photos of the golf specific exercises so it is easy to follow along from your home or gym. To understand the roll the body plays when swinging a golf club it's important to know that the body works in an alternating pattern of stable segments connected by mobile joints.
Michelle is a TPI certified golf fitness professional (C.G.F.I) The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) - the leaders in elite player development is leading the way in golf fitness. Michelle has developed a daily golf fitness workout that will help you play better golf. There are videos and photos of the golf specific exercises so it is easy to follow along from your home or gym. To understand the roll the body plays when swinging a golf club it's important to know that the body works in an alternating pattern of stable segments connected by mobile joints.
Here's a Normal Body Pattern of Stability and Mobility:
- Foot - Stable
- Ankle - Mobile
- Knee - Stable
- Hip - Mobile
- Pelvis/Sacrum/Lumbar Spine - Stable
- Thoracic Spine - Mobile
- Scapulothoracic - Stable
- Glenohumeral / Shoulder - Mobile
- Elbow - Stable
- Wrist - Mobile
- Cervical Spine / Neck - Stable
Do a Pelvic Rotation Test to check mobility of the spine, hips, pelvis, and stability of the trunk:
JOIN TODAY - You will gain access to Myofascial Release Exercises, Static and Dynamic Stretches, Balance Exercises, Core Exercises, as well as Body Screen Tests to improve your golf swing positions. There are videos and photos of the golf specific exercises so it is easy to follow along from your home or gym. You will also learn what Physical Limitations are responsible for certain swing faults. You will be able to watch videos of exercises that will address your areas that are specifically causing you the swing errors. This way you are spending quality time working out the areas that will benefit you the most instead of doing a long workout focusing on the wrong areas, these workouts benefit your personal situation.
