And you can find a lot of contradicting instruction and golf tips if you take a look around. So the question remains if you can improve your swing with the help of online tutorials and videos?

One of the oldest websites that offers golf video tutorials is www.rotaryswing.com.

The site was founded by the golf instructor Chuck Quinton in 2004 and claims to offer “Step-by-Step Instruction to a Biomechanically Perfect Golf Swing”. Is it still solid advice in 2022 and can the membership site actually help you to play better golf? We’ll find out.

This article is an honest review of the site telling you my opinion about the free and paid membership levels, what they have to offer and if it’s worth to invest your time and money into the program.

Let’s dive in!

The First Impression

When you take a first look at the site you are bombarded with a lot of hypie marketing claims like “ONE Drill to your most CONSISTENT Golf EVER!” or “Best Online Golf Instruction”.

But can Rotaryswing.com keep their promises for a change?

The design of the site is professional and everything is clear, readable and easy to navigate.

Unfortunately you can’t really get an impression of the content before you’ve set up an account.

You can create a new account fast and easy with any e-mail. If you join you’ll receive a couple of e-mails and from then on a couple of marketing emails.

So no spam. That’s good.

The Free Membership

Once you’ve signed in you’ll get access to the limited free content and will be constantly teased to try out the paid membership.

With your free membership you’ll get access to a couple of videos and can take a look around. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of free content to watch. So the free membership isn’t really worth your time.

I think the free content is too limited to get a good impression of the system but I can also understand that they don’t want to give away everything for free.

If you don’t decide to invest in the paid membership you’ll go through the content pretty fast and get some general concepts about what Rotaryswing tries to accomplish with it’s systematic approach. Not much more to talk about here.

The free membership is obviously just a teaser for the paid membership and doesn’t give away a lot. But who expected anything else?

The Paid Membership

At a price of $47 per month or $197.97 per year they offer a lot of content that accumulated over the years.

On top you can buy swing reviews so you get direct feedback on your own swing. These were included in the membership a couple of years ago and give you a detailed view on your own swing including drills you should try.

I’d say they are still good value for your money although I must admit that I haven’t tried them once they went to charge extra for them.

Now let’s talk about the content in the membership area.

There are three main swing concepts you can dive into. The newest addition is called the AXIOM. Then there is the so called DEAD Drill and finally the classic RST System.

I will tell you my opinion of each concept so you can make up your mind if you want to join the paid membership.

The AXIOM

The Axiom is the newest addition to the Rotary Swing online instruction. It all started with a simple video that explains a simple concept. This general concept of the Axiom gets directly to the point and can be used by any golfer.

Out of respect I can’t disclose the idea here. But I can tell you that it’s a description of a swing feeling that anyone can incorporate into their golf swing. The feeling revolves around your right foot (for right handed golfers) and I must admit that it’s really clever and will help a lot of golfers to play better golf.

The best thing about the Axiom is that you don’t need to practice it for a long time or need to keep in mind any technical thoughts. It really boils down to one single feeling which you can use immediately after you’ve watched the video.

Of course it’s not the be all and end all concept for everybody. But I can absolutely see how this single concept can help every golfer at any skill level to hit the ball better.

I’d say the Axiom alone is worth the price for one month of membership. So definitely check it out if you can.

Over the last year the AXIOM was extended with more detailed videos that bridge the gap towards the more complex and technical aspects of the DEAD Drill.

The DEAD Drill

The DEAD Drill is a specific set of simple drills that have the purpose to build a solid and consistent golf swing. It’s basically one simple drill that is broken down into six steps for you. [clearboth]

• Step 1 – The Backswing
• Step 2 – The Transition
• Step 3 – The Post Up
• Step 4 – Add the Lead Arm
• Step 5 – Add the Club
• Step 6 – Add the Trail Arm

Each step is described in a short and concise video.

I personally really like the idea of the Dead Drill and I think it breaks down a solid golf swing to six simple steps that anyone can do. It’s more or less a simplified version of the old RST System that you’ve also access too.

The Dead Drill is a great addition to the Rotary Swing Membership site and is a simple way to build a solid golf swing. Try it! You won’t be disappointed.

RST – Rotary Swing – Tour Swing

The main content is structured systematically into different sections of the full golf swing (They call their system the “Rotary Swing – Tour Swing”): [clearboth]

• Introduction
• Setup
• Weight Shift
• Takeaway
• Backswing
• Downswing
• Follow Through

Each section contains several videos and builds on each other.

The videos are very straight forward and have no fluff or entertainment but they aren’t dry. They either teach you some concepts or give you some drills to use on your own time.

You also get some bonus sections that deal with hitting the driver, golf fitness and faults and fixes. Overall there are easily 10 hours of video tutorials to watch if you want to absorb everything.

I think you get the most out of the site if you go through the content in order and send in your swing for your reviews on a regular basis. This requires a lot of effort on your part, of course. But I think it’s absolutely worth it.

I also think that the system is great for refining your swing during the off season or for rainy days when you are unable to hit the course.

Most of the drills can be done in the comfort of your own home and you don’t even need to swing a club necessarily as they try to teach you seperate motions on a step-by-step basis.

Video Examples

Here are some video examples of what you can expect of the DEAD Drill and the RST System of RotarySwing.com.

Dead Drill Introduction

Here you get an overview of the Dead Drill and every Step.

RST System Introduction

The founder Chuck Quinton talks about the key points of his program and what the main differences to other programs, videos and books are.

Can you learn a sound golf swing with Rotaryswing alone?

I’d say yes and no. It honestly depends what your swing faults are and what type of learning style you prefer.

Some people do great with videos and drills. Other people just need a professional golf instructor that can interact with them and bend them into the positions they need to feel.

Especially if you are a low handicapper you probably need personal instruction to get the details right that can bring you to the next level. Remote diagnosis just doesn’t cut it there.

In general I’d say that RotarySwing.com can definitely help most high to mid handicappers to play better if they invest the time, do the drills and go through the systems step by step.

You get a good understanding of what makes up a functional golf swing, what factors control the club face and what you need to focus on to gain better control over your shots.

The biggest crux of the system is that you need to be very diligent to benefit from it. As with anything in golf you get out of it what you put into it.

On top the systems are heavily biased on the full swing. There’s only little information on putting and the short game.

Doesn’t The System Screw Up My Natural Swing?

The thing about Rotary Swing is that they try to teach general concepts – yet are very precise with their instruction.

This may seem like a contradiction. And at first the instruction videos and drills seem like monkey see monkey do.

But once you’ve mastered a couple of the moves you’ll get the idea that they are only teaching general elements of the golf swing and leave more than enough room for your individual nuances.

I think they do a great job of teaching you what, why and how to accomplish certain things in your golf swing without being too dogmatic about it.

They try to sell you the idea more than once that they are teaching the anatomical perfect golf swing that prevents injuries and is the way to go.

And without a doubt you will find certain instructions that contradict other golf instructors and golf books.

This style may not be for everybody especially if you are used to play more by feel and like to grind it out.

People who like to have a clear path they can folow can benefit greatly from the RotarySwing System, though.

The Verdict

Try RotarySwing.com Today

Step 1: Click the “Try Rotary Swing” Button
Step 2: If you like what you see. Sign up for a paid membership and start to improve your game.

Try Rotary Swing

In The Interest Of Full Transparency

I earn a small commission with every paid membership that results through a link from my site. That being said I kept this review as honest as possible and I wouldn’t promote Rotary Swing if I wasn’t fully convinced that the content and service could help you to play better golf.

I wasn’t paid to write this review and it reflects my personal and honest opinion.

If you are still on the fence just try out the free membership and check Rotary Swing out for yourself. You’ve got nothing to lose here.

The post 2022 Review – RotarySwing.com The Anatomy Of The Golf Swing appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

There is a way to enjoy every round of golf and every shot you make. No matter how bad you think your shot was. And it’s so simple that almost everybody misses it.

Many golfers seem to struggle with a lot of frustration. Countless hours of bitching and moaning on and off the golf course lead to a point when they want to quit golf.

They almost want to throw their clubs into the nearest pond.

Sounds familiar?

Why are so many golfers angry, frustrated and desperate? Even when they spend so much of their free time with a hobby they love?

It all starts with the inner game and your own expectations.

The average golfer hits the ball well eight to ten times per round.

The rest of his shots are mishits he must learn to deal with.

The question is why their expectations are so much higher than their reality. Most golfers would only be satisfied if they’d hit every shot 100% perfectly.

With this attitude anger and frustration are built in which leads to even more bad shots. It’s like these players want to control the game.

After every bad shot they tell themselves “WTF! How did I make such an awful shot?!”

Not even the best players in the world manage to play perfect golf. As you can witness every day on the PGA Tour. Yet, the average Joe wants to do exactly that.

But there’s a way to be calm and happy even when everything seems to go straight down the toilet on the golf course. The magic of this mental attitude helps you to improve your game with every bad shot.

Even when you think that you’ve played your worst round ever.

And you will learn how to do that right now!

Unbiased Golf

When you are biased you have an expectation of what somebody will or should do. You have an expectation of the future. That means that a biased golfer (Which is where almost everybody starts.) tries to look into the future before every shot he makes.

They try to predict the outcome of the shot. This prediction is the ultimate goal they compare with their results. And when their reality doesn’t equal their predictions they become angry, bitch and moan and start throwing their clubs.

The opposite to that is the unbiased golfer.

When you are unbiased you don’t have a prediction. That’s why there’s no difference between reality and expectations.

The focus is not on the outcome of your shots. But what do you focus on instead?

The Answer

You focus on the evaluation of things you can actually control. By the way, the results of your shots are not part of that.

Even if you hit a pure shot just as you intended your ball could still land in a divot or get a bad bounce. You play golf outside with a lot of forces that are outside of your control.

If your goal is to improve and play better golf you shouldn’t focus on your score or a specific landmark you want to achieve. Focus on what you can actually control.

Control the Controllable

If you want to play unbiased golf you need to learn to shift your focus.

Away from the results of your golf shots and towards things you can actually control. While working on things you can control your success on the golf course will follow.

Things You Can Control on the Golf Course

• your preparation for each shot, round of golf or tournament
• your emotions
• your body language
• your thoughts
• your club selection
• your pre-shot routine
• your intensity of practice
• your nutrition

Things you are not in Control of

• the weather
• the course conditions
• your flight partners
• the result of your golf shots
• luck or misfortune
• your starting time
• the quality of the driving range and driving range balls

Focus on the Quality of Your Doing

It’s hard at first but the results have to be secondary to you.

You will notice fast – the more you focus on everything you are doing before you pull the trigger – the better your shots and the less disastrous your mishits will be.

Your results will become better although you are not focusing on them at all.

Sounds like a zen saying but it’s basically reaching your goals by not going after your goals.

How to Play Unbiased Golf

First you’ve to internalize that:

• You can’t hit every shot perfectly on a round of golf
• You have to concentrate on the things you can actually control

Then you’ll need a system to evaluate yourself.

An easy way to do that needs only three simple steps.

First pick an action you can control before each round of golf (e.g. That you do your pre-shot routine 100%, every time.)

As the second step you write that goal on a separate score card.

The third step is to give yourself a score on the action you picked (e.g. 1=very bad, 10=very good) for every shot you take or every hole you play.

This way you can take an average of the ratings you gave yourself after every round.

This simple system will shift your focus away from your score and back towards yourself and the skill you want to improve.

There’s no luck or misfortune anymore. There’s only you!

You can see right there on paper why you’ve messed up a particular hole.

This kind of self evaluation will show you that a bad round won’t come down to a single bad shot.

It’s always you that is in charge!

Photo: “Male golf player on professional golf course. Angry golfer sad about losing and broke his golf club on knee” © Alex – stock.adobe.com

The post The Number One Mental Shift to Play Your Best Golf Today appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course… the space between your ears.

You can hear it ringing in your ears all the time on and off the course.
Golf is as much about mental strength as it is a game of skill.

When it comes to the average weekend warrior this is only partly true though. The average golfer in general has so much to improve techniquewise that willpower alone won’t and can’t make the shots happen that he needs and longs for. (Especially when he devotes nearly no time to practice.)

Wishful thinking and pie in the sky dreams won’t make you play like a PGA pro no matter how strong your positive attitude is.

On the other hand if you are phenomenal with your technique but get a nervous breakdown whenever you find yourself in a challenging situation on the golf course you won’t play you best golf either.

In other words; you need to know where your mental strength needs to be in practice as much as when you play or compete. It’s a synergy that leads to the best scores.

So instead of lulling yourself with overgeneralized statements like “I need to be mentally strong.” or “Golf is all about your mindset.” let’s go a little deeper and find out how we can build a teaching and playing regimen for ourselves that let’s us enjoy the good as well as the bad rounds while we continually learn and improve.

Sounds impossible? Not if you ask the famous sports psychologist Dr. Joseph Parent. He wrote the very successful book “ZEN GOLF Mastering the Mental Game” and promises in it a way to walk a successful path on and off the course.

According to him you need to focus on 4 things to become a fearless zen master on the links.

No 1 – Mental Strength – Performing When It Matters

When all is smooth sailing golf is a lot of fun. But it is inevitable to find yourself in tough situations. Good golf and scoring low is all about how you manage your misses.

The average amateur doesn’t have the skill and mental strength to pull himself out of the heavy rough or other tough spots. What ends up happening most of the time with amateurs who face a tough lie is that they almost give up and call it tough luck.

The end result is that they start compounding mistake after mistake. Suddenly they need three shots to get out of the bunker just because they didn’t focus at all and got more and more nervous with each shot.

A good player can double down on tough situations, focus even harder and decide on the best solution that suits his abilities and mental state.

A Good Habit To Toughen Up

Embrace the no gimme rule (that includes mulligans too). From now on every shot counts. Even if there is time pressure or your buddies are telling you to pick it up – you play until the ball is in the cup. This way you learn to deal with tough situations. And trust me, this will teach you over time to perform when it really matters.

No 2 – Mental Flexibility – Don’t Play Cookie Cutter Golf

Think, think, think, baby. Many golfers have the mindset that they could approach every golf course and golf hole the same way. Golf is still played one shot at a time and it needs to be the right shot for the right situation.

Weather conditions, course conditions, your lie and the course layout should all be taken into consideration when you pull a club from your golf bag and decide on your next shot.

Especially beginning golfers think that there is perfect golf swing that will somehow magically make you par every hole. That’s far from reality, of course. The more options you can come up with in your mind and actually implement on the course the lower your scores will be.

If you are just able to perform well one chip shot from one distance, you will get screwed sooner than later. But if you are able to play a flop shot, a bump and run a high shot etc. your odds are way better if you take your time to decide on the right shot for the right situation.

A Good Habit To Become More Flexible On The Golf Course

Cultivate your creative thinking in your practice sessions. Just because you find yourself in the bunker doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to pull your sand wedge, for example.

Experiment with your club selection and your shot versatility for different situations. Here are a couple of suggestions for starters:

• Chip with your 3 wood from the fringe.
• Putt out of a bunker with a low lip.
• Use your putter to pop it out of heavy rough next to the green.
• Chip with longer clubs like a 6 iron while choking down on the grip.

No 3 – Balance – Learn To Stay In The Moment

Staying in the moment can be easier said than done when things get hot around the course. But keeping a cool head and mental balance are the only ways to play your best golf.

You can’t get too excited or too depressed as both things will distract you from the task at hand which is your next shot. A mental unbalance seduces your mind to wander into the past or into the future too much.

A Good Habit To Stay In The Moment

On your next round count how often you get angry about past events or wonder about a challenge that will be coming up. Golf leaves you with a lot of time to think. Your goal should be to get that number eventually down to zero. Always use your time for your current shot.

No 4 – Stamina – Conserve Your Mental Energy

A good round of golf has many emotional highs and lows. The key to play your best is to conserve your energy as much as you can. Of course you can be angry over shots you messed up. But if you are still thinking about a three putt five holes later, you are wasting your energy on things you can’t change anyways.

Whatever you do don’t drain your energy from hole to hole.

A Good Habit To Conserve Your Mental Energy

Refocus at the mid point. People often forget how long they still have to go. Especially after 9 holes. That’s usually the point where most people throw their game plan over board and start to play wild catch up or destroy their otherwise good round.

Make it a habit to refocus at the mid point. Reevaluate what you want to do the next nine holes and stick to your plan. There still is a lot of golf to be played and anything can happen.

In Conclusion

If you take these tips and the for areas of a strong mindset to heart you will see positive results in the long run, no doubt about it. Don’t forget to build your mental strength, stay flexible, keep your balance and conserve your mental energy.

If you want to read more about these four areas I recommend the book:

ZEN GOLF Mastering the Mental Game – by Dr. Joseph Parent

It’s a quick read and easy to digest with many applicable exercises and ideas.

Do you already have a special habit or routine that helps you to stay calm when it gets tough on the links? Let me hear about it in the comments section or via twitter or facebook.

The post The Zen Of Playing Golf appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

Fortunately that won’t be you if you use some of your practice time on each of following four shots. These are the golf shots that hold your game together and keep your scores low.

And despite all the fuss about the longest drive or nearest to the pin ego trips – the game of golf is still about who has the lowest score after 18 holes?

If you can focus your practice time equally on each of these shots I guarantee you that your scores will go down.

If you read through each one of them you’ll realise why.

These golf shots help you to eliminate penalty strokes (from out-of-bounds or lost balls), three putts and missed chipping opportunities – which are the worst enemies of all golfers.

First Shot To Practice: Greenside Chip Shots

If you are able to chip the ball comfortably into a three-foot circle around the hole your up and downs suddenly get a lot easier. With proficient chipping around the green you don’t have to worry too much if you miss your tee shot or your approach.

Usually practicing this shot makes a day and night difference on the overall score.

Always (and with that I mean always!) practice your greenside chipping when you are out to work on your game.

This skill has as much to do with touch and feel as it has to do with technique which is why you want to practice this shot at least a little bit whenever you have the chance.

The most important thing when you practice this shot is to vary your distances and lies. Practice from the rough, from a tight lie, from a good lie, close to the fringe, a couple of feet away etc.

If you do this regularly you gain the proficiency and experience to approach every up and down with confidence.

Here’s a great video by Mark Crossfield explaining the basic technique of a greenside chip. He makes it quite clear that its most important to chose the shot that’s easiest to you. Which usually is the shot where the ball is the least time in the air.

Second Shot To Practice: Tee Shots

Go figure, huh? But wait let me explain with a question: What’s a good tee shot to you?

Well, in reality it’s anyone you can find. And that’s not even a joke. Most mid- to high-handicappers don’t play to their capabilities and take driver just because they have it in the bag. Or they take the same club on every hole to tee off not even thinking about what lies ahead of them.

If you want to play for the lowest score you must keep your ball in play – period!

The fairway is narrow with trouble and out-of-bounds to the left and right? Suck it up and take a mid-iron.

Never risk a penalty stroke because of your big ego.

If you struggle with your driver but there’s enough space so you can hit it 2 fairways over – go for it bubba. The distance gained will make up for the angle of your second shot if you hit it off-line.

But by all means do anything you can to avoid penalty shots!

Never forget that golf is a game of percentages. Sometimes you hit miracle shot and sometimes you mess up the easiest thing in the world. Don’t let that fool you. If you want to play for a low score always opt for the shot with the highest probability for your skillset.

How To Practice Your Tee Shots

The next time you are on the range imagine each and every tee shot you need to hit on your golf course.

Think about your strategy and club selection to keep the ball in play. Take your basic shot shape (left-to-right or right-to-left) and potential trouble sources into consideration.

Then when you tee it off stick to your plan no matter what.

Even if you get some funny looks from your buddies don’t change what you’ve prepared for. When all is said and done you can rub your scorecard into their faces. ;-)

From a technique standpoint it’s always a good idea to experiment with strike ideas to master your driver.

That means just trying to hit the ball on different parts of your club face (preferring heel or toe) instead of focusing on certain positions or angles. Here’s another video by Mark Crossfield where he explains this idea:

Third Shot To Practice: Three- And Six-Foot Putts

The three- and six-foot range are the most important distances when it comes to putting.

Here’s often decided whether you can convert your up and down or you’ll have to leave with a bogey or worse. Three- and Six-Foot putts are key distances you need to be confident with and you can only gain this confidence through deliberate practice and experience.

So before each round of golf or whenever your decide to practice your putting don’t forget to do your three-footers and six-footers.

How To Practice Your Putting

Practicing your putting stroke is usually the easiest thing to do. You can even practice in the comfort of your own home.

There are a million and one drills which basically all teach the same thing: A feel for speed and distance, a proper stroke and being able to read the green.

Some of my favourite drills are explained in the following video. Practicing putting can be cumbersome and boring but these drills show us that it doesn’t have to be that way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EHshPWZ_KU

A Book Recommendation When It Comes To Putting

If you really want to know everything there is to know about putting there is one book you should check out. Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible – The Complete Guide to Mastering the Green leaves no stone unturned when it comes to putting.

I mean, this guy is obsessed with the topic and will answer a lot of questions you don’t even think about in the first place.

E.g. in a tournament there will usually develop a small hill (“doughnot”) around the hole over time.

Just because people are doing most of their steps on the green when they are near to the hole. The book can be lengthy at times but gives you enough good ideas to think about – highly recommended.

Fourth Shot To Practice: Trouble Shots Out Of The Rough

The funny thing is that most amateurs are quite proficient with these kind of shots. Just because they practice them involuntary when they are out on the golf course. Nevertheless you shouldn’t go with your gut when you find yourself in the rough or another tough spot.

By practicing difficult lies and trouble shots you can save your score more often than not.

If you find yourself in heavy rough it’s usually the best option to pop it out onto the fairway with a relatively save chip shot. But you should also practice a shot that helps you gain at least a little distance. This can be useful when there’s no trouble ahead of you.

In the following video Piers Ward and Andy Proudman explain how to realise such a shot:

The Art Of Scoring Low

There you are. These are the four shots you need to focus your practice time on if you want to shoot your lowest score in your next round.

Do you practice these already on a regular basis? What shots are essential to keep your score low, in your opinion?
Let me know in the comments section or on twitter or facebook.

The post 4 Shots You Need To Play Your Best Round Of Golf appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

So what exactly makes the 22-year-old such a dominant force on the links?

Is it raw talent alone? Here are three golf tips every player can learn from Spieth to use for his own game.

Prepare Like A Pro To Play Like A Champ

This is one of those golf tips nobody wants to hear.

How many times do you see somebody arrive at the course five minutes before his tee time – later wondering why he played a shabby round.

Golf is a lot about feel and if you don’t get into the groove you won’t be able to perform your best.

This is a simple truth many a player seems to forget or ignore. Here’s how Jordan Spieth prepares for his tournament rounds and there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t try the same for you.

Jordan’s pre-round warm-up routine starts 75 minutes before his tee time. He begins with putting – doing his putting drill from different distances towards the hole.

15 minutes later he’s off to the range starting his warm up with hitting wedges and pitch shots. Then going through his bag towards the longer irons, hybrids, woods and finally his driver.

25 minutes before his tee time he does a couple of chip shots and bunker blasts.

Finally he finishes his warm up with a couple of putts again – just before heading to the first tee.

Here’s a short video that summarizes his routine for you.

75 minutes of preparation may be a little too much for you. Especially if you just want to play a round with your buddies. But you should definitely think about what you want to do before a round and be deliberate about it. It will show on your score card – for sure!

I think the most important fact to notice here is that he does about 50 percent of his warm up shots from 100 yards in.

Short game is king! Especially at the highest level of golf. Don’t forget your putting, chipping and pitching before you hit the course. It will save your score when you find yourself around the green.

Jordan Spieth Putting Drill

During his warm up you can see Spieth using an alignment stick while on the putting green. This is an easy drill to set up and you should try it for yourself. It helps with alignment, your putting stroke and your overall setup.

All you need to do, is to put down an alignment stick (You can also use a golf club … but an alignment stick is less clunky.) parallel to your intended target line. You can also use a couple of tees to mark different distances from the hole and the width of your intended putting stroke.

With this guide it should be easy for you to see if your setup is parallel towards your target line and if you move the putter squarely through the ball.

I really like the simplicity of this drill and the visual feedback it provides. In the end putting is a lot more about visuals and feel than most people think.

Here’s a short video by Peter Finch that explains the drill step-by-step to you. The great thing is you can even use it indoors just putting into a cup.

Eliminate Your Bad Tee Shot

Every golfer has a swing tendency which comes with a big miss.

Beginners usually struggle with a big slice while better players fear the duck hook or the block.

If you know your swing tendency you can use small changes in your setup and your grip to make it less likely to hit your big miss.

In this short video Hank Haney explains how Jordan eliminates the hook from his tee shots.

The 4 Key-Moves Jordan Spieth Uses To Control His Tee Shots

Weak left-hand grip to prevent the clubface from turning over too much = no hook

Left elbow bent at the top of his swing, not rigid

His hands and arms lead the club through the shot

Jordan Spieth keeps his upper body back and extends his arms through the shot

What do you think is the secret to Jordan Spieth’s success? ”

Will you try his putting drill? Don’t forget to share this article on Facebook or twitter if you liked it.

The post 3 Golf Secrets You Can Learn From Jordan Spieth appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

He struggles. He really struggles hard to find his game.

Meanwhile the media goes totally bonkers tearing their former superstar apart. Comments like “He’s done!”, “He should quit golf!”, “He’ll never win a tournament, above all a major, again!” are common.

It’s the old media game. People cheer you on when you are winning but clap the loudest when you are down. It’s interesting to see how the media coverage and public opinion of Tiger made a complete u-turn since Tigergate in 2009/2010.

Everyone and their dog has an opinion about Tiger and his game and many are not very positive. It feels to me that Woods arrived at a breaking point in his career – again.

Personally I wish him all the best, that he manages to bounce back and shuts them all up – just because he can. :-)

Tiger’s Game

When you take a look at the footage from the mishits at the 2015 Memorial Tournament and US Open you’ll recognize the pattern which Tiger is trying to fix.

His longer tee shots have a two way miss, his irons miss distance control and are sometimes (depending on the lie) a little erratic too. Plus he seems to have problems chipping towards elevated greens.

Tiger knows all this and is working on his game every day. Most of his mishits happen because his swing bottoms out before he hits the ball (fat shots).

He says that’s because of his swing changes he’s working on with Chris Como. He wants his angle of attack into the ball to be a lot shallower than it was with Sean Foley.

Here’s a short interview of Tiger, captured after playing at the Memorial Tournament this year.

Why Doesn’t He Just Fix His Game?

What baffles people more than anything is how a player like Tiger can’t fix his own swing faults asap or at least play around them. He’s been holding a golf club before he could walk, right?

Well even the best and most experienced players can’t fight nature. Dealing with the golf swing is dealing with motion and motor skills. There are no short cuts even for the best. You’ve got to make the repetitions to ingrain new movements and change old behavior.

If you change your golf swing you shake up your system and movement patterns which usually leads to worse results before you get any better.

People expect that the learning curve for golf should be linear when in reality it’s more like a staircase. (As a side note: If you turn the “real curve” on its head you have the usual development of the handicap of a player who practices regularly.)

And this learning curve is also true for professional players like Tiger who are working on their game at a higher level.

Moreover golf is a game of margins and percentages. You simply can’t expect to reach a certain level of skill and keeping that skill forever, playing like a robot.

Small changes that are ingrained in your swing can lead to big results. “Small hinges swing big doors.” is just as true in golf.

In my opinion Tiger is still in the middle of mastering his swing changes. Caught somewhere between his old and new swing.

The added pressure of public tournaments most likely shake up his system even more. Which leads us to his mental game.

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Where’s The Old Tiger? Has He Lost His Iron Will To Win?

You can’t deny that Tigers body language didn’t scream confidence in the recent tournaments he played in. But on the other hand – who are we kidding? If you shoot your ball into the rough or water you aren’t excited either.

Confidence is a curious thing. Competence and good results breed confidence and the other way around. Winning makes you confident and loosing makes you doubt what you are doing.

Tiger had some of his worst rounds of professional golf in his career. He’s probably confronted with doubt and negative opinions like he was in 2010.

It’s impossible to block the whole word from your mind even if you are very strong mentally. So the best chance for Tiger is to get back in contention to rekindle his flame.

It’s somewhat of a dilemma, because he’s fighting a uphill battle against his own mind and his game.

But he has succeeded before which makes it more likely that he will succeed again.

What Can You Learn From Tiger’s Struggle?

Golf can be a very humbling game even for the best professional players on earth. But it can be a very rewarding journey as well – if you learn how to deal with setbacks, struggles and mental stress.

You’ve got to remember that it always gets worse before it gets better.

You’ve got to know your weaknesses so you can play around them when it counts and work to eliminate them when you’ve got the time to practice.

And when all is said and done you just need to hit the little white ball and enjoy the game.

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What’s your opinion about Tiger at the moment?

Do you think he will manage to bounce back? Do you even care anymore?

Don’t forget to share this article on Facebook or twitter if you liked it.

The post Why Tiger Woods Sucks And What You Can Learn From His Struggle appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

With all he has achieved in his career, even including a knighthood in 2009, I think the most incredible thing about Faldo is how fast he reached a competitive, professional level. Especially when you consider how late he started when compared to other players of his time.

With 41 professional wins, including 6 major championships, he will return one last time to the British Open at St. Andrews this year in July.

The 57-year-old plans to pay his respect to golf and his own career at the home of golf. Celebrating his 58th birthday during the third round of the tournament my guess is that he will be extra motivated to make the cut.

As it’s the British Open at St Andrews – you never know what’ll happen. I’ll definitely make a smiling face while I keep an eye on Faldo during the tournament.

There Is Always Better – But It Usually Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

In 1983 Faldo had already five victories on the European Tour under his belt. Nevertheless he had the feeling that he needed to refine his swing. He worked together with David Leadbetter who warned him that it would take some time for the swing changes to settle in and that his performance would probably dip before he could reap the rewards.

The swing looked beautiful. It had marvellous rhythm. But it camouflaged a number of faults – David Leadbetter

And that was exactly what happened. After a 3 year struggling period from 1984 to 1987 Faldo came back stronger than before winning the Peugeot Spanish Open in May 1987.

This shows the natural way golf works for almost everybody. Many amateurs think that it’s a linear path from worse to better. That’s  a farcry from the truth. In golf you try to learn and ingrain very precise motions. That process takes time and usually always incorporates a phase where everything is out of whack.

Here’s a short video of David Leadbetter talking about Faldo’s swing of that time:

Faldo’s Absolute Musts

One of the key assets of Faldo has always been his tempo and smooth swing. He says himself that tempo is the glue that holds a good swing together. In his great “A Swing For Life” Nick Faldo Book describes his three musts he would focus on if he had only two minutes with you on the range.

The goal of these details is to help you to build a good athletic movement from start to finish. They help you to turn to a complete backswing and unwind to a balanced finish.

Knees At Setup – Sharpen your setup angles and engage the core muscles with the weight on the balls of your feet.

Center Your Turn – Maintain that athletic flex in your right knee and thigh as you rotate your belly and turn your left shoulder under your chin.

Rotate Through – Rotate your right shoulder all the way past your chin to achieve a balanced finish.

Nick Faldo On Playing The Game

With a playing career spanning over 30 years Nick Faldo has learned quite a lot on how to compete at the highest level of the game. He also saw the game evolve and is still sharing his thoughts with his television work for CBS Sports and Golf Channel.

Here are some of the keys he frequently shares not only in his commentary and writing:

When you are playing the game focus your mind on what is going to happen through the ball and toward the target. Working on mechanics is an important part of preparing for the game. But when you are actually playing your mind should be always focused on the ballflight and the outcome you are trying to achieve.

Engaging the target became my overriding priority in the hour or so that I would spend warming up before a tournament round, and I want this to be your priority too. – Nick Faldo

Faldo is also a big believer in building good habits and working on positive pictures. You can’t trick yourself into good mechanics or something that isn’t there but you can always prepare yourself to play your best golf.

If you rush to the golf course and to the first tee without any time to really settle in and leave the stresses and strains of everyday life behind you will have a hard time to concentrate.

There’s a story about Ben Hogan that he made it his policy to drive to the course well under the speed limit to help prepare for the day.

I think exactly the same way. Take some time to plan some habits you could start doing to build a positive outlook towards your game. What can you do during your warm up, on the course and when things go wrong? How about some stretching and golf specific exercises when you arrive on the range? How about thinking through every hole you are going to play?

Always think hard before you pull a club out of your bag. :-)

What are your thoughts about Nick Faldo?

Will you follow him this year during the British Open at St Andrews? Feel free to share this article on Facebook or twitter if you liked it.

The post Golf Swing Secrets Of The Greats – Nick Faldo appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

Here are five quick tips that might be new to you to make your golf swing more consistent. Try them and I bet you will hit the ball more solidly and straighter.

#1 – Keep Your Eyes Level For Better Ball Striking

This is one aspect most people never think about.

But tilting your head during the backswing can cause a number of swing problems.

For example a headtilt to the left can lead to a steep swing that bottoms out early.

Keeping your eyes steady definitely helps you to  stay balanced while you turn back.

Without a doubt one of the most important things in the golf swing is the angle of approach of the club coming into the golf ball.

To come into the ball with the right angle of approach you have to have the right angle of your body and the right plane of your swing.

A more upright swing will hit down more. A flatter swing will tend to sweep the ball more.

One of the aspects that affects your angle of approach is your head position.

And a common mistake many people do is tilting their head too much in their backswing to make room for their shoulder.

This leads to a sharp angle when they are looking at the golf ball. This perspective has to be processed and acommodated for during the downswing.

So you want to keep your eyes as level as possible. You can use the brim of your cap as a guideline when you practice.

This way you have a proper chance to return the club into the ball at the proper angle.

#2 Hit With The Back Of Your Lead Hand Towards The Target

If you keep your hands in unison with your upper body the back of your lead hand should point towards the target throughout the hit.

If you throw or twist your hands out of synch to manipulate the shot shape you will hit less consistent.

The timing will simply be off more often than not.

Try to keep your hands in front of your body throughout the swing.

If you think you can’t turn as far this way – don’t.

A ball that lands on the fairway beats a ball that went 30 yards farther but is out of bounds any day.[clearboth]

#3 Keep The Angle Of Your Upper Body Throughout The Swing

Consistency of your strike has also a lot to do with how stable you can keep your upper body throughout your swing (angle, tilt and lateral movement).

This adds to the idea of keeping your eyes as level as possible.

You always want to simplify your swing as much as possible.

If the spine angle is distinctively different from setup to the impact position something went wrong.

When you setup to the golf ball you have a certain amount of bend forward from your hips.

The idea is that you want to keep that bend throughout the whole swing.

What a lot of people do, though, is that they turn back they keep their bend but turning into the ball they come up out of their posture.

Usually their lower body comes into the ball and their upper body comes up away from the golf ball.

Try to keep the bend you have at your hips throughout the whole swing – back and through.

#4 Tempo And Smoothness Is A Key Factor For Consistent Ball Striking

If you try to force anything in golf the outcome is usually disastrous.

This is especially true if people try to gain speed by snatching their club back and down through their swing.

To find your best tempo, grip your club light. On a scale of one to ten (ten being a very firm grip), try to grip the club with a pressure of three.

But the big key long term should be to synchronize your swing. What I mean by that is that you want to finish the turn of your body and the swing of your arms at the same time during your backswing.

People who have their swing out of synch usually jerk the club back without completing the turn of their shoulders and upper body.

Always try to synchronize the inside part of your swing (your torso / upper body) with your outside part of your swing (your hands arms and the club).

One of the best examples for a smooth swing is Fred Couples in my opinion.

If you learn to do that you have great momentum to get into the downswing and all the speed you need.

Swing smooth, synch your swing and grip it light!

#5 Your Short Game Is The Glue That Holds Everything Together

Well, that’s the part nobody wants to hear. Even the best players in the world don’t hit the green every time.

When things go wrong it’s their phenomenal short game that saves the day.

If consistency means lower scores to you, you need to be effective from 30 yards into the green. That means no two-chips and no three-putts.

With those two aspects handled alone some amateur players could save 8 to 10 strokes each round easily.

Practice your putting, practice your chipping and shoot lower scores more consistently. [clearboth]

What do you do to be more consistent?

Let me know in the comments section below and don’t forget to share the article on facebook or twitter if you think it is worth a read.

The post 5 Tips For More Consistency You Might Not Have Heard Yet appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

The answer: “I play golf occasionally…”. This was probably the understatement of the century and a big fat lie on top.

The man was known in all states of the USA under his nickname Titanic Thompson.

He brought a lot of honest people and a couple of gangsters to bet against him in all ways of imaginable gambles and won most of them.

He was one of the most successful con man of his time and he played golf occasionally if he knew he could con big money.

Alvin was born in Arkansas. His father left his family when he was 5 months old and his religious stepfather raised him strictly and used him mostly as a cheap worker.

When Alvin was 14 years old he left school and with 16 he left his parents to try his luck with gambling.

In his own story, published in Sports Illustrated in 1972 he described how he came to his now famous nickname:

“In the spring of 1912 I went to Joplin, Missouri, just about the time the Titanic liner hit an iceberg and sank with more than 1,500 people on board. I was in a pool room there and beat a fellow named Snow Clark out of $500. To give him a chance to get even, I bet $200 I could jump across his pool table without touching it. If you think that’s easy, try it.

But I could jump farther than a herd of bullfrogs in those days. I put down an old mattress on the other side of the table. Then I took a run and dived headfirst across the pool table. While I was counting my money, somebody asked Clark what my name was “It must be Titanic,” said Clark. “He sinks everybody.” so I was Titanic from then on.”

King of Gambling

Titanic Thompson had all the skills to be the perfect con man. He was very skilled with all kinds of playing card tricks, shooting guns and rifles and throwing all kinds of things.

But in his bets he didn’t rely on his skills alone.

He always tried to at least skew the results in his favor. In one of his most famous feats he bettet with Al Capone (the famous mob boss) that he could throw an orange over the roof of a building.

In the last moment he secretly switched the orange with a lemon and won the bet.

Here are a couple more of his feats and cons described by a witness of his time. Here you can learn how to make every 45 footer any day even without practicing. ;-)

Golf Cons

After his time in the army Titanic came in contact with the golf sport.

He was a talented player and could play right handed and left handed.

His usual con was to demonstrate complete incompetence on the golf course for little bets to lure his victims into bigger bets which he would ultimately win.

One time he won 56.000$ from the golf coach Buddy Brainer. Buddy tried to get his money back with violence which forced Titanic (also called Ty) to bolt to San Francisco.

With his second wife Alice Ty moved to Beverly Hills and practiced with the famous golf coach Ed Dudley. This led to a lot more success with his golf cons.

Ty was a master of deception. He always made sure that he would win his matches as close as possible. Even if he had to beat a score of 100 or 65.

He did everything he could to make people bet against him.

He played with one arm, with bandaged eyes or with his off hand, he even turned up once in a wheelchair.

One time he betted against the members of a country club that he could drive the ball further than any man of them during the winter. They said he couldn’t so he hit his shot onto a frozen pond leading to a drive of over a mile and won 50.000$.

Unfortunately there are only few matches recorded where Ty played against professional players.

In 1926 he challenged the amateur champion of the time George Van Elm for a match of 100$ per hole. Van Elm didn’t know Ty and even gave him nine extra strokes.

After nine holes Titanic hadn’t used any of his extra strokes and was all square with Van Elm.

The amateur champ realized that he would probably lose as he stood on the 10th green, threw his putter away and ran for the club house.

A couple of weeks later Van Elm brought a Top-Pro to California who should beat Thompson with his own weapons.

Several days he presented himself as a bad golfer until he challenged Ty for a match. But Thompson won anyway with one stroke.

In 1934 Ty played against a young professional named Byron Nelson.

Nelson won his first major tournament 3 years later. After nine holes Nelson lead with three strokes.

But on the second nine Thompson shot a 29 which shut up all the people that doupted Tys golf skills.

His biggest Defeats

Titanic Thompson had to suffer his biggest defeats offside the fairways.

In Tijuanam Mexico he lost 1.2 million Dollar during a feigned horse race. In the sixties he lost in a big oildeal in New Mexico.

He killed five people in his lifetime and was also married five times in his life.

His last wife Jeanette got divorced in 1973 and deported Ty without any funds into a retirement home where he coned his fellow mates with mini golf.

One time Titanic Thompson was asked why he never tried to play professional golf.

 “Well son,“he said, shuffling his deck of cards. “It’s because I couldn’t afford the cut in pay.”

The post Golfs Ultimate Hustler – Titanic Thompson appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..

Seve had no green to work with because the flag stick was also positioned in the back. With this challenge at hand Billy turned to Seve and asked him “What do you think?” Seve answered “No problem, I will hit the flag.”.

Billy thought this would be a very risky play because hitting the flagstick could deflect the ball anywhere – if Seve managed to hit it at all. To his amazement Seve popped the ball up into the air and hit the actual cloth of the flag. The ball fell down and landed a few inches from the hole.

This little story captures the essence of what made Seve one of the most famous players of his era and why his imagination, bold plays and resulting successes changed the game of golf forever.

The imaginative player sees several ways to recover from a situation, while the mechanical player sees only one. – Seve Ballesteros

Europe’s Greatest Golfer

Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros Sota was born as the youngest of five sons on 9 April 1957 in the little village of Pedreña, Cantabria in Spain. He learned the game at a young age by playing with a 3 iron on the beaches near his home while he was supposed to go to school.

At the age of 16 he turned professional and at the age of 19, in 1976, he became famous internationally by finishing with a tied second-place at The Open Championship (He shared the second place with Jack Nicklaus!).

In his legendary career Ballesteros won more than 90 international tournaments including five major championships.

Tragically, Ballesteros was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour In 2008. He died on 7 May 2011.

His style, charisma and famous shots will be part of professional golf history forever.

This shot gave him the nickname of “The Car-Park Champion” at the time. During his first major win at the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1979:

Largely ignoring the fairways in the final round, he played from rough, sand and even a temporary car park in which he found his drive way right of the 16th fairway. He made birdie there.

Finding Your Natural Golf Swing

Seve was a strong believer in practice and preparation. He knew that golf is a difficult game and always somewhat unpredictable. That’s why he worked on his own game relentlessly to give himself the best possible chance for every eventuality. This mindset of conscious preparation instead of mechanical repetition is worth a thought for every golfer.

I’m constantly called a “natural”, as if I were born with a golf club in my hand and a scratch-handicap swing. That’s not true. I wasn’t innately blessed with the skill to smash a tee shot three hundred yards, the talent to hit an iron shot stiff to the flagstick, or the knack to knock a monster putt in the hole. No one is. – Seve Ballesteros

Here are some chipping tips from Seve. Notice how mindful he his with everything he does. He doesn’t rush anything. Something worth imitating.

Listen To Your Body

Seve was famous for his spectacular short game, touch and feel. When asked whether he was born with his great feel Seve replied with an anecdote of a person who suddenly lost his sight.

He must find the best routes to travel and remember where he’s probably going to run into trouble. Most of all, he must listen intently to what is going on all around him, as well as his own footsteps. – Seve Ballesteros

Seve suggested to listen to your body very carefully all the time when you swing a golf club. I think it shows if you take a look at how Seve approaches his short game.

In the following video Seve gave a couple of tips on how to do different pitch shots:

Seve’s Preround Practice Routine

This excerpt is taken from his book “Natural Golf”. It’s an old book but a very good read. You can get a used copy from amazon if you look around.

“I’m very careful never to make big swings without loosening up thoroughly first for fear of seriously straining a muscle, particularly in my back. Thus I begin each session by working the driver through my elbows so that its shaft lies across the middle of my back, then carefully stretching by rotating my upper body left and right.

Next, I’ll take two or three irons together and swing them slowly back and forth a number of times with a ten-finger grip.I start my actual ball-hitting warm-up by playing lazy half shots with the sand-wedge, gradually working up to a longer and slightly faster swing by hitting a few balls with every second iron in my bag, from where I move on to the 3-wood and finally to the driver.

By taking everything slow and easy, my timing (the sequence of the actions comprising the swing) and tempo (the speed of the overall swing) begin to blend so that, by the time I complete this part of the warm-up, my full swing is hopefully totally cohesive and coordinated.”

Enjoy The Game

If you can learn one thing from Seve Ballasteros it’s that golf always has a way of its own. And that is the challenge that makes this game so exciting.

You’ve got to play golf one shot at a time, trying to make the most of it. And if you go about your way with a childlike mentality – experimenting, practicing and enjoying the process, you’ll get the most of your time.

Seve was often asked where his passion and dedication to the game came from. Although he struggled to give a definitive answer he found that the joy of impact and feeling the ball obey, making his visualisations a reality, was a large part of it.[clearboth]

What did you learn from Seve Ballasteros?

Will you try to be more creative with your shots? Will you take on a different mentality towards your game? Let me know in the comments section below and don’t forget to share the article on facebook or twitter if you think it is worth a share.

The post Golf Swing Secrets Of The Greats – Seve Ballesteros appeared first on © 2024 Good at Golf — Because we ♥ the game..