Let’s face it, golfers all over the world were waiting to see when he would return to tournament play. It makes sense for him to return and not miss this major.

The thing that I find curious though is that the media has tagged him as the player to beat. Considering that he has not played a competitive round this year and has been dealing with his personal issues, I find this a bit difficult to believe.

I wish him well, but Augusta National is one of the toughest venues on tour and requires that the players game to be fine tuned in order to win. I am sure he will be working on his game during the weeks to come, but it will be difficult to prepare mentally for what he will face.

No matter how Tiger plays, it will be good to see him back between the ropes.

© 2010, David Wakeman. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.

Ernie Els took the bull by the horns and proved why he is one of the best golfers in the world.  His 6 under par 66 on Sunday was a display of pure artistry.  On a day when many golfers would succumb to the pressures, Els put on a show.

Scrambling all day, Els made every shot when he needed it. The most impressive statistic was his ten 1 putts in the final round.

It was great to see the Big Easy back in the winners circle again. If this is any indication of things to come, then we may see him with a major or two in 2010.

© 2010, David Wakeman. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.

Golfers normally carry just two clubs that are designed for golf shots inside 100 yards, the pitching wedge and sand wedge.

If you watch golf on TV you will see that most professional golfers carry three or four wedges in their bag. Most professional golfers are carrying a gap wedge or a lob wedge. They recognize that they need having several different lofted wedges gives them more flexibility and makes it easier to scramble for par when off the green.

If you are not carrying at least three wedges in your bag, you have to ask yourself why? Considering that there are more shots lost inside 100 yards, logic would dictate that you focus more effort on this portion of your golf game. Why is it then, most amateurs spend the majority of their time practicing their driving skills?

Let’s take a look at how to improve your short game in golf.

If you are only carrying the standard two wedges in your bag, I would recommend that you add at least one wedge to your bag.

Here are some golf short game drills to help you lower your golf scores.

Practice hitting each of your wedges from three different backswings.

Determine how far you can hit each of your wedges from 7 o’clock, 9 o’clock and 10:30.

Record how far you hit the ball with each wedge using these 3 backswings.

Practice from each distance and work at getting your shots inside of 20 feet, then inside 10 feet, then work on getting your shots inside of 5 feet.

The more consistent you get practicing these golf short game drills, the fewer putts you will have to take and the lower your scores will go.

Professional golfers spend countless hours working on golf short game drills, isn’t it time that you do the same?

This portion of your golf game is so important to lowering your scores that there are short game golf schools.

Learn how to improve your short game in golf and you will lower your scores and your handicap.

For more help with your short game, click here.

© 2010, David Wakeman. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.

Timing a golf swing is when you swing the golf club back to the golf ball as your hips turn to clear out of the way. The reason your hips have to clear out of the way is to allow the club head to return to the golf ball squarely at impact and then follow through and wrap around you. This is the function of timing a golf swing.

How do you determine if your golf swing speed is your issue?

There are times when you may have gone to the golf course and hit the ball beautifully, solid, straight to the right.

This is an indication that your timing was off enough to cause the golf ball to travel right of your target. This was caused because your hips were rotating out of the way to quickly and not allowing your golf club to return to square at contact.

To correct this you need to slow the turning of your hips to allow the golf club more time return to the golf ball before clearing out completely.

There are times when you may have felt like you were swinging beautifully, everything was in sync, but the golf ball traveled to the left of your target.

Again, this is a timing issue in your swing. This is caused by your hips not rotating enough as your golf club makes impact with the golf ball. Your natural tendency is to rotate your hips during your follow through causing you to pull the ball to the left.

How do you correct your golf swing speed issues and get your timing back?

This is a difficult question to answer and one of the most sought after in the game of golf.

Start with your pitching wedge. If you are not hitting your pitching wedge solidly, then you are probably not hitting any of your other clubs solid either.

The favorite club in my bag is my pitching wedge. I find that going out to the driving range and spending time hitting nothing but pitching wedges has helped me to get my timing back.

Your favorite club may be your driver and you’re driving the ball beautifully. If this is the case, then you should go hit a thousand drivers to get your timing back.

One thing is for sure, practicing with the golf club you are struggling with will not help. Avoid practicing with that club until you have gotten your timing back on track.

Whatever golf club feels the most comfortable in your hands is the one you need to practice with. Work with that club to improve your golf swing speed.

Next time you feel that your timing is off, try the instructions on how to swing a golf club and get your golf swing speed back on track.

For more help on how to swing a golf club correctly, click here.

© 2010, David Wakeman. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.