A great way to improve golf skills
No matter what your skill level, a great way to improve is to watch other players, particularly those with some of the same characteristics that you have. Watch for similarities in body size, pace, and shape of swing — even the kinds of mistakes they make under pressure.
Start by identifying your goals. Do you want to emulate the masters of the long game, guys like John Daly, Ernie Els, and Davis Love III, who regularly blast drives beyond 300 yards? Or do you want to concentrate on following the short-game experts, such as all-time great Walter Hagen and tour veteran Brad Faxon? Phil Mickelson is long off the tee and has a great lob wedge. Tiger Woods, of course, does everything well.
If you want to follow some really fine putting, keep your eyes peeled for my Champions Tour colleague Isao Aoki of Japan, who has a unique putting stroke acutely tailored to Japanese grass. Some of the best putters in the world today are Faxon, Mickelson, and Jim Furyk. Nancy Lopez was another great putter in her heyday.
Maybe swing speed is your demon. Are you trying too hard to copy someone you admire, or are you making sure that the pace you use is as natural for you as tour golfers' swings are for them? Down through the years, Ben Crenshaw, Nancy Lopez, and Jay Haas have displayed slow-paced swings. Larry Mize's swing was always extremely slow. Davis Love III, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, and Annika Sorenstam have all won with medium-paced swings. Ben Hogan, Lanny Wadkins, and Tom Watson all swung fast. One of the quickest swingers of all is Nick Price. And all those players have had great careers.
Hand size can affect grip; grip can affect your swing. Billy Casper was an alltime great putter who used his wrists to create momentum in the clubhead during his putting stroke. Fred Couples uses the cross-handed grip for putting. Jack Nicklaus uses the interlocking grip for his golf swing. Tom Kite uses the interlocking grip for full swings and the cross-handed grip for putting. Chris DiMarco, who was once such a poor putter he almost quit the tour, made it big with a grip called "the claw."
Maybe you want to keep tabs on golfers who have modified their games to see how a pro adapts his or her game, either to combat the yips, as did Bernhard Langer, who invented his own grip, and Sam Snead, who putted sidesaddle, or to accommodate a new tool, like the long putter Tom Lehman switched to. Vijay Singh used a belly putter — longer than a standard flatstick, shorter than a long putter — until he switched back to a standard model and played better than ever!
Notice how the attitudes of famous players affect not only how they play but also how much they enjoy the game. Arnold Palmer was a master of special shots, a bold golfer. Other daring players include Mickelson and John Daly, who are as fun and exciting to watch as expressive golfers Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller. Fred Funk is another fan favorite whose pleasure in playing is infectious. On the other end of the attitude spectrum, you'll find Hall of Famer Jackie Burke, who created intense drills for himself so that he knew all about pressure: His motivation was to win. Ben Hogan was another steely competitor, a perfectionist who surrendered finally not to any other player but to the yips. Other hard-working perfectionists include Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, and Tom Watson.
Whoever you choose to emulate, remember that golf is an individualist's game. You can mix and match facets of great players' styles, or develop your own — whatever works for you.
Start by identifying your goals. Do you want to emulate the masters of the long game, guys like John Daly, Ernie Els, and Davis Love III, who regularly blast drives beyond 300 yards? Or do you want to concentrate on following the short-game experts, such as all-time great Walter Hagen and tour veteran Brad Faxon? Phil Mickelson is long off the tee and has a great lob wedge. Tiger Woods, of course, does everything well.
If you want to follow some really fine putting, keep your eyes peeled for my Champions Tour colleague Isao Aoki of Japan, who has a unique putting stroke acutely tailored to Japanese grass. Some of the best putters in the world today are Faxon, Mickelson, and Jim Furyk. Nancy Lopez was another great putter in her heyday.
Maybe swing speed is your demon. Are you trying too hard to copy someone you admire, or are you making sure that the pace you use is as natural for you as tour golfers' swings are for them? Down through the years, Ben Crenshaw, Nancy Lopez, and Jay Haas have displayed slow-paced swings. Larry Mize's swing was always extremely slow. Davis Love III, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, and Annika Sorenstam have all won with medium-paced swings. Ben Hogan, Lanny Wadkins, and Tom Watson all swung fast. One of the quickest swingers of all is Nick Price. And all those players have had great careers.
Hand size can affect grip; grip can affect your swing. Billy Casper was an alltime great putter who used his wrists to create momentum in the clubhead during his putting stroke. Fred Couples uses the cross-handed grip for putting. Jack Nicklaus uses the interlocking grip for his golf swing. Tom Kite uses the interlocking grip for full swings and the cross-handed grip for putting. Chris DiMarco, who was once such a poor putter he almost quit the tour, made it big with a grip called "the claw."
Maybe you want to keep tabs on golfers who have modified their games to see how a pro adapts his or her game, either to combat the yips, as did Bernhard Langer, who invented his own grip, and Sam Snead, who putted sidesaddle, or to accommodate a new tool, like the long putter Tom Lehman switched to. Vijay Singh used a belly putter — longer than a standard flatstick, shorter than a long putter — until he switched back to a standard model and played better than ever!
Notice how the attitudes of famous players affect not only how they play but also how much they enjoy the game. Arnold Palmer was a master of special shots, a bold golfer. Other daring players include Mickelson and John Daly, who are as fun and exciting to watch as expressive golfers Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller. Fred Funk is another fan favorite whose pleasure in playing is infectious. On the other end of the attitude spectrum, you'll find Hall of Famer Jackie Burke, who created intense drills for himself so that he knew all about pressure: His motivation was to win. Ben Hogan was another steely competitor, a perfectionist who surrendered finally not to any other player but to the yips. Other hard-working perfectionists include Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, and Tom Watson.
Whoever you choose to emulate, remember that golf is an individualist's game. You can mix and match facets of great players' styles, or develop your own — whatever works for you.
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