The Golf Academy

Golf tips, instruction, and commentary for any golfer looking to improve.

Tag: golf Page 9 of 10

How to Practice: Chipping

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On February 7, 2016

In Practice

Continuing the recent series on practice advice, I decided to look at the short game today. I talk extensively about why chipping and other shots around the green are seemingly more difficult than other shots in my article: How to Chip Away Strokes Around the Green but, to summarize, it all boils down to practice, or at least it did for me.

The reason I was successful around the green was because I spent hours and hours practicing the shots I would be required to hit. Now in the same article I also briefly discussed how I used to practice but, looking back at it, I realize that it’s not only impractical for a lot of different golfers but also somewhat unorthodox. It worked for me but it might not for you, and that’s why we’re here today. There are other, just as effective, methods of practicing chipping that require a lot less time and space than my unique method (although I thought it was awesome as a kid).

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How to Practice: Putting

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On February 3, 2016

In Practice

When it comes to golf, it’s easy to get lazy with practice. After all, isn’t it enough to go out 30 minutes before your round and hit some 10 footers on the practice green? Or should you commit time for the sole purpose of improving your putting? And if so, how do you do it?  All of these are excellent questions and sometimes you get a lesson that doesn’t come with a lot of extra drills to help you ingrain what you learned. So that is why we are here today.

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Managing Risk, Reward, and Your Round of Golf

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On February 2, 2016

In Golf Tips

Although work sucks, these past days have really been the inspiration behind today’s article. In life, you only have 24 hours a day which is about 170 hours in a week (it’s maybe 168? I only got good at adding up golf scores in my head). You can do whatever you want with this time each week but in order to fulfill all of your commitments you have to balance the benefits and consequences of each action. Are you going to go to work today, or skip out and play golf (tempting…)?

Either one of these options can lead to a complex sequence of events in your life. Golf relates to this idea of weighing your options if you understand two simple words. Risk and reward. Just like you have to make decisions outside of golf, you also have to consider your decisions during your round. Are you going to lay up in front of the water, or try to play over? And even without your conscious thought, you are evaluating all of your possible options. Today I want to talk to you about risk management during your round and put you inside my mind when it comes to making simple and complex golfing decisions. So now that you’re primed and ready, let’s dive into this!

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Why is Practice so Important?

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On January 20, 2016

In Golf Tips, Practice

I get a question every summer when I teach youth camps back home. Young kids will ask me something about golf that is almost impossible to explain in one sentence. “How do I get better at golf”.

It’s a good question, how do you get better at golf? There’s honestly no phrase that could encompass all of the things you need in order to improve but usually, for kids, a great place to start is simply practice. 

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Two Keys to Crush Your Drives Long and Straight

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On January 17, 2016

In Basics

People love the driver. It’s just that easy to explain. Who doesn’t love crushing the ball down the middle past all their buddies? And honestly, this is how I’ve been my entire life. As a kid, the driver was the only club in my bag that I really had any faith in. From my first driver which was part of a four club set, to youth tournaments playing with a passed down Nike Sasquatch (which I still use, even though it’s been refurbished a few times), I knew I could trust my drive and my tee shots. This sort of consistency was one of the biggest factors (besides my chipping) for my early competitive victories. While other golfers would hit their drives into hazards and waste strokes hundreds of yards from the green, I would very rarely join them in their misery ( instead I gave away strokes with my irons…). As I grew my consistency fluttered but my power surged. Throughout high school I was the biggest hitter on my team and frequently in my foursome. This advantage of the tee can be hard to quantify but eventually, hitting wedges instead of 7 irons starts to add up. And at the end of the day, you have to travel a set amount of distance on each hole, and hitting the ball further (as long as it’s straight) can only help you play better. Driving always has been one of my favorite parts of golf and I know that once you unlock your own potential off the tee, you’re going to fall in love with long, straight, drives just like I have.

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