4 Ways to Improve Your Golf Game - Helpful Tips
Give your golf game a boost from your drive to your last put. Next time you’re on our two Nicklaus-designed golf courses, put this round of tips and drills from our team of instructors to the test to improve your golf game.
1. Don’t Skip the Warm Up
While the warm summer weather may tempt you to shorten your pre-golf warmup, preparation is important to maximize your performance on the golf course. Consider arriving well before your tee time to ensure a relaxed and comfortable warmup. After loosening up your back, arms and legs with light stretching, head to the putting green for five to 10 minutes. This will help you get a feel for the speed of the greens for the day, and help you dial in your mental aspect of the game.
If your looking for warm up exercises? Be sure to read 5 Golf Warm Up Exercises to get started.
2. Adjust Your Bunker Swing
It may be tempting to pull your club all the way back and trying to hit the ball with full strength, however you might just create a larger divot, sand everywhere and a stroke added to your card, not to mention an increased level of frustration. Play smarter, not harder, when striking from a sand trap. Raise your club back until it is parallel with the ground and use a half swing to hit the sand 3-4 inches directly behind your ball. The inertia from the sand will push your ball, launching it up and out of the hazard.
3. Keep Your Hands Soft on Chip Shots
Do you want to improve your chip shot? For this type of swing, soft hands are a necessity. When getting ready for your swing, apply light grip pressure (about 4 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the tightest) to ensure a lack of tension in your arms and softness in your hands. Then with a slightly open stance, to promote ball-first contact, keep your chin high and back straight as you complete your swing.
4. Add Distance to Your Drive
Increasing your flexibility is a great starting point to add distance to your drive. Limited mobility only hinders your golf swing. Practicing upper body, spine and leg flexibility will help your swing become smoother and in turn, generate more power. Most amateur and pro golfers are able to turn their shoulders close to a perpendicular position at the top of a swing. Aim for this benchmark and you’ll be amazed at how turning 10-15 degrees effects your driving distance.
With these tips in mind, you can now begin approaching your golf game with more confidence. For additional instruction on any aspect of your golf game, contact the Golf Shop at Superstition Mountain.
