As far as I am concerned, giving tips to others without the proper credentials is one of the things you should never do at the driving range - but I love to hear the cringeworthy stories nonetheless. If you have any corkers, drop them in the comments box at the bottom of this page.

To avoid falling into the trap of being guided down the wrong path, I would always advise you to listen to the experts, of which we have many, starting with the best ball striking lessons for amateur golfers.

I'm aware that we don't all have the luxury of regular driving range sessions - so how can we expect to get any better without a significant investment of our time?

This quick tip could be the answer. Ensuring a centred strike is of paramount importance and this practical advice from Top 50 Coach Tom Motley can help you to strike it sweetly and shoot lower scores in the process...

Do This With Your Hands For Better Ball Striking In Golf

Sometimes, it's just a feeling created by a simple drill that helps everything to click into place. Better ball striking is something we can all achieve and there are a number of ways to do it.

Some like to invest in the best golf training aids on the market, while others prefer to set aside time each week for a lesson with a coach, but for many the solution is a practical piece of advice that you can use on the range and at home to drive progress.

Below, I share one such tip that is great for developing the necessary mechanics and feels to produce better ball striking.

Split The Hands

I call this a ball-striking drill as it helps to iron out many common swing faults, among them an over-the-top motion and the ‘handsy’/inside takeaway – errors that make it hard to strike it well.

Instead try this simple tip. Set your left hand on top of the grip and your right hand right down the bottom, with the thumb just touching the steel on the shaft.

This is a useful connection drill. What we’re developing here is a more one-piece takeaway, with plenty of width and connection.

It’s a really good one for players who get very ‘armsy’ and static in the body. It’s also going to help those players who lift the arms up, which creates disconnection, with the clubhead way too far behind the hands and on a flat plane.

Note (above) how my arms haven’t lifted here. I’ve rotated my torso, keeping the connection between it and my arms.

Take the club to the top and feel the stretch through your lead arm.

Keep rehearsing this and you should begin to develop the feeling for that solid, stable position you ideally want at the top of the backswing.

Note (above) the good, full pivot and extension through my trail arm. If I were to now slide my right hand back down onto the grip, I could actually hit balls from here fairly comfortably.

Over the years, I've directed countless women's instruction shoots, so I'm armed with all the knowledge of how to play bunker shots. That's what I've found most frustrating, especially when people say, 'You used to be really good out of bunkers!'

My brain became scrambled with competing thoughts every time I entered the sand. Clearly, whatever I thought I was doing right, my technique needed some serious attention. I reached out to Sarah Bennett, one of our Top 50 Coaches, to help end my bunker woes at Colchester Golf Club.

Set-Up

It was a case of back to basics for my set-up. I’m a right-handed player and my right hand had slipped too far round under the grip.

Without adding any extra pressure, and keeping my right elbow soft, Sarah got me to move the fleshy pad under my right thumb (the non-target hand) on top of my left thumb, as though I was gently squeezing five pence between the two. This is to help gain maximum loft without opening the clubface.

My eyes lit up, as I did wonder if this tweak to my grip would also help to abolish short game shanks, but that’s another lesson!

Too Much Spine Angle

I must remember to wriggle in the sand and lower my centre of gravity. But from there, one of my biggest problems, and one of the reasons why I often hit behind the ball, is because I have too much spine angle, tilting backwards, instead of keeping my shoulders level and my sternum over the ball, not behind it.

80% Of Weight On Front Leg

In turn, too much spine angle contributes to another fault, which is too much weight on the right side. I had to really focus on feeling like I had no weight shift towards the non-target side.

I was told to keep stable, really lean into my left side and feel my quads working. For me, having been so far back, I now felt so far forward, but as Sarah pointed out, remember that in golf ‘feel’ and ‘real’ are totally different. From the correct set-up, I was able to create a nice delivery position and now produce bunker shots with trajectory.

Take Sand

Taking sand is one thing, but more importantly, it’s about taking sand in the right place behind the ball. Sarah made two lines in the sand 4 inches apart and the aim was to enter the sand between the two lines.

To be honest, once I’d corrected my other faults, I found it easier to attack the sand in the right place with a more forward flowing movement.

I must admit, since putting into practice what I’ve learnt, I still have to concentrate hard on imagining another ball behind my ball, so I make contact with the sand in the right place.

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of my bunker lesson, or in fact, any lesson. I’d left it too long, and too many faults had crept in - it's incredible that I ever managed to get out of a bunker!

Now with Sarah’s expert tuition, which she delivered in such a relatable way, I have all the tools I need to improve in the sand. She has given me the confidence to trust myself in the bunker, and so far, so good!

If you're struggling in the sand, here are Sarah's top tips:

Five S’s For Success In The Sand

• Set-up - Widen the base and “wriggle” into the sand nice and low leaning into the inside of your target thigh. This is important to contact the sand propelling the ball from the the ideal forward of central position.
• Swing Length - All good bunker players have excellent tempos and appropriate length of swing for the shot in hand. A common error is a very short quick backswing compromising the rhythm.
• Speed – I find many golfers “decelerate” both with their body and the club. Sand is a heavy material so requires a certain degree of power for the club to glide through.
• Sound - A well- executed bunker shot will produce a crisp sound with a shallow even entry divot. We all know too well when we take too much sand the divot is deep with a resounding thud or not enough a thin tingle sound.
• Sand - The entry point for all bunker shots is within an approximate 4”-5” parameter so practice hitting in between two lines this distance apart. This drill provides immediate feedback aiding consistency of strike.

The last piece of advice, and probably the most important, is to manage your expectations. Enter the bunker with a sensible exit route based on the lie and height of the bunker face. Walk into the bunker with confidence and a smile.

Sarah Bennett
PGA Honorary Member
PGA Captain GB&I 2022
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Sometimes I can get into my own head when shaking off the rust, especially when things don't go to plan before the round - often leading to me aimlessly machine-gunning balls at break neck speed (which is one of seven things you should never do at the range).

However, after a visit to Trump Turnberry last year, I was very interested to learn about the warm-up routine of one my golfing idols - Colin Montgomerie - and couldn't wait to try his very simple method of getting ready for the first tee.

I was accompanied on the trip by Top 50 Coach Steve North, who kindly agreed to break it down for you in the hope that Monty's wisdom could help amateur golfers to play their best golf...

Colin Montgomerie's 26-Ball Warm-Up Routine On The Range

Warming up before a round of golf is crucial, but so many club golfers turn up with five minutes to go until their tee time and spend that time frantically sprinting to the first tee.

On our visit to Turnberry in Ayrshire for the Golf Monthly instruction shoot, we were told the story of Colin Montgomerie’s famous 26-ball warm-up.

The iconic venue, which has hosted the Open Championship four times on the majestic Ailsa Course, still gives out bags of balls with exactly 26 inside - paying homage to the eight-time European Tour order of merit winner.

So, with a bag (or bucket) of balls, plus a few spare ones for the short-game area afterwards, this is how you should use your precious prep time before the first tee...

Golf Monthly recently outlined their guide to the ultimate golf bag set up for a 10,20, and 30-handicapper, but as long as you have 14 clubs in yours, you can copy Monty before your next round.

Starting with your wedges, hit one ball with each of the 13 clubs in your bag (minus the putter), working your way up to the driver.

When you’ve hit one ball with each club, make your way back down in reverse order.

Focus on fundamentals and try not to get too bogged down in technique just ahead of a round. It’s about getting loose and nailing the basics before playing.

Monty would follow this exact routine before his round, hitting two balls with each club before heading out onto the course and showcasing his immense talent.

Has It Helped Baz?

The honest answer is... yes! Immensely, in fact.

I now feel like I have a repeatable process that I can depend on before a round. It's familiar, simple and helps me to focus my mind before the opening tee shot.

My scores have come down in recent months, as a result of a number of different factors including a tour-level golf lesson with a Top 50 Coach, but Monty's warm-up routine has also played a big part in preparing me to play my best.

The beauty is, I only have two balls with each club. That means I am fully focused on each and every shot, not giving any cheap ones away, but also if the strike isn't perfect I move on to the next club and put it to the back of my mind.

I can then revisit with a fresh perspective when that club carousels around again, with the final ball always being a closest to the pin flick with a wedge that I like to make super competitive with my playing partners.

Start as we mean to go on, aye!

What Should I Do After My 26-Ball Warm-Up?

You are almost ready to head to the first tee, but first be sure to take a few spare balls to the short-game area.

Many club golfers neglect this crucial part of their preparation, preferring a browse in the pro shop or a chat on the putting green.

Many of the most common amateur mistakes around the green can be avoided with a little extra practice, especially if you take advantage of our free short game clinic.

Set the spare balls down in tricky spots, with differing lies around the green and levels of challenge.

By giving yourself four tough short-game shots before you play, you won’t come unstuck when you’re tucked behind a bunker on the first. The idea isn’t to kill your confidence, but you’ll gain very little by going easy on yourself.

Hitting the perfect pitch shot with regularity is something all amateurs can do, especially when armed with the 20 best short game tips and drills from our experts.

As a result, instead of scrambling for par and falling foul of common amateur mistakes around the green, you can think about hitting it in nice and tight - setting up plenty of birdie opportunities.

So, to help you get dialled in from this key distance, we asked Top 50 Coach and PGA Master professional Anders Mankert to share his extensive wisdom in order to help you improve your play from the scoring zone...

Mastering The Scoring Zone

Welcome to the scoring zone! If you can sharpen up this aspect of your game, I am confident you can shoot lower scores and reduce your handicap.

I recommend mixing it up and trying to play different shots with different clubs, maybe not first time out in a competition, but certainly in casual rounds or during your next range session.

You’ll notice a shift in mindset, too, as you’ll start thinking more about getting it up and down rather than being happy with a par.

1. SHOT SELECTION

In this scenario, I can play two very different shots – a full sand wedge or a knock-down 8-iron.

Lots of club golfers would choose the former, simply because it’s that wedge range, but I’d play the 8-iron as the pin is at the back, and I’ve got the whole green to work with.

With a wedge, you have to be so precise. It’s more of an aggressive downward strike that will produce lots of height and spin.

In this situation, I want to take the spin off and let the ball run up the green. I’ll grip down a couple of inches, which takes a bit of the power off, and have the swing thought of my body pulling through the shot.

What I mean by that is that the clubhead is lagging or following behind (not undertaking), and it feels like it stays behind the whole time. We refer to it as ‘dead arms’. It’s a very shallow shot, with very little wrist action.

2. WEDGE BASICS

Sometimes a full sand wedge is the correct play but let’s start with a common fault – which is the ball position being too far forward.

This sets your sternum behind the ball, leading to fat and thin strikes.

Instead, you need your hands forward to ensure a good strike. This is a good way to learn how to compress the ball, as you have to work really hard to get your weight and hands in front.

If you can hit the ball well from this position, doing so from the middle of the stance is easy; it encourages you to move your weight, sternum and hands forward.

The image shows a textbook set-up and strike. Note the position of my hands at address – slightly forward of the ball, as is my weight.

I can’t stress enough just how important it is for your sternum to be in front of the golf ball, because this is where you want the swing’s low point to be.

By the time I reach impact, you can see that my hands are a further 4-6ins forward from where they started. I’m going to create a pretty chunky divot, with the strike being, crucially, ball then turf.

3. THE WEDGE EXTENSION DRILL

This is one of my favourite iron-play drills and one I highly recommend for honing solid technique with your scoring clubs.

I’ve actually built a sand wedge with an extra shaft sticking out of the top, but an alignment stick works just as well.

Many pros use this as a warm-up, including Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler. It encourages you to get your hands and sternum forward, as previously discussed.

If you do it correctly, you can take half swings and hit the ball without the extension contacting you at all.

But if you don’t rotate the body properly, and don’t come in with your hands in the correct position and your sternum forward – maybe you’re leaning back – you’ll get a clip on the side!

You’ll actually come to a grinding halt before you reach the ball. Start off with little chip shots, then work further back to a maximum arm position of 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock.

4. KEEP IT SIMPLE

One way to think of pitching is that we’re merely pivoting around the same spine angle.

Note the position of my sternum in this image. My spine angle is just held – it’s the same as where it started.

Unless you’re trying to cut the ball, or play a flop shot, you don’t need to open your stance.

For standard pitch shots, keep everything square with the ball in the centre and the feet shoulder width apart (outside to outside of feet). Your weight distribution should slightly favour the lead side.

5 DOWNHILL LIES

Sometimes you will need to make crucial adjustments as flat lies aren’t guaranteed, even if you find the fairway.

Chipping from downhill lies can be particularly troublesome for club golfers, but these set-up changes will help you get the desired strike. I’ve put a club down to illustrate how far back in the stance the ball needs to be.

If it’s too central, you risk bottoming out before the ball and catching it fat.

I’ve got my sternum well ahead of the ball and approximately 80% of my weight on my lead side. This is going to help me to move the low point beyond the ball.

Find a downhill lie and practise this. It will really help you to become better at pitching as ‘normal’ pitches will suddenly feel easy!

6. SHAPING SHORT PITCHES

These are two very useful little pitches to add to your armoury when you’re fairly close to the green (30-40 yards).

The first, where I’ve closed both the face and my stance, promotes a drawing pitch. I recently watched a fascinating video where Tiger Woods and Jason Day discussed how they liked to play this shot, a kind of deliberate little hook.

It lets them use the bounce and gets the ball to release up the green. Then, of course, there’s the opposite, with an open face and open stance creating cut spin.

Penge has so far held his own in a big-hitting battle against Rory McIlroy at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but can he overtake the Career Grand Slam winner and claim an order of merit title to go alongside his ever-growing collection of accolades?

With a PGA Tour card coming for 2026, Penge has already transformed his career over the past twelve months - after almost losing his DP World Tour card last season.

The Englishman ranks second for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee this season, and 5th for driving distance, but how has he catapulted himself to be amongst the elite names in world golf off the tee?

In order to find out, I spoke to Marco Penge's coach, Alex Buckner, and asked him to share a few secrets that would help amateur golfers to learn from the rising star's dominance with driver...

The Secret To Marco Penge's Power

Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Alex Buckner had worked with Marco Penge on his short game for the past two or three years, but after dramatically saving his DP World Tour card at the end of the 2024 season, Penge decided to make a change.

Alex Buckner took over as Penge's main coach, taking a more holistic approach which instantly bared fruit through a 3rd place finish in South Africa in just his second tournament of 2025.

That finish qualified the Englishman for The Open and shot him up the rankings following a short ban the prevented Penge from playing on the DP World Tour at the start of 2025.

One of the first questions I asked Alex was perhaps the obvious place to start... how has Penge managed to become one of the biggest hitters in world golf and what top driving tips can amateurs learn from him?

Buckner replied, "He has always been pretty long and probably one of the longest hitters for his age growing up.

"One of his key values is to be an athlete, working with his trainer Mike Murray a lot. He priorities training over anything and with his long limbs, and how fast and strong he is, he has always been silly long".

Fitness is a key component in increasing speed and strength, ultimately resulting in improved power in the golf swing, but many amateur golfers do not prioritise this as part of their golf improvement plan.

By adding in a series of the 10 best golf exercises into their regular schedule, amateurs can find additional gains in power but also improve their flexibility, mobility and reduce their risk of certain injuries.

However, as Alex Buckner eludes to, producing additional speed and power requires a body that can accommodate this in the golf swing, so nutrition is key.

"We upped his calorie count so that he could keep the mass on, because if you are generating that much speed and power you ideally need the body to be able to sustain it over the course of a season".

Then comes the technical aspect, which Alex explained has been an important element to partner with Penge's work away from the course.

"You also need to hit the middle of the clubface and find the golf course. He lost a lot of golf balls last year, making triples and doubles. Whereas this year, there has been barely anything. When you are that comfortable, you can hit it a lot harder".

Try This Marco Penge Tee Shot Drill

I know many of you will be thinking, 'that's great, but how can I apply this to my own game when I don't swing it as hard or as fast as the biggest hitters in the game?'.

In readiness for that response, I asked Alex Buckner to share some of the things that Marco does on the range and how amateur golfers can replicate this to improve their own performance off the tee.

"A lot of players have the technical attributes to hit the ball well, but it's a skill to be able to be that accurate too.

"One of the drills we do is how many 'fairways' can you hit, then make it smaller and smaller".

This simple drill is simple for any amateur to set up in their next driving range session. Pick two points on the course that can act as boundary markers, then highlight the middle area between these two points as your fairway.

Start with a manageable number for your game, perhaps three or four, seeing if you can hit that many in a row into the 'fairway' identified by your two boundary markers.

These could be yardage markers, flags, humps or hollows and man-made targets, as long as you are clear about where your area that you intend to hit is.

Once you have achieved this number, you can increase the amount needed in a row to add further challenge. Like Marco Penge, if you really want to test yourself, decrease the size of your fairway and repeat the process.

This drill is best used when you trial different styles of tee shot, practicing a variety of trajectories that you might need to use on the course - as Alex explains.

"He has a stinger, a grip down, a stock fade and a high draw, which he will circulate between different styles of shot to hit the fairway and make his target smaller and smaller in practice".

"Many amateurs just hit driver but only have one way to hit it. If Marco needed to hit the fairway he would go for the grip down driver, if he was into wind he would generally go with a stinger and go for a stock shot if there is nothing".

Using the data collected through your driving range sessions, you will be able to tell which type of shot is the most accurate in hitting the 'fairway', which gives you the most length and which is your most consistent that you perhaps feel more comfortable with.

That knowledge is invaluable when standing on the tee box, as it means you can make an informed decision and strategically play each hole on its individual merit.

That progress has been achieved through regular practice, focusing on the best ball striking lessons for amateur golfers and additional emphasis on the fundamentals like embedding the perfect golf grip.

Despite this investment of time and effort, I still felt that I had further scope to progress - so I reached out to one of our Top 50 Coaches for his expert advice.

Following an initial consultation, PGA Fellow professional Ben Emerson kindly invited me down to his state-of-the-art studio for a tour-level lesson and I was blown away by three surprising things that I learned from the experience...

3 Things I Learned From Having A Tour Level Golf Lesson

As I arrived for the lesson, Ben asked me what I would like to get out of my game in the short and long term. Being the eternal realist, I was aware that I am unlucky to be a single figure golfer any time soon, but I outlined a desire to play off a sub-20 handicap in the near future and to strike the golf ball of the centre of the clubface more often.

Ben outlined his process, watching me hit a few balls before carrying out a full TPI screening. Following that, Ben fitted me into the K-VEST 3D motion capture system and fired up the GASP 3D force plates ready to put me through my paces.

The incredibly accurate but simple to follow data gleaned from this technology taught me plenty about using the ground effectively, sequencing in the golf swing and my 'secret weapon' that I currently wasn't using.

Although there were plenty of insights collated in just two hours, these three things in particular surprised me about my game and have stuck with me ever since - leading to more targeted practice and further improvements in my game.

1. My Super Power

Apparently I have a super power... who knew? Well, according to Ben, most of us have a golfing super power but often amateur golfers don't use it effectively.

After completing the TPI and power screening at the start of the lesson, it transpired that the strength and power in my legs was my greatest weapon - but the information taken from my golf swing analysis sadly highlighted a sobering fact - I barely use them.

That's obviously not true in an obvious sense, because you have to use your legs to swing a golf club, but I certainly was not using them effectively.

The screening perfectly identified my tendencies, like early extension, as well as identifying physical limitations that needed to be factored in to any improvement plan.

Some of the points below highlight how I can better use the strength in my legs in a more efficient and effective way, but through doing some of the best golf exercises provided to assist me following the screening, I already feel more balanced in terms of power throughout my body.

2. My Miss Wasn't A Swing Fault, It Was A Sequencing Fault

Like many club golfers, I tend to miss out to the right with a push or a horrendous slice.

I assumed this was down to an open face or poor release, which, of course, is the end result, but the cause of the issue was more centred around my sequencing in the golf swing.

Using 3D Motion capture technology, Ben was able to demonstrate something called the 'kinematic sequence' - which is how energy transfers through the body, starting from the lower body through my torso and arms before finally moving into the club.

To swing the club effectively, each part should accelerate then decelerate in a smooth chain reaction.

My lower body was leading the downswing, but my arms were overtaking too early meaning the energy was not being transferred up the chain in the correct way.

Ben explained this with the analogy of cracking a whip. His point was that 'If you keep moving, the whip never cracks', which was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me.

I didn't need to obsess over clubface or backswing position, which I could look at later, because first I needed to address the issues with my sequencing.

3. The Best Drills Don't Look Like A Golf Swing

The final thing that surprised me was how simple some of the fixes to my faults were, especially the ones that didn't actually require me to swing a golf club.

Rather than endless chatter about swing plane and clubface angles, Ben opted to work me through some movement drills designed to retrain my body.

The use of force pedals and a SuperSpeed Golf Force Board gave me instant feedback on where I was pushing into the ground - which was a real eye-opener.

The golf jump drill was another favourite of mine, where I was asked to perform small vertical jumps while turning towards the target side. I might have looked a little silly at first, but through repetition I felt the patterns Ben was describing and understood their importance.

Interestingly, my next few swings after trying some of these athletic movements produced data that evidenced a faster clubhead speed and tighter dispersion, all but eliminating that awful right miss in the process.

If any of these elements have resonated with your game, you can check out the lesson in full on Ben Emerson's YouTube channel. The tips I received have certainly improved my game, leading to my lowest ever handicap and consistently better strikes.

Ben Emerson's Best Tip For Using The Ground More Effectively

You can also learn a lot from the tips outlined above, so give this a try at home...

Start with your trail foot slightly flared out. Make a backswing and feel the pressure through the inside of your trail foot, like your pushing towards 4.30 on a clock.

In transition, shift and push into your big toe on the lead foot - towards 10.30 on a clock face.

This simple routine will help you to use the ground better in the golf swing, leading to purer strikes and better scores on the course.

The best driving tips and drills have been a popular feature of my range time over the course of the 2025 season, but this weight transfer drill (which you can watch in the video below) has completely transformed my performances off the tee.

As you will see by the Shot Scope data from my lowest ever round, plus a memorable tee shot at The Belfry, this drill is worth trying for anyone who is hoping for longer, straighter drives over the winter and into next season...

This Simple Drill Helped Me Play My Best Ever Round Of Golf

Let's start with a little context. In 2025, I tracked a number of rounds (both nine and 18-hole knocks) and was less than enthused by my Strokes Gained performance off the tee.

At the start of the season, I was losing somewhere in the region of 0.45 to 4.5 shots per round off the tee, with the driver acting as the main culprit.

I went through phases of trying different strategies, like hitting fairway woods off the tee, but ultimately I wanted to improve in this area rather than avoiding the problem.

After working with a number of our Top 50 Coaches, it became clear that my issues largely centred around weight transfer.

In simple terms, I was staying on my back foot too long and not shifting my weight towards my lead foot early enough in the downswing - which is a very common amateur swing fault.

Around midway through the season I started working on a specific weight transfer drill that involved a tennis ball split into two halves.

The method was simple - place one half of the tennis ball under the instep of your trail foot, towards the heel. The other half goes under the toes of the lead foot.

As you start the backswing, transfer your weight towards the trail side and squash the tennis ball under the back foot.

Then, as you start the downswing, squeeze down hard on the tennis ball under the lead foot to effectively transfer your weight and start the downswing in the correct sequence.

By performing this simple drill with 10-15 balls every time I go to the driving range, I have seen a huge improvement in my tee shots.

My Strokes Gained performance average for 2025 has now shifted into the positive numbers (+0.64) and my lowest ever round saw me reach a much improved +3.56 strokes off the tee.

Just a week or so before that performance, the signs were there that a good performance with the big stick could be on the horizon.

While having a 10-hole knock at The Belfry, as part of a team charity event, I gained 4.84 strokes with the driver and hit 56% of fairways.

So, full of a new-found confidence with the driver, I decided to be brave.

Standing on the 10th tee at The Belfry, scene of the magic moment where Seve Ballesteros famously drove the green in 1978, I pulled the head cover off my driver.

Feeling confident after plenty of hard work throughout the season, I stood over the ball.

A push into my trail foot set the club moving and a smash into my lead foot early in the downswing delivered the club efficiently - sending the ball flying straight and true.

One bounce on the front of the green and second hop towards the flag left an eagle putt of around 20 feet. Green driven. Year made!

That has to be my best ever tee shot, but following it up with such a consistently solid performance a week later felt just as sweet.

Join The Conversation...

I'd love to hear about your best performance off the tee, whether that be a specific round, season or even memorable tee shot.

This simple drill has done a lot for my game, but perhaps you have some great advice of your own. Drop me a comment below and share your successes, your best advice or a tale of your own efforts to drive the famous 10th green at The Belfry.

Seve Ballesteros is one of the greatest golfers of all time, with a legacy that continues to inspire amateurs and professionals all around the world.

There were so many iconic moments in Seve Ballesteros' career, but he was also a fantastic mentor who expertly imparted his extensive wisdom and knowledge to others in a way that helped them to improve their game and achieve success.

Not many will have had the privilege to receive his tutelage, but after I recently found seven timeless tips from Seve in our archive you can now become one of the lucky few to benefit from his expert advice...

7 Timeless Golf Tips From Seve Ballesteros

These tips are taken straight from the incredible Golf Monthly archive and were originally shared by Seve Ballesteros in December 1982.

The words are unchanged from the issue published more than four decades ago, maintaining the authenticity and quality of Seve's tips in the hope that they will help you to play better golf today.

1. High Finish

It is important to go for a high finish with the hands. A high finish indicates that the swing has been a good one.

A flat finish often indicates that there has been a fault in the takeaway. It is the takeaway that dictates what happens later in the swing.

So, if you are not getting a high finish to your swing, check that you may be doing something wrong in the takeaway. If the takeaway is too quick, or too upright, then you get a flat finish.

2. The Right Knee

I have noticed that a lot of handicap golfers do not bring the right knee quickly enough into the downswing.

They are too slow with their right knee as they come into the ball and so they are not in the correct position at impact.

Obviously they have never practised good right knee action on the downswing. What they do not realise is that the quicker you move the right knee coming from the top of the swing, the more speed you give to the club face at impact. It is very important.

3. Low Flying Shot

Sometimes you may want to keep the flight of the ball low when playing from the fairway to the green. To do this there are four things you should do. They are:

1. Take one club more than you normally would, i.e. a 5-iron instead of a 6-iron.
2. Hold the club a little further down from the top of the shaft than you normally do.
3. Stand a little bit closer to the ball than you do in your normal stance, and
4. Make your swing slightly less than full.

4. High Flying Shot

Sometimes you may want to hit a high-flying shot—to make the ball fly higher than it normally does with the club you are using. To get this extra height of flight you should do four things:

1. Hold the club right at the very end of the shaft.
2. Stand a little bit further away from the ball than you normally do.
3. Make a bigger swing arc than you normally do, and
4. Concentrate on making a big, high finish.

5. Grip And Wrist Action

Keep the left wrist firm at the start of the backswing.

This helps to put your swing in the right plane. I say "firm" but not "stiff". The wrist has to start cocking during the backswing. If it is held stiff it will not do that.

Also guard against a quick cock of the wrists. Some players cock the wrists right at the start of the back-swing. This can make them have a very narrow, tight, restricted backswing, often with too quick a lift in it.

6. Playing In A Crosswind

When there is a crosswind some players try to play into the wind—trying to draw the ball into a left-to-right wind, and trying to fade the ball into a right-to-left wind.

I do not agree with this way of playing because I think it is too difficult to control the shots when you play this way.

It is much better, I think, to play with the wind, not against it. And it is a much simpler way to play.

If the wind is right-to-left then all you have to do is to aim a little bit to the right and leave it to the wind to bring the ball back to your target. If the wind is left-to-right then all you have to do is aim a little bit to the left.

7. Curing Stiffness

Some handicap golfers get very stiff when trying something new on the practice ground. Others get very stiff every time they stand to a golf ball.

They are very rigid before they start the clubhead back from the ball. So there is no way in which they can make a good swing.

If you have this problem then you should make a few waggles of the clubhead just before starting the backswing. This keeps the body and the arms moving a little bit, and so take tension and stiffness out of the shot.

After trying a few of the best putting tips and drills, and undertaking a putting grip experiment to test out some new methods, I decided to explore other avenues in the pursuit of progress on the greens by reaching out to 20 of our expert coaches.

With all the latest tech and innovation around the best putters on the market, including the very interesting new Sausage Golf Boudin Noir, we can be forgiven for expecting all our flatstick frustrations to be solved through a shrewd purchase.

Having a top of the range putter will certainly help, especially if you find the right one for your game, but only when paired with this ultimate expert guide to improving your putting... you're welcome!

Improve Your Putting In Golf With Our Ultimate Expert Guide

01 HEAD STILL WHEN PUTTING

Try and stay as still as possible – not just your head – when you’re putting from inside ten feet, while still making a decent follow-through.

If your head comes up too early, it’s harder to keep the putter on line and your strike will suffer. It’s easier said than done, and if you keep the head too rigid, it can restrict your follow-through.

02 START PUTTS ON LINE

To hole more putts you must make contact in the middle of the face. Set a tee gate just wider than your putter head, then hit putts trying to miss the tees. This will improve your strike, leading to more holed putts.

03 HOW TO READ LEFT-TO-RIGHT PUTTS

Learning how to read greens in golf is a real skill.

You need to think about where the ball will be entering the hole. On straight putts it will be at 6 o’clock, but on left-to-right putts perhaps 7, 8 or 9 o’clock.

If it’s downhill, you must also factor in the slower roll you need to get a good read – one that allows much more break for the length of putt.

04 MONITOR GRIP PRESSURE

A grip pressure change as you putt can lead to inconsistency. To help, place a ball between your trail forearm and the grip. You’ll feel pressure against your forearm. Look to maintain this during the stroke.

05 ELIMINATE THE PULL

Pulled putts generally stem from a closed face. If your body is bent too far over, it won’t rotate correctly through impact, so stand a little taller and maybe a bit further from the ball and let your arms hang relaxed.

06 LEFT-HAND-LOW PUTTING GRIP

A significant benefit of of the left hand low putting grip is that it gets your shoulders squarer. It’s easy to have your shoulders too open at address, leading to a slight out-to-in path.

The back of the left hand should move straight down the line. A good check is that you should be able to see some of the face at address.

07 ADVANCE PREPARATION ON LONG PUTTS

When you’ve played into the green and left yourself quite a long way from the flag, always take in any information you can as you approach the putting surface. Start by checking where the natural slopes are on the green and its surrounds.

Use your feet to pace the green and get a feel. It’s also a good idea to get a read from behind the hole back to the ball as you walk past the flag to where you’ll be leaving your clubs.

08 UNDERSTANDING PACE ON GREENS

The perfect putting technique matches up the length of your backswing and follow-through.

Taking too big a backswing and then quitting as you go through the hitting area is a common mistake among those who struggle on long-range putts. Also, observe how far the ball is rolling on the practice green before play.

09 HOW HARD TO HIT SHORT PUTTS

This comes down to personal preference, but try this drill to add confidence. Set up a breaking 5ft putt with three tees, as in the image below.

The idea is to hole three putts from the same spot, but at three different speeds: one slow to take all the break; one mid-pace to take out some of the break; and one at pace, taking out all of the break.

10 DRAW A LINE ON THE BALL

Once your ball is marked up, you can use the line for any putt inside 15ft. Aim the line at the point where you see the break and if your putter has a line marking the sweetspot, just marry the two up.

11 FIND YOUR START LINE

Find a breaking 20ft putt and map the break as you see it by placing balls down every few feet.

Once you’ve plotted the break, knock the balls away and put a tee where the first ball was. Hit some putts starting just outside the tee, then analyse how good your read was. Adjust until you’re confident you have nailed your start line.

12 COMPETITIVE PRACTICE

Mark out a putter’s length from the hole and try to make 25 consecutive putts. The nearer you get to the magic 25, the harder it gets. Great practice for when you face a nervy three-footer for real!

13 FACTOR IN THE WIND

Factoring in the elements when putting is just as important as calculating distance in the wind when hitting tee shots or approaches into the green.

It may sound obvious but downwind putts require you to take some speed off while those into the wind need to be hit with more pace than usual to reach the hole. Side winds are a bit trickier.

A 20mph side wind creates about 6ins more break than on a calm day, so don’t forget to compensate in your read.

14 TOWEL DRILL

In practice, put a towel under your arms as demonstrated in the image below. Swing back and through, aiming to keep the towel in place throughout the stroke.

Better connection between your arms and body will result in better putts, and this drill is a very simple and cost-effective way to help fire up the flat-stick.

15 DISTANCE CONTROL

Set alignment sticks down three feet apart like a train track 10ft away from you. Your putts must finish within the boundaries of the tracks.

Hit your first putt and then try to hit the next one slightly past, and the third slightly beyond the second and so on. Start again if you fail in this objective and see how many you can get in a row.

16 STOP PUSHING PUTTS

One key concept in putting is that of a clubface opening and closing during the stroke as depicted by the black line on this arc trainer.

If you are pushing your putts, it is likely that the putter face is too open at points in the stroke. Use an arc trainer to check your clubface at set-up and then allow it to close through impact.

17 EYE POSITION

Take your normal set-up, then hang your putter down from your left eye. It should be directly over the ball.

This will show if your eyes are in the correct position – something that will help you start putts on line. Don’t worry about looking strange in practice – you’ll have the last laugh on the course.

18 MAKE MORE THREE-FOOTERS

Club golfers can really struggle from this range but this fantastic drill will help you hole more short putts, especially those with break.

Mark a small gate for the ball to pass through, as here – it will help you focus on the start line so it becomes part of your process. Having this focus will prevent you from peeking at the hole too early.

19 ATHLETIC POSTURE

Many players get too 'relaxed' at address to deliver the putter correctly. Take an athletic posture - bum out, back straight, bend at the hips, flex your knees and let your arms hang naturally.

20 READING A TWO-TIER PUTT

Pick an aim point. A lot of amateurs don’t do this, or if they do, it won’t be high enough.

Try splitting the putt into two halves, then read the top half first and judge the pace to where the slope is so you have your aim point. You want the ball to be running out of steam at this point, with the speed then increasing as it rolls down the slope.

He was one of just six players to ever seal the Career Grand Slam, achieving a legendary status that truly transcends time.

As a seven-time Major winner, a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee and a 38-time PGA Tour winner, Gene Sarazen was the shining star of his time.

After rifling through the wealth of incredible content in the Golf Monthly archive, I came across an article sharing tips that every amateur golfer needs... by the great Gene Sarazen himself.

While the advice itself is 100 years old, you'd be astonished at how relevant it still remains to this date. As such, it would be remiss of me not to share this timeless wisdom with you in the hope that it contains the key to unlock you golfing potential.

Gene Sarazen's 100 Year Old Timeless Golf Tips For Amateurs

I have known players with a lead of three or four holes in a match start thinking out a new theory of strokes which had been lying dormant, as it were, if not in their minds, then in the execution thereof, and the result, when they began trying out these theories, was a complete reversal of form.

When one is going good is folly to tempt defeat by learning lackadaisical in play and attempting new ideas.

Every stroke is of equal importance, whether one is ahead or behind, and should be played with intense concentration. One is often cheated of victory by regarding an easy shot as simple.

Played with that view it oft-times becomes distinctly hard, and what should have been a par three becomes in reality a five or a six. And a five or six it remains on the score card.

If it seems simple is to reach the vicinity of the green in two, the golfer should attempt to get within holing distance of the pin in that number of strokes. Strive for perfection in your strokes and you will have few regrets.

I do not wish this statement, however, to be so confused by the reader as to make him believe that I advocate pressing one's shots. This is so apt to happen when one is playing for all one is worth that a word should be said regarding it.

No one knows better than I myself do, the despairing effect of tenseness when one is trying with every facility to make a shot perfect.

The mind seems so set on the objective that the muscles instinctively tighten in an effort to carry out the wish of the brain. When this happens a player defeats his own purpose, although unknowingly.

The muscles must be subservient to the mind at all times in this game and a free, unhampered swing is of paramount importance.

This is difficult to do when one is trying hard, but, if the player will keep what he is striving for always in mind, the stroke in time will be mastered. For the beginner this may prove to be almost an impossibility, but constant practice will bridge the gap.

That is why so many teachers of this ancient pastime contend that a player should first seek accuracy in place of distance.

In this way he will develop a smooth swing which will in time become a sort of second nature and not apt to go to pieces when added brain pressure is brought to bear upon it. Perseverance is one of the keys to success.

There is no doubt that many players have a temperament particularly suited towards the game. They learn easily, reason out different shots for themselves, prove born golfers, as it happens.

On the other hand, the vast majority have to overcome many faults and idiosyncrasies before they become reasonably proficient at the game. The mental powers come into prominence here too.

There is the matter of topped shots, hooks and drives, missed putts which prove exasperating, and, to the one whose patience is exhausted, particularly so.

However, if instead of flying off the handle at those errors they will consider the situation from a calm point of view, the absurdity of such actions will be readily seen.

There is no use trying to wreak vengeance on the ball and on the score card simply because of a little mistake. Take the breaks of the game with a smile and philosophical air and you will find the mistakes less prevalent than before.

There is nothing so laughable to an onlooker as to view a golfer who has missed a shot swing four or five times without result just for the sake of venting his anger on the ball.

It was probably embarrassing to him to miss the first shot, but it is even more embarrassing to go to such extremes. He should wait until he is calm and collected, and try again.

If you are out of breath when you arrive at the putting green, wait until you have regained your wind before putting. If you know you can hole the putt in two, try to do it in one or, at least, get within a short radius of the pin in one.

There are too many such incidents where it would pay one to stop and ponder the situation for me to enumerate. But you will find them every day on the golf course, and it will certainly repay you tenfold to give them your attention.

Want To Read Other Timeless Tips From The Golf Monthly Archive?

The Golf Monthly archive is a gold mine of brilliant reads, documenting a journey through the history of golf dating back to our first issue in 1911. Take advantage of over 100 years of invaluable tips from the best tour professionals and coaches in world golf, by subscribing to the online Golf Monthly Archive.

You can also check out some of our best below...

• Jack Nicklaus - 5 Timeless Tips From The Golden Bear
• Jordan Spieth Short Game Lesson: How To Play The 'One-Hop-And-Stop' Shot
• Seve's Lost Bunker Lesson: Master Slopes And Transform Your Short Game
• Sergio Garcia's Favourite Tee To Green Tips

If you are serious about making improvements to your golf game, it’s crucially important to avoid these seven common habits that stifle your progress and leave you feeling less confident than when you arrived.

Whether you have arrived for a 30-minute driving range session or you are squeezing in a quick hit as part of your pre-round golf warm up, these expert tips and instructional video from Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Ben Emerson will help you to perfect your practice...

7 Things You Should Never Do At The Driving Range

Spending time at the driving range is a great opportunity to work on the best ball striking lessons or focus on fundamentals like the perfect golf grip, but first you must avoid these 7 common mistakes that amateur golfers make when practising...

1. ARRIVING WITHOUT A PLAN

Too often, club golfers come to the range with no real plan and just hit balls without any thought or care.

What’s the typical tactic? Heading straight into the bag for the driver, banging balls away and hoping they’re going to get better.

I want you to go to the range with a plan. You need to have a good idea of what you’re doing that day.

Are you actually ‘playing golf’ by going through different shots, or working on technical aspects of your swing? Whatever your goal, make a plan and stick to it.

2. THE ‘MACHINE-GUNNING 50 BALLS’ APPROACH

Can you get better at golf by smashing 50 balls down the driving range in ten minutes?

No, absolutely not. But, sadly, so many golfers adopt this machine-gun approach in their practice sessions.

Instead, I want you to ‘play golf’ as much as you can on the range. Less is actually more. I like to take a lot of time when practising, using one of the best golf drills around... and all you need is three golf balls!

To do this, take three balls and make sure that these three balls have your full attention for each and every shot.

Step away, go through your pre-shot routine, then step back in and focus on your intention. If you repeat this process over and over you will certainly start to see some better results.

3. JUST GUESS WHAT’S HAPPENING

Most golfers don’t record their swing when they’re on the driving range, which can cause problems. They rely more on feel, as opposed to what is actually happening, which I don’t like at all.

I want some real evidence of what I’m doing, and you should be leaving any guesswork out of the equation. Set up a camera or phone on a tripod at around belt height and directly down the line towards the target.

Imagine that it’s pointing straight through your hands when you are in the address position. Set the camera to record in slow motion, then hit a few balls following the plan outlined in the previous sections.

Take time to review the footage after every few shots. You’ll be surprised what you can learn from this simple process.

4. GETTING WORKED UP

It really doesn’t matter if you are hitting it badly on the range, because this is a safe space to work on your game.

Practice time can become one of the most rage-inducing things in golf, if you allow it to, but you need to give yourself a break.

I know you want to improve, but allowing yourself the time and patience to work on your golf swing on the range is a great way to successfully navigate that journey.

Too often, I see golfers showing off to their friends – calling them to watch when they are striping the odd one or two.

That doesn’t paint a true (or healthy) picture of improvement as, when we are working on technical aspects, we are going to get elements wrong. If you want the long-term goal to be better at golf, enjoy the journey and give yourself a break.

5. NEGLECTING CLUBFACE DRILLS

Clubface is king when it comes to being able to control the golf ball, but many golfers neglect their clubface control drills.

A favourite drill of mine on the driving range is to make some slow swings and just pay real attention to where the clubface is at various points. From there, you can start to work out how to open and close it to hit different shots.

Take three balls and aim down the middle but hit the first ball as far left as possible, the second as far right as possible and the final one down the middle.

Each time you are paying attention to how much you need to close or open the clubface to achieve the desired result.

It may look like you’re being very erratic to other range users, but who cares? If you can feel and experience both ends of the spectrum, you’ll strike the golf ball of the centre of the clubface far more often.

6. RELYING ON SHOT FEEDBACK FOR DISTANCE CONTROL

Practicing your short game is essential to avoid some of the most common mistakes amateur golfers make around the greens, but this investment only pays off if you do it right!

A golfer aims for a target around 40 to 50 yards away. They hit the first one long, they hit the second one short and then they get the third one bang on.

All that’s happened here is that the golfer’s brain has just adjusted to the two previous shots. The problem is that on the course you don’t enjoy the luxury of such feedback.

When you’re working on distance control, it’s important that your practice is random. Pick different distances and go through your routine, unless you’re working on technical aspects, in which case go for the same target.

7. ONLY FOCUSING ON DRILLS

It’s important not to place too much emphasis on your success in various drills, as you’ve got to be able to build things into your full swing.

I’ve seen many golfers get so good at drills – which are a crucial part of swing improvement – who then really struggle to replicate those elements in the golf swing.

It’s therefore important to mix things up a little bit by perhaps using an alternate shot method.

Try one swing using the drill you are working on at that time, then try one regular full swing. Use the drill as an opportunity to learn and the swing as an opportunity to assess.

I would also vary the speed, moving from slow to fast swing speeds, as if you can’t do it slowly you have very little hope of achieving the correct technical move at full speed.

Tell Us Your Story...

Practicing at the range is perhaps one of the most fluctuating experiences in the game among amateur golfers, with some making it part of their weekly routine and others rarely getting the opportunity to dust off the clubs and hit a few off the mat.

I'm interested to know what practice looks like for you. Maybe you recognise some of the faux pas above from your own experience, or perhaps you have found something that really works for your game.

Drop me a comment in the box below and help us to understand the landscape of practice volume and quality among amateur golfers - you might even feature in a Golf Monthly article on the website this winter.

Understanding how your right elbow should work in the golf swing could help you to maximise power and ensure a centred strike with driver, but what is the flying elbow and how can you fix it?

In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach and PGA Advanced professional Katie Dawkins explains all and shares a simple drill that will help you to banish this destructive fault for good...

How To Fix A 'Flying Elbow' In The Golf Swing With One Drill

When you’ve reached the limit of your rotational ability, the arms can then think that it’s a good idea to finish the swing for you.

We talk a lot about how to get a straight left arm in the golf swing, but this fault often sees a tilt, then collapse in the lead arm meaning a huge loss of power.

Try this drill to help maintain energy and efficiency in your swing. Adopt a fairly athletic posture and let your arms hang down.

Then, take your leading arm and hook the back of its hand behind your trailing elbow, making sure that your trail arm stays nice and relaxed.

Those who are predominantly right-handed can start off at address with lots of tension in their right arm (almost braced).

Let it relax, which will help the elbow to fold rather than fly going back. Note in the image that all I’ve done is turn my back to the target and allow that elbow to fold.

This trail elbow is close to my body and I could almost be a waiter carrying a tray of drinks. There isn’t an ounce of tension. My trail elbow is pointing down and everything is nice and connected.

If you don’t use your body correctly and stop turning, you’ll reach a point where the arms will lift and take over.

The connection has gone in the image below – the back of my lead hand has separated from my trail arm and the resistance you need to generate power has been lost.

Bear in mind, though, that if you have mobility worries or rotator cuff issues you may struggle to maintain resistance.

It requires talent, teamwork, resilience, and an unwavering belief in the face of pressure. Doing so away from home makes it even tougher – as players must also face hostile crowds, unfamiliar surroundings, and relentless scrutiny.

While most of us will never walk the fairways at a Ryder Cup, the psychology behind success at that level offers powerful lessons for the amateur golfer – both on and off the course.

In this article, golf mindset and strategy expert Gareth Shaw explains a series of insights from his analysis of Team Europe's performance at Bethpage Black and how they can help all amateur golfers to improve...

3 Lessons All Golfers Can Learn From Europe's Ryder Cup Win

Let's start with the mental demands of the Ryder Cup. Golfers in this famous event face unique pressures. Firstly, every shot counts - not just for them, but also for their team.

They are likely to face hostile environment, which test focus and composure, as evidenced by the ugly fan behaviour at Bethpage Black.

The team's expectations can also weigh heavy on a player, especially considering they are competing in a sport defined by individuality.

Success comes down to mental toughness, emotional control, and the ability to block out distractions – qualities every golfer, regardless of their handicap, can develop.

Leadership and the 'Luke Donald Effect'

Luke Donald’s leadership in Europe’s recent Ryder Cup win highlights the power of calm authority.

He built trust, gave players clarity about their roles, and projected composure in high-pressure moments - so it's clear to see why there are calls for Luke Donald to stay on for two more years.

For amateurs, the lesson is clear: your mindset sets the tone – whether it’s leading a four-ball, playing in a club competition, or just keeping a social round enjoyable.

Staying calm encourages others around you to do the same, and it allows you to focus on your own game and limit distractions.

Lessons for the Amateur Golfer

1. Dealing with Pressure on the Course

Control the controllables – You can’t control your playing partners, the weather, or bad bounces. Focus only on your preparation, pre-shot routine, and decision-making.

Build a routine – Just as Ryder Cup players rely on consistent habits, having a set routine for every shot creates stability under pressure.

This is something you can also rehearse during your driving range session, helping to increase familiarity and comfort in pressure situations.

Reframe pressure as excitement – Instead of “I must not miss,” think “I get to show what I can do.” This shifts nerves into positive energy.

2. Handling Pressure Off the Course

Stay present – Whether at work, home, or on the course, focus on the task in front of you rather than dwelling on outcomes. This is a good habit to get into away from the course, which will help you when you eventually find time to hit the fairways.

Filter outside noise – Social media, opinions of others, or self-criticism can weigh heavily. Learn to step back and decide what deserves your energy. Golf can be a great escape from the pressures of life, so allow it to be that rather than a chore.

Practice resilience – Like Ryder Cup players facing hostile galleries, amateurs will face setbacks in life and golf. Train yourself to reset quickly after mistakes rather than carrying frustration forward.

This takes practice, but some of the best golfers in the world are great at moving on quickly.

3. Build Your “Performance Bubble”

Ryder Cup players create a mental bubble to block out the crowd and focus on their role.

Amateur golfers can do the same. Before a shot, step into your 'bubble' by visualising the target. After the shot, step out, accept the result, and enjoy the walk. Over time, this helps you stay steady and reduces emotional highs and lows.

The Ryder Cup is the ultimate test of golfing psychology, especially when played away from home. But the same principles that guide elite players can help amateurs to deal with pressure in competitions, work or daily life.

And the guilty club is... the five-iron. According to the stats, golfers lose up to 0.37 shots with this club depending on ability level and interestingly, the five-iron is statistically the worst club in terms of Strokes Gained for every standard of golfer.

So why is that and what can we do to help turn this club into a secret weapon? We sought out the advice of PGA Pro and YouTube golfer Matt Fryer.

“There’s not much loft on a 5-iron and they’re getting stronger every year,” Fryer explains. “The difficulty is two fold - golfers struggle to launch a club of this loft but also find it hard to control the curvature. The head is pretty compact too, so this curve to the flight is exaggerated by any miss-strikes.”

It would also be fair to say that a lot of golfers over-estimate how far they hit their five iron, with a 15-handicapper average 169 yards of total distance.

In terms of the correct technique with this club in hand, Fryer has noticed down the years some common mistakes that golfers employ.

“The big mistake I see is golfers adopting the technique of a 7-iron,” Fryer adds. “They have the ball too far back in the stance and then coming into impact, golfers knowing the lack of loft often tip backwards to try to help the ball up in the air. This backing up causes shots where you strike the ground too early or top it.”

Fryer goes on the say that a remedy for this fault would be to have the ball position a little forward of middle in the stance - this helps with launch and also creating a shallower angle of attack.

A good practice drill to enforce the correct movement is to create a short zone with two tees about a clubhead-width apart. The feeling into impact that the club is just brushing the ground where the ball would be and afterwards with small swings. You shouldn’t be taking big divots here - as your pressure shifts forwards, you pick the ball off the turf cleanly with a small, shallow divot.

Of course, a more drastic solution would be to swap out the five-iron altogether for a more forgiving alternative. There are a host of options out there - be it opting for a combo set with a slightly bigger model in the long irons to assist with launch and forgiveness, or adding a hybrid or high-lofted fairway wood.

Like many amateurs who struggle with the most common chipping and pitching faults, I invest as much time as I can into the best short game tips and drills, but for some reason consistency still eludes me.

But, everything changed after one round with Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach and PGA Pro Ged Walters. In among the plethora of practical tips that Ged provided over 18-holes, I was blown away by the transformational impact of one particular short game shot.

Quite frankly, it wasn't one that I had tried much before, but you'd better believe this gem will be getting wheeled out at every possible opportunity moving forwards...

One Transformational Short Game Shot I Never Knew I Needed

When thinking about how to chip in recent months, my default has always been a safety first approach to negate most of the wide-ranging spectrum of undesirable outcomes that my short game produces.

That typically resulted in me unwaveringly opting for a low chip and run shot, which rarely resulted in the tap in putt I desired, so Ged encouraged me to try something different... and it worked!

As I approached my ball, just off the 7th green at Sand Moor Golf Club, Ged advised me to grab my most lofted wedge.

Tentatively, I obliged - and I was glad I did. The instructions he offers are a great lesson for any amateur golfer who struggles with their short game, or their confidence around the greens, but I will let the expert explain those himself...

The high-floated chip shot can help you to get more spin and increased control when the ball lands on the green, but this is also a shot you can vary depending on your distance to the target.

If you need to send it a bit further, you could move up to a 54 degree, a pitching wedge or even a 9-iron, but the technique remains the same.

Follow these five steps in the video and step-by-step tutorial below and you will not go far wrong...

1. Take your most lofted club
2. Stand slightly taller and closer to the ball than for a normal shot
3. Set up with a narrow stance and weight 70% on your lead side
4. Open the clubface a fraction but keep the shaft in a neutral position (minimal shaft lean)
5. Take the clubhead straight back and through, similar to a putting stroke, committing with speed through impact

Common Misconceptions And Faults

Obviously, at least to me, this was never going to be an immediate quick fix. While encouraging, this will need some time on the short game area.

There were, however, definite signs of improvement on the course and an increased sense of confidence each time I tried to play this shot.

Trialling this technique, from differing distances and lies, taught me a lot about the importance of focusing on the fundamentals, so I thought I'd share some of those lessons to close out this piece in the hope that you can chip your way to success.

1. Old habits

On a couple of occasions, in terms of how far to stand from the golf ball, I set up too far away and therefore the shaft of the club was not as upright as it should have been.

This encouraged the sort of path you might expect to see with an iron, and my old chipping action, but as Ged reminded me - this shot is all about straight back and straight through.

2. Weight moving away from lead side

On one memorable occasion, from just off the green, I allowed myself to fall back ever so slightly onto my trail side in the backswing. This changed the angle of attack and caused me to blade my chip shot straight over the green to the other side.

To prevent this, keep your weight distribution on the lead side (around 70%) throughout the swing.

3. Not committing with my lead arm

This is a very lead arm led shot, but early on I was quitting on it a little bit. That meant the speed at the ball was tentative and the result was a plugged ball in the greenside bunker (or two) when it didn't quite reach the putting surface.

This isn't necessarily about power, but it is about punching the lead arm through the ball and trusting the loft to produce a soft landing on the dance floor.

How Did You Get On?

If you tried Ged's tip and want to share how this has impacted your game, drop us a comment in the box below.

Alternatively, if you have found something similar (or not so similar) that works for you, feel free to drop us a line and help other amateur golfers to play their best on the course.

Some players, like me, tend to arrive very early and go through the bag to shake off the rust - and desperately trying to find a centred strike with driver. This can have it's benefits, but I also tend to get in my own head a little bit when things don't go to plan on the range.

Others arrive five minutes before their off, stumble out of the car and sprint to the first tee without even hitting a ball - which is quite frankly ludicrous.

We aren't expecting you to bust out the 10 best golf exercises in the car park, but going in cold is almost certainly going to hold you back in the scoring department, so what should you be doing instead?

To be honest, we probably need to find a happy medium between my obsessive state and the almost horizontal laid back approach.

So, once you have hit a few (and I mean a few) balls on the range to warm up those muscles, make sure you leave 10 minutes before your tee time to try Clive Tucker's expert pre-round prep routine... you won't regret it!

Ultimate 10-Minute Pre-Round Preparation Routine For Golfers

We can all be guilty (sometimes) of spending a little too long with the driver or irons in hand before a round, if you make time for a warm-up at all, but this often means neglecting the equally important aspects of short game and putting.

Warming up with the flatstick is something that all good putters do, so don't be left behind due to poor timekeeping or a misguided need to rip one more with your driver before you walk over to the first tee.

In this perfect pre-round preparation routine, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Clive Tucker explains how you can spend your last 10 minutes like a pro, utilising the time to prime your putting prowess and get comfortable on the greens.

I've tried it - and it works! Give it a go and let us know how you get on in the comments box below.

First Five Minutes

Take three balls and putt them to the same hole to get a feel for speed control when putting, before moving on to another hole.

Why three? With two, if you leave the first putt short, you’ll instinctively hit the next one harder, but that just means you’ve been able to adjust. If you then repeat that better putt with the third ball, you’ve learned and remembered something.

Next Four Minutes

For the next four minutes, focus on those testers you’ll invariably face to maintain momentum in your round.

Putt three balls from different angles to the same hole from two-and-a-half to three feet to get a feel for these must-make putts. Each putt will be slightly different, but if you make all three, move the balls a putter grip further away and repeat.

Final Minute

For the final minute, simply knock the three balls in from 18ins as it just feels good to see the ball going into the hole immediately before you play.

Do this twice before heading out to the 1st tee. Putts of this length might be virtually unmissable, but that’s the whole point – your final memory before you tee off will be the sight and sound of the ball going in!

As you can see in the video below, expert short game coach Dan Grieve explains that there are many common mistakes amateur golfers make around the greens... but our comprehensive guide has the solutions to your problems.

Every golfer needs to understand the fundamentals of how to chip, how to hit a bunker a shot and how to hit pitch shots, so why not learn from the best?

In this curated list of the 20 best short game tips, a wide range of Golf Monthly's Top 50 coaches share their advice and drills to help you play your best golf around the green...

20 Best Short Game Tips From Expert PGA Professionals

This list of the best short game tips and drills for amateur golfers has been curated using the extensive experience and knowledge of the Golf Monthly Top 50 Coaches.

Each tip has been carefully explained and each drill has been expertly designed to help you improve your performance around the green.

01 CLUB CHOICE AROUND THE GREEN

Take various clubs to the chipping green (not just your wedges) and mark out some landing zones. Note how far the ball rolls out from each zone with different clubs. This highlights where to land it and how much roll with each club.

02 LOB SHOT OFF A TIGHT LIE

For this testing shot, push the ball a little further forward in your stance at address – not too much though – and focus on keeping the hands very soft with lots of wrist hinge in the backswing. This is quite a soft impact shot, so just let the weight of your arms swing past you for a really gentle release as your hands sweep through impact.

03 CHIPPING FROM WET LIES

The key is to avoid digging the club into the ground by really using the bounce on your wedges. It’s important to ensure the clubface doesn’t move away too closed in the backswing, so set the club a bit more open at address and let your left hand weaken slightly in your grip. This helps expose the bounce and stops you duffing these chips.

04 STOP DECELERATING ON CHIP SHOTS

Often, deceleration occurs when you aren’t confident and don’t commit – you slow down and stab at the ball. Work on your strike by keeping the backswing shorter. Get your weight on the front foot, grip down a little and look to just bruise the turf under the ball.

05 IMPROVE YOUR CHIPPING STRIKE

When you chip, your hands should move gently inside, back to impact and gently inside coming through. Many club golfers don’t move their hands on this arc, with lots of scooping and stabbing. Pop two alignment sticks down beneath where your hands hang naturally to create a visual to encourage this arc.

06 CHIP AND RUN

For this shot, use a mid- to short-iron and stand a bit closer, with the heel of the club a little off the ground. Grip down a touch as the shaft will now be more upright due to you standing closer. Then just rock the shoulders exactly as you would when putting.

07 PLUGGED LIE IN BUNKER

The safest option for handicap golfers is to keep the face square or slightly closed with more weight on the lead side, then muscle it out somewhere via a full-ish swing with lots of speed.

08 STOP SCOOPING CHIPS

This is a great drill for understanding what the upper body is doing and how little is going on via the grip of the club. Have your upper arms resting on your rib cage, then hold your palms, as here, with your little fingers together. Get used to rocking your shoulders and rib cage, but not your hands and arms. The shoulders rotate with the body, with no excess work being done by the hands.

09 SHORT PITCH SHOTS

Set the ball a little behind the sternum, with just a little forward shaft lean at address. Make sure you maintain your weight distribution during the swing – if you start 60/40 on your lead leg, ensure it’s the same at the end of the backswing, at impact and at the end of the waist-high swing.

10 THE HYBRID CHIP

Try practising hybrid chips one-handed with your thumb on your sternum and your fingers on your bicep to help retain the connection. As you go back, your arm’s on the side of your rib and will still be there as you come through.

11 HANDS AT ADDRESS

Poor chipping often stems from the hands being too far forward at address, so you present the leading edge and not the sole bounce to the ground at impact. Have the ball position a little further forward – just inside the back foot – with limited shaft lean. Your sternum should be in front of the ball at address, at the top and at impact.

12 HOW TO SPIN CHIPS

You need good contact nearer the bottom of the club while retaining the loft in order to spin your chip shots. Set the ball in the centre of the stance without too much forward shaft lean. Feel like you’re lighting a match at impact. If you drag the club too slowly, there won’t be enough friction.

13 IMPROVE YOUR FEEL

Here’s a drill you can do at home in the garden. Pop open an umbrella and set it about eight feet away. Start by chipping balls at, or just over, the brolly. This will help you to develop a solid strike. Focus on having more follow-through than backswing and make sure you commit. Then, work on bouncing the ball directly into the umbrella.

14 STOP THINNING CHIP SHOTS

Golfers thin chips when their body stops and they drive the leading edge down too quickly, or the clubhead overtakes the hands. Try clipping balls off the turf, finishing with your chest and hips towards the target – and just hold it.

15 TEE PEG DRILL

Having the ball too far back in the stance on chip shots can cause fats and thins. Move the ball to the middle and set your weight evenly at address. Hit chips off a tee in practice to develop technique and boost your confidence.

16 DOWNHILL CHIP SHOTS

The steeper the slope, the wider you need to stand. Put the ball back of centre in the stance, as that’s going to allow your club to come up a little bit higher in the takeaway. Don’t try and rotate as you normally would – keep all the pressure in your lead leg and finish nice and short.

17 COMPACT SAND IN GREENSIDE TRAP

Steepen the attack angle to release the club while the leading edge stays down. Put the ball just back of centre and really feel like you're leaning your whole body towards the target.

18 PRACTICE BLUEPRINT

After you've completed your next 30 minute driving range session, go to the short game area and split your remaining practice time into thirds. First, hit a variety of shots to establish your weakest areas. Secondly, work on those shots or specific techniques. Finally, have some fun as you put it all into practice. Keep things creative and interesting.

19 RELEASE THE CLUB

Issues arise when you don’t release the club properly on chips. Some ‘flip release’ it to help the ball up; others ‘block release’ it, with the lead hand taking over. Let gravity do its thing and keep the hands soft. Try taking your left hand off to get the right hand to play more of a role. You want to feel the club passing your body nice and naturally.

20 CHIP OFF A BARE LIE

If the grass is sparse and the ground unforgiving, you need a specialised approach. At address, lift the handle of the club slightly to encourage the toe to sit closer to the ball, with the heel elevated above the grass. Stand a bit closer to enhance control and maintain an upright shaft angle throughout, keeping those high hands.

There are some commonly overlooked faults when it comes to swing plane that negatively impact the performance of many amateurs, particularly high-handicappers, so identifying the problem and finding the correct fix is important.

There are plenty of drills to get your golf swing on plane, but the thing that sets this particular example apart from the rest is you can do it anywhere you can find a mirror - making it super convenient.

In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Tom Motley shares how a golf club, an alignment stick and a mirror could unlock your full potential on the golf course...

How To Get Your Golf Swing On Plane: Simple Mirror Drill

This is a perfect drill to rehearse in front of a mirror, where you can practice how to start the backswing and make sure your chest and arms are working together nicely, allowing the hinge to gradually set onto the plane.

Although this drill might look a little complicated, it’s not! The best golf drills are simple to set up and carry out, but offer plenty of scope for improvement, and this one is no different.

It’s one to try if you have a tendency to get the club behind the hands in the takeaway and too flat in the shaft plane. This exercise can also help those who don’t use the body enough and have a ‘handsy’ takeaway, as well as golfers who flare the club open.

Take your 7-iron and place one alignment stick down the back end of the grip and another on your ball-to-target line.

You don’t need any tape - it’s just a case of holding it in place with your fingers (as I am doing in the image above).

Note how the plane I have set the shaft on matches the target line. From here, I can just rotate the torso to the top and keep everything matching up nicely.

At the top of my backswing, in the image above, I’m on a good plane. If the alignment stick were pointing too much outside the target line, the shaft would be too flat and I’d have to make downswing compensations.

I really like this drill for golfers who tend to set the wrists late, which can cause you to be either too ‘laid off’ or across the line at the top of the swing.

Too many amateurs are fixated with holing putts on the practice green before their round, which is not the best use of their time - in fact, just forget the hole all together.

After missing more than they convert, they then feel nervous standing over their first putt on the course, but this drill could be the game-changer that fires up the flatstick.

In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Paul Foston shares a fantastic speed control putting drill that will help you to avoid 3-putts and feel more confident heading out onto the course...

Essential Pre-Round Putting Drill To Master Speed Control

You can’t tell anybody how far to take the putter back or how hard to hit it – and, of course, green speeds vary from course to course – so this drill is ideal ahead of a round.

You’ll need to adjust your speed on a regular basis if you play different golf courses. Set up a speed station on the putting green with two markers 15 inches apart.

Dave Pelz says 'the perfect speed for any putt is 15 inches past the hole', so if you finish between the two markers we’ll call that good speed – dead-weight nearer the first tee and perfect speed nearer the second one.

This putting drill is a good indicator of your ability to judge speed. If you’re six inches short of the first marker or beyond the second one, we’ll call that just a tad short or long.

The misses we’re trying to avoid are the levels beyond that, when you’re hitting it four or five feet short of or past the tee-pegs.

The Test: How Did Baz Get On?

When I tried this drill before my most recent round of golf, I was surprised how much more relaxed I felt heading out onto the course.

I didn't have the negative thoughts about the putts I had missed on the practice green lingering in my mind - Instead it was replaced with an aura of confidence that I understood the pace of the greens I was about to face.

It's important to temper expectations here. The first time I tried this drill I didn't nail the pace, but with a few run throughs I noticed a clear improvement.

This drill provided instant feedback and clear data that I could actually use on the course - which is much better than making one 8-footer out of five attempts before trudging dejectedly over to the first tee box.

I learnt so much from reading 5 timeless tips from the Golden Bear, and let's be honest... who wouldn't want to listen to advice from one of the best golfers of all time?

Learning how to aim in golf might seem like a pretty basic principle, but it's so important to your ability to score well and navigate the golf course successfully.

Fortunately, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Russell Covey has a simple tip that all golfers can use to improve their alignment on the tee box - and it was used by Jack Nicklaus himself...

How To Aim On The Tee Box: A Simple Tip Used By Jack Nicklaus

You have 18 opportunities over the course of a round to perfect your set-up and alignment on the tee.

When you are on the tee box you still have the ball in your hand, so use that to your advantage.

Look for a discarded or broken tee (the pink castle tee in the image below) or an old divot mark, then tee your ball up behind it.

It's important to consider what the rules say with regards to this process, as there is clear guidance on what you can and can't do when using a secondary target for the purposes of alignment.

There is more on this at the bottom of this article, but the basic premise is that you can only use reference points that already exist on the tee box, so avoid dropping a club or alignment stick down as a target to hit over.

Ideally, your reference point should be no more than a club’s length away, just so you can see it out of the corner of your lead eye.

Jack Nicklaus did this for years - picking an already existing secondary target, like a small spot or mark on the ground, a few feet in front of his golf ball on his target line.

A lot of golfers are guilty of putting the tee in the ground first and then finding a secondary target spot in front of them - but that's the wrong way around to complete this process.

It’s easier to line up to a secondary target just in front of you than to aim at a tree 250 yards away in the distance - so it's a bit of a no brainer to make this part of your pre-shot routine.

Note, in the image below, how I step in with my trail foot first. This allows me to be open to the target. My whole lead side is working itself back to the target line while I get ready to play.

From here, I’ve got more chance of getting parallel rather than closing myself off to the target as many people do.

Final Thought

Do you aim your body at the hole on three-foot putts? No, you set your feet, knees, hips and shoulders parallel to your target line. This is what you should be trying to do on your longer shots, too.

Try this simple tip during your next 30 minute driving range session, then when you are confident take it out onto the course and get ready to reap the rewards.

Fortunately, as I wandered through the gold mine that is the Golf Monthly archive, I stumbled across this absolute gem from the two-time Senior Major winner.

After winning the British Masters back in 2021, becoming the oldest first-time winner in European Tour history in his 478th start, Richard Bland shared with us his expert tee-to-green tips...

1. Driving Accuracy

One of my faults in the past has been a tendency to sometimes not complete my backswing – I start down too early.

When the club is late and I’m ahead of it, I can’t square the face and sometimes I’d hit a weak cut. If I’m working on something, I might look at a player who does what I’m trying to do very well.

I looked at Hideki Matsuyama and that slight pause he has at the top. I have this image in my head and it helps me to set the club at the top, then I can move into the transition and it’s not rushed.

2. Iron Play

If you can hit your numbers then you probably shouldn’t be too far away. This is where Monty was so great – he was always pin high from 170 yards in. He knew exactly how far he was going to hit it, and that’s what I work on with my wedges and short irons.

I don’t tend to see Tim [Barter] at tournaments. I’ll always have my GCQuad on the range and I do my work with him when I’m back at The Wisley.

We do lots of over-exaggeration work. There are certain things that you can’t over exaggerate enough.

For example, if I’m hitting the ball too much right to left, I’ll try and hit fades. I find it helps to neutralise the ball flight.

3. Bunker Play

You rarely see pros giving bunker lessons, but I think amateurs could learn so much more by having one. I see amateurs go into a bunker with a normal set-up and they think they have to dig it out.

The sand is your friend and you’ve got to use the bounce. Once you understand how to play the shot, good technique will take care of itself. With pros, you see the clubface is set with more loft, so they can hit it harder and get more spin.

Good bunker players can play a variety of shots. Amateurs go in with one club and try to hit the ball harder. If it’s a longer bunker shot, I’ll use my 54° with a little less loft and play a sort of duff and run, which I find to be more consistent over 25-30 yards.

4. Chipping

The only work I do is on the strike, because without that you have nothing. It comes back to the basics: ball in the right place, weight slightly on the lead foot, a descending blow, ball and turf at exactly the same time.

You’re not trying to hit the ball; the ball just gets in the way. Don’t overcomplicate matters, either – just get the ball running on the ground as quickly as possible. I putt from off the green now more than I ever used to because it’s often just the right shot.

5. Dealing With Pressure

It’s a bit of a cliche, but all you can do is play the next shot in front of you. If you’re on the tee and you’re already worried about the second shot, then you’re not focused.

We’re all guilty of it; our minds wander because we have so much time to think about things.

In the British Masters play-off, I just went through my routines. We’ve done it so many times that it becomes second nature.

It’s just about hitting every shot to the best of your ability. You’re still going to hit poor shots, but commit to every shot like it’s your last.

The guide is packed with things every golfer needs to know and the easy to follow drills can help you strike the ball better than ever before.

Number nine is a drill I have been using for some time now, which PGA Master Professional Anders Mankert brilliantly explains in the video below, so I can attest to the positive impact this expert ball striking advice can have on your game.

The question is... which tip will help to unlock your full potential and set you on your way to lower scores? Let me know how you get on in the comments section below.

01 CONTROL THE LOW POINT

Place a tee in the ground in the middle of your stance and make a series of swings with a mid-iron. Is the club striking the ground before or after the tee?

It should come just after the tee. If you’re slightly off, make some small adjustments at address. Consistent control of your low point will help you to compress the ball better at impact.

02 FIND THE MIDDLE

To improve awareness and ensure a centred strike more often, put three tees in the ground and address the centre one. Make three swings, striking a different tee each time - nearest first, then the furthest then the middle one.

03 STRIKE CHECK

It never hurts to know what your own, unique strike pattern is. You can do this by marking a non-permanent spot on some practice balls and hitting a series of shots.

Take a look at the clubface to see exactly where you’re making contact. This will give you a feel for the minute adjustments needed to find the centre of the face.

04 SEQUENCING DRILL

From the top of the backswing, make a very slow and deliberate downswing. Notice how the chest is still pointing at the ball here, even though the hips have rotated further.

Try to replicate this and you should be able to feel separation between your upper and lower body. Grooving this will help your power and accuracy.

05 STAMP DRILL

Put a club across your chest, turn away as you would on your backswing and then stamp your left foot down as you turn back through the ball.

Do this on as part of your driving range session before you start hitting shots as it will give you the feeling in your left glute and foot as to where and how your weight should be moving through impact.

06 TAKEAWAY TIP

The swing begins from the left shoulder, working on a line with the club.

As you start, the hips begin to turn a moment later, and the left knee moves inwards to facilitate hip turn. Put a ball behind your club and simply push it away from the target smoothly to promote a good takeaway and fluid rhythm.

07 PUSH, TURN AND EXTEND

Put an alignment stick down just inside your trail foot as here. If you were to flick at the ball or hang back through impact, you would hit the stick with your club on the way down. This drill helps to encourage the correct move through impact in which you need to push, turn and then extend down the line.

08 FAIRWAY BUNKERS

Avoid shuffling feet in as on greenside bunker shots as you don't want to lower your divot depth. Create a little wedge of sand with both insteps to knock the knees in slightly and secure you in place.

09 APPLYING PRESSURE

Take a swing with a ball under your lead foot, as below. You don’t want to feel yourself pressing on the ball too much on the backswing, but on the downswing, try to apply a bit of pressure to it.

It helps you feel how your weight needs to transfer to be able to deliver a slightly downward attack angle.

10 STOP TOPPING

Start with the club in front of you, and make some practice swings. The chest and hips have turned, everything is in one unit and the right heel is just off the ground.

Feel like your arms are squeezing together with the elbows coming through as one unit. Get used to a feeling of releasing past the ball.

11 ALTERING TRAJECTORY

To hit it lower, move the ball position back a little further in your stance and look low at set-up -about eight feet in front of you.

This will get your shoulders tilting, with your right higher than your left. For a higher shot, have the ball position nearer the front foot, hands slightly behind the ball, and look into the sky.

12 COPING WITH DIVOTS

To hit from a divot, swing more upright to increase the angle of attack. This often means you’ll cut across the ball a touch, so open your stance and aim a little left of target to compensate for this flight.

13 BALL POSITION ADJUSTMENTS

From wedge to 6-iron, set the ball in the centre of your stance; longer irons and hybrids just forward of centre; and driver a couple of inches inside your left heel.

Only play your irons back in the stance if you need to keep flight down, and even then never too far – no more than two inches back.

14 SHANK BUSTER

One of the most common causes of the shank is coming over the top. Put a head cover just outside the ball. From the top, let your arms come inside more to miss it. You’ll start to get the club on a much better path.

15 ENGAGE YOUR LEGS

If you can engage your legs a bit more, your striking should improve.

Try ‘bouncing’ your knees a little to get set up properly and feel a little tension in the thighs. It’s hard to sway if you get your legs in a good, stable place at the start.

16 TEE HEIGHT WITH VARIOUS CLUBS

Generally speaking, it’s best to tee your driver up so the ball’s equator is around the top edge of the club, and then tee every other club lower to something replicating a nice fluffy lie at most.

17 BALL BELOW FEET

When the ball is below your feet, the club wants to travel on a more vertical swing plane.

A slightly more tilted posture will accommodate this and help you get to the bottom of the ball. Don’t lean into your heels, as this will just shallow out your swing plane.

18 DIVOT PATTERN

You can learn a lot from divots. If your ball position is good, they should start just after the ball and square to the target.

Divots pointing left indicate an out-to-in swing path, whereas a divot pointing right indicates an in-to-out path.

19 FAIRWAY BUNKER STRIKES

If you come into the ball too steeply, the club will dig into the sand costing you energy and distance.

To reduce your angle of attack a fraction, move the ball a touch further forward in your stance.

20 SPINE ANGLE CHECK

Many a poor strike stems from players lifting and dipping their heads during their swings, thus altering their spine angle too much.

To help prevent this, tee a ball up at the height you would have it for your driver, but then practise hitting the ball off that tee cleanly with your 7-iron instead, as opposed to the big stick.

I don't buy that - as with the help of these 20 expert tips you can put on a ball striking masterclass with fairway woods, hybrids and long irons - shooting lower scores and becoming the envy of your playing partners who wish they had your long game prowess.

Whether you prefer to use hybrids or long irons, or perhaps a mixture of both, try these tips out for yourself at your next driving range session, there could be something in there that unlocks your full potential on the course...

01 BALL POSITION AND POSTURE

When practising your fairway woods, think about the perfect ball position and posture. At address, set the ball just inside your left heel to help create the shallow angle of attack needed to sweep the ball off the top of the turf.

Setting your spine angle correctly at address, then maintaining it through to impact, enhances your chances of a good strike.

02 GRIP DOWN

With fairway woods, a good tip is to just go down the grip two or three centimetres. This will bring the ball a fraction more towards you, which will provide you with added control as a result, but be sure to follow the fundamentals of the perfect golf grip.

03 SWEEP NOT STEEP

With your fairway woods, width is critical both on the way back and on the follow-through after sweeping the ball away.

There should be a slight grazing of the grass but no real divot at impact, as you would get with an iron strike. Really try to convince yourself that you are chasing the ball and club down the line.

04 HIT YOUR HYBRID LIKE AN IRON

Hybrids may look like mini-woods, but you need to set up with the ball in the same position as for a long-iron at address. Then make an iron swing, looking to take a little divot after the ball.

05 OPEN UP FROM HEAVIER LIES

When hitting a hybrid from a heavy lie, open your stance a little. By then swinging down the line of your feet, you will create the steeper angle of attack needed to help get the ball out of the rough.

06 EXPERIMENT WITH TEE HEIGHT

Angle of attack with a fairway wood varies a little between tee and fairway duties. Off a tee, you will normally want to hit up on the ball a little more.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with tee height to see what helps you deliver your optimum angle of attack when hitting your woods from the tee.

07 TAKEAWAY TIP

To encourage the wide takeaway you need in the golf swing, set an aligment stick in the ground behind you and imagine the club stretching out to hit it. A wide arc helps to generate clubhead speed and a good angle of attack.

08 SWING PLANE CHECK

Setting the wrists and loading the club halfway back with a good shoulder turn gives you the time and space to create speed.

A good checkpoint when the club is halfway back is for the grip to be pointing directly between the toe line and golf ball. This would indicate that the club is on the correct plane as you take it away.

09 ‘LOOSE ARMS’

Think ‘loose arms’ with long-irons at address to help remove tension. It also encourages you to complete the backswing and produce a smooth action.

A full turn in the backswing is a must, not only to build power but also to help deliver a flatter swing. Long-irons do not respond to an ‘over the top’ steep-and-across-the-ball action.

10 NARROWER STANCE

How wide should your golf stance be? Golfers often think big is powerful when it comes to stance, but too wide a stance limits your ability to turn and inhibits a free-flowing action.

Yes, balance is key, especially with long clubs, but a slightly narrower stance can help every aspect of your swing.

11 LEVEL UP THE SHOULDERS

This is a good drill to help you hit it better off the tee with your hybrids. Try this on the range to prevent your trail shoulder dropping down too much. Switch hands on your grip at set-up, which gets the shoulders more even

Then switch back to your normal grip and give it a rip. Hit down on the ball slightly and don’t worry about bruising the turf.

12 CORRECT SET-UP

How far should you stand from the ball with a hybrid? Lay the club down with the end of the grip up by your heels. To ensure you find the correct spine angle (slightly tilted but not hugely), bend from the hips.

13 GO LOW

A great way to help shallow out your angle of attack with a fairway wood, without thinking too technically about the swing, is to picture striking the ball below the equator.

Concentrate on a spot low on the ball, but try to avoid taking too much of a divot. This gives you the visualisation you need to make the perfect fairway wood contact.

14 GROUND SUPPORT

Struggling with fairway wood contact? Take some practice swings and feel the sole ‘bouncing’ off the turf through impact. If it doesn’t get stuck in the turf, you’ll have more margin for error. When it feels right, hit a shot for real.

15 DRIVER OFF THE DECK

Set the ball a clubhead inside your lead heel. Aim a little left to allow for a fade, as you want as much dynamic loft as possible.

Then, focus on brushing the grass and finishing the swing. Take a few practice swings trying to do just that. Don’t force it. Let that ball just get in the way – you swing and the club will do all the work for you.

16 LOSE THE TENSION

Poor fairway wood strikes are often the result of too tight a grip, which makes it hard to find the flow and release you need. Try letting your arms hang naturally first to get used to the feeling of being more relaxed.

17 SPLIT-GRIP DRILL

In practice, split your hands on the grip so there’s a fist-sized gap between them.

Hover the club above the ground and take it to the top of your backswing, turning your back as much to the target as you comfortably can. You’ll notice a fantastic amount of width between your head and your hands. This is where power comes from.

18 TACKLING CROSSWINDS

When the layout of a hole gives you a bit of space, look to ride any crosswind rather than fight it – hit it out into it and let the wind naturally move your ball back.

If you’re facing a tighter, more confined fairway with trees on the side that the wind is coming from, that’s when you may need to try and hold the ball up instead of riding it.

That means a little fade into a right-to-left wind, or a draw if it’s coming from left to right - and don't forget to calculate distance in the wind as it's likely to be different to calm conditions.

19 ONE SWING THOUGHT

Amateurs can have a lot going on in their heads when hitting long-irons. When you play your best, there probably aren’t many thoughts about how certain parts of your body move as you swing.

Find just one that works – maybe as simple as ‘complete backswing’. It needn’t be the same all the time.

20 COMMIT FULLY

When faced with a narrow fairway you can get anxious or tight. Your swing can become too short back and through. What you want is a syrupy, full-to-full swing, so really commit.

I've covered every aspect of the game you can think of, like mastering the perfect golf grip and how to achieve a centred strike with driver, consistently utilising a personalised selection of the best golf drills to help amateurs shoot lower scores.

It would be impossible to share everything I’ve learned (and taught) in just one article, but I can offer you what I believe are three crucial lessons that every amateur golfer needs to know...

1. Setup And Play For Your Natural Shot Shape

Very few amateurs hit the ball dead straight, but interestingly many tee it up in the centre of the tee box and aim down the middle.

If your typical shot shape looks more like a draw or a fade, I would suggest using the tee box to your advantage to increase your chance of avoiding trouble.

If you hit the ball left to right (for a right-handed golfer), tee it up on the right side of the tee box to open up the fairway. If you prefer to move the ball right to left, do the opposite and tee up towards the left.

Set up to hit towards a target on the left of the fairway for a fader, or the right of the fairway for those who hit a draw. The target should ideally be a bunker or a tree 200 to 220 yards away. Trust your shape and you should end up in the middle of the fairway.

2. Chip Like You Are Putting With Loft

This is something I heard from the great Masters Champion Ray Floyd years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since.

When thinking about how to chip around the greens, for most club golfers, it would be sensible to do so as though you are ‘putting with loft’.

The stroke is very similar to a putt, with the wrists fairly firm, and all that changes is the club selection (and therefore the loft).

It’s still important to look at the lie, because this will determine the shot you need to hit, but for most shots sitting reasonably well around the green, I would just keep it simple.

Find the first available flat portion of green to land it on and work out how far it is to the hole. If you need to get it up and down quickly, you might choose something like a 54˚ wedge.

But if you have 30 yards for the ball to roll out, you can drop down to around a 7-iron. Get the ball on the flat part of the green as early as possible, allowing it to behave like a putt.

The perfect ball position is under the bridge of your nose and the stance is around 6ins wide.

Pull your left foot back, rather than splaying the lead foot, and move closer to the ball than you would for a normal iron shot to get the shaft more vertical.

In terms of weight distribution, place 70% on your lead side and all you need is a rock of the shoulders to get the ball rolling.

3. Perfect The Length Of Your Putting Stroke

Many club golfers have a very long backswing and a much shorter follow-through on the greens, when, in fact, you want the opposite.

When focusing on putting technique, I like to teach amateurs to curtail their backswing by using a book to stop them moving the putter back too far. Initially, they’ll clatter into it.

I then ask them to pause before hitting the book going back, then gently accelerate through the ball as they guide it towards the target.

I also ask them to consider what they’re happy leaving themselves if they miss. For example, if you know you can hole out most of the time from inside 30ins, use a 30in circle as your safety zone.

If you can hit all putts so the ball stops within that friendly circle if it misses, you’ll drastically reduce the number of 3-putts you record and improve your scoring.

Thankfully, utilising the extensive experience and expertise of the Golf Monthly Top 50 Coaches, we have done the hard work for you - by curating this comprehensive guide to improving your performance with driver.

Whether you want to learn how to hit a driver, understand how to hit the ball dead straight or gain 10 yards off the tee, there is something in this fantastic teaching tool that can help you to excel with the big stick...

20 Best Driving Tips And Drills In Golf From Top 50 Coaches

01 PARALLEL AT SET-UP

Your feet, knees, hips and shoulders should all be parallel to your ball-to-target line at address. It should look like you are standing on a train track. For the perfect posture, stand upright and keep your spine straight, before bending at the hips and flexing your knees until your upper body is set nicely over the ball.

02 MID-SPINE ROTATION

Put a club behind your back and hold it there with the arms to encourage a feeling of mid-spine rotation going back then rotation through the ball. You need the maximum range of movement to create speed and power for longer drives.

03 USE THE TEE WISELY

Choose the spot on the tee that will promote the shot shape you’re looking to create. Right-handers looking to hit a fade should tee up on the right and aim towards the left edge of the fairway. Conversely, if you hit a draw, tee up on the left and aim more to the right. This strategy will help to open up the hole more.

04 HOOK CURE

This drill helps ensure a good swing path, with the sticks encouraging alignment at address to be square to the target line. The other balls creating a staggered gate three inches either side of the one I’ve hit help to ensure my swing path isn’t coming in too much from the inside.

05 WEIGHT TRANSFER

A good drill is to have the heel of your front foot raised at the top of the swing, then slam it into the ground as your start down. About 75% of the your weight should be on your front foot at impact.

06 STOP SKYING IT

This is a great drill to encourage the shallower angle of attack needed if you’re skying your drives. Tee a ball up and place an empty three-ball sleeve five inches in front of it. Your goal is to hit your drive without disturbing the sleeve. If you can do this, you’re hitting the ball on the up, from where it’s all but impossible to sky it.

07 HOVER THE CLUB

One way of adding more speed to your drives is to hover the club at address. The idea is that this will reduce tension in your forearms and allow you to make a more free-flowing, fluid and powerful swing.

08 AIM SMALL, MISS SMALL

On tight drives especially, as part of your pre-shot routine, pick a small target beyond the fairway or on the horizon and take dead aim. Focusing on a very small target means that even if you miss it, you’re likely to still end up on the fairway.

09 CREATING LAG

First, we need to understand wrist hinge in the golf swing. In the backswing, your wrists will naturally hinge to help the club reach the top. The angle in your wrists here is a huge source of power and you want to release this as late as possible.

Make some right-hand-only swings holding an alignment stick. The loudest swoosh should come as the stick swings through the impact area. If the swoosh is early, work on retaining the angle in your wrists for a little longer.

10 LEFT HAND ONLY

Over-releasing the club at impact can cause you to hook the ball. A useful drill is to make a few swings with your left hand only, so you can really feel the club going through to the target. It’s quite hard to do, but it will stop the dominant right hand becoming too active and generating a hook as it shuts the clubface.

11 GRIP PRESSURE CHECK

The perfect golf grip is crucial for better ball striking, but gripping too tightly robs you of power and control. To avoid excess tension, hold the club out in front of you and waggle it to make sure there’s still some ‘play’ in the head. Keep that feeling as you then hit it.

12 HANDS AT ADDRESS

Amateurs often hold their driver too far away so it’s hard to deliver a consistently centred strike. If you rest your little finger on your trousers you should just be able to touch the top of the grip with your outstretched thumb.

13 SHOT-PATTERN CATALOGUE

This exercise can help when you face a tight drive. Hit nine shots on the range using your three longest clubs. Three with each club should be your very hardest swing; three with what you consider a smooth swing; and three taking 10% off your smooth swing. Record where each ball goes; there will be a pattern.

14 MONITOR THE STRIKE

Apply foot powder spray to the clubface at the range. It will leave a mark after impact and you can instantly tell whether you have achieved a centred strike with your driver. Impact tape does the same job, but spray works better in wet conditions.

15 DISTANCE FOR SENIORS

Gripping the club a little looser (maybe 4/10) will allow your wrists to hinge a bit more. More wrist hinge promotes more release and adds clubhead speed. Also, lifting your lead heel makes it easier to get weight onto your trail foot, which in turn makes it a little easier to generate extra speed as your weight moves forward.

16 HIP ROTATION

Your upper body should rotate to around 90˚ and your hips around 45˚. The difference between the two helps create club speed. Put an alignment stick through your belt buckle to highlight your hip rotation. If it’s less than 45˚, hit shots with your right foot pulled back to improve hip turn.

17 RHYTHM DRILL

Hit three balls - first with a half swing, then a three-quarter swing and finally with a full swing. Not many would think to use a half swing with their driver, but this will improve timing and precision.

18 STOP COMING OVER THE TOP

Take your set-up, then raise the club up in front of you so the head is just below your knees. Swing the club around your body on this more elevated plane. This will get you attacking the back of the imaginary ball on the right path – almost like a baseball shot. Make a couple of swings like that, and you will be able to feel the club releasing nicely as you come through the imaginary ball.

19 FAIRWAY FINDER

Imagine a fairway at the range and try to land ten shots in your target area. The idea is that you start to feel the pressure, especially on the final few attempts with a personal best on the line. These are the types of feelings you want when practising, as they will help you on the course when you need to execute a particular shot. Keep a note of your scores and try to beat your previous best each time.

20 ELIMINATING ANXIETY

It’s usually where the ball might finish that causes us anxiety. Focus on a point nearer to you to mentally take yourself away from the uncomfortable situation further down the hole – something a couple of feet in front of the ball, like an old divot. Picture the ball flying over that, rather than worrying about the visuals further down the hole.

So far in this series of expert tips, from Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Peter Finch, we have covered key areas of the game like how to hit more greens, the best way to start finding more fairways and even how to play a greenside bunker shot.

Each of these elements are crucial to piecing together a good round, but low scoring is unlikely without this piece of the jigsaw.

In this article and instructional video, Peter Finch shares his top tips on how to hit the ball out of long rough - making three key adjustments that can increase the probability of that crucial clean strike...

WATCH: Peter Finch shares his ultimate tee to green strategy tips!

How To Hit The Ball Out Of Long Rough: 3 Key Adjustments

So you've found the rough... unlucky!

The latest Shot Scope data suggests that hitting the green from the rough is going to trickier than if you were in the fairway.

The average amateur hits the green just 32% of the time from the rough (100-150 yard approaches), as opposed to 40% from the fairway, which is mostly due to this shot being more difficult to achieve a clean strike.

It isn't all doom and gloom, however, as there are ways that we can mitigate being in the longer grass - three ways to be specific...

1. Ball Position

The first adaption we can make to our setup is the ball position.

Typically I would say that the perfect ball position with an 8-iron, which is the club I am using in the video below, would be around the middle of my stance.

For this type of lie, I would advise moving the ball back of centre as this will encourage a downward strike (which will very quickly become a theme as we move through these tips).

Ideally, we want to get the ball first and collecting as little grass along the way before impact.

2. Weight Distribution

Weight distribution in the golf swing is a huge factor in determining how successful your shot is going to be, which is particularly true when playing out of long rough.

For this type of shot, from this type of lie, I would advise you to place a little more weight on your lead foot (as opposed to even spreading the weight across both the lead and trail foot).

This will, again, encourage a downward strike that will help us to achieve the best possible strike on the golf ball from the thicker rough.

3. Wrist Hinge

The final adjustment to excel from the rough is to add a lot of wrist hinge in the golf swing quickly.

That's right, you guessed it, this will encourage a downward strike which by now you know is the ideal way to play this shot.

The key is to contact the ball first, then the turf, with as little grass as possible being trapped between the clubface and ball through impact - which could result in a nasty flier.

In the video above, I've demonstrated how to make the changes outlined and provided a great example of what a good one looks like - so be sure to give this a go as you continue you on your quest for lower scores on the golf course.

I'd love to commit to a regular cycle of the 10 best golf drills, but life often gets in the way and limits me to the occasional 30 minute range session whenever I can squeeze it in.

The same can be said for the 10 best golf exercises, so I decided to be pro-active and seek some expert advice to utilise the time I do have to spare.

To my surprise, PGA Advanced Professional Katie Dawkins was able to offer a time-saving five minute solution that helps to power up your golf swing from the comfort of your own home - and she has kindly shared how in the article below...

This Simple Drill Can Power Up Your Swing In Just 5 Minutes

This simple drill helps you to separate your upper half from your lower half to create lots of torque and power.

Many golfers just turn everything together - which isn't particularly efficient.

What this drill encourages is a good shoulder turn. It can also help stop your arms from collapsing and prevent casting in the golf swing.

Make a habit of doing this and you will improve your ball striking without even touching a golf club.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with an even weight distribution, and point your fingers out like a gun, with one arm down by your side.

Make sure you keep your feet nice and grounded, then turn your upper body as far round as possible.

Follow your fingers (your gun) with your eyes and your head, and make a note of the furthest point you can get to – maybe a point on the horizon.

Next, put your left hand on your head as below. Keeping your head pointing forwards, take your arm back as far as you can. Follow your ‘gun’ with your eyes until it goes out of your peripheral vision.

Your eyes will feel a little strained at this point. Repeat this seven to ten times, then – and here’s where the magic should happen – repeat steps one and two again. You should find you go past the point you managed earlier, perhaps by as much as a foot.

Repeat the whole drill on your other side. Once you’ve done that, your whole body should feel freed up and you’ll be able to rotate more.

Bad back sufferers and those who think they cannot turn should definitely try this drill – you might be surprised by how flexible you are.

He shared the process for this crucial fundamental in basic and understandable terms, with a clear process that any golfer can follow.

Whether you have a strong or a weak grip, making these tweaks towards achieving a neutral golf grip could be the key to shooting lower scores.

So, in the interest of helping you to play better golf, I have shared this simple lesson on how to grip the golf club that I received from an expert PGA pro...

A Simple Lesson On How To Grip The Golf Club From A PGA Pro

One of the main things that many club golfers get wrong with the golf grip is the positioning of the club in the hand.

Ideally, I want to see the grip of the club sitting in the fingers (as indicated by the green lines on my golf glove in the image below) and not in the palm.

The green dot on my glove should then sit on top of the club. This allows the wrists to control the club better in terms of an effective release, but it also allows you to set the wrists more efficiently from a power perspective.

When looking down at the golf club from a standard set-up position, you should be able to see the creases formed by the thumbs and forefingers of your lead and trail hands both pointing to your trail shoulder.

Ideally, you want to see around two-and-a-half knuckles on the gloved hand when you look down on it from above.

This will help you to create a neutral golf grip, and the above are some clear and identifiable reference points that you can easily check before every single shot that you hit.

Visual Demonstration Of How To Grip The Golf Club

Below, I have included a great GIF of each stage in the process for how to grip the golf club. You can come back to this as a reference point whenever you like to work on these fundamentals, or use it as a checklist when you need a bit of a reset.

After putting in plenty of time on the range and in the gym, working on the 10 best golf drills and the 10 power-boosting golf exercises, I feel like my game is moving in the right direction - but I'm never one to rest on my laurels.

So, in the interest of supercharging my progress, I reached out to five of the Top 50 Coaches in the UK and asked them to each share some expert tips that can help high-handicap golfers like me to shoot their best score this weekend...

5 Expert Tips Every Golfer Needs To Shoot Their Best Score

The coaches listed below are true giants in their field, each ranked among Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches with decades of combined experience between them.

They have helped a vast number of amateur golfers to improve their game, and now they have shared their extensive wisdom and expertise with you to assist in your journey towards key milestones - like how to break 90 in golf.

How To Play A Knock-Down Shot

If you want to hit a knock-down shot successfully, and keep the ball flight low under the wind, you must focus on some key alterations to your set-up and strategy.

First, I would advise taking more club than you would for a standard shot as this allows you to swing a little bit more easily.

At set-up, the perfect ball position is slightly back and the hands are forward. Try to get your weight shifted over to your lead side earlier and keep your chest on top of the ball a little more than with a standard shot.

How To Putt With The Claw Grip

The claw grip for putting is a great thing to try for amateur golfers who are struggling on the greens. Start with the grip of the putter sitting in the palm of your lead hand (left for a right-handed golfer), then place your trail hand onto the club by cradling the grip in the crease between your thumb and index finger.

I like to feel as though the elbow on my lead side is a little more tucked into my body with this grip, but the putting stroke comes from my lead wrist.

The trail hand (the one performing the claw) is just there as a guide, so this is a great option to try for anyone who wants to learn how to grip a putter or simply wants to try something new.

Fairway Bunker Shots

There is likely to be a loss of distance on long shots from the sand, so work on taking one club more than the yardage.

However, do be mindful that you must have enough loft to clear the lip, too, and choose your line wisely.

I prefer to reduce the depth of foot shuffle into the sand on fairway bunker shots, so not as much shuffling as in greenside bunkers. Where the lip doesn’t affect the demands of the shot, there should be minimal change to the normal ball position.

Crucially, a slight increase in weight distribution on the lead leg will assist with a pure strike. Keeping the lower body stable with limited leg movement and the upper body ‘stacked’ on the backswing help to promote ball-then-sand contact.

Chipping From A Tight Lie

When learning how to chip in golf, it's important to consider how to approach shots from different lies. For a tight lie, stand fairly close to the ball in order to get the handle more vertical, so that only the toe end of the sole is in contact with the ground.

Doing so will aim the face slightly right, so aim everything else – your feet, hips and shoulders – left, and get more of your weight onto your lead side.

Using a sand or lob wedge, play the shot along the line of your feet (out to in), and without much wrist action. The toe end just picks the ball off even the barest of lies an absolute treat.

Hit More Greens On Par-3s

In order to hit more greens, you should consider aiming more for the middle of the putting surface regardless of where the flag is.

The problem is that the eyes will often be drawn to the flagstick, which can then bring trouble into play if it’s in a dangerous position. The centre of the green is never far from the flag.

When going through your pre-shot routine, consider taking an extra club, too. I see most club golfers coming up short. I recommend picking a target on the horizon behind the green, such as a hill in the distance.

This can give you a more positive feeling over the ball and help you to visualise a great shot, taking the focus away from any hazards. A swing thought of ‘finish the swing’ might also help.

I hope these 5 expert tips from our expert coaches will help you to tighten up your technique, crank up your confidence and shoot lower scores - they have already helped me on my journey towards the magical land of a sub-20 handicap.

If there is anything else you want help with as you make your way down the handicap ladder, drop me a comment in the box below and I will endeavour to seek out the expert advice that could help you achieve your goals.

When trying to improve their putting, using the best putting tips and drills, they often focus on other key areas like how to grip the putter or controlling speed on the greens - but at the expense of the crucial skill of green reading.

AimPoint helped me to reach my lowest ever handicap, and is therefore my preferred green reading method, but there are certain fundamentals that apply universally irrespective of your chosen process.

In this article, PGA Master Professional and Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Anders Mankert shares four pivotal green reading clues that you need to pay attention to every time you putt... or you could be frittering away unnecessary shots!

Green Reading In Golf: 4 Clues To Find Every Time You Putt

Clue 1: High Point

Reading a green starts way before you reach the putting surface, as there is so much information you can take in from the walk towards your ball. In the image below, I am looking for a few things - but initially I want to find the high point.

Once I can see the highest point of the green, I should be able to work out the direction that water would run. Here, the water would drain from the top right to the bottom left, so I already have an idea as to which way my putt could break.

Clue 2: Grain Around The Hole

Analysing grain around the hole can provide key information. In the two images here, you can see one side of the hole has the grain towards it and the opposite side has the grain moving away from it.

A putt will always break more towards the ‘rough’ side of the hole, where the grain moves away from the cup – so factor that in when picking your line.

Clue 3: The 'Shiny' Side

When trying to read the green, it’s crucial to know whether you are putting into the grain or with it.

If the surface between your ball and the hole looks shiny, you’re putting with the grain, so the putt will be fast and speed control will be key. If the green looks darker, it’s likely that you’re putting into the grain, so your putt is likely to be slower.

Clue 4: Below The Hole

You can see and feel the read of a putt better from below the hole. In this image I am using my feet and my eyes to analyse the break of my putt by assessing the slope, which will quite clearly move the ball from left to right.

I like to eliminate one side of the hole, so in this instance I know that there is no way this putt moves to the left. Taking one side out of play helps you to simplify the equation, making reading the green that little bit easier.

If you pay attention to these four pivotal green reading clues, I am confident you will limit costly 3-putts, give yourself a much better run at birdie attempts and ultimately shave a few shots off your round by avoiding simple mistakes.

Learning how to calculate distance in the wind is a crucial skill that can help a golfer put together a great score in tricky conditions, but so many amateurs neglect this simple formula.

Factoring the wind into your strategy should be a crucial part of your pre-shot routine, as this expert advice from John Jacobs could save your score when the breeze is into your face...

How To Maximise Distance When Hitting A Shot Into The Wind

1. Shorten The Swing

The temptation is often just to hit it harder, but it’s actually just the opposite as you look to control flight and take spin off the ball. Don’t be afraid to take two, maybe three clubs more.

Then, in terms of how long your backswing should be, cut the length down and swing a lot more smoothly. The ball will launch lower, too, because there’s less loft on a longer iron.

2. Less Wrist Hinge

Reducing wrist hinge is a good idea when hitting into the wind on the golf course. On any shot, the more wrist hinge, the higher the ball flight, so if you don’t set your wrists as much at the top of the backswing, that will also help to keep ball flight down.

Match your follow-through to the backswing length, so much shorter than for a full swing in calm conditions.

3. Ball Position And Tee Height

Move the ball position back a little to keep the hands more in front at address, and maintain that feeling through impact.

With driver, tee it down a little so it comes off the centre of the face, rather than the top, for a slightly lower launch – not so low, though, that you start to create spin on the golf ball from the bottom of the face.

After spending time tirelessly working on my fundamentals, like the perfect golf grip and the correct ball position, and working on the best golf drills - I was still going out on the course and shooting scores that were higher than I would have liked.

Then I heard a simple strategy tip from one of the most recognisable names in the golf industry - which totally transformed the way I think about a round of golf and led to a long-overdue cut to my handicap index.

In the article and video below, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Peter Finch explains why amateur golfers shouldn't fixate over the 'par' score for each hole on the scorecard and how making a minor adjustment to our approach can lead to positive outcomes on the course...

This Scorecard Trick Changed The Way I Think About Golf

If arrive on the tee box at a 450 yard hole and the scorecard says it's a par-4, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to play it as one.

Instead, you could play it like a par-5. Break it down into three good shots to find the green and two putts for a 'par', which could help you to stop forcing it and hit more green in regulation.

As I outline in the video below, my advice would be to look at the scorecard of the course you are playing before you reach the first tee box. Let's for argument sake say that you are a 15-handicapper, I would suggest marking holes 1 to 15 on the card.

On any holes with a mark beside them, add a shot onto the par score and play the hole accordingly. All of a sudden, things become a lot easier and a lot more manageable. Rather than chasing an expected score, you give yourself a little bit of a buffer.

For example, if the card says that hole 2 is a par-3 with a stroke index of 13, play that as a par-4 and strategically plan how you are going to give yourself the best chance of achieving that score.

In fact, according to the latest Shot Scope data, golfers with a handicap of 15 or higher average a score of 5.1 or higher on par-4 holes. The same is true for par-5 holes, where that same group of golfers averages 6 or higher.

If you get a bogey on this hole, that's fine. If you get a triple bogey on this hole, that's more of a problem.

Changing the way you think about a round of golf can help you to play much more strategically, assisting you to keep double bogeys off your scorecard by avoiding the penalty areas that destroy your scorecard.

Plotting your way around the trouble is going to be a huge benefit for most amateur golfers - especially if you want to finally break 80 or break 90 in golf.

Fitzpatrick led the field for Strokes Gained: Around The Green over the first two rounds at the Open Championship this week, with his unique short game style catapulting him into contention for the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush.

For those people watching the coverage, who may also want to try cross-handed chipping for the first time, I decided to reach out to one of our Golf Monthly Top 50 Coaches to get their expert advice.

In the article and video below, I share my experience of cross-handed chipping and PGA Fellow Professional Ben Emerson provides an expert step-by-step guide so that you can try it for yourself...

I Tried Matt Fitzpatrick's Cross Handed Chipping Technique

Going cross-handed can be a great drill to improve your chipping, but if it works you could also adopt it on the course - just like 2022 US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick.

As you can see in the video below, I took this interesting technique out onto the course for 18-holes to see if it could help to improve my short game.

Within the first few holes, I gave myself more chances than I would ideally like to chip around the green.

On the first and second hole I had the opportunity to get up and down for par, but in all honesty the new technique had me feeling a little nervous over the ball.

I hit a slightly thin chip shot on the first, leaving a par putt of around 15 feet, while my attempt on the second hole had a much better connection but came up a little short.

The first time I really saw the benefit of this technique was my third shot into the 5th, which is the par-4 you can see at the end of the video above, leaving myself another 15-foot par putt that I would uncharacteristically make.

Despite eventually getting the hang of it, and seeing some more positive results, I definitely felt that I need more practice on the short game area.

After the round I was keen to understand more about the fundamentals required to be successful with this short game approach, so I asked Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach to give me a quick lesson on how to chip cross-handed...

How To Chip Cross-Handed

Whenever you make a change in golf, you are creating a pattern that develops a new neural pathway in the brain, replacing one that might have been holding you back on the course.

Amateur golfers could benefit from trying the cross-handed technique for a number of reasons, including to fix the chipping yips, and it requires just a few subtle changes to the traditional method you will have seen when learning how to chip in golf.

In a similar fashion to the left hand low putting grip, the cross-handed chipping technique helps to square the shoulders and remove some of the wrist action that might be causing problems in your short game.

By going left hand below right when chipping, you can avoid being too 'flippy' with the wrists - which is what makes this a great drill to use on the short game area.

To try it for yourself, place the left-hand below right on the grip of the club (for right handed golfers) - slightly further down the shaft than you would for a normal iron shot.

You can interlock or overlap as you would in your normal golf grip, or you can have the hands sitting one below the other like you would in the left hand low putting grip - this is purely a matter of personal preference.

The perfect ball position is the same as a normal chip shot, just forward of centre, with your weight distribution favouring your lead side throughout the swing.

In terms of forward shaft lean, you are looking for around 10 degrees. Don't go too mad with pushing the hands forward, as this can cause you to dig into the ground and negate the benefits of the bounce on your wedges.

Keep the stroke tempo nice and smooth, channelling your inner Fitzy!

Despite dazzling from tee to green at Royal Portrush, much of the attention around Brian Harman is once again focused on his famous club waggle.

Whether you love or hate this aspect of his pre-shot routine, there is a good reason why he does it.

In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach and PGA Master Professional Anders Mankert explains why Brian Harman waggles the golf club and how a consistent routine could help you to play better golf...

Why Does Brian Harman Waggle His Club?

The purpose of a club waggle is to stop tension from creeping into your swing.

This can sometimes happen when you are nervous on the golf course, or when you stop moving over the ball, but tension in the hands and forearms can cause the golf swing to become quick and jerky.

It's hard to say if Brian Harman experiences nerves when in contention at a Major, like he is this week at the Open Championship, but this professional routine helps to manage tension and keep a player focused on the task at hand.

Look at Monty, as another great example. He used to bend his elbows and lift the club up and down repeatedly - until he then put the club head behind the ball and hit the shot.

Justin Rose tugs at his shirt and pulls it into his armpit, so they all have their own routines that help them to keep moving and prevent tension creeping in.

How Can A Consistent Routine Help Amateur Golfers?

Many golf fans noticed when Brian Harman won the 2023 Open Championship that he goes through a simple, repeatable routine before hitting every shot. This includes his famous club waggle, but elite players across the professional tours all have their own process.

I once saw Tony Finau diligently going through his pre-shot routine at the Open, without knowing his position on the leaderboard, and I assumed he must be in contention to win the tournament.

He was actually around five-over, but he still went about his pre-shot routine as normal irrespective of his position. That's a very professional way to play golf, and something that many amateurs would benefit from replicating in their own game.

My advice to amateur golfers would be to find a repeatable routine that works for them, and stick to it on the golf course regardless of how they are scoring on that particular day.

You could stand over the ball on the green, have a couple of looks along the line and then pull the trigger - much like Matt Fitzpatrick.

Alternatively, you could follow the example of Justin Rose.

The Masters runner-up and former US Open Champion stands on the tee box, uses his club outstretched to line up with a spot three or four feet in front of his golf ball, then he aims over that spot as part of his alignment process.

This would help amateurs tremendously with how to aim in golf, but also provides familiarity and comfort as a regular part of your pre-shot routine.

What Pre-Shot Routine Does Baz Use On The Golf Course?

After spending some time working with Anders last year, I started to adopt a consistent pre-shot routine in my own game.

For me, this consists of:

1. Stand behind the golf ball looking at my target
2. Make one practice swing to get the feel for the movements I want to achieve
3. Line up a spot on the ground with my target line, around three or four feet in front of my golf ball, then setup to aim straight over that spot
4. Take one final look at the target from my setup position
5. Settle in and hit the shot

This familiar routine has helped me to focus when I am having a good round, clear my mind when I am playing poorly and ultimately assist me to shoot lower scores.

While some may question the impact on slow play, I believe that swiftly going about my repeatable process actually helps me to play quicker with less avoidable delays searching for golf balls and hitting penalty shots.

This week at Royal Portrush, we have seen plenty of the best players in the world go through their preparations for the 153rd Open Championship, but it was a young Danish prodigy that caught our eye when practicing ahead of the tournament.

Jacob Skov Olesen propelled himself into an early lead at the Open Championship with an impressive 67, but as you can see in the video below, he utilised a very interesting drill to prepare for his second Major start.

In order to find out what he was doing, I reached out to Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Ged Walters and asked him to explain it for us, including how you can try it for yourself...

Golf Swing Connection Drill Used By Open Championship Leader

In the video below, you can see Jacob Skov Olesen using a head cover drill to work on connection in the golf swing.

This is often used by golfers when the arms become disconnected from the body in the golf swing, which is a common amateur swing fault.

The drill is very simple to carry out, requiring minimal setup or equipment and is something any amateur golfer could do in their driving range session.

Start by taking your normal setup position, then place a head cover under your lead armpit. If you don't have a head cover to hand, you could use a golf glove, a towel or even a sock.

In terms of pressure, you want to be around nine out of ten. As you start the backswing, ensure the lead arm stays connected to your chest - trapping that head cover and preventing it from falling to the ground.

The head cover should remain in place all the way through the downswing and through impact, only releasing and falling to the ground as you reach the finish position at the end of your golf swing.

You could start with a few half speed swings to get used to the feeling, before ramping up to full speed - but this drill can be effective with any club throughout your bag from wedges to driver.

It is essential to maintain connection throughout the golf swing, which will help you to improve your ball striking, but a lack of connection will generally lead to inconsistent strikes and erratic scoring.

The majestic Royal Portrush hosts the 153rd Open Championship this week, and head pro Gary McNeill outlines in his course guide how pivotal the bunkering could be.

When amateur golfers learn how to hit bunker shots, they don't all have the opportunity to hit out of deep, revetted face sand traps - but I did recently on a trip to Trump Turnberry.

So, in a bid to improve my short game, I asked Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Ben Emerson to share his expert advice on escaping the sand unscathed and recorded a short video to see how quickly his coaching could help me get out of the bunker...

How To Escape An Open Championship Style Revetted Bunker: The Lesson

Start with a nice wide stance, creating a stable base in the sand by settling your feet into the surface.

When playing out of a deep greenside bunker, I would always teach amateur golfers to get lower at setup, bending the knees and getting the grip of the club lower to the ground.

This allows you to open the club face without worrying about the heel going up into the air or the bounce hurting you too much.

That works because lowering the shaft of the club balances this out and allows you to present more loft - which is essential out of a deep revetted bunker.

The perfect ball position is forward of centre, and it's crucial that your weight distribution heavily favours your lead side throughout the swing.

You don't need to 'help' the ball up in the air, just trust the loft and the fundamentals that you have put in place to support you in hitting this shot.

As you can see in the image above, I like to get the wrist hinge in early and ensure my knuckles move towards the sky to open the club face in the swing.

Avoid de-lofting the club through impact, as that is massively counterproductive, then just commit to the shot.

How Did Baz Get On?

While on an instruction shoot at Trump Turnberry, Ben Emerson gave Baz a quick bunker lesson in the deep, revetted face, greenside bunker of the 10th hole on the Ailsa Course.

As you can see in the video below, his coaching worked wonders on Baz's short game - helping him to escape first time with a well-flighted shot that finished close to the hole.

Since this lesson, Baz has adopted the teaching points whenever he faces a deep bunker shot (irrespective of whether it has a revetted face) and has seen a sharp increase in the amount of times he is able to get up and down from the sand.

After flitting between the claw grip for putting, which some of the best players in the world use, and the left hand low grip - I really couldn't settle on any particular contender.

So, in the spirit of diligent research, I headed down to the practice putting green at Sand Moor Golf Club to carry out a little experiment. Armed with my putter and five golf balls, I hit 60 putts from six feet... and two grip styles ran a very close race!

Putting Grip Experiment: Which Style Works Best For Me?

I am a big believer that (perfect) practice makes perfect, and that this popular notion couldn't be more true for putting.

So many amateurs neglect this area of the game as part of their pursuit for progress, but you'll often see me cycling through the best putting tips and drills on the practice green.

This time is an ideal opportunity for a little experimentation with the grip, especially as it felt like I hadn't holed anything of note for ages.

After trying a few on the course, including the reverse overlap grip (which I quickly discounted), I decided to put the final decision in the hands of the data - in the hope that this process might help me to finally break 90 in golf.

Conventional Grip

In this test, I hit 60 putts from six feet - broken down into 20 putts per grip.

As you can see in the video below, the putts were all hit from the same spot on the green and using the same putter, so I was confident I had considered the variables when preparing the test.

Obviously, after the first few putts it becomes clear that I had a decent idea of the line, but as you can also see that didn't necessarily help me too much!

I started with the conventional grip. The old faithful performed admirably, to my surprise, and I actually felt quite confident about my stroke with that style.

I holed 14 of 20 putts using this grip, leaving me stumped as to why I couldn't produce those types of figures before I decided playing around with my grip in the first place.

Left Hand Low Grip

Proceedings continued in a similarly positive fashion when I adopted the left hand low grip.

I was very pleased with how often I was finding the bottom of the cup on a sloping left to right six-footer, which is a putt that would usually leave me a little shaky on the course.

I made 13 of 20 putts with the left hand low style, and while it didn't quite match the success of the conventional grip... I won't be totally discounting it at this stage.

Claw Grip

The final 20 balls would be attempted with the claw grip, which is a style that has become very fashionable of late.

This is likely due to an apparent rise in usage on the elite tours in world golf, with the style even being adopted by World No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

I actually love this technique, which is why I was so encouraged to see the first few balls fly straight into the hole.

A dry spell in the third set of five balls meant the claw grip only converted nine of 20, and quickly fell by the wayside in this particular competition, but there were elements I really liked.

The claw grip might be back on the shelf for another year or so, but will definitely be revisited the next time the flat stick goes stone cold.

Which Putter Grip Do You Prefer?

This is very much a matter of personal preference, so I would love to hear which grip you use?

Have you experimented with other styles or are you someone who has faithfully stuck to one grip throughout your golfing life.

Send me a comment below and share your experience.

I personally spend my practice time using the 10 best golf drills, relentlessly trying to work out how to break 90 on the golf course, but there comes a point where we all need a little expert assistance.

Fortunately, that's exactly what I've got for us today - and there is even an opportunity to learn from 15-time Major Winner and legend of the game, Tiger Woods.

Four-time DP World Tour winner Richie Ramsay is teeing it up at the Genesis Scottish Open this week, with some of the greatest players on the planet, but in this article he shares five top tips to help amateurs play better golf.

Richie Ramsay: 5 Tips To Help Amateurs Play Better Golf

1. Line Up Better

I play with so many amateurs who could use some help with how to aim in golf. They might be hitting it great, but they don’t know where they’re lining up.

I always stand directly behind the ball, walk in and pick a spot three feet in front of it. Then I’ll draw a straight line through it in my head.

Sometimes on the range I’ll just put a little marker or coin a few feet in front of the ball. It’s far easier to line up with a marker that’s three feet in front of you than a flag 200 yards away.

Tiger does this all the time and you could always see him glancing at a spot just in front of him. It’s a very simple thing, but a real fundamental.

2. Think Hybrid More Often

Play more percentages around the greens. I see a lot of amateurs taking on shots that are just too low-percentage.

I would say use a hybrid more as it gets you over the first bit of the problem when chipping around the greens. We hear this a lot, but see so little of it - perhaps because amateurs don't know how to play the hybrid chip shot.

Get in your putting stance and just rock the shoulders. Even if you don’t quite get it right, it’s generally not a bad shot and you should have a 10-footer left. If you take a 7-iron, you’ve still got to get the connection right so it’s a lot harder.

And, when practising your short game, put pressure on yourself. Play a footage game where you have ten balls and 50 feet to play with, then deduct how far each ball finishes away from the flag.

It doesn’t just pressurise shot number one, but shots nine and ten as well, and that’s where you get to understand yourself and the level you’re at a bit more.

3. Take A Positive Approach

Focus on what you want to do rather than what you don’t - and make that thought process a part of your pre-shot routine.

We tell ourselves ‘I don’t want to hit it in the trees’ far too much. Start thinking about where you do want to hit it and pick a very specific spot. I’ll pick a tiny window left of the pin or something that’s small. And if you aim small, you miss small.

If you don’t like a certain hole, work at it on during your driving range session. Say there’s a bunker down the left and trees right – you can plan for that. You can practise hitting a certain shape with a certain club to suit the hole using some visualisation on the range.

If it helps you get through that hole, it can build momentum for the whole round, not just that one hole. Make the range a more interesting and useful place for your golf.

4. Adopt A Consistent Process

Ask yourself some better questions. Every shot is a problem that needs solving, but you have to understand what you’ve got to do. A lot of amateurs don’t think it through enough.

Pick what shot it is, then think, ‘What does that look like for my swing?’ Is it taking it inside and hitting the draw? Is it taking it outside and trying to hit across it? A lot of people get in there and just put their normal swing on it without consider shot shaping.

Look at the lie; look where the pin is; think about what the wind has been doing. Do you really have enough club? Will the ball travel as far first thing in the morning? Put a picture to every shot and you’ll see better results.

5. Learn From Mistakes

Making a mistake is fine, but making it twice is deadly. Learn from any poor shot and cut that out of your game.

If I do my process well but hit a poor shot, I can live with it. But if I’m thinking about the drive home or where to eat that night, that’s unforgivable.

You have to be focused in that moment over the ball. It leads to you being less frustrated and makes it much easier to let go of bad shots, which is a real skill.

If you have a swing thought, keep it very simple as you’re more likely to do it well and keep repeating it.

If I need to fade a shot, for example, it will just be a case of taking it a little bit outside in the takeaway – that’s all. Nice and simple.

When learning how to chip in golf, understanding how to spin the golf ball is aspect, but one that many amateurs get wrong.

We see the best players in the world dance the ball around the hole, zip it back and stop it dead - but how can you get a slice of that action?

In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach and former European Tour player Keith Williams shares a simple mantra for increasing spin on your chip shots - 'don't dig, glide'.

And, if that wasn't enough, we have even gone the extra mile to assist you around the greens by including an excellent instructional video from short game guru Dan Grieve - thank us later!

My Chip Shot Mantra For Increasing Spin On The Golf Ball

Many golfers push their hands forward at address, creating shaft lean and presenting the club as a digging, rather than gliding, tool.

That’s more likely to get the ball skipping and skidding than spinning. Most pros now use a wider, shallower swing to create a shallower angle of attack that uses the bounce on their wedges to get the club gliding through the grass.

To achieve this, mastering the correct setup fundamentals is key.

Set your balance on the inside of the left foot, with your sternum over the middle of the ball and your feet narrower than for a full swing.

Don’t think about releasing the shaft or the clubhead, but rather pivoting around your central balance point and letting the club do what little release comes naturally as you turn to face the target through impact.

To generate spin, the bottom grooves need to grab the underside of the ball, which is why creating shaft lean with the hands forward doesn’t work – you’ll make contact more towards the middle grooves.

Coming in shallower from a more neutral set-up means the lower grooves can grab the underside of the ball, creating more friction and resulting in the zippy spin most amateurs strive to achieve.

How did Baz get on?

I recently went out on the course and tried Keith's expert tips, and I must say I was very impressed with the results.

Refining my setup fundamentals gave me the best chance of creating spin on my chip shots, and the simplicity of this advice took away a lot of the confusing swing thoughts that had pestered me around the greens.

I managed to get up and down a few times in my most recent round at Sand Moor Golf Club, including here on the par-3 8th, and I am noticing an increased confidence in my technique.

My next steps are too head to the short game area a few times over the coming weeks to practice that pivoting action around the central balance point, but also to finally get round to cleaning my wedges. No more excuses!

Learning how to hit a bunker shot is a crucial skill for all amateur golfers, especially when you consider the impact that finding the sand around the green has on your scoring.

Achieving better greenside bunker play requires the advice of an expert in the field, so I knew exactly who to reach out to for help.

Peter Finch earned a spot at 2025 Open Championship final qualifying thanks to a fantastic winning performance at the regional qualifier, but beyond his impressive playing abilities he has also helped vast numbers of amateur golfers to improve their game.

In this article and vertical video, Peter Finch explains how to play a greenside bunker shot like an elite tour pro, but also differentiates the technique to help players of all abilities to escape the sand unscathed...

Greenside Bunker Shots: What Does The Data Say?

Greenside bunker shots are a problem for almost every level of amateur golfer - with the green's last line of defence performing valiantly to repel our advances.

According to the latest Shot Scope data, even a scratch golfer only gets up and down from this spot 37% of the time, meaning more than six out of ten visits to the greenside bunker result in costly dropped shots.

That picture turns even bleaker for those at the top end of the handicap spectrum, with a success rate of around one in ten (10%) for a 25-handicapper.

As you can see, in the video below, there is a clear correlation between greenside bunker performance and reduced handicap indexes, so how can I help you to master this crucial golf shot?

There are different ways to play this one, so I am going to differentiate my advice in relation to your handicap, in order to give you the best chance of success from the sand.

How To Play A Greenside Bunker Shot: High-Handicappers

Start by placing the ball position just forward of centre in the stance, with the feet pointing just left of target for a right-handed golfer.

We need to open up the clubface, by rotating the handle of the club to the right and adding more loft, then take our normal golf grip.

Get your weight over to your lead side at address and keep it there throughout the swing to encourage a downward strike.

The idea is to hit the sand first, around an inch and a half before the golf ball. When you take the club back, you need a very quick wrist hinge to get the clubface pointing back at you.

Acceleration through impact is key, so don't quit on it. Aim to finish with the clubface once again pointing at you, and you should be able to watch the ball soar majestically onto the green.

Want a recap? Here are the key points to takeaway...

1. Ball position just forward of centre
2. Feet pointing left of target (right-handed golfer)
3. Open the clubface
4. Take normal golf grip
5. Weight on lead side throughout swing
6. Quick wrist hinge
7. Keep acceleration up through impact

How To Play A Greenside Bunker Shot: Mid- To Low-Handicappers

Mid- to low-handicappers might want to achieve a little more finesse and control from their greenside bunker shots, so I've got a slightly adapted set of guidelines for you.

Rather than opening the stance to the target, by pointing your feet left, let's set up parallel - like you would be on a normal shot.

Bend the knees to get nice and low, and keep the ball position the same as stated above.

Open the clubface again but this time, keep the hands a little lower towards the sand. The club is going to travel a little more around the body, as you can see me demonstrating in the video above, as this will shallow the angle of attack.

This is the technique used by pretty much every tour pro, ensuring a cleaner contact with the sand and producing those mesmeric shots we can easily recall from the greatest in the game.

It's recap time – with those changes for lower handicap players in bold...

1. Ball position just forward of centre
2. Feet parallel to target
3. Open the clubface
4. Take normal golf grip
5. Weight on lead side and bend knees to get lower
6. Hands lower towards sand
7. Swing more around body
8. Keep acceleration up through impact

I started doubting myself, questioning how far to stand from the golf ball and playing around with my golf grip, but really the problem was a knowledge issue rather than a technical one.

I realised that I had lost sight of how to use loft around the green effectively, meaning that I wasn't able to pop the ball up in the air without thinning it over the back or duffing it an inch in front of me.

Thankfully, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Joshua Mayo was on hand to help.

His expert tips and guidance helped me to learn a valuable short game lesson and discover a magical chip shot that has helped me rediscover my mojo around the greens - so I asked him to share it with you too...

How To Use Loft Around The Green To Pop The Golf Ball Up

You don’t have to learn how to hit a flop shot to improve your short game.

A lot of club golfers could simply do with a better understanding of how loft works in the swing, so they can start to ‘pop’ the ball up.

Note where the magnetic rod is pointing in the image below, which shows that loft has been presented at impact. This is going to help the club to slide underneath the ball, maximising height.

Hit some chips from waist-high back to waist-high through. This is the perfect backswing position to start practising high, short shots.

The rod is pointing up towards my face in the image below. This indicates that I’ve kept the loft on the club, helping to ‘pop’ the ball up.

If it were pointing down to the ground, it would suggest too much hands at the start of the takeaway or that the clubface was kept pointing at the target too long.

Note, in the final image, how my torso has rotated towards the target. My weight distribution is fully over the lead side and my left arm is fully extended, with the shaft also extended towards the target.

The lead arm and the shaft are working through the same line, taking a flick of the wrists out of the equation. The rod is pointing back up towards my face, demonstrating that loft has been maintained throughout the swing.

You could also force your hand, by adding some pressure.

Try practising from behind a bunker or at the bottom of a slope where you’re forced into having to ‘pop’ the ball up quickly.

Work on these positions and you should soon see it coming out on a higher trajectory and landing softly.

I learned so much from reading Marco Penge's top three driving tips for amateurs, after he recorded the longest drive at the 2025 PGA Championship, but I could really do without the random 16-handicapper sharing his 'wisdom' on the range.

I've heard everything from you don't need to keep your left arm straight in the golf swing to people explaining why I pull iron shots, despite struggling to break 90 in golf themselves.

So, on a mission to find the worst piece of golf advice, we asked you to send your suggestions based on the terrible tips you have heard... and one in particular came up time and time again!

The Most Overrated Piece Of Golf Advice (As Voted By You)

When regional Open qualifier winner Peter Finch shares how to hit more greens from 150 yards, I am certainly going to take note - but that's because I trust that his advice is going to make me a better player.

Expertise builds authority, and authority builds trust. Without those things you have no position from which to teach, but that doesn't stop a select few golfers from imparting their misguided notions onto us.

When scrolling through the comments on this Instagram video below, posted by Golf Monthly earlier this week, I was unsurprised to learn that the most overrated piece of golf advice was an old faithful... keep your head down.

In fact, almost 25% of the 42 comments were related to this particular concept - so I thought I'd help to debunk the myth once and for all by asking Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Ben Emerson to share his expert opinion...

This is the go to saying, where another player comments that you 'must have lifted your head up' after hitting a bad shot - which could have been the case, but often it's not.

When players top the ball, they are sometimes staying on their back foot through the downswing and their arms have broken down through impact, which in turn rises the clubhead up and leads to topping the ball.

One of the things that I do in lessons to prove a point is I actually get my head to go down in the swing, and then I top the ball on purpose, which baffles amateurs as my head has done the opposite to what they associate the fault to be.

Fortunately, if topping the golf ball is something you struggle with, there is a simple fix. Try to get an effective weight transfer onto the front foot in the downswing and keep the arms connected through impact to avoid that dreaded chicken wing.

There you have it, folks. The next time someone jovially points out that the reason you topped the ball was because you lifted your head up, you have an immediate retort.

Interestingly, there were some other strong contenders in the running, with 'never up, never in' ranking as a popular choice for the most overrated piece of golf advice.

I suppose, if you don't get it there then it won't go in - but smashing it 10 feet past every time is also not going to help you shoot lower scores.

There were some common themes around gear, with readers suggesting that new clubs, or a custom fitting, won't necessarily change your fortunes on the golf course.

As someone who has experienced the benefits of having a custom golf club fitting, I can vouch for the positive impact it has had on my game - but each to their own, I guess.

In an interesting contrast of opinions, one reader suggested 'swing slower' was the worst piece of advice, while another suggested that 'swing harder' took that title, so I'll leave you to decide which end of the speed spectrum we should be sitting at.

Have Your Say...

If you've not already weighed in on this debate, why not drop me a comment below?

I'd love to hear what you think the most overrated piece of golf advice is, especially if you have heard something different to the list I have outlined above.

Whether it's whacky, worthless or weird - I want to hear it... I'll be waiting!

In a stacked field, appearing towards the top end of the driving distance averages table is something that will certainly hold you in good stead - as Marco Penge knows better than most.

In fact, his stellar performance with the driver at Quail Hollow secured him his highest ever Major finish - a tie for 28th - helping him break into the top-200 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

He also ranked second in the field for total driving, measuring relationship between distance and accuracy, and hit the longest drive of the week - making him one of the best drivers of the golf ball on the planet.

In the video below, DP World Tour winner Marco Penge shares his top three driving tips for amateurs, in a bid to help you find those precious extra yards off the tee...

Top 3 Driving Tips For Amateurs

After a scintillating first win on the DP World Tour, at the Hainan Classic in April 2025, Marco Penge finally appeared to be fulfilling the potential he has promised for some time.

Following that up with a first made cut and a top-30 finish at his debut PGA Championship, Marco is fast becoming one of the biggest hitters of the golf ball on tour.

With plenty of data suggesting a clear correlation between better tee shots and lower handicap indexes, we asked this rising star to help set the average amateur golfer up for success off the tee.

Below, in this Instragram video for Golf Monthly, Marco Penge shares his wisdom with three expert driving tips for amateur golfers...

1. Stay In-Play To Shoot A Good Score

Most amateurs are trying to hit it as far as they can off the tee, but ultimately you need to keep it in-play to shoot a good score.

I would always advise amateurs to work on a shot, perhaps during their driving range session, which they can rely on hitting in-play.

Even if that means hitting it 65- or 70% of your speed, if it goes straight you will notice a big gain off the tee.

2. You Don't Always Have To Hit Driver

Lots of amateurs will automatically pull the headcover off the big stick straight away as they approach the tee box, but you don't actually have to hit driver every time.

Instead, why not try one of the best fairway woods, or even a 2-iron, as this is likely to give you an increased chance of keeping the ball in-play and finding a nice position to play your second shot (ideally away from the trouble).

3. Grip Down The Club

If you are going to hit driver, I would advise gripping down as this will help you to hit the ball straight.

This means maintaining the perfect golf grip, but moving your hands further down towards the shaft, which again will help with your dispersion and accuracy.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how far you hit the golf ball if you are way off line. This will just give you a tricky second shot and that's where big numbers come into play.

After going back to the range to work on the perfect golf grip and cycling through the 10 best golf drills, I decided it was time to embrace a new way of thinking.

You only have to look at how many golfers break 90 to see just how difficult this achievement is for amateurs, so getting the best advice is essential to aid us in smashing through the barrier.

To help us get over the line, I reached out to golf mindset expert Gareth Shaw.

Gareth's advice was illuminating, which is why I decided to share his 5 practical tips for thinking smarter on the golf course... so that today can be the day we finally break 90 in golf!

How To Break 90 In Golf

Gareth Shaw specialises in the mindset of golfers, helping players from amateur to tour level to think smarter and play better.

With more than 20 years experience in the field, and a myriad of professional qualifications and accreditations, he seemed like the perfect person to help me overcome my scoring struggles.

So, I asked Gareth to share the key to breaking 90 in golf, as well as other significant milestones, and his reply was fascinating.

"Scoring milestones in golf—like trying to break 80, 90 or 100—represent more than just numbers. They are markers of personal progress, confidence, and control—not just of your swing, but of your mindset.

"The truth is, your technical skills set a ceiling on your performance—but your mental skills set the floor. If you want to play your best golf consistently, you must develop mental discipline, emotional control, and the ability to focus under pressure.

"Golf is unique in how much time you spend not hitting a shot. It's the space between swings—where thoughts, distractions, and emotion creep in—that separates good rounds from great ones.

"Learning to manage your mind before, during, and after each shot is the real key to scoring consistently."

With that perspective-altering information fresh in my mind, I also asked Gareth to share five practical tips to help me break 90 in golf, which I have shared with you below...

1. Manage Your Expectations: Understand the Game Within the Game

Mental Skill Focus:
Patience and perspective.

What To Do:
Accept that you won’t play every hole perfectly. Your goal is not perfection—it’s managing mistakes and scoring average.

If you’re 15-handicap, you’re supposed to make bogeys. Let them happen and move on.

2. Be a Smart Golfer, Not a Strong One

Mental Skill Focus:
Tactical awareness and ego management.

What To Do:
Don’t force the driver if it gets you in trouble. Use clubs that help you stay in play.

Think one shot ahead - what leaves you in a good spot for the next one? Playing the right shot at the right time is a low-handicap skill, no matter your actual index.

3. Break the Round Into Sections

Mental Skill Focus:
Sustained concentration and reset-ability.

What To Do:
Divide your round into six “mini-games” of three holes each.

This keeps you from spiralling after a mistake or getting too far ahead of yourself. Even if one mini-game goes poorly, you’ve got another one coming up to bounce back.

4. Use Your Breathing As A Tool

Mental Skill Focus:
Pressure management and physical relaxation.

What To Do:
Before any tough or tense shot, take two slow breaths as part of your pre-shot routine - focusing on the exhale.

This simple move resets your nervous system and helps you swing smoother when tension is creeping in.

5. Picture the Shot First

Mental Skill Focus:
Confidence and commitment.

What To Do:
Before every swing, pause and see the shot fly. Picture the ball flight, the landing spot, and how it’ll roll. When you can see it, you’ll believe it - and belief creates commitment.

In the past I have tried to circumvent this process, by learning how to plumb bob a putt or going full Sergio Garcia and shutting my eyes, but nothing seems to do the trick quite like a few dedicated sessions on the practice putting green.

So this time, following a turbulent period with the flatstick, I decided to try 5 simple tips from expert coach Barney Puttick... and I am so glad that I did.

Below, I asked Barney to share with you his putting wisdom from more than 45 years of coaching, in the hope that you too can pull off your best putting performance of the season this weekend...

5 Simple Putting Tips To Fire Up The Flatstick

1. Stay Committed

A common problem on short, pressurised putts is that players tend to look at the hole before they have even struck the ball. This opens up the shoulders and means that putts will not be hit on the intended line.

This can be prevented by using two different methods. The first is a practice drill that involves you hitting putts while looking at the hole. This helps to keep your head, shoulders and upper body still throughout the stroke.

You can practise it anywhere and doing so repeatedly will tighten up your stroke on all lengths of putt.

2. Stay Down

It may sound strange, but you can do the opposite of the above to achieve the same results. Hit putts and focus on keeping your head down at the point of impact until your putter goes past your front foot.

This will again help you stay down and committed to the stroke in order to improve consistency. The beauty of this drill is that it can also be implemented out on the course, even during a competitive round.

Maintaining this routine will ensure that you don't lift your head and shoulders and pull putts.

3. Be Square At Impact

This is a classic stroke-building exercise that gets the putter moving up and down the line and gives golfers a good idea of where the putter face needs to be at impact.

Create a gate either side of the ball, just more than a putter's width apart. Do this whenever you are practising your short putts and you should find the middle of the putter face more often for added consistency.

4. Steady Your Hands

This might look like something you do when up against the fringe, but it is also a useful drill for the practice green.

Use a wedge to practise your putting by hovering the club and hitting the ball in an arc with the leading edge. Keep your hands steady to produce a smooth roll.

Practise this for ten minutes, then return to your putter and you'll find that it is easier to keep your hands steady when faced with short-range putts.

5. Change Your Grip

Routine is vital in any part of the game, as is understanding how to grip a putter, but sticking to exactly the same way of putting can result in a loss of feel and consistency.

If you find you are struggling with your short-range putting and can't work out why, then try changing things a little.

Don't be afraid to experiment with your grip in order to keep things fresh and improve your focus. This could be going to a right hand-over-left grip, or adopting the claw grip for putting.

Whatever you go for, make sure it's a grip that is completely different from your standard. This will give you something different to think about, which will help maintain your focus.

The answer is, for most handicap golfers, not very often. When looking into how many greens in regulation an average golfer hits, I was surprised by the bleak picture the numbers painted.

Even those who dedicate time to work on the best ball striking drills often come up short (if you'll pardon the pun), because two key factors often hold amateur golfers back.

In this article, and accompanying instructional video, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Peter Finch uses the latest Shot Scope data to reveal how tricky this distance can be to get right for amateurs and offers some expert tips to improve your chances...

How To Hit More Greens From 150 Yards

According to the latest Shot Scope data, almost every level of amateur golfer (irrespective of handicap index) will miss more greens than they will hit from 150 yards out.

A scratch golfer understandably bucks that trend, hitting 55% of greens from 150 yards, but that drops to 30% for a 10-handicapper and just 17% for a 20-handicapper.

Interestingly, the higher your handicap rises up the scale - the more likely you are to miss the green short. This is often where a lot of the danger lurks, including nasty greenside bunkers and even more unpleasant penalty areas.

Those are sobering facts, but it's important to consider them when deciding on how to play your next shot.

If you want to make progress in your game, and defy the odds, my advice would be to know your club distances - and use that information to make smart decisions.

Note: It's even more important when conditions get tough, as this will help you to calculate distance in the wind.

The two reasons why many amateurs often struggle to hit greens from this crucial distance are course management and ego!

Just because you once, on a hot summer's day, hit your eight-iron 150 yards does not mean that you will necessarily repeat that feat every time.

In fact, taking more club and swinging easy is a much more effective strategy. If you have to pull out your 6-iron from this distance, that's absolutely fine.

Choosing to hit a club that will get you to the back of the green should help you to avoid coming up short, even if you don't strike it perfectly, but crucially it takes most of the danger around the green out of play.

The lesson here is simple. Rather than opting for a shorter club and trying to hit it as hard as you can, take a longer club and swing it easy - allowing your natural silky golf swing rhythm to shine through.

When learning how to chip in golf, we tend to spend most of our time with the full putting surface in view, but the pressure ramps up when chipping to a raised green.

Some of the most common mistakes amateur golfers make around the greens can lead to disastrous results when trying to chip to an elevated target, destroying your scorecard and leaving you nervous about your next encounter with a wedge in hand.

In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Sarah Bennett shares her best advice on how to chip to a raised green, walking you through the process from preparation to execution so that you can master this tricky short game scenario...

How To Chip To A Raised Green In Golf

1. The Pre-Shot Preparation

Determining the landing area as part of your pre-shot routine is the key to success with this chip shot, along with distance control.

Before playing the shot, I would recommend assessing the task in hand by positioning yourself midway between the ball and the hole, allowing you sight of the base of the flag, which is often obscured.

A common fault is to overhit this kind of chip due to its flatter trajectory and increased roll. I like to pace the shot out and, when standing on the green, look back to the ball, replicating the desired length of swing.

2. Setup

At set-up, take a stance that is much narrower than usual, with feet around two clubhead widths apart for a 15- to 20-yard shot.

When it comes to how wide your stance should be for this type of shot, think of the rule 'little shot, little feet’.

Moving your hands further down the grip assists with shot control and aids wrist hinge.

Note how my hands are slightly ahead of the ball. The more forward ball position counters the uphill lie, helping with strike and trajectory

3. The Execution

Playing from an uphill lie reduces lower body movement and increases hand activity, often resulting in a closed clubface and a shot that goes left, so aim slightly right of target to allow for the physics of the slope.

Ensure your right hand covers the left thumb to prevent excessive clubface rotation. The hands then complement each other, promoting the slight wrist hinge needed.

Imagine the clubhead as a heavy object – let it swing freely and allow the body to follow.

The best golf drills use a variety of the best training aids on the market - but they don't all have to be super high-tech.

To prove my point, I wanted to share one such example with you today - using the magical properties of a humble household item - the sponge.

So, raid your kitchen cupboards or head to the local supermarket... because with this drill you could play your best ever golf in 2025!

My Cheap Training Aid That Can Improve Your Golf Swing

My students having notched up wins in the Spanish, French, Dutch, Scottish and English Amateur Championships, as well as the St Andrews Links Trophy, so I know what it takes to coach a solid golf swing.

I have delivered thousands of golf lessons in my career, to players of all abilities, but one of the most cost-effective ways that any golfer can improve is by using trainings aids that are available in the home.

'Every golfer should carry a sponge in their golf bag'

It's time to chuck out the empty crisp packets, broken tees and half eaten flapjack, because it's time to replace the garbage with something that will actually improve your game.

Every golfer should carry a sponge in their golf bag. It can be used for so many drills and it’s extremely light so won’t take up any room.

In this scenario, I’m using it to prevent my arms working against their natural synergy with the chest.

Take your driver set-up, and fit the sponge nicely under your left armpit as here. Try not to let it get too far down towards your elbow, though, as this can be overly restrictive.

Now, swing to the top. Note below how the sponge has dropped, meaning your lead arm has unplugged itself from the torso and is now ‘out on its own’.

Golfers who do this will typically allow the arms to front-run outwards in the downswing, causing that dreaded ‘over the top’ move most of us hate.

The sponge shouldn’t drop until well past impact – around chest high on the way through – to help you create a fully unwound finish.

Conversely, see how the sponge remains in place here.

This means that as long as you turn your torso properly, your arms will be travelling correctly and will have retained a good working relationship with your upper body.

Repeat this drill to help you manage your arms and the role they play in setting up your downswing.

JJ Spaun emerged victories at at the 2025 US Open, after a resilient display in very challenging conditions, but that didn't happen by fluke. He relied on a fantastic golf swing, some very consistent fundamentals... and a 64-foot putt to win the US Open.

So, in the interest of understanding how this helped propel him to greatness, I reached out to Top 50 Coach Gary Alliss for an in-depth analysis of JJ Spaun's golf swing - and a few pointers on how amateur golfers can learn from it...

JJ Spaun's Golf Swing: 5 Things All Amateur Golfers Can Copy

Asking an amateur golfer to play golf like JJ Spaun did during that heroic US Open victory would be unfair, but I am confident that there is always something we can learn from these elite professionals that all amateurs can embed into their own game.

After more than 50 years in the game and with over 100,000 golf lessons delivered, I have had plenty of experience analysing golf swings.

Below, I share five things that I like about JJ Spaun's setup fundamentals and action - in the hope that you can use this information to improve your own game.

1. Posture

JJ Spaun has a very sound posture. When looking down the line, he bends forwards from the hips maintaining a good spine angle, with a lovely line from the back of his head to the base of his spine.

His knees are also perfectly flexed, so that his kneecaps are above the balls of his feet. This is great for balance and helping him achieve those pure strikes that we witnessed at Oakmont.

2. Setup

Looking at his address position face on, he sets himself up well and nicely behind the ball.

By this, I mean he positions his right shoulder sufficiently lower than the left to encourage a good turn and ensure the club swings on plane.

More importantly, and this is something few club players set well, he ensures his hips are also set with the top of his left hip a millimetre or two higher than the right.

Many club players have the hips level at address (or worse), meaning the top of the right hip is higher than the left.

Setting this way forces the player to make all sorts of minor compensations to swing the club anywhere near the ideal plane and to obtain the correct angle of approach.

So, a key takeaway from JJ Spaun's swing is to set your left side higher than your right - and simply reverse for the lefties.

3. Backswing

JJ Spaun's backswing is very neat, looking almost effortless.

To start the backswing, he simply turns his right shoulder and hip back behind him so that he has space for the club to follow its natural plane.

His left shoulder initiates the swing and his hips move in sympathy. This is what we should all be trying to do, and good teachers have been advocating for 100+ years.

4. Transition

JJ Spaun's transition from backswing to downswing is gentle.

Too many club players jump off their right leg as they start the downswing. JJ just lets his hips start down by settling back towards their setup position.

This brings his arms down into the hitting area and he can maintain his posture as he releases into impact.

Mind you, he does sometimes rise a bit onto the ball of his left foot at impact with the driver, which is not ideal!

He lost his smooth rhythm in the golf swing somewhat at the start of round four at the US Open, but regained it after the rain to storm to a momentous victory.

5. The Finish

The final piece of the jigsaw, but one that many amateurs often neglect. JJ Spaun has a beautiful finish position, often meaning that everything that came before has been executed well.

My advice to amateur golfers it to make sure you finish the shot balanced, posing for the camera as you watch your ball fly straight and true.

It seemed to work for the new US Open Champion, didn't it?

However, in the world of elite golf, consistency is a formidable weapon. After all, Major Championships are rarely won with flamboyance and unpredictability.

Instead, they reward intelligent course management, mental fortitude, and precision – all of which Scheffler possesses in abundance.

Scottie Scheffler enters heads to Oakmont as one of the 2025 U.S. Open betting favourites, I believe Scheffler holds a distinct advantage.

An interesting point to remember is that it’s not just his skill with the clubs that sets him apart – it’s his greatest asset: his mind.

Amateur golfers can take plenty from Scheffler’s 'boring' approach, and despite his apparently inimitable talent, there are also a few things you can copy too.

Below, I’ll outline some of his standout statistics and explain six ways you can apply similar strategies to your own game – beginning with a key concept: Strokes Gained.

Scottie Scheffler's 'Boring' Style Of Golf: 6 Things You Can Learn

Let’s take a closer look at the areas where Scottie Scheffler excels – and how you can incorporate similar methods into your game.

1. Tee to Green: +2.63 Strokes Gained (1st on PGA Tour)

Scheffler leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained from tee to green, gaining over 2.6 strokes per round before even reaching the putting surface.

This is largely down to elite ball striking and consistently disciplined approach play, including numbers reminiscent of Tiger Woods in his prime, but there are some things every amateur golfer can learn from this key component.

Amateur takeaway:

• Know your carry distances – not just total yardages – for each club. Scheffler often finishes pin-high, even when not aiming directly at the flag. By having this information readily available, you can make informed and sensible club selection choices.
• Focus on the fundamentals. Scottie regularly works on embedding the perfect golf grip, alignment and posture using simple aids like grip trainers and alignment sticks.

2. Approach Play: +1.29 Strokes Gained (1st on PGA Tour)

Scheffler is the most consistent iron player on the PGA Tour, frequently hitting it close in terms of proximity and creating more birdie chances than anyone else.

Amateur takeaway:

• Rather than vaguely aiming “at the green”, adopt a sharper focus. Borrow a line from The Patriot: “Aim small, miss small.”
• Pick precise targets – a dark spot on the green, a patch just short of the pin – rather than simply the middle of the green. You’ll be surprised how much tighter your shot patterns become.

3. Greens In Regulation: 73% (3rd on PGA Tour)

Scheffler finds around three out of every four greens in regulation, giving himself plenty of birdie opportunities while limiting bogeys. His strategy combines playing sensible shots, while also utilising his elite skillset to execute to perfection.

Amateur takeaway:

• Don’t treat every approach as an automatic green light. Think like a chess player, not like a Jenga tower on the brink.
• Assess the lie, distance, and intended shot shape. Choose a club and target that offer the best odds of finding the putting surface, not necessarily stiffing it to three-foot.
• Avoid full-blooded swings where possible – instead, use a club that fits the yardage and allows for a controlled strike.

4. Driving: 305 Yards (Average): Top 5 for Accuracy & Distance Combined

Scottie Scheffler doesn’t chase maximum distance with driver – he sticks to his natural shot shape and avoids the right rough over 90% of the time.

This consistency results in powerful, accurate tee shots that help him to position himself perfectly for the approach shot to to follow.

Amateur takeaway:

• Don’t fight your natural shot shape during a round. If you’re hitting a fade, embrace it.
• Adjust your game plan accordingly – the range is the place to fix mechanics, not mid-round.
• Scheffler shows that consistency and control are more valuable than chasing yards.

5. Off The Tee: +0.90 Strokes Gained (Top 5 on PGA Tour)

This stat highlights Scheffler’s smart decision-making – selecting the right club and shape as part of his pre-shot routine.

This is an area that many amateurs fail, but the gains are there for those that make the right decision on the tee.

Amateur takeaway:

• Ask: What shot gives me the best opportunity to score from here?
• Work backwards: If a hole measures 320 yards, a 220-yard tee shot might leave a comfortable wedge.
• Practise three distinct tee shots: Fairway finder (a 70% swing prioritising accuracy), stock shot (your go-to drive) and 'the bomb' (a full-out drive only used when conditions allow such as wide fairways or helping wind).

6. Around the Green: +0.35 Strokes Gained (Top 30 on PGA Tour)

While not his strongest area statistically, Scheffler remains elite in scrambling – a critical contributor to his scoring consistency.

Working on your 'weaker' areas is crucial, so don't just spank driver to make yourself feel better at the range.

Some of the most common mistakes amateur golfers make around the greens are totally avoidable, so be sure to head to the short game practice area to put in the hard yards this season.

Amateur takeaway:

• Prioritise clean wedge contact and trajectory control.
• Opt for high-percentage shots – often a bump-and-run or even a putter from off the green is smarter than a flop.
• Avoid three-putting – it undermines your successful up-and-down effort.

Scottie Scheffler consistently gains 2–3 strokes per round on the field before even reaching the green. He creates more birdie chances, avoids costly mistakes, and plays with relentless discipline.

By adopting some of his habits – knowing your yardages (including how to calculate distance in the wind), sticking to shot shapes, selecting smarter targets, and practising high-percentage short game shots – you’ll not only improve your performance, but also increase your enjoyment of the game.

Consistency may look “boring” – but it wins championships.