Golf News, Tips and Tricks

By James Hau

The secret to improving golf overnight is to allocate time to practice your new techniques.

Practice time is a personal choice but do yourself a favour and allot specific times to practice sessions. You have to practice more intently at first.  Practice often at home, between rounds, just prior to a round, and even after a round. Allow at least 45 minutes for any practice session until your putting abilities improve. You may not like it, but at least for a while you have to practice as much as you can to develop your new putting style and to become accustomed to new techniques.  Even if your practice does not involve using a ball, just pick up your putter and stroking it 10 or 12 times a day will help.

Set a regular routine for practising golf at home , between rounds, and after a round.  Allow extra time for practising new techniques. At home you may want to practice putting into a glass for 10 minutes, three times a week. Perhaps you could spend 15 minutes a day on both Saturday and Sunday swinging your woods and irons.  Keep a putter in your closet at home or in your office and practice whenever you have the chance.

Have fun,  be competitive, and practice often. It will pay off in the long run.  It is often difficult to practice new techniques while competing with your friends, so you may want to practice these new techniques alone.  You will probably have an adjustment period in which your game will suffer for a brief period.  In a fairly short time, your game will improve and you will be a much better player.

Arrange a golfing schedule that allows you to practice aiming one week, setting up to a putt the next, stroking the ball the next week, and putting from off the green the next. You may want to devote more time to your weaknesses. Whatever you do , be sure to keep track of your current scores and compare them with your scores in six months.  You will be pleasantly surprised.  Remember to separate the total number of strokes taken with the putter on the green from those taken with woods and irons.

By James Hau

Not many golfers consider the effect of wind on their putt. Many tend to putt badly in the wind because they allow it to affect their stance and the result is nearly always an off-center hit and an unsuccessful putt. Wind can dry the putting green , thus making the ball roll farther than normal. Wind can push or hold back a ball that is rolling across a green. A strong wind can make it difficult to maintain a secure stance.

When setting up you putt in the wind, be patient, take careful aim, widen your stance to gain better balance, lower your grip a few inches on the putter handle, and concentrate harder than ever to keep your head still and your eyes over the ball. Crouch low to anchor yourself. Take a short , firm stroke. On the backstroke, increase your control by fixing your eyes on the ball and keeping the motion short. On the forward stroke, hit the ball especially hard while maintaing a firm grip. If the wind is gusty, crouch even lower, taken an even wider stance, and use a very firm stroke.