The angle at which you approach the ball on the downswing is crucial for a good quality hit. Far too often I see people approaching the ball with a shallow angle of attack. Shallow means that the club is approaching the ball from a very low direction and one that can cause thin, heavy or very high scooping shots.

This month we are focussing on different putting drills to help you spend a more productive session on the putting green. We should all spend a good proportion of our practice time on the green, although people find it boring after 5 minutes. These drills will make it a little more interesting...

	'Lemmings'....Putt to the edge of the green, see how close you can get to the edge without putting off the green. This will help you focus on your distance control.
	'Tee Target'...Place a tee in the ground at various distances. Because you are not focusing on a hole it will give you more feel for distance control.
	‘Trust Game’…close your eyes when you putt, it will give you a better sensation of clubhead speed for a more controlled stroke.
	‘Round the Clock’…Place 12 balls around the hole at putters length distance…this gives you practice at different sides of the hole
	‘Ladder’…Place 8 balls in equal increments leading away from the hole…see how far you can go back before you miss.
	‘X in a Row’….From various distances from the hole see if you can hole 10 in a row. Once you have achieved 10 in at row try 15 in a row, then 20 and so on….now you must stay on the putting green until you achieve your goal. If you get to 9 in a row and miss the final putt you must start again from 0. It will help focus your mind and somewhat imitate pressure putts you will have on the golf course.

There are hundreds more drills you can practice giving you a more fun and production session on the dance floor! You target for 18 holes is around 28 putts. Good luck and have fun!

I see many poor bunkers shots caused by an incorrect set-up position. One crucial element when setting up to the ball is to put 70% of your weight on your front foot (Image 1). This helps create a steeper angle of attack into the ball and helps get the club under the ball…a key part of bunker play.

Leaning back to help the ball up in the air (Image 2) can also lead to poor contact into the sand as you may expose the sole (bottom) of the club to the ball – this can cause thin and fat shots! Now, once you have 70% of weight on your front foot, trying to keep the weight in that position through the entire swing. This will maintain a better angle and allow the club to get into the sand at the correct angle and in turn help lift the ball onto the green.

What you do prior to the golf swing is almost as important as what you do whilst swinging! One simple tip this month is to always place your clubface down first…then align your feet second. It amazes me how many golfers get comfortable with their feet first when setting up to the ball, then as a secondary measure put the clubface down. The problem with aligning the feet first is that you are lining up your clubface relative to where you feet are pointing….it should be the other way around. At the end of the day it is more important to get the clubface aiming at the target as that is what is hitting the ball! This is the same for ALL golf clubs, whether it is a small putt or a long driving shot.

Have a look at the professionals…..they will always take extra care in lining the clubface towards the target first, then will move their feet into the correct position…..it works...try it!

The short game is one of the least practiced but most important part of golf. You will hit an average 70% of shots within 100 yards of the hole. One important discipline is the ‘Chip’ shot. Here are the magic moves to get your chips closer to the hole… This technique create a better angle of attack into the ball, reduces scooping the club under the ball and creates more control around the greens.

		1. Place your clubface on the ground aiming towards the target
		2. Grip down the club a couple of inches for more feel.
		3. Get your feet closer together with the ball in the middle of the stance.
		4. Turn your feet to the left (this opens up your left hip and creates space to swing the club past the body) . Remember to keep the shoulders aiming at the target.
		5. Lean towards the hole by putting 70% of the weight on the front foot.
		6. Keep the hands ahead of the clubface.
		7. As you swing back, maintain the weight on the front foot and keep the lower half rock solid. Swing back to the 7 O’clock position (the ball is in the 6 O’clock position) and swing through to the 5 O’clock position.
		8. As you strike the ball keep the hands forwards of the clubface and finish with a straight left wrist position.

Many bad strikes are caused by the set-up position, notably the posture. If you tend to hit the ball ‘heavy’ i.e. hitting the grass before the ball, or ‘thin’ i.e. hitting the top half of the ball, then you may find your posture and hand position is to blame.

Try this…..

Firstly….Create a good posture by keeping your knees slightly flexed at the address position keeping 55% of your weight on the balls of your feet. Next, look at the ball but maintain a high chin. This creates room in your posture to swing the club efficiently through the impact position. Finally, ‘stick you bum out’. This is important as it flattens your lower back and acts as an anchor for the swing (Photo 1).

Now the ‘KEY’ is this……

Once you have a good posture, naturally hang your arms off your shoulders. I call it the ‘monkey position’ (Photo 2). Now, wherever your hands naturally hang off your shoulders is the distance your hands should be away from your body. This is regardless of the club you are using…whether it is a driver or 7 iron. Basically, this is your natural hanging position relative to your anatomy and a good posture. You should not feel stretch or too close to your body…just relaxed and natural. Finally, put the club in your hands and check that there is a straight line stretching from your shoulder through your hands and to the end of your toes (Photo 3). Create this feeling and your ball striking ability should improve.

A golfer's ability to return the club face back to its original position facing the target is paramount to producing a straighter golf shot. With this in mind it makes sense to check that the club face is still square half way back. That way you have a better chance of returning the club face square at impact.

Here’s how to check…

1. Start off in your normal set-up position with the club face pointing down the target line with your feet line running in the same direction but parallel to the club face position. (Image 1)
   
   
2. Now, swing your club back keeping your arms straight until the club shaft reaches a horizontal position. This should be around your hip level. Notice how at this point the shaft is in line with the shaft running along side the feet line (Image 2). This is the classic 9 O’clock position and the halfway backswing position of your golf swing.
   
   
3. Now, look to see if the toe of the club is pointing directly upto the sky. If it is, you have maintained a square clubface position (Image 3). If the toe of the clubface is pointing to the right that is a ‘Closed Club Face’ (Image 4) and if the toe is pointing to the left this is an ‘Open Club face' position (Image 5).

Now, if you maintained that same clubface position through to your impact position, a closed face would cause the ball to go low and left, an open clubface would cause the ball to go high and right and a square clubface would produce and straight ball flight.

In a nutshell, keeping a square club face through the entire swing will help produce straighter golf shot. So check halfway back…..do you have a closed, open or square club face? Which way is the ball flying? A little bit of self diagnosis allows you to understand your golf swing better and ultimately produce straighter golf shots!

To get your swing analysed by Jason, click here