How to shoot low numbers

Saturday, November 16, 2013

You've heard it before and you're about to hear it again: if you want to go low, you need a wicked short game. This is the area we never stop working on, and some of the lessons I have learned on tour from some of the finest exponents in the business ju

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The Spectacular Lob Shot

Saturday, November 16, 2013

At Augusta this year, I watched Jose Maria Olazabal hitting these lob shots off tightly cut grass. He was taking a full swing, and the ball was just popping up so beautifully. Eventually I just plucked up the guts and said: 'How the hell do you do tha

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Making a Splash-2

Saturday, November 16, 2013

A sharp play There isn't a player in the world who can put backspin on a ball that is plugged in the sand. It's just not possible. So first and foremost you have to be realistic in this situation: the ball is going to pop out with

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Making a Splash

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Joining the pro ranks has taught me the real value of short-game skills. Ball-striking is obviously important, but when you analyse the way that tournaments are won and lost, it all comes down to getting the ball into the hole: getting up and down. Tha

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How to Par on a Links Course

Saturday, November 16, 2013

The only certainty when playing a links course is this. With the wind that's certain to blow and the wild bounces that are so common to links golf, we're going to miss greens. That means the winner will have to show some creativity and touch to save par

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The Nipper

Saturday, November 16, 2013

What is the nipper? I call this short pitch 'the nipper' because you nip the ball from the grass with a clean, firm, downward blow. You don't take much of a divot, if any. The shot flies with a lower trajectory, takes one hop, then skids to a st

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On balance, this is better...

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Try this simple drill to improve your chipping technique: with your weight on your left side, you can develop a repeating chipping stroke and enjoy a consistent ball-turf strike... Having the ability to consistently control the bottom of the sw

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Out in a Splash-2

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Turn, hinge and release for a successful escape Looking at the sequence from face on, I want to make a couple of observations that can further help you to avoid making some common errors. First of all, look at how 'centred' I am at the set-up (

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Out in a Splash

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Let me show you the do's and don't that lie behind a successful bunker technique. Good sand play involves utilising the 'bounce' provided by the flange on your sand-iron, and to do that you have to open up the face a little (also adding loft) before yo

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How to Hit the Pro Wedge

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Growing up in Shreveport, Louisianna, I learned to stay out of the hot sun whenever possible. I used to practise in the shade of a big oak tree just off the driving range at my old home course, Palmetto Country Club, but the tree didn't have any grass g

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