Master the three scoring clubs—the driver, the wedge, and the putter—and you’ll improve your game dramatically.

With 14 clubs to hit, golfers often have trouble deciding which part of their game to work on.

If you’re serious about working on your game, focus on the three scoring clubs. They have the greatest impact on your score.

Unfortunately, not all of us live in a climate where we can always practice outdoors. Even if we do, we don’t always have the time to go to a driving range and hit balls.

That doesn’t mean we can’t work on the fundamentals needed to master the three clubs. We just need to do it indoors.

Below are several indoor golf drills that will help you master these three clubs. They can are done in almost any location, even your office.

Putter

There are three “musts” in becoming a good putter:

1. your stroke must follow target line;
2. your putter must remain square to the target line;
3. and your forward stroke must equal (or slightly exceed) your backstroke. The following drill emphasizes these putting musts. The next drill focuses on distance control, also a key aspect of putting.

Drop two phone books on the floor. Position them far enough apart so that your putter head barely squeezes through them. Place a golf ball between the books, assume your putting posture, and make your stroke.

Use the books as a visual guide to match the lengths of your backstroke and forward stroke. Matching the lengths ensures a smooth stroke with perfect tempo. You’ll find it difficult to guide your putter between the phone books unless your stroke follows the intended putting line. If your putter strikes the side of either book, your stroke strayed off-line.

Also, mark your ball with a straight line. Set that line parallel to your target line. Marking the ball makes it easier to align the putter perpendicular to the target line at address. See if the line falls to the right or left of center as your ball rolls after impact. If it does, then your stroke may have deviated off-line or made contact with a slightly open or closed putter face.

This drill improves distance control. Set or balance a ball (or a tee turned upside down) on a penny and putt a second ball to this ball so that it touches the first, but DOESN’T knock it off the penny! This one is SUPER TOUGH! Try various distances. You should soon forget about the line and “making” the putt—distance control is everything. Rolling the ball to the target with an acceptable “sink” speed becomes second nature as you try to just touch the target ball.

Pitching Wedge

These drills can be done just about anywhere. It improves one of the most important parts of your game—wedge play.

Find about 10 feet of open floor space. Put a small towel on the floor and stand about 10 feet away. Use a short, smooth stroke, keeping your hands ahead of the clubface. Try chipping 50 balls onto the towel. Practice so the balls land on the towel, not come to rest on the towel. Start with an 8 iron, then move to a 9 iron, and then to a wedge. The more you practice the better control you’ll have over those short chips.

Next time you’re on the practice range, try the same drill. Watch how far each club makes the ball roll on the putting surface. Now you’ll have more control over your chips under different conditions. After awhile, you should be able to nestle every shot close to the pin, or sink it!

Driver

Many golfers turn their hips and shoulders simultaneously when they swing a club. Too much lower body rotation eliminates torque between the upper and lower body. Adding more backswing torque to your swing generates distance.

Sit down in a chair. Spread your feet out wide and keep them flat on the ground. Hold a 7 or 8 iron out in front of you. Hold the clubhead with one hand and the end of the grip in the other hand. Raise the club over your head and rest the shaft across your neck and shoulders. Turn your shoulders to the right. Hold this position for a few seconds. You should feel a lot of torque along your left side. The turn your shoulders back and face forward. Relax and repeat.

Many golfers use their hands and arms only when swinging the driver. They don’t rotate their shoulders, sapping power from their swing. This drill helps keep your hands, arms, and shoulders in sync as you swing back and through.

Lower yourself down to the floor onto your knees. Hold a ball between your hands and out in front of your. Start by making some small moves swinging the ball back and forth. The idea is to keep the ball in front of your chest as your arms swing and your shoulders rotate. Increase the length of your swing going back and through. As you reach the end of your backswing and forward swing, allow your arms to fold. Swing back and fold your arms. Swing down and unfold them. Swing through and fold them again.

These drills improve control of the three most important clubs in your bag—the driver, the putter, and the wedge. You can do them in your house or your garage. Each focuses on fundamentals you must master to take your game to the next level.

My good friend Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80…And Shoot Like The Pros!” and is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that was able to figure out the secrets of shooting in the 70’s on a consistent basis without quitting your day job. Jack has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.

I know he can you too.

Developing and taking the time to go through a daily golf practice drill or practice routine will go a long way to expediting the improvement of your golf score and Austad’s golf warehouse is second to none when in comes to offering a full line of golf practice equipment and training aids.

Simply playing your way to better golf may ultimately over time result in some improvement in your game, but some good golf practice drills will get you there much more efficiently.

As you are well aware, on the market today there is no shortage of golf practice equipment and golf swing aids. Many of which can be quite effective in improving your game. The key is that you have to practice

your golf swing on a consistent basis. Remember it’s not how much you practice at one time; its how often you practice that will best improve your golf game. Effective practice routines will improve your golf scores. Practice equipment, when used properly and consistently, will certainly aid in the process.

We all learn differently and when learning the golf swing, I don’t think any two people key on the same thought process. For me, purchasing a golf net to practice my swing was a huge help. With a golf net you can turn your back yard (or your basement as I did) into your own driving range. Hitting into a net allows you to take full real time swings. This allows you to actually feel the contact you make on the golf ball and work on your shot routine and tempo. Also, with a net you can work on every club in the bag.

If don’t want to (or don’t have room for a net) there are other types of golf practice equipment and training aids you can purchase such as tethered golf balls, restricted flight golf balls that will allow you to take full swings without launching a golf ball.

If your short game needs help (and who’s doesn’t) smaller chipping nets provide for some great target and accuracy practice and are easily moveable so you can vary the distances of your pitch and chip shots. For your putting practice there are a multitude of indoor putting greens and swing trackers that can check your putting line and swing path.

Of course, let’s not forget how computerization can help you with your golf practice drill. You can find computerized products that will measure and log your swing tempo your club head speed, and just about any other part of your swing.

Certainly, golf practice equipment can be an important part of your practice routine. The key here is ‘practice routine’. You have to take the time to practice. No amount of practice equipment is going to magically improve your game. It takes a commitment to improve your golf game on your part.

If you are willing to put forth a consistent effort to understand and improve your golf swing, improve yourself physically, use your golf practice equipment and swing aids wisely, and be patient with your progress, then you will begin to drop strokes from your game in no time.

You reach for and grab a golf club. And hence the golf grip is born! Perhaps not a proper golf grip… but you do have a hold of the club at least.

It seems that so little attention is given to such a large influence of (ultimately) your golf shot.

Developing and getting comfortable with a proper golf grip early on is essential to making consistent golf shots.

Quite simply, your golf grip is the foundation of your golf swing and as such we not only want to see a proper golf grip, but a comfortable one as well.

It’s important to develop an aesthetically neutral grip that doesn’t feel as though you need to make additional adjustments during your swing.

The prototypical golf grip is one where the ‘V’s formed between the index finger and the thumb of each hand end up pointing toward your right shoulder (right handed golfer). If someone is standing directly across from you they should be able to only see the first two knuckles of your left hand.
golf grip the golf grip

Most all lower handicap golfers will not have these said ‘V’s pointing very far off from this position. Variations of this ‘neutral’ position will affect the flight of the ball.

For instance, moving your left hand ‘V’ further toward your right shoulder is known as a ‘strong’ grip position and with such you’ll have more of a tendency to cause more rotation through impact and as a result, more of a tendency to hook the golf shot.

Side Note:
My good friend Jack Moorehouse is considered one of the best golf guru’s in the country and he’s here to help you with his best-selling golf eBook, “How to Break 80… And Shoot Like the Pros.”

I have talked him into not raising the price of his book for me, as he stated he would, so I want you to hurry and get this gem while it’s still half price.  It’s jam-packed with easy and simple golf drills, strategies and advice that will quickly improve your distance, accuracy and handicap.

However, for now and early on, we want you to get comfortable with basic or neutral positioning of your hands in the golf grip.

Get comfortable with this grip and use it as your foundation. Don’t experiment early on with weak and strong grips. We want a foundation or a baseline from which you can work. And certainly, don’t attempt to make radical adjustments to your grip in order to compensate for some other flaw in your golf swing. Stay with the basic grip.

Overlapping golf grip vs. the interlocking golf grip; the lion’s share of golfers today use an overlapping golf grip (otherwise known as the Vardon style). Some players still prefer the interlocking golf grip. No matter your preference, again, let’s keep the hand positioning neutral and build the rest of our swing around a good solid grip.

As far as grip pressure goes, I think the best description I have heard is that you want to grip the golf club as though you are holding a baby bird… not so tight that you will injure the bird… yet firm enough that the bird can’t fly away. Tight grips and muscles restrict flow and movement, while too relaxed muscles offer no control.

In summary, a proper golf grip will reduce your tendency to slice your golf shot. A proper golf grip will help produce a square clubface at impact.

Work to establish a firm but relaxed golf grip when it comes to the pressure you apply to the club.

Establish a good comfort zone with yourself using a neutral grip (your ‘V’s pointing somewhere between your chin and right shoulder).

Experimentation with grip changes can come later once your swing falls into place. Don’t attempt to correct swing flaws with radical (and frequent) grip changes.

Early on work to accept the feel of the proper golf grip by simply taking the time to grip the club and do some mock swings… no golf ball involved here… just learn to love that golf grip!

In fact, the improper golf weight shift is the cause of a myriad of shot problems not the least of which is a lack of distance.

Golf Weight Shift: Right Foot / Left Foot Drill

Select one of your mid irons and assume an address position with your feet about shoulder width – no further apart than that. Begin by slowly executing your swing. After several practice swings this is what I would like you to do.

As you take your backswing, I want you to lift your left foot slightly off the ground. Then, as you initiate your downswing, place your left foot back on the ground and as your swing transitions through the shot, and you begin to follow through make sure your weight transitions to the left foot by now lifting your right foot slightly off the ground.

If you initially struggle with this drill it will indicate to you that you aren’t executing your golf weight shift properly.

Note: for this drill you are not actually hitting golf balls. Rather I want to get you to comfortably and rhythmically work your golf weight shift from the right foot to the left foot…. right foot/left foot – right foot/left foot and so on until it becomes a natural movement incorporated into your golf swing.

As your foot work and weight shifts improves you’ll begin to gain much greater consistency in your golf shots and you’ll also notice much more effortless distance in your golf shots. In essence you are learning, and building tempo. Tempo is executing your backswing and downswing in the same rhythmic motion.

This drill is also an extension of your tempo building from the previous drill.

As you begin to get the hang of the golf weight shift you will be well on your way to playing better golf because now (along with what I’ve covered for you so far) you are beginning to understand and feel how all of this is coming together to provide you with a great foundation from which to work and to build your swing upon.

Continue the good work and continue to play better.

Remember it’s practice that makes permanent.

Let’s take a look at a simple golf practice drill that can help your game make the transition from the driving range to the golf course.

First of all, change your targets frequently.

Think about it.

When you are on the course you rarely hit back to back shots from the same distance (if you do, then your swing needs more general work).

Start with your driver and hit it.

Then, for example, imagine that you are 180 yards from the tee. Pick out a target, select your club, and execute the next shot. If you miss hit your approach, then imagine you are just off the green in need of executing a pitch shot… and so forth.

This type of practice drill will better emulate what happens while your are play a round of golf and it adds that little bit of extra pressure on your swing when you only have one chance to make a particular shot. This is more of what occurs during an actual round of golf.

When you are on the practice tee and going through this simulated round golf practice drill, don’t forget to include your pre-shot routine.

If you don’t think you have one, then begin to develop one and use it before each shot.

This is an area that is grossly overlooked by golfers when they are practicing their various golf shots.

If you don’t include your pre-shot routine in your practice drills then you will have a different rhythm on the course than you do on the practice tee and you will most likely produce different results. Remember we want consistency.

Getting your golf swing and golf game from the driving range to the course is a natural trouble area for most all of us. But, if you remember that you play like you practice, then making the transition will be much less of a chore.

Yes it’s true… we practice golf at a 2 handicap and play at a 20.

You what the problem is because it’s so obvious… you continually leave your game at the practice tee.

It has become an all too familiar routine and you want to get your game to that next level. But to do so, and to ultimately play better golf, you have to get your driving range game to the first tee and beyond.

First of all, before we discuss possible solutions, one must understand that at least in part this is a natural progression to one’s game. Everyone goes through this phenomenon to some degree or another. Even accomplished golfers experience this when they work on a swing change or practice a new type of shot for them.

There is not any doubt that in order to successfully and consistently execute a fluent golf swing, you have to have paid your dues with practice time and many buckets of ball launched from the driving range.

Let’s fast forward a bit and assume that you have in fact improved the mechanics of your golf swing to the point where you make reasonably consistent contact and direction on the practice tee, but your swing takes a 180 degree turn for the worse when you get on the golf course.

When this happens, the natural evaluation most of us make is to examine what we are doing wrong on the golf course. The solution more often than not is not to critique and examine your on the golf course golf swing, rather you should take a look at how you practice your golf swing when you are on the driving range or practice tee.

Up next… let’s take a look at a practice drill for your golf game that will help you make the transition from the practice to the golf course.

Needless to say so much focus and topical time is given to the golf swing and all the elements that surround and go into making and executing a golf swing.

Our series here is no exception, but we need to discuss an element of playing better that really does contribute a large part to the success of your golf game (or the lack of it) and that is getting yourself properly warmed up and prepared before you hit your first golf shot.

Last time we talked about the importance of our pre shot routine… now let’s talk about the importance of a good pre round routine.

First of warming up is essential if you are serious about getting your handicap down. Even if you’re the type that say’s “it only takes me a hole or two to get loosened up”, then how many strokes do you lose in the process? And don’t they all count? So don’t bemoan your score and your round if you are going to just toss caution to the wind on the first couple holes as you get loosened up.

Your pre golf round routine will return benefits in the form of strokes if you:

• Warm up. Take short walk to the driving range. Tell your buddies to go ahead if they are in the golf carts already. Or, leave the golf cart by the clubhouse and walk to the range. Even on a warm summer day your muscles need the circulation and they need to warm up. Taking a couple extra practice swings on the first tee doesn’t constitute warming up.

• Do some stretching.  Again, get some heat and circulation going in your muscles. If you are not worried about the strokes, at least do some golf stretches so you don’t injure yourself.
• Once you get to the driving range, hit a few golf balls. An entire bucket is not necessary; nor is breaking out every single club. Start with a short iron, the go to a mid iron or two, then a few drives. Hit some pitch shots and even some long chip type shots. Finish back with the short irons getting back to rhythm and feel and swing confidence.

• Then allow some time for the putting green. Start by knocking in some very short ‘gimme’ type of putts to get a good mind set. Then get yourself back a ways and get a feel for the speed. As an amateur, many of your approach shots will leave you a good distance from the pin; so it’s very important to have a good feel for your distance control in order to avoid the three (or four) putts.

• Know that warming up before a round of golf is not practice. It is not ‘working on something’ so, don’t try knew shots, swing keys, or anything else. Avoid this temptation. If your swing doesn’t feel quite right, now is not the time to go into repair mode. If this is the case work on one thing and one thing only – smooth rhythm and timing. Put all else out of your mind.

Understand during your warm up what your golf swing is trying to tell you. If you seem to be fading the ball and struggle to draw it (even though you usually do), don’t fight it; go with your fade for the day. Don’t fight with yourself. Be pragmatic.

Probably 90 plus percent of amateur golfers don’t bother with any type of pre round warm up, let alone any type of pre golf round routine. I’m hoping if you don’t; then you’ll soon make an effort to do better with this. If not, then you’re not really committed to playing better golf.

Committing to getting yourself warmed up and in touch with your swing before you stand over the golf ball on the first tee will take strokes off your game before you even hit that first one of the day. And certainly nobody wants to start the day with a double bogey or triple bogey.

If you are just beginning to take up the game of golf and as such just learning the mechanics of the golf swing or perhaps you’ve been on the links a bit and are perhaps struggling a bit with your golf swing and hence your game, here are a couple online golf tips that you can take with you to your next practice session.

This next concept, for me, was one of the more difficult for me to get into my brain and subsequently my golf swing.

But I will assure you it is one that you must begin to understand and get comfortable with both physically and visually if you want to develop a solid consistent golf swing.

Once I began to develop consistency in this concept and motion, my drives (and all other golf shots for that matter) began to rapidly straighten out and my scores became better and more consistently better. And I guarantee yours will too!

The first active component of the golf swing is the takeaway. For the purpose of this discussion I am making an assumption here that your, grip, stance, setup, posture, etc are all on the straight and narrow and conducive to making a good golf swing.

The Takeaway – Work to take the club away from your address point by turning your shoulders.

Both your shoulders should act in unison, not just the left ol’ straight left arm and shoulder crossing over the front of your chest (this for a right handed golf swing). A good way to get a feel for this is to get into your setup position (no golf club involved here) with your waist slightly bent just like real golf folks, then cross your arm across your chest.

Do this by putting your left palm on the front of your right shoulder and your right palm on the front of your left shoulder. Then simply rotate or turn your shoulders in the manner of taking a club back away from the golf ball.

This is the same motion you want when you have the club in your hands. By doing this and not manipulating or ‘helping’ your golf club back on its takeaway with your hands and arms you will soon develop a consistent swing plane and swing path away from the ball and ultimately put your golf swing in a good position for the return trip.

Again, DO NOT pick the club up with the hands or otherwise introduce the hands into the swing. Work on getting a good feeling for this with the arms crossed over the chest drill again and again. And don’t be afraid to go back to this drill as much as needed even after you begin to get the hang of it.

The next part of my online golf lesson for you is to tell you to be sure not to over-swing.

Yeah, I know, you’ve heard that a million times and you know it’s true. Sometimes hard to not to do, but nonetheless true. But here is the really cool part about the one piece takeaway initiated and conducted by the shoulder turn.

If do this correctly, you’ll find that over-swinging becomes few and further between because you then begin to develop the natural, yet elusive for many, tempo to your golf swing.

In the golf swing, over-active hands and forearms, causing you to spank at the ball instead of rotating and hitting through the ball, is one of the biggest reasons for inconsistent, runaway shots and golf scores.

Getting the club head through the shot and releasing the stored energy of your golf swing down from your larger muscles in the shoulders and hips in a funneling effect to the point of contact, is all a product of a good, one piece shoulder turn that your arms and hands will gladly oblige to follow if you allow them to do so.

Once you begin to get comfortable with swinging the club with your shoulders and committing to rotating with the shoulders instead picking the club up and swinging with your hands and arms, your confidence will build and you’ll begin to relax over the ball. This will bring with it yet more improvement in your golf game.

Stay with it. Any change takes time. Any change is going to initially produce some pretty rough looking shots, but stay with this and it will work.

Certainly the premise for this thought isn’t directed toward the weekend golfer who plays and loves the game, but does so as an outing with friends.

No, this article is for those of you who play more often and enjoy the competition of tournaments and such and certainly for those who aspire to take their game as far as they possibly can.

For one, the competitive aspect of today’s golf game has changed greatly. If you are going to compete and compete well, attention to your game is a never ending process as long as you strive to remain competitive.

Competitive golf today has evolved to a sport that is now serious not only about the technology and mechanics of the golf swing, but now aspects such as nutrition, and physical fitness have become part of the daily routine and lifestyle for the competitive golfer.

Having a trusted golf coach for you and your game is like having a trusted mechanic for your car. The more comfortable you can become with your personal golf coach the more the coach will not only understand the strengths and weaknesses of your golf swing, but will also understand how you tick as well.

This is an important aspect. A good golf coach will understand what physical movement you excel at the one’s you don’t. The golf coach will come to know how much change and corrective measures you handle at one time without breaking down you game. A good golf coach will know when not to change your swing.

The link between the physical and mental in the golf swing is that like no other sport and a personal golf coach can not only help you with both but can recognize when it’s time to work on what. As your game improves and you climb the competitive ladder, you will be well served to settle in with someone who knows both you and your swing.

Don’t let your competitors gain this advantage over you. Maybe up until now you have been your own golf coach working through all of the daily and weekly trials and tribulations of maintaining and improving your swing.

But as the competition gets stronger with each level, you’ll reap the benefits of a golf coach that can quickly spot the nuances of your swing and keep you on track with only minor adjustments before they would become more major surgery on your swing.

Certainly having your own golf coach is a personal decision. But if your demands from your game are struggling to meet your expectations, then it is definitely worth considering.

Good golfers have a very consistent one.

Pre-shot routines are more than just a ritual or habit that is performed before you hit the golf ball; they actually serve a very important purpose in your game.

When you approach your golf shots with the same pre-shot routine each time, you are significantly increasing your focus on each golf shot. And with an increased level of focus on the task at hand, your shot will be much less susceptible to any outside distractions or variables.

Whenever I get asked the question about developing a pre-shot routine, the first answer I give is very pragmatic… find one that works for you. No two pre-shot routines will look the same; and even if they appear to look the same, what is going on mentally will be different for each golfer. Having said that, I won’t leave with such a general (but true) answer, so let’s take a look at a couple of different areas and ideas.

Again, the bottom line for any pre-shot routine is to get you into a positive frame of mind for your shot. Now, how you arrive there is strictly personal preference, but most will involve, picking the target, a couple practice swings, stance, grip, and perhaps a deep breath.

The details within each of these items aren’t as important as just making certain you do the same thing each and every time.

Keep in mind that a good pre-shot routine isn’t time consuming. It is quick, concise, and repeatable. Go through your routine, trust it, and then pull the trigger with your golf shot.

O.K… I lied. Remember when I said it really doesn’t matter what your pre-shot routine is as long as it works for you.

Well… there is one aspect that I insist upon when working with people; especially higher handicappers or those just beginning to get their golf swing under them; and that is your line. Somewhere as part of your routine you must include alignment to your intended target.

I work with so many golfers that waste relatively good swings and good contact by not being aligned properly to their target. I see so many golf shots head for the rough, the trees, the traps, and the water; only because that’s exactly where the person was lined up to hit the ball!

Don’t waste your precious good swings on bad alignment.

Make alignment to your target part of your routine… and don’t just trust the fact that you ‘think’ you are lined up properly; make sure.

If you’d like more detail on ensuring that you’re properly aligned, sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive my free mini-course that covers this in more detail. Just check the menu down the right of the page for the newsletter sign up!