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Why you’ll likely make a bogey (or worse) 25 percent of the time from 150 yards

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Tracking golf stats in the technology age has become easier than ever. All you have to do is download an app, enter a few details from your round and you can have access to almost any stats you want from tee-to-green. If used correctly, this wealth of information can be very helpful when figuring out what part of your game needs improvement, so make sure to use it to your advantage.

Here’s how that relates to this story. At the Golf Magazine Top-100 Summit in November, I saw a slide by one of our presenters on the average distance from the hole from 150 yards, which a distance nearly all golfers feel comfortable with their chances on hitting the green, based on their handicap level. They’re listed in the graphic below.

TomStickneyAverageDistanceChart

One of the best golf books I have ever read is Every Shot Counts by Mark Broadie (if you have not read it, you are missing the boat!). Mark analyzes the game in many different ways, but one of the most important, in my opinion, are his numbers on three-putting. As we all know, eliminating three-putting is a key for every golfer to lower their scores. But what Mark found is that it might be difficult when you hit the ball a certain distance from the hole.

PGA Tour players don’t worry about three putting until around 60 feet. So based on their average distance from 150 yards, they have to hit an awful shot (for them) to hit the ball outside that distance. Therefore, they don’t need to worry much about three-putting after hitting a shot from 150 yards, thus eliminating bogeys.

Let’s examine three-putting trends for 80, 90, and 100 shooters based on Broadie’s findings:

  • 80 Shooters have about a 25 percent chance of three-putting when the ball is 43 feet from the hole.
  • 90 Shooters have about a 25 percent chance of three-putting when the ball is 32 feet from the hole.
  • 100 Shooters have about a 25 percent chance of three-putting when the ball is 26 feet from the hole.

What this means for most golfers is that unless they become better iron players from 150 yards, they will three-putt an average of 1 out of 4 times when they hit the green from that distance. So they’ll make bogey (or worse) at least 1 out of 4 times from 150 yards.

How can you fix this and start hitting the ball closer to the hole? Here are my 4 keys to hitting better iron shots from 150 yards.

1. Know the reality of how far you CARRY the ball

After playing with thousands of amateur players over the last 20 years, I’m confident that 99 percent of them do not know how far they carry the ball. In fact, they grossly over-estimate what club actually flies 150 yards for them. There is NO excuse for not knowing how far the ball carries any more, since every launch monitor on the market today will give you that number. Do yourself a favor and book some time on a launch monitor, and write down how far each of your clubs fly when you hit a solid shot. It WILL save you strokes.

2. Understand the Face-to-Path Relationship

In the past few years, we’ve learned that the ball starts mostly in the direction of the club face at impact and curves away from the path as it flies (assuming centered contact). And as you add loft, it’s generally harder to curve the ball. You can read more on the topic in the link below.

Related: Understanding the new ball flight laws

As such, you should make sure you are starting the ball in the correct direction, thus giving yourself the best chance to hit the green. There is nothing worse than swinging from the inside — as you are trying to do — but hitting the ball with a club face that’s pointed left of the target at impact, causing the ball to begin too far left. Remember the rules of how to influence your ball’s curvature and you will hit it closer to the flag.

3. Hit the Center of the Face

This one is obvious, but if you don’t hit the ball in the same location on the club face it won’t fly consistently. Make sure you work with your teaching professional in order to coordinate the pivot of the body with the arms, hands and club so you can find the center of the face. This is crucial to establishing distance control, and hitting the ball closer to the hole.

4. Understand your Conditions

Just because at sea level you carry “X” club 150 yards does not mean that you’ll always use that club from that distance. For instance, I carry my 9 iron 150 yards at about 1000 feet of altitude (where I have lived and played most of my golf for the last 10 years), but when I moved to Puerto Vallarta I had to drop down to my 8 iron because I’m at sea level. Secondly, when the wind blows, I might have to hit a 7 iron. And if I’m not hitting the ball solidly that day, I’ll need to adjust to that. Remember that sometimes you have to switch from your “normal” 150 club. Don’t be afraid to do so!

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Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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