The post How this pro is using a video game to prepare for golf tournaments appeared first on Golf.

The post How this pro is using a video game to prepare for golf tournaments appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Approach to tournament prep varies from golfer to golfer. Some like to beat balls until their hands are raw, while others prefer playing their way into tournament shape. But the physical preparation is only half the battle. There’s also the strategic component that goes into prep work.

Having the correct strategy heading into a competitive round is crucial if you want to succeed. Knowing your lines off the tees, where to hit driver versus 3 wood, and which parts of the greens to attack is a key element for what goes into prep work.

Pros are, well, pros at this prep work. During practice rounds (and sometimes, even before that), they’ll learn as much as they can about the course so that when the competition rolls around, they’re ready to play their best golf.

One Korn Ferry Tour pro is taking a unique approach to this prep work. Ryan McCormick, a ninth-year pro from New Jersey, has been using video games to get dialed in. No, he’s not just sitting on the couch playing Call of Duty. Instead, he’s using PGA Tour 2K23 to help him get a feel for courses before he ever plays them.

“The first thing that I do is use this blue line to get the target,” McCormick says. “And I’ll use that to just kind of solidify the picture that I want on that hole during the week.”

Using PGA Tour 2K23 doesn’t just allow him to scout the course, though. With the variety of customizable features, McCormick is also able to change the sliders for firmness and weather as well.

“So this is a south wind, which should be straight down on 18,” McCormick says. “I can account for the bounce and the roll.”

With these customizable conditions, McCormick can get an idea of how the course will play during tournament week — all without even playing the course.

McCormick will also customize the hole locations in the game based on the pin sheet for the tournament. If a hole is cut in a tricky spot, he can adjust the pin placement in the game so he can get a feel for where the proper leave is on the greens.

“I’m just trying to get a good idea of strategy and where I want to leave it on certain holes [based on] how the holes are playing,” he says. “I can also get the green speed to the right stimp and just kind of get an idea of what shots are fast for the day.”

It’s certainly an unorthodox method, but with how realistic video games are these days, it’s not a bad strategy for scouting a course.

It seems like there’s some merit to his strategy as well. In this week’s NV5 Invitational, McCormick posted an 11-under 60 in Round 1, including seven birdies and two eagles, which was good enough for the outright lead through 18 holes.

Next time you’re headed to an unfamiliar course, it might be worthwhile to fire up the game console to see if the track you’re playing is available in the digital world. If it is, you’ll be able to get a game plan for how to attack it before you ever even step foot on property.

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The post How to hit irons in the wind like the pros do at the Open Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post How to hit irons in the wind like the pros do at the Open Championship appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Playing golf in the wind is not easy. Every mistake is amplified and the margin for error is razor thin. The challenge is as much mental as it is physical.

One of the best things you can do for your game in the wind is to keep the ball down. The higher you hit your shot, the more the wind has a chance to affect it. Keeping the ball out of the jet stream is a must if you want to maximize your control.

Instruction

The wind is a challenge all players face at the Open Championship. With links golf taking center stage for the final major of the year, fans get to see a different brand of golf than what is typical during the rest of the season. Stingers and bump-and-runs become the shots of choice, while high, ballooning strikes fall by the wayside.

One way that players lower their trajectories in the wind is by hitting knockdown shots. These flighted irons take a little bit of power off the shot, reducing spin and keeping the ball out of the wind.

Check out the video below from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood for a breakdown on how to hit a knockdown iron.

“If you can pitch, you can hit a low little punch shot,” Yarwood says.

As Yarwood explains, all you need to do to hit a low knockdown is swing like you’re hitting a pitch shot — but do so with an iron.

“You’re going to make the same swing as if you’re hitting a 54,” he says. “You’re going to set up the same as well.”

Slightly open your feet with the ball back in your stance and keep your weight forward. Grip down a bit and use a square face as well. Then, make the exact same swing as you would when hitting a pitch shot.

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“Use your pitch swing pace,” Yarwood says. “What you don’t want is a lot of speed and a lot of violence, because that creates too much spin, and spin acts against the wind and elevates the ball. You’re trying to hit almost a knuckleball.”

When you make the softer swing, the spin will be reduced which will help you keep it out of the wind.

“You’ll hit a guaranteed low little burner,” Yarwood says. “Really low spin, really low trajectory that’s going to cut through the wind.”

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The post How ‘quality of strike’ affects your distance, according to data appeared first on Golf.

The post How ‘quality of strike’ affects your distance, according to data appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Every golfer wants to hit the ball farther, especially at the recreational ranks. More distance off the tee means shorter clubs into greens, which translates to more birdies. (It also gives you some bragging rights among your weekend foursome.)

Most golfers look to achieve this extra distance through speed training and improved fitness — which is great! However, in searching for more swing speed, they often neglect another key component to adding distance: quality of strike.

Quality of strike is basically exactly what it sounds like; how efficiently you’re hitting the ball with your club. And it’s something that, if improved, can add distance to your drives without needing to add any mph to your clubhead speed.

Check out below for a breakdown of how quality of strike affects your distance off the tee, courtesy of stats guru Lou Stagner.

In Stagner’s experiment, he recorded over 5,000 shots from amateurs with swing speeds between 96 and 99 mph. He charted where the ball was hit on the face and the total distance the ball traveled, and then averaged it all out.

As you can see above, the best spot to hit on the face is slightly high in the center of the face. Strikes in this area generated an average drive of 246 yards.

Conversely, the worst spot to hit on the face is low on the heel. Strikes in this area generated just 210 yards on average. This nets out to 36 yards shorter between the best and worst places to hit the ball on the face.

If you are prone to mishits, staying toward the toe is your best option. Middle of the face off the toe only costs you about three yards of distance, but middle off the heel costs about 12 yards. So try to stay away from the heel (and higher on the face) if you want to get the most out of your drives.

“While speed training is important, strike training is KEY,” Stagner says. “The closer you can move your average strike to the center of the club, the longer you will hit it!”

Next time you head to the range in search of more distance, remember to keep the quality of strike in mind. If you can find the center of the clubface more often, you’ll add yards to your driving average without even having to hit the gym.

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Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Every single round of golf presents something new to a player; even if they play the exact same course as the day prior.

For instance, the pin placement may be front center on a green today, whereas tomorrow it will be back left. On paper, that doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but as any golfer knows, it makes the approach to that hole completely different. From deciding what clubs to use to factoring in uncontrollable issues like weather, adjustments must be made.

Gear

How a player handles these golf scenarios will make a difference on the scorecard. Those who adapt will shoot lower, while those who don’t will often shoot higher.

It’s the person who limits mistakes who comes out on top — even if they aren’t as physically gifted as the competition — so even the smallest decisions can end up making or breaking a round.

In today’s Golfer-to-Golfer, we wanted to see how players of different skill levels handle the same scenario. So we asked our two instruction editors, Zephyr Melton and Nick Dimengo, along with LPGA pro Rose Zhang, to share their thoughts.

Melton is a 5-handicap, who has played golf for 15 years. Dimengo, a 13-handicap, has played golf for 26 years. And Zhang’s accomplishments are well-documented, as she’s been a dominant force since she was a junior player.

So how do the three players differ when it comes to the same golf scenarios? Check out what they told us below.

How do you deal with nerves when there’s a crowd watching?

Dimengo: “When it comes to everything other than golf, I love a crowd. Unfortunately, when there’s an extra set of eyeballs watching me on the course, I tense up and try to be a perfectionist out there. I have difficultly just sticking to my game, and, rather than outsmart my competition, I find myself trying to out-muscle them. I overswing and speed everything up, which ends incredibly poorly.”
Melton: “Whether it’s playing in a pro-am, or teeing off in front of a rowdy bunch sitting on the patio, having a bunch of eyes on you is never easy. The crowd-factor used to rattle me quite a bit, but as I’ve gotten older it’s become easier to deal with. I just try to take deep breaths, empty the thoughts from my head and accept the results — no matter if it’s a bomb down the middle or a top directly in front of me.”
Zhang: “It does change a lot of how I play just because you have people just randomly shouting at and you randomly cheering you on. It’s great and all, but definitely something that I’ve never been used to or been accustomed to. I’m just really lucky that [crowds] are out here and having a good time.”

What do you do if you hit a shank mid-round

Dimengo: “I tend to have a short memory for things like shanks, so I can actually recover quite quickly. Sure, I’ll curse like a sailor and maybe slam my club into the ground immediately after a bad shot — but it’s mainly because the expectations for myself are high, and I know I can do better. I just walk to my ball and take a deep breath, regaining my composure and resetting my routine for the next shot. It helps me avoid spiraling out of control and having one bad shot turn into two or three bad ones.”
Melton: “Hitting a shank is extremely unnerving. I’ve hit my fair share of hosel rockets and bouncing back is never easy. When I do hit a shank, I always try to make a corrective swing the next time. I’ll line up my club off the toe and keep my weight on my heels. Usually, this results in a shot that finds the clubface and allows me to breathe easy knowing the ailment isn’t chronic.”
Zhang: “Well it doesn’t happen often to me. I guess you just have to laugh it off?”

How do you bounce back after carding a big number?

Dimengo: “Lately, not good. A goal of mine is to break 80 for the first time by the end of summer, so when I card a big number, I sort of have a mini freakout and start doing math to see how many strokes I need to average on the remaining holes to accomplish my goal. Sometimes I turn it around and right the ship. Unfortunately, and more oftentimes than not, I’m deep in my own head and can’t recover for a few shots on the succeeding hole.”
Melton: “I usually let myself run hot while I walk from the green to the next tee box to blow off the steam, and then I do some self-talk. I use the bad number as a chip on my shoulder and try to light a fire under myself for the rest of the round.”
Zhang: “All you can think about is the next tee shot and the next approach shot that you hit. For me, that’s all I can think about. So that’s how I try to minimize the momentum from shifting too much. In general, just large numbers, you really have to keep steady following that. Have a good mindset into every hole and shake it off as soon as possible.”

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The post Phil Mickelson reveals advice he received from Seve Ballesteros as an amateur appeared first on Golf.

The post Phil Mickelson reveals advice he received from Seve Ballesteros as an amateur appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Phil Mickelson is the greatest short-game player of the modern generation. Countless times over the course of his storied career, we’ve seen Mickelson find himself in a seemingly impossible spot, only to use touch and creativity to escape. Even when it seems like he’s got no shot, Lefty finds a way to escape danger.

Before there was Phil Mickelson, though, there was Seve Ballesteros. Throughout his career in the 70s, 80s and 90s, Ballesteros also found himself in a number of impossible spots. And, like Lefty, he always seemed to find a way out of them.

Mickelson and Ballesteros sharing a playing style is no accident. As a kid in southern California, Mickelson looked up to the five-time major champ for inspiration in his own game, and he came to emulate his hero as he improved.

“Seve was the guy I wanted to play a practice round with the most,” Mickelson said after Ballesteros’ passing. “He’s certainly had an impact on the game.”

Once Mickelson reached the pro ranks in the early 90s, that practice round came to fruition. And in the years to come, Lefty and Ballesteros became friends, practicing together across the globe.

The first time Mickelson met Ballesteros, at Valderrama, host of this week’s LIV Golf event, the Spaniard took Mickelson under his wing, showing the young pro the ins and outs of practice rounds during their time together.

Bunker Shots

“It was little things like ‘Come over here, hit this shot,’ and he would hit a little flop shot out of the rough,” Mickelson said. “It would be playing a practice round and have him hitting a shot to a back right pin when the pin on the practice day is front center, and he’s talking about getting ready to play, compete and work on the shots he’s had to play in the competition. That was for a 17 year old a little eye opening.”

For the uber-competitive Mickelson, this was a bit different than his typical prep work. Lefty’s MO has always been to win at all costs — even if it was in a Tuesday practice round. But, as Ballesteros taught him, the prep work you do early in the week can be the difference between winning and losing come the weekend.

“I’m out there trying to shoot a number and score on a Tuesday practice round,” Mickelson said. “Which made no sense.”

That’s not to say that Ballesteros and Mickelson never got to be competitive with one another. Ballesteros was also a fierce competitor, and he’d drag Mickelson into all sorts of competitions where each could show off their short-game prowess.

“Then we both were with Hugo Boss and do photo shoots together and in between breaks we would have little bunker competitions, chipping competitions,” Mickelson said. “And the time that I spent with him really meant a lot to me.”

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The post Johnny Miller explains the secrets to his elite ball-striking appeared first on Golf.

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Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Johnny Miller’s name might not always be mentioned alongside some of the contemporaries from his era, but he was still one heck of a player. From 1971 to 1976, he was among the game’s most talented stars. During that stretch, he won 18 times, including two majors, one of which included a final-round 63 at Oakmont.

He did most of that damage on the strength of elite ball striking. The Hall-of-Famer was deadly accurate with an iron in his hands, and had excellent power to complement it. When discussing some of the greatest shot makers of all time, Miller will always be in the conversation.

This week’s U.S. Open marks the 50th anniversary of Miller’s iconic victory at Oakmont, and the USGA is also honoring him at Los Angeles Country Club with the Bob Jones Award. During his availability with the media, Miller shared numerous insights into his life, his playing days and broadcasting career. He also shared some great nuggets on game improvement, some of which you can take to improve your own game.

Johnny Miller’s secrets to ball striking

You don’t become a Hall-of-Famer by accident, and Miller is a prime example. Most players in the World Golf Hall of Fame excel among their peers in at least one aspect of the game, and for Miller, that was his ball-striking. Specifically, he said he always knew where his clubface was at impact.

“I would practice stopping the blade, like bam,” Miller said. “Not like this, not like that. I would practice right [at square] over and over.”

A square clubface is essential if you want to hit the ball straight, and it’s a fact that Miller used to inform his practice for the entirety of his career. Miller even went so far as to claim that he was focusing on impact long before teachers (and his peers) were ever concerned with such a thing.

Instruction

Miller alluded to one day in the mid-70s when Jack Nicklaus approached him on the range asking him what he was working on. And when Miller explained he was focused on impact position, Nicklaus did not believe him.

“There was this long pause and he said, ‘No, you’re not. Nobody can think about impact,'” Miller said. “But I had worked on it so long that I could feel where my club face was at impact.”

With this uncanny sense of his clubface angle at impact, Miller could simplify his swing in a way few others could. Without having to worry about the clubface, all he had to do was swing toward the target.

Another key element of Miller’s ball-striking prowess was what he called a “brush drill.” He would make practice swings on the range making sure he just brushed the grass, nailing down the low point in his swing so he knew right where his club bottomed out every time he swung the club.

“You had to be able to brush that grass,” Miller said. “Those were things that I had come up with on my own. Nobody taught me those things. Just something told me those were pretty important things.”

Cleveland Launcher XL Irons

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The post Use this pro-like move to supercharge your power on your tee shots appeared first on Golf.

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Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Everyone could benefit from a few extra yards off the tee. No matter if you’re the biggest bomber at your club, or the shortest hitter in your foursome, extra distance is always a good thing. The closer you are to the hole, the easier the approach shot will be.

Finding that extra distance can be a difficult proposition. There are thousands of tips and tricks out there for achieving your goal of extra distance, but sometimes it gets hard to see the forest through the trees. Being detail-oriented is good, but in the golf swing, simplicity is king.

However, there is a single position in the golf swing that all bombers get to around impact. And if you can incorporate it into your own swing, you can squeeze a few extra yards out, too.

“In order for you to hit the ball farther,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Michael Breed, “I don’t want you to think about using the ground. I want you to think about using your dominant hand — your dominant arm.”

Breed explains that when players have a straight arm at impact, they hit the ball noticeably shorter than their peers. Why is that? Because they aren’t putting their bodies in the most dynamic position to hit the ball with power.

“When the trail arm is bent, they destroy the ball,” he says. “I have worked with a lot of people on this. It doesn’t matter your age. It doesn’t matter your flexibility. It doesn’t matter anything. All you have to do is make sure when you come into the ball that your trail arm is bent.”

Now, it’s not quite as simple as saying a trail arm bent will automatically make you hit it farther. But when your trail arm is bent at impact, it forces the rest of your body to get into positions that produce power in the swing.

“As a result, you’re gonna have more side bend, which is gonna throw the ball up into the air,” Breed says. “You’re also gonna be pushing back with your legs, so you’ll use the ground without thinking about the ground. And you’re not gonna come out of the shot and early extend. All by thinking about this one thing.”

Once you get that trail arm into a bent position, the other power elements of your swing will engage, giving you more distance off the tee. Focus on that small element of the swing, and watch as your driving distance soars.

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The post The keys to becoming an elite junior golfer, according to elite junior golfers appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

The path to professional golf starts quite early for those who reach the top levels of the game. For nearly every pro you cheer on each weekend, their training started well before the age most people even get their drivers license.

At this week’s Mizuho Americas Open, a handful of those pros-in-training will be showcasing their skills. In a first-of-its-kind event at Liberty National, the tournament features 20 of the country’s top juniors playing alongside LPGA pros. And although the juniors were a bit star-struck sharing the range with their idols, they have plenty of game themselves. In just a few years time, at least some of these juniors will be playing on the LPGA Tour themselves.

Much like the pros, the success of these juniors is no accident. They’ve dedicated their lives to this craft, and the rewards — such as teeing it up in this event — are just starting to roll in.

Ahead of their first taste of the pro-golf spotlight, we caught up with some of the juniors to get their keys to becoming some of the best young golfers in the country.

Put in the time

“I think the biggest key to being successful as a junior is being dedicated to practice and putting in the time and the effort. What you do on the course is a reflection of your practice, so it’s really important to put in the hours and put in the work. Obviously, you want to have fun on the course, because that’s what keeps you going. But I think the main key is putting in the time and the effort if you want to be successful.” —Anna Song, 16

Fall in love with the game

“It’s going to sound super cliche, but you’ve got to fall in love with the game. Fall in love with what you do every day and try to be the best at doing that every day. It’s not easy, and some days you’re not going to love it, but you’ve got to learn to love it and learn why you love it and always go back to those things. I like playing a lot of games on the course, so if I’m ever struggling to have fun I can play a game that brings me back to it.” —Macy Pate, 17

Stay disciplined

“You’ve got to work hard. You’ve got to be dedicated and committed with your time and be disciplined in your practice. It’s all about being decisive and not being lazy. I’m still learning about how to do it best, and managing school and golf and other stuff can be tough, but it’s a learning experience. I’ve just got to make sure I’m putting in the time and effort and reminding myself that it’s for something I love.” —Jaclyn LaHa, 17

Spend the extra time

“I would tell people to just spend the extra 30 minutes on the course. I know it can be hard, especially for me because I go to actual school and I know it can be hard to balance social life and golf and school and do all the extra stuff, but it’s totally worth it. I know my dad used to tell me, ‘If you’re not out there practicing, someone else out there is.’ And I think that really impacted me and so I was just always trying to keep going and put the extra time in.” —Ashleen Kaur, 18

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The post Tiger Woods explains the keys to hitting a stinger off the tee appeared first on Golf.

The post Tiger Woods explains the keys to hitting a stinger off the tee appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Tiger Woods can hit just about every shot, but there’s no shot more synonymous with the Big Cat than the stinger. With a low, penetrating ball flight that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is useful, Woods’ stinger is one of the most iconic shots in the game.

Beautiful as it is to watch, the stinger isn’t the easiest shot to pull off. Getting the ball to come out low and hot on command is a skill that takes tons of practice to learn, and even more fine-tuning to execute on the course. If you want to hit Woods’ stinger, you’ll need to have total control of your swing.

Luckily for us, it is possible to learn how to hit this signature shot. And thanks to a video from TaylorMade, we get to learn it straight from the source.

Step one in hitting the stinger is to play the ball a little farther back in your stance. However, you don’t want to play it as far back as you would for a punch shot. Woods says he moves it just a single ball back in his stance.

“I try to keep it as simple as I possibly can,” Woods says.

The key for this shot is stopping your hands just after impact. For a full shot, Woods would fully release after impact and make a complete follow through, but for the stinger, he wants to stop his hands as quickly as possible once he hits the ball.

“So how do I brake?” Woods says. “For me, I like to soften my arms up and speed up my hips. I try to get my hips moving as fast as I possibly can so my hands can stop as soon as they can post-impact.”

Woods says it’s absolutely crucial that you keep your body moving at a consistent speed so you can brake your hands. If you can get those two things working in sync, the ball will come out low and hot, emulating Woods’ famous stinger.

Srixon ZX7 Mk II Irons

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The post This Fred Couples swing thought can help you generate more power appeared first on Golf.

The post This Fred Couples swing thought can help you generate more power appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Fred Couples’ swing is one of the most enviable in the game. It’s got the perfect mixture of balance, rhythm and power. If you were to ask golf fans to assemble a list of best swings of all time, there’s a good chance Couples’ move would make the list.

But it’s not just the effectiveness that makes people lust over Boom Boom’s swing, it’s also the simplicity. When Couples swings, it looks effortless.

“As far as swing and techniques are concerned, I don’t know diddly squat,” Couples once said. “When I’m playing well, I don’t even take aim.”

If only it were that easy for the rest of us.

Us mere mortals might not be able to play with as much freedom as Couples does, but we can learn from what’s worked for him. And in the beginning of the video below, Couples explains one of his key swing thoughts that helps him generate power.

“For me, I try to make sure I make a full shoulder turn,” Couples says. “Once I start coming [down], my hips will come this way, but my club does not follow my hips, therefore getting no power.”

What Couples is explaining is the direction he wants the club to follow after impact. If his club were to follow his hips and rip to the left immediately after impact, he’d cut across the ball and get no power. Instead, he wants to get full extension with his arms to properly release the club.

“I release the club going down the line,” Couples says. “So learn to clear your hips and let the club go down the line and release it.”

If you can incorporate this swing thought into your own game, you’ll be able to generate tons more power. Just don’t expect it to look quite as good as Couples.

Srixon ZX5 Mk II Driver

The ZX5 Mk II Driver is built for players who desire heightened forgiveness in a large, confidence-inspiring profile. A large, flattened footprint, and 8g rear weight, help you easily launch drives that fly higher, farther, and straighter. An adjustable hosel sleeve allows you to dial in face angle and loft to suit your swing

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