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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

I’ve become pretty militant about my practice routine this winter. In the past, I’ve gone to the simulator maybe once a week to get some hacks in, but this year, I decided to up the intensity. Each week since November, I’ve made it my goal to hit balls at least three days a week. That may not sound like a ton, but when you’re in NYC, it’s quite the commitment.

This has been great for learning about my golf swing. Whereas I once relied entirely on feel to build my swing, I now have a much better grasp of technique — and how certain movements impact my ball striking.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is that the way I start the swing is fairly flawed. As I begin my takeaway, I typically rotate my trail hip back too quickly. Instructor Justin Kraft posted a great video illustrating this flaw recently, which you can see below.

This is a flaw that afflicts lots of golfers and can lead to all sorts of issues. When I do this, the club has a tendency to get sucked a bit inside, and then once I get to P3 (lead arm parallel to the ground) I can’t turn back with my hips any more. To compensate, I have to lift my hands to the top of the swing. From there, I have a hard time delivering the clubhead with the correct attack angle and have an inconsistent low point, both of which are crucial for consistent ball striking.

So, what’s the fix? It all starts with the sequence in which you turn to the top of the backswing.

As Justin explains in the video above, you need to focus on rotating the chest away from the target first and then turn the hips back. If you do that, you’ll start your swing with the correct sequence and be in a much better position to deliver a solid strike on the ball.

Divot Board

The Divot Board is a revolutionary golf training aid that gives golfers instant feedback on every swing. By showing exactly where your club contacts the ground, the Divot Board makes it easy to spot errors and correct them on the spot. Whether you’re practicing indoors or outdoors, this tool helps you improve ball striking, swing path, and low-point control. With consistent use, the Divot Board builds muscle memory so you can strike the ball cleaner, hit straighter shots, and lower your scores. Instant Feedback for Faster LearningResearch shows that immediate feedback can accelerate learning by 50–70%. The Divot Board provides real-time feedback on your swing so you can make quick adjustments and refine your technique instantly. Improve ConsistencyDid you know 70–80% of golfers struggle with inconsistent contact? The Divot Board reveals exactly where your club struck the surface, helping you identify flaws and build a repeatable, reliable swing. Train AnywhereCompact and portable, the Divot Board can be used at home, on the driving range, or even in the office. Its high-quality construction ensures durability through countless practice sessions. Proudly designed and assembled in the USA. Using a Divot Board consistently will transform your practice routine. It’s the easiest way to gain awareness, develop better ball striking, and see results faster.

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The post All good golfers have this swing trait in common appeared first on Golf.

The post All good golfers have this swing trait in common appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Every golf swing has its own unique flare, but among the highest levels of the game, there are some things that all of them have in common. One such element is how the swing is sequenced.

Swing sequencing is the order in which each element moves. And for maximum efficiency, you need to sequence things in the correct order. You can find a certain level of success without the proper sequencing, but you’ll always be leaving something on the table in terms of efficiency.

That’s why all the best players in the world sequence their swings in the same order. Although the swings may look different from one another, they all share similar DNA.

If you want to maximize the efficiency of your swing, it’s important that you learn how to sequence your swing properly. GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joe Plecker explains how in the video below.

How to correctly sequence your swing

There are three main components that come into play when talking about sequencing: horizontal forces, torque forces and vertical forces. For the correct sequencing, you need these elements to happen in the correct order.

“All good players share this in common,” Plecker says. “Their body is going to shift, turn and rise.”

As you reach the top of the backswing, the horizontal forces come into play. Near the top, you need to slightly shift — or bump — your weight toward the target. Next, are the torque forces. This the turn of your hips and shoulders as your start the downswing toward the ball. Finally, the vertical forces happen as you approach impact. This is the extension of your lead side, which creates ground reaction forces and helps generate maximal clubhead speed.

“We can’t get around that order,” Plecker says. “It’s a law.”

Most golfers have all of these ingredients in their swings, but sometimes the order is not quite correct. For example, if you start the downswing by turning, rather than shifting horizontally, the clubhead will get thrown outside and create an out-to-in path.

“Shifting, turning, rising,” Plecker says. “Those are the three forces and that is the order toward impact.”

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

I like trying to hit the ball hard. When I go to the simulator, I always carve out some time at the end of my sessions to swing as hard as I can. There’s nothing more satisfying than catching one just right and seeing a new personal best flash up on screen.

But while chasing speed is a fun conquest, it can also be frustrating. There are days when I feel sluggish and slow, and my swing speed reflects that. Worse yet, there are weeks on end where I’ve felt like I hit a plateau, maxing out on my swing speed for good.

Such was the case for me late last year. And after failing to add any swing speed for several weeks, I felt at a loss. That’s when I turned to swing-speed guru Bernie Najar. Not only is he a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, but he’s also taught some of the longest hitters in the game, such as Kyle Berkshire.

At last winter’s Top 100 Teacher Summit, I teamed up with Bernie for a speed training boot camp to get as many tips and tricks on speed as I could. Check out the video below to see all of them, or read on for a simple tip that will instantly boost your swing speed.

Try this for an instant speed boost

Clubhead speed is measured at the moment you impact the ball, but if you want more power, you need to think about speeding up long before that. In fact, how fast you’re going at impact is directly tied to how fast you start your swing.

“What’s important to realize is that energy into the club happens early in the backswing,” Bernie says. “It’s not ‘take it back slow.‘”

One of the most popular adages in golf is that you should take the club back “low and slow.” But if you are trying to hit the ball longer, well, that’s a load of BS.

To get the maximum amount of energy into the golf club — and generate more speed — it’s important to put that energy into the club as soon as possible.

Think about how it looks when Bryson DeChambeau is swinging a driver. His takeaway is faster than lots of amateurs’ swings — and that’s no accident. If you want to get the most speed possible, you’ve got to start ripping the club back fast.

“We’ve got to get you putting more into the golf club early,” Bernie says. “Putting more into the golf club means you really have to rev it up a little.”

If you’re struggling to get more swing speed, give it a shot. It’ll challenge your need to feel in control throughout your entire swing, but you’ll also find that you have more speed in the tank than you thought.

Bernie Najar is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and the director of instruction at Caves Valley GC in Owings Mills, Md. If you want to learn more about his teaching philosophies, check out his book Speed/Power/Finesse: How to Play the Three Games of Golf.

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

I’ve been on a mission this winter. The goal? Gain as much clubhead speed as possible.

The approach has been multi-faceted. One strategy was getting in the gym more, which has been great not only for my swing speed but also my golf game in general. Another is refining my technique to become as efficient as possible. Lastly, I’ve been working on some good old-fashioned over-speed training.

Over-speed training is great because it helps you break through mental barriers that slow you down. Plus, when you wail away on the ball with no regard for where it ends up, you learn little tricks that help add speed along the way.

One of the best tricks I’ve learned in this endeavor came during my speed training boot camp with GOLF Top 100 Teacher Bernie Najar. During our session, he used an analogy that stuck with me. And if you apply it to your own swing, you’ll be able to add some swing speed, too.

The best speed tip

The true key to swinging with maximum efficiency is by nailing your sequencing (the order in which different body parts move during the swing). To get the most out of your swing, you need to fire your lower body first, then turn your chest, then the arms and finally the club. If you can do that in the correct order, you will send all the energy to the clubhead at the moment of impact, which will maximize your speed.

When teaching this during our speed training session, Bernie used an analogy that made the concept click like never before.

“You have to know where to crack the whip,” he said.

When you use a whip, you stop the handle rapidly when you want it to “crack.” This slowdown sends all the energy from the handle to the end of the whip, culminating in a satisfying “crack.”

The same principle applies when swinging the driver fast. If you watch elite players swing the club, you’ll notice that the handle actually slows down near impact. In doing so, they send all the energy to the clubhead, which helps maximize its speed.

“A lot of people just flail away in a speed session,” Bernie said. “We are trying to get the transfer of energy better.”

If you can master how to crack the whip efficiently, you can generate tons of speed without even looking like you’re trying.

Bernie Najar is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and the director of instruction at Caves Valley GC in Owings Mills, Md. If you want to learn more about his teaching philosophies, check out his book Speed/Power/Finesse: How to Play the Three Games of Golf.

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

I may be a swing nerd, but I’m far from a gear nerd. Sure, I know some of the basics about modern gear, but once you start getting into the weeds a bit, I get lost quickly.

Unfortunately, this has a negative effect on my golf IQ. Without the knowledge of how my gear works, I feel I’m leaving strokes on the table. And in a game where saving strokes in the margins is so important, that’s something I’ve been seeking to change.

For help with that, I’ve been leaning on the gear nerds here at GOLF.com. And at last year’s GOLF Top 100 Teacher Summit, Fully Equipped’s Jake Morrow ran me through a quick driver adjustment tutorial to teach me the basics.

Check it out below.

What I learned about driver adjustment

1. More upright, more left

After watching me hit a couple shots, Jake asked me what my miss is, to which I told him it’s the big, right miss. So, the first thing we did is adjust the driver to be a little more upright.

“You’re pushing everything,” Jake said. “So I’m going to take this from wherever it’s at right now and make it a little more upright. And what that’s going to do is bring the toe up a little bit and start the ball a little more left.”

If you find yourself losing the ball a bit right (like me), it might be wise to adjusting your driver to be a little more upright.

2. Add loft to close the face (and vice versa)

Another cool thing Jake taught me is that when you adjust your driver’s loft, you are also adjusting the orientation of the face.

“If you add loft, you’re gonna close the face a little bit,” Jake said. “If you take loft off, you’re gonna open the face a little bit. That’s just how it is. It’s impossible to negate that.”

When you are trying to hit the ball higher or lower, it’s important to keep this in mind. If you don’t, you may find yourself losing the ball right or left for a reason you didn’t even know.

3. Proper adjustments add speed

One of the coolest things about having a driver that’s fit for your specifications is that it allows you to swing freely. When you don’t have to worry as much about where the ball is going, you can swing freer — and harder.

“Don’t change what you’re doing,” Jake said. “Let the equipment work to do what it needs to do.”

That’s not to say that going out and buying a new driver will fix every problem you have off the tee. But if you get fit into clubs that work for your swing, it becomes much easier to trust your swing and shoot lower scores.

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Hitting iron shots that soar high in the air and land soft on the green is something that all golfers aspire to. When you watch a pro flag an iron to set up an easy birdie, it’s impossible not to dream of yourself doing the same.

Doing so, however, takes the proper technique, which most recreational golfers sorely lack. Instead of hitting down on the ball and compressing it into the turf, they scoop through impact and lose tons of spin and distance. So instead of watching the ball shoot into the air, instead they produce a low, weak ball flight.

Much of the time, this is due to not getting enough forward shaft lean at impact. If you want the pros hit iron shots, you’ll notice their hands are in front of the ball and the club is actually de-lofted. And while it seems counterintuitive, this de-lofting actually helps the ball fly high into the air, so long as you do so correctly.

Recreational players often struggle with this concept and with executing a swing that produces forward shaft lean. However, with a little adjustment to your setup, getting more forward shaft lean can be easier than you may think.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jeff Smith explains how in the video below.

A trick for forward shaft lean

Lots of recreational golfers have the misconception that they need to return the club to address position in order to hit solid shots, but in reality, that’s not the case. What you really want to do is get the shaft leaning a little more forward, with the handle in front of the club, so that you can strike down on the ball and compress it into the turf.

So, to help yourself a bit in that regard, you can try setting up to the ball with your hands already pressed forward just a touch.

“If we understand that’s how our club is built, we could start that way,” Smith says. “And then we can deliver [the club] by turning through the shot, driving the hands forward. Then all of the sudden, we have more compression, better ball flight and better spin control.”

If you are someone who struggles to get forward shaft lean and proper compression of the ball, give this trick a shot. If you do, you’ll soon be hitting irons with more crispness and set yourself up for more birdie looks.

Divot Board

The Divot Board is a revolutionary golf training aid that gives golfers instant feedback on every swing. By showing exactly where your club contacts the ground, the Divot Board makes it easy to spot errors and correct them on the spot. Whether you’re practicing indoors or outdoors, this tool helps you improve ball striking, swing path, and low-point control. With consistent use, the Divot Board builds muscle memory so you can strike the ball cleaner, hit straighter shots, and lower your scores. Instant Feedback for Faster LearningResearch shows that immediate feedback can accelerate learning by 50–70%. The Divot Board provides real-time feedback on your swing so you can make quick adjustments and refine your technique instantly. Improve ConsistencyDid you know 70–80% of golfers struggle with inconsistent contact? The Divot Board reveals exactly where your club struck the surface, helping you identify flaws and build a repeatable, reliable swing. Train AnywhereCompact and portable, the Divot Board can be used at home, on the driving range, or even in the office. Its high-quality construction ensures durability through countless practice sessions. Proudly designed and assembled in the USA. Using a Divot Board consistently will transform your practice routine. It’s the easiest way to gain awareness, develop better ball striking, and see results faster.

$139.99 $99.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

As a junior golfer growing up in west Texas, playing in the wind was an everyday occurrence. No matter the time of day or time of year, the winds were always whipping.

I’m not exactly a Tour pro, but this did lead to a couple of things to my development. No. 1, I became a low-ball hitter. And No. 2, I learned how to putt in the wind.

The latter often gets forgotten. How much could the wind really do to your rolling golf ball?! But when the wind is blowing hard enough, it can certainly have an effect on how it rolls — particularly on quicker greens. This isn’t something you hear about much in golf instruction, but if you want to develop into a complete player, it’s crucial you learn how to putt in the wind.

For a better idea on how much of an impact wind can have in your putts, check out the video from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Cameron McCormick below.

As you can see in the video above, when the wind is blowing across your line, it can easily throw your ball off its line. In the experiment McCormick runs in the video, a gust of 20 mph can throw an 8-foot putt substantially off its line. On an otherwise flat putt, that much wind can blow the ball off its line so much that it doesn’t even catch the hole.

So, what can you do to make sure you don’t let the wind affect you too much on the greens? The first thing is understanding that it does have an effect on how your ball rolls. So, if you’ve got a putt with some wind blowing, factor which direction it is blowing into your reads. It may be subtle, but it should certainly be part of your calculation.

Once you begin to understand how the wind affects your ball on the greens, you can make the necessary adjustments to make more putts — no matter what elements you play in.

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The post The overlooked — and simple — key to Anthony Kim’s resurgence appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Two years ago, Anthony Kim shocked the golf world when he announced he would end his 12-year hiatus from professional golf and tee it up on the LIV Golf circuit. After over a decade out of the public eye, golf’s folk hero of the 2000s was set to make a triumphant return.

Kim’s most ardent supporters and enthusiastic backers expected him to pick up right where he left off: carding birdies and electrifying crowds, just as he’d done on the PGA Tour as a 20-something wunderkind. The reality was quite the opposite.

In Kim’s first season on LIV, he failed to earn a single point in the standings, with a 36th-place finish in West Virginia representing his best effort in Year 1. Year 2 was much the same as he again did not earn a point and only once finished inside the top 30. His best golf looked as though it was behind him.

But as 2025 neared a close, Kim’s game started to show signs of life. At the Saudi International in late November, Kim finished tied for fifth — his best showing in over a decade. Then, at the LIV Promotions event, he finished in third place, earning a spot in the league for a third season. On Sunday, Kim ran down Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to win LIV Golf Adelaide, his first victory since the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

So, what exactly changed for Kim in late 2025? It turns out, the answer is rather simple.

AK’s key swing tweak

As Kim began playing his best golf at the tail end of 2025, he revealed something interesting about what he’d been working on in his game.

“I’ve been working on my setup the last two years,” Kim said. “I just didn’t know where I was aimed … Since I’ve been back playing golf, my feet have been right — my shoulders have been right; my feet have been further right.”

With his alignment off while standing over the ball, Kim was seldom able to hit shots at his intended targets. And without the confidence in where he was lined up, he had to make unintentional compensations to strike the ball how he wanted.

During this interview, Kim also revealed that he’d begun working with GOLF Top 100 Teacher Matt Killen. However, much of the work was not swing-related, with most of the focus being on Kim’s setup.

“Really not working too much on my golf swing, just working on my setup,” Kim said. “If I can get that squared away, I know I can hit a lot of good shots.”

It seems the emphasis on the fundamentals has paid off. Since that revelation, Kim has been playing his best golf since starting his comeback, culminating with his triumph at LIV Adelaide this weekend.

Not only has Kim’s journey back to the winner’s circle been wildly impressive, but it also comes with a great reminder for all recreational golfers: When you start to play poor golf, always go back and look at your setup. If something is off there, the rest of your swing has little chance to be successful.

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

If you’re a beginning golfer, you may be surprised to find out that you need to use different swings for different clubs. Sure, you probably deduced that certain specialty shots called for unique techniques, but even some of the most basic shots in the game require vastly different techniques.

Case in point: the driver swing vs the iron swing. While it’s true that there is tons of overlap between the two, if you want to become a competent ball striker, it’s important that you tweak your technique a bit when hitting a driver versus hitting an iron. If you don’t, it can spell doom for your ability to effectively hit your driver.

GOLF Teacher to Watch James Hong explains more in the video below.

The difference between a driver and an iron

To hit the ball flush with a driver and an iron, you need to make some adjustments to the way you are swinging the club. While there is some overlap in technique between the two swings, there are also some key differences that can make a huge impact.

“A lot of people may have heard the saying, ‘It’s the same swing for all the clubs,'” Hong says. “And that’s not the case at all.”

One of the key differences happens in the setup. With an iron, the ball will typically be in the center (or close to the center) of your stance. However, with a driver, the ball position will be much farther forward.

But when beginners move the ball forward in their stance, it can lead to an unintentional setup mistake.

“What happens with a lot of people, is they’re so used to seeing the ball in the center, that when they set up for their driver, all of the sudden they’re moving their whole upper body forward,” Hong says. “This is going to lead you down the road of disaster.”

Everyone knows that with a driver you are looking for a strike that catches the ball on the upswing. But when you move the ball forward in the stance and then turn your shoulders to match that, you are putting yourself in position to actually hit down on the ball. That may be great for an iron, but it spells disaster for a driver.

To guard against this, Hong suggests teeing the ball up inside of your lead foot but then placing the clubhead right in the center of your stance. From here, you can slide the clubhead forward — instead of turning your shoulders — up to the ball on the tee.

“You notice that naturally tilts my shoulders,” Hong says. “That will help you with your driver setup.”

With your shoulders tilted back, you’ll be in an excellent position to swing up on your driver and hit bombs off the tee.

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

The easiest ways to shoot lower scores for most recreational golfers come from fixing fundamentals — and the simple ones at that. That means dialing in your grip, ball position, aim, posture, etc. It may not be fun to work on these things, but getting them in a consistent place will do wonders for your game.

Aim may be the most consequential of these fundamentals once you get to the course. If you aren’t aimed where you think you are, you’re putting yourself in a poor position before you even swing the club.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve hit a terrible shot on the course only to discover you were aimed directly where you hit it. Sometimes, our brain will play tricks on us and make you feel like you’re aimed one way, when in reality you are aligned in a totally different spot.

If that sounds like you, watch the video below. It’ll teach you an easy trick for alignment so you never have to worry about where you’re aimed again.

Try this aim trick

There are only two areas where you get to place your ball before you hit a shot (assuming you’re playing it down): the green and the tee box. When you’re on the green, you always line up your ball when you place it down, so why not do the same thing on the tee box?

When I go to tee up my ball, I always point the logo or my sharpie line down my target line. It doesn’t have to be super precise, but by having that line pointed down my target line, I can take my stance with confidence knowing I’m aimed properly.

If you want to get your ball lined up even more precisely, try choosing an intermediate target in between your ball and the distant target. I like finding a discoloration in the grass or divot and then using that as my intermediate target. With that spot picked out, I line my ball up pointing right at it.

When you are having trouble with your aim, sometimes you’ll put the ball down aimed correctly only to find that when you step up to the ball it feels all wrong. That’s ok! So long as you orient the ball correctly when you place it, you can swing away knowing you’re aimed at your target.

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