3 Tips for Golf Beginners to Speed Up Slow Play

Slow play has long been an issue for golfers - although it rarely affects the offender, setting up a shot or taking too much time viewing a putt can really put a damper on your game.

In the news recently, tour players have taken it upon themselves to personally address the situation, being more vocal in their opinions on the matter.

After Bryson DeChambeau recently took two minutes and twenty seconds to find his line and putt, Brooks Koepka had a word (or two) with Bryson which resulted in an agreement and supposed compliance.

The Rules of Golf encourage "ready golf" and state that a player must play a shot "with undue delay".

READ: What rules of golf do you always follow?

Since slow play is rarely addressed by PGA Tour officials, professional golfers have taken to their podiums to drive the message home to their playing partners. While the PGA Tour deliberates,, the European Tour is taking definitive action, introducing a four-point plan to curb slow play on tour.

Golf for Beginners believes that education is the key to helping players speed up golf on the course. Here are three tips to help beginners (and all amateurs) move through a course while continuing to enjoy the experience.

1. PRE-SHOT ROUTINE: Do you have one? If not, now is the time to start - it shouldn't take you very long from the time you step up to the tee box with ball in hand until the time you fire off your shot. Confidence will be the key to your success.

2.  THINK BOX: The VISION54 Team (Lynn Marriott & Pia Nilsson) believe that you start using your instincts more - how much essential data do you really need before stepping up into the "Go" zone?

3. HOW MANY SHOTS DO YOU TAKE? For beginners, if you find you are whiffing almost every shot, why not pick up your ball and drop it closer to the hole - chip and putt instead? For shorter hitters who can move the ball forward...but not far...why not tee up from the next forward tee box? You will probably have more fun getting green-in-regulation too!

Do you have a few golf tips on how to speed up play? Post them in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter, tagging @Golf4Beginners.

Golf Beginners Need to Focus on These Statistics

Once beginners translate what they have learned from instructors and the driving range into practical use and actually play a golf course, it is important to track improvement.

One way to do this is through proper statistical analysis - there are a few statistics that should be tracked but this article will focus on one stat in particular.

Although I have been practicing putting and chipping (both win tournaments), lately I have been focusing on how many greens I land on in regulation...GIR.

PracticalGolf.com describes the greens-in-regulation statistic as "if any part of your ball is touching the putting surface and the number of strokes taken is at least two fewer than par....your chances of making a par (or better) dramatically increase when your ball is on the putting surface versus being in the rough or a sand trap."

This description makes sense - golfers would have to add another step of chipping or bunker play, and get close to the pin, in order to try and make par as opposed to rolling putts.

Hank Haney believes, "even if you're pretty far off the green, like 20 feet or so, putting is a much better option. If you grab your putter, you're pretty much guaranteed to get it somewhere near the hole. Can you say the same about your wedge?"

For PGA Tour golfers, this statistic may or may not be as important as it is to the amateur golfer as so many tour players hone in on their target better than average players - scoring average ranks as one of their top definers on tour.

It's important to keep track of greens-in-regulation and how many putts it takes you to get the ball into the hole.

In a Golf Digest article, Lucius Riccio, Ph.D. offers a clear cut way for beginners to track both statistics. "An easy way to record GIR is to circle the hole number, or your hole score when you hit a green. At the end of the day, add the circles. For putting, simply count your total putts for the day. After a few rounds, you'll start to see how GIR and putting influence score."

TIP: Riccio says that, when counting the number of putts you make, think about this fact: "the typical 95-shooter on average takes 37 putts per round; the typical pro (shooting about 71) takes 29. To break 90, get your putts down to 34 or so. To break 80, get to 31 or 32."

So, sharpen your pencils and your irons, take notes and create statistics for game improvement and you'll see lower scores!

How many greens-in-regulation and putts do you make in a round of golf? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

How to Control Temper Tantrums on the Golf Course

Have you ever thrown or even broken a golf club after a few sequentially awful golf shots? Perhaps you've chucked a club into the pond or stormed off a green in disgust after three-putting from under ten feet?

Many golfers can remember a time when their bad golf shots resulted in some sort of temper tantrum ...did it help, or hurt, your round?

Sergio Garcia is, perhaps, the king of temper tantrums on the golf course. I remember years ago after he missed an easy putt, Sergio spat into the cup ...and it was captured right on TV. I wondered how Tom Lehman, the next golfer to putt, felt picking up a wet ball, not to mention if Sergio Garcia even thought about his actions on the golf course.

More recent notable infractions include Sergio's response to a poor tee shot on the 16th hole of the WGC tournament in Memphis - Garcia slammed his club into the tee box. Subsequently, at The 2019 Open, Garcia again portrayed a breach of etiquette by flipping his golf club without even looking, endangering his nearby caddie. Sergio was disqualified after admitting to bad behavior in Saudi Arabia for "serious misconduct".

Sergio Garcia's temper tantrums might cause him some grief off course as some PGA Tour are calling for the golfer to be banned from play. 

Actions always have consequences, so, even if he doesn't receive a suspension, Garcia's anger and tantrums must internally be affecting his game. What can Sergio Garcia, and amateurs who suffer from temper outbursts do to stop the madness?

Related Read: Frustration led DeChambeau to Do This on the Golf Course

Gaining control of your emotions before a round of golf starts with positive self-talk and having confidence in your game. Remember that, although golfers strive for perfection, golf is a game of recovery. Don't beat yourself up for not having a perfect shot - instead, be excited at the prospect of "the game" itself, that is, getting back into play and into the hole in the least number of strokes. You play golf against yourself, which means that you tackle both physical and emotional elements for eighteen holes.

Joan King wrote an article on the expectations we have in golf and how to manage your emotions on the course to score better and have more fun. King states, "How good you are at golf is determined by how you react to the ever-changing situations during the round, not about what you expect will happen. The more flexible you are, the more control you have."

Lastly, think about how you look to the rest of your group as you get teed off...do they even want to invite you out for another round?

Your thoughts are welcomed in the comments section of this golf blog and tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

photo: PublicDomainPictures.net

The Most Dreaded Shot in Golf and How to Fix It

The 2019 British Open served up a lot of emotions, from Shane Lowry admitting to being 'nervous and scared' to Henrik Stenson breaking a golf club over his knee after shanking his approach shot on the 17th hole.

It was Stenson's shank that received the most attention through video clips across the internet and one which can be the most frustrating shot in golf. There is also a plethora of conversation about it because it is so widespread. In this Golf for Beginners blog, we discuss what a shank is and how to fix it.

A shank from Henrik Stenson and a broken iron over the leg. pic.twitter.com/qEQd7PXYmw

— By The Flagstick (@ByTheFlagstick) July 21, 2019

What is a shank? It's, quite possibly the most dreaded shot in golf - once you "catch" the shanks, it's hard to get rid of them!

Basically, a shank is when the golf ball hits the hosel or heel of your golf club. The ball veers sharply to the right for the right-handed golfer. This differs greatly from a slice as the ball comes off the clubface with a slice as opposed to the hosel of the club.

The great instructor Butch Harmon states, "With the clubhead swinging out to in and the face closing, you risk hitting off the hosel."

Why do golfers shank? Neil Tappin from Golf Monthly states that golfers shank due to three issues, ball position, grip pressure, and swing path.

How do you get rid of the shanks? David Leadbetter says that you should take a break from the golf course but, just in case you are in the middle of your round, he also says to "make sure you’re standing tall with your chest up during the swing, don’t hold the club too tightly, and make sure your weight isn’t sneaking up towards your toes."

READ Drills for getting rid of the shanks

Swing easy, have fun and don't worry when you are playing golf. "Relax, Review, Refocus"!

Mental Clarity That Helped Tiger Woods and Frittelli Win Golf Tournaments

PGA Tour rookie winner Dylan Frittelli stated after his John Deere Golf Classic win that Tiger Woods' amateur career sports psychologist helped give him mental clarity to push through to victory.

How can clearing the cobwebs in your mental game make beginners and amateurs into better golfers?

After a bogey-free weekend, Frittelli discussed how, for the past several months, sports psychologist Jay Brunza has changed his game.

"The plan for this week was just to be creative and have fun," mentioned Frittelli during his post-tournament interview. “Mentality clarity was the difference this week,” Frittelli said.

Although the exact communications between Jay Brunza and Frittelli remain confidential, Brunza did state that positive encouragement was a focus of their messages.

Mental clarity is easier said than accomplished but think of the song lyrics by En Vogue, "Free your mind and the rest will follow" and you are on the right track.

According to an article in The Independent, Brunza, a retired U.S. Navy officer and caddie/sports psychologist to an amateur Tiger Woods, said this about the junior Woods,

"...the process that followed was to teach him to deal with critical situations by emotionally detaching himself from them, while at the same time being completely immersed mentally in the challenge of the moment. With the inhibition of the fear of the moment removed, Woods could respond to the best of his burgeoning physical ability."   [paraphrased, Paul Trow]

Jay Brunza is also credited by several other tour players (Charlie Howell, for example) for his unique mental game strategy.

"You don’t focus on win or else," mentioned Frittelli in his post-round interview. Winning is a process. An easy thought to remember would be Brunza's catchphrase, "Relax, Review, Refocus".

A few more mental golf tips from the superstar sports psychologist are to...

Focus on a “pre-shot routine” in the pursuit of “peak performance” and "letting everything go, all the distractions, before playing a shot.”


Also cited, Timeslive.co.za
Photo by Regine Tholen on Unsplash

The Trick to Getting Out of Greenside Bunkers

When you play in a lot of bunkers like the PGA Tour pros do each week, you get a feel as to how to always get out of it and snug the golf ball close to the hole. This isn't necessarily true for amateurs who sometimes take two, three, or more attempts to get up and out of the bunkers and onto the green.

What tricks do you need to be more consistent out of greenside bunkers? We're here to help you!

The key for amateurs is to understand that first you have to get out of the sand and, once you accomplish that feat on a regular basis, you can learn how to get closer to the hole.

Recent news recaps how Pat Perez, during the 2nd round of the 3M, took a bunker shot and landed 17 yards to the green and then two-putted for bogey. Michael Thompson's greenside bunker attempt landed 28 yards from the pin with similar results. The one thing that both golfers have in common is that they get out of trouble and get onto the putting surface in one shot.

Golf Tips for Getting Out of Greenside Bunkers

FEEL THE SAND
Did you know...professional golfers dig their feet into the sand in bunkers to feel how much and how hard, or loose/separated, the sand is - not just for stability!

OPEN THE FACE
Butch Harmon's basic tip for getting out of the sand involves using the bounce of the sand wedge to get out in one shot. "Holding your sand wedge in front of you, turn the face open about 20 degrees, then take your grip." (This article is terrific and, since Mr. Harmon is one of the best in the business, I believe you should read it all the way through...editor notes.)

BALL FORWARD
Weight forward, shaft straight up and down, hit the sand 2-3 inches behind the ball and don't cut across the golf ball.

Read: How to Get Out of Hard Sand Bunkers

Sounds simple and it is! No need to overcomplicate this lesson or lose your cool. Try out these directions during practice and you should get somewhere up and out of the greenside bunker every time. Thanks Butch!