Top Golf Instructor Gives Masters Tips from Inside-the-Ropes

Almost every golf fan caught at least a glimpse of The Masters this past week and many of us had favorable weather where we could go out and imagine ourselves at Augusta National, fist-pumping as we rolled in birdie putts.

Mike Bender, top-five-ranked PGA teaching professional and director of instruction at The Mike Bender Golf Academy at Magnolia Plantation Golf Club (and Zach Johnson's instructor as well as many other greats of the game) was inside-the-ropes this week at the first major tournament of the year. 

Bender sat down for a Q and A Zoom video with V1 Sports’ Mandy Von See, host of “Tuesday Traces".

Golf for Beginners took a few snippets from the conversation that related to the way the average golfer can improve his or her game. We hope that you take away some lessons for the golf season!

Golf Questions and Answers with Mike Bender

How do you coach your players to deal with the nerves on the opening shot?

I will tell you a funny story. Back in the day, I remember Zach Johnson playing in (The Memorial Tournament) at Muirfield Village and tee times came out and he said he called his wife and he said, "Guess who we're playing with?" and she said "Tiger Woods?" He says, "No, bigger than that." After this long silence, she suddenly realizes it's Jack Nicklaus. Zach was paired with Jack Nicklaus at his own tournament, and they had like a 12 o'clock tee time with 10,000 people around the first tee. So anyway, I called Zach on Thursday night and asked, "How was that opening tee shot?" He said he was so nervous he couldn't swallow a BB. He said, "Well, I knew I couldn't pass. I had to play, so I visualized great shots I've had in the past, and I ran my routine." I striped it right down the middle. Everybody gets nervous but the players, you know, stick to the routine and they're OK. They've hit so many great shots under pressure and so forth and they're off to a great start."

What is the key to hitting irons consistently?

Everything comes down to the proper delivery of the club into the ball. You could say anybody who's very consistent in golf is delivering the club the same way into the ball. Being able to hit down on your shots and compress the ball - which helps to stabilize the clubface - and controlling that clubface is another key component to hitting good iron shots. I try to make sure people come in on the correct plane because that helps them produce more lag. Lag helps to get your hands more forward. That, in turn, helps you get down on the ball, so it's kind of a domino effect. I definitely want to hit down on the ball and control the clubface.

Read: How Much Does It Cost to Attend The Masters?

What one drill would you do to get a consistent downswing?

I look at things like one domino falling against the other and they run down the list. So many times, I see people with so much tension in their shoulders and their forearms and they start their downswing more with their upper body, and they start rotating a little early and that's where they can shift the plane and come in and have all kinds of different release habits. If that's the case, I have the drills I get people to do. We work on trying to accelerate and be more relaxed in their arms and get their hands moving toward the golf ball. We do a lot of things when we do a fold-up drill with an impact bag up against the wall that helps get people to do that. We have a handful of drills that we do to work on that particular aspect of the swing because it is such a big deal.

Where do you prefer to see a golfer’s weight in the putting stroke?

I like players that have more weight on their left side (for right-hand golfers). Primarily, it's so there isn't any transfer of weight during the stroke. Favoring the left side and keeping the weight, consistent, you can minimize any lower body motion and you can have a little bit more of a pure stroke with your shoulders, as opposed to having any kind of movement in the lower body.

Although Tiger Woods was noticeably invisible from this year's Masters, this was, as always, a terrific tournament as only Augusta National can offer. Congratulations to Hideki Matsuyama for his brilliant performance!

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Is Winning or Losing in Golf in the Putting?

Two golf tournaments ran simultaneously recently, the Quicken Loans National and the U.S. Senior Open - for both winners, it all boiled down to putting skills.

Both Francesco Molinari and David Toms were rolling phenomenal putts; Molinari's 50-footer for eagle at the 10th hole made putting look easy.

The AP article on PGA Tour website said about Toms, "On a course where the greens perplexed the entire field for four straight days, Toms rolled in a 15-footer for a go-ahead birdie on No. 16, then coaxed in a downhill, 20-foot slider to save par after driving into a fairway bunker on the 530-yard, par-4 17th." 

In a previous Golf for Beginners blog, we discussed Golf Shots You Need To Practice to Score Low; golf gurus such as Ben Hogan thought the tee shot was the most important while "PGAProfessional " thought that putting was of top priority. After both tournaments, I think we can concur that, without a solid putting game, most golfers can not score low.

Using Tiger Woods' performance at The National as an example, although a tie for 4th place is worthy of accolades, his inconsistent putting game is what stopped him from gaining momentum...you just can't miss four-footers! As Tiger concurred after his defeat, "Those are things I can't afford to do and expect to win a golf tournament."

David Toms is 5th in putting average on the Champions Tour with a 1.734 putting average while Molinari's putts per greens-in-regulation are at 1.8...similar statistics gaining similar results although, as GolfWorld states, "putting has kept him from raising a few trophies in America previously", further provides evidence that it is the flat stick which wins tournaments.

So, how can the average player putt to win against his or her mates? Golf for Beginners have a few putting tips:

In the blog, "Easy Golf Tips to Inspire Confidence on the Putting Green", the one golf tip which resonates is that "touch is one thing very good putters have in common. Touch is the core ingredient for long-term success."

And, as a simple reminder from Tom Watson's book "Getting Up and Down", "Aim the putter, then align your body. Just like a golfer sets up at the tee box, the same is true when standing over a putt. Proper set-up is the beginning of a solid putt."

We encourage you to add to golf putting tips in the comments section below and tag us with your tips on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Photo by tyler hendy from Pexels

Golf Advice You Should NEVER Follow #golf

You're standing behind the golf ball visualizing your next shot. Standing nearby, waiting to take his shot, your playing partner innocently (?) says, "wow, is that your 6-iron? You're never going to make it over the water with that club!"

What happens next...?

Your ball takes a splash and you grumble something under your breath.

Unsolicited advice can get inside your head, making it nearly impossible to concentrate on your own golf game. You only hear the "never" in the above sentence, much like when a playing partner says, "watch out for that bunker"...your eyes and your attention look towards the bunker and, ultimately, your ball finds its way into the sand.

What other unsolicited advice should you steer clear of during a round of golf? Golf for Beginners has put together a few tidbits - feel free to add to our list in the comments section of this golf blog!

1. "You Should Look At That Putt From A Different Angle":
     My husband is always telling me to walk around every putt in order to see how the green breaks...which is good advice, however, according to GolfDigest.com, it might not be the best advice for some golfers.

"If you're a shaky putter, bringing in another view of the line won't be constructive. If anything, it will confuse you, or cause you to see something that isn't there. Plus, this isn't the Ryder Cup."

2. Taking Tips from Pros on the Driving Range:
    According to "The Women's Guide to Golf: A Handbook for Beginners", range pros who walk up and down the line looking for potential students may be giving you tips which may not work for your swing or game. This is called, according to the book, "trade dynamiting the tees" and a pro may throw you a "barrage of advice" which will probably confuse you more than help your game....then they get to fix the problem! Politely say "no thanks" for the time you are at the range and schedule an appointment with a golf teaching pro who has your best intentions.

3. ANY advice to help you DURING your round:
     Did you know...in any USGA tournament, the Rules of Golf state that giving advice to another golfer (even with a motion) is not permitted - it's a two-stroke penalty during the round and a disqualification after the scorecard is signed.

If a pro golfer receives unsolicited advice, however, and did not initiate the conversation, no penalty is given unless advice is offered twice. "The player should take action to stop this irregular procedure." He would incur a two-stroke penalty in stroke play if he allowed such advice to be given again.

Tip: During a friendly round, skip the swing advice completely,; it won't help your game to hear that the way you are cocking your wrists is wrong or your ball is too far forward in your stance...it will just further mess with your head. Instead, here are a few golf tips to help when things just aren't going your way on the golf course!

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Photo by Fancycrave from Pexels

Improve Your Short Game in 2 Easy Steps

Did you know that PGA Tour golfers get "up-and-down" only about sixty percent of the time? According to Dave Pelz, that number drops greatly for the average golfer.

Driving the ball moves you down the fairway (maybe), but getting on the green, and finishing in the least number of strokes, is really what the game is all about!

The short game, whether it's chipping, sand saves or putting, should be worked on only at the practice facility - you don't want to start working on your game during a round as that could prove to be disastrous.

Golf for Beginners has compiled a few video tips and drills to help you score better down the stretch.

1. CHIPPING: I just came upon this simple golf video tip from PGA instructor Meredith Kirk yesterday - getting into a good chipping stance.




Read: Tips to Improve Consistency in your golf game


2. PUTTING: According to Dave Pelz, good putts start with tempo. Think "pendulum". Vary the length of your backswing to control the speed of your putts. Watch this Youtube.com video to see how the Master does it:




REMEMBER: Final putting tip for today: the only golf club in the bag specifically made to hit the ball into the cup is the putter – master it first, master it best!

What golf short game tips can you share with our readers? Post in the comments section below and on Twitter, tagging @Golf4Beginners.

Photo: Wikimedia

How to Strengthen Your Grip on Putting

Adam Scott knows his weakness is putting, according to a Golfweek.com article, and knowledge is power. He continues to strengthen the "grip" he has on this essential flaw in his golf game by testing new putters, grips and even methods of putting (at one time, Scott was known for using the belly putter). 

Note: Golf for Beginners also suggests reading: Which Golf Clubs Can I Use as a Putter?

The difference between Adam Scott and the average golfer is that many of us are not at that level of expertise to be able to know that we have a fault and be willing to change it nor do most of us ever even visit the putting green when we have the opportunity (for the small stuff, like bump-and-run or chipping practice). Isn't it much more fun to head over to the driving range to "grip it and rip it"?

That being said, let's try and focus on how we can improve our golf game with the tools in our possession.

I am not saying that you shouldn't go out and try new putters (Chesson Hadley won the Albertsons Boise Open after a last-minute putter swap), but putting is about feel, alignment, and green speed; if any of those details are a bit off, chances are you will miss the cup and your score will suffer.

Just last week, while playing at the magnificent Grande Dunes Resort Course, one of my playing partners, (a fourteen-year-old with a heck of a game), mentioned to me that I could have saved so many more strokes if I had not three-putted so much (thanks for the tip Jonathan). At that point, a light bulb went off above my head ... I needed to start working on my short game.

I read a lot of golf tips on the internet and so I will pass along a few tips to help you regain your feel on the green. These may or may not work for you so try them on the practice green a few times before taking them to the golf course:

- Keep Your Backside Quiet? PGA Tour winner Johnson Wagner believes that, on short putts, keeping your butt still is more effective than a restricted head. Wagner says to, "forget about my head and instead try to keep my rear end still. If that doesn’t move, the core of the body stays in place. That gives me a stable base on every putt, which helps with consistency." This tip is worth a try...

- Chill out: Sounds simple enough - Steve Stricker's golf tip to Gary Woodland just before the PGA Championship was to get comfortable, and you will sink putts. Right before a round is NOT the time to change your swing or your putting stroke. Take advice from a pro who knows...another great tip!

- Work on your lag putting and try not to come up short, says Dave Pelz. Get as close to the hole with your first putt so the second one is an easy drop.

Share your putting tips in the comments section of this golf blog and tag/tweet us on @Golf4Beginners!

Why the Line on Your #Golf Ball Could Hurt Your Putting

Do you draw a line on your golf ball and use it to point to where you want your ball to roll on the green? If so, you could be diminishing your chances to hole out.

During a recent lesson with my PGA instructor, Dale Ketola, at the Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center, the focus was on putting and the mental game. Dale made me realize that I don't need the line which I currently place on my ball to point to the target - the line, speed, confidence, and feel are all in my head.

Dale incorporates really high line golf technology into his lessons to show where players need improvement or if they are on the right track. Along with V1 software, BODITRAK and Flightscope, my very able instructor utilizes FocusBand with his students.

FocusBand is a mind-sensing neurofeedback device which shows when a golfer is thinking too much negative thoughts when playing the game. Sounds like it comes from the head of Gene Roddenberry, doesn't it? Several well known PGA Tour, LPGA and Web.com Tour players, such as Jason Day and Michelle Wie, use this apparatus...and now it is my turn to try it out!

We used this headband during my putting lesson to help measure my subconscious thoughts while standing over the ball. Am I:
- Overthinking (Excessive Fear or Anxiety)
- Having Fear of Failure
- Frustrated
- In the Zone

Dale dropped a ball on the green (as if it landed in that perfect position) and watched as I performed my pre-shot routine.

The simple interface showed that, while standing over the ball ready to putt, my brain was "in the red zone".

Uh, oh,...I was definitely thinking too much! But, what was I thinking of? That was for my instructor to determine as machines cannot give you that piece of the puzzle...yet.

It is his experience as a teacher and player that made me understand what I am thinking, sensing and how to limit my thoughts to one visual before striking the ball.

I asked Dale what he does during his pre-shot putting routine. He says that, before taking his putt, he analyzes the green, then stares at the dirt in the bottom of the cup and puts that thought of the circle into his mind; he goes up to the marker, places his ball (with a small circle drawn on top) into position, aims and shoots.

At address, I need to, "Occupy my mind with what's going to happen, not how it's going to happen."

You can also relate putting to driving a car and how you don't consciously think of pressing down on gas or brake pedal or placing your hands on the steering wheel or turning your car to the left or right - you just know how to do it already and make it happen.

I learned quite a bit during my putting lesson at the Golf Performance Center - thank you, Dale! Now, I need to practice my new routine so that, when I get onto the course, my brain is in the "green zone" on the green!

A parting thought about the importance of putting...

After his sobering loss at the 99th PGA Championship, David Duval said of Hideki Matsuyama, "On a Sunday, I don't think you have to make a ton of 15-footers, but you have to make the four and five footers to win a golf tournament."

Here is a great putt from Justin Thomas during the 3rd round of the U.S. Open which helps prove that the mind is what gets the golf ball to the hole:

ARE YOU KIDDING? WHAT. A. PUTT! @JustinThomas34 #USOpen (🎥: @usopengolf) pic.twitter.com/foKFJsNo1K

— GOLF.com (@golf_com) June 17, 2017

What techniques do you use to "see" the ball to the hole? Let's talk putting! Post comments below on this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Tips to Spruce Up Your Golf Swing for Spring

I admit it - I am a golf tip addict. I love receiving and reading tips in my emails or searching through Google in order to improve my game and then sharing knowledge with my readers.

The tips that work best are usually the fundamental ones and so I would like to share a few tidbits before the season warms up and golfers are too busy thinking about swinging the club than improving the basics.

Let's get right to the golf tips, shall we?

GASP Before Every Swing:
An oldie but goody which I received from one of my first instructors was the term G.A.S.P., an acronym for Grip, Aim, Stance and Posture. G.A.S.P. is what your pre-shot routine should be on every shot you take. Make sure your grip is not too tight, Aim the bottom edge of the club square with the target, align your club properly and stand tall to the ball but don't rise up.

Tempo, Tempo, Tempo!
There are so many different components to a golf swing and tempo is, by far, one of the most important parts to practice. Tempo is different for all golfers - for example, according to an article by Brian Hill, in Jack Nicklaus' prime his swing tempo was clocked at 1.96 seconds but Arnold Palmer's was a much speedier 1.36 seconds.

If you think you need to swing faster in order to get the golf ball farther down the fairway, think again. Both men were the best golfers in the world so what is important to remember about your tempo?

- Relax...tension is the killer of the best golf swing.
- Great video from Paul Wilson Golf in which he describes tempo, how the body tells your arms how fast to move and more:




You Got it on Now You Need to Get It IN:
Two Ideas for Putting - Getting Down the Correct Speed and Line, (also how fast the greens are and the direction of the sun, how the grass is bent, but let's stick to the basics). Sounds simple doesn't it? Should be for most golfers but, according to James Parker Golf, players think too much. "We don’t want to be thinking about things like taking the putter back and through a certain amount of inches." What we want to do is "roll the ball a certain speed on a certain line into the hole – that’s it."

Tom Watson's easy putting tip from his father? "Don't peek to see where the ball is going. It's a great way to make sure your head stays still and to develop a consistent stroke."

More Putting Tips In this Link.

Practice from Different Lies:
When you're out on the golf course, you don't always have the best lie - this is NOT a game of perfect conditions! Instead of practicing your short game or iron shots from the short stuff or from a flat surface, vary the lie from hardpan to waste areas, says Stan Utley. In this Golf Digest Tip of the Week, Utley teaches how to get out of bad lies with your dignity.


Golf tips to share with our readers? Feel free to post them below in the Comments section of our golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Conveniently Putt Your Way to Better Golf

Practice makes perfect - this is true for any sport but in golf, a single putt can make the difference between winning that all-important hole in match play. 

According to GolfStateofMind.com, "fifty percent of shots are hit within forty yards of the hole." Short game and putting expert Dave Pelz noted that PGA Tour players average just over twenty-nine putts per round compared with twenty to thirty handicappers who average thirty-five and more putts per round!

Since this is fact, why wouldn't you spend most of your golf practice time on short game and on improving your ability to putt?

When amateurs do take the time to practice, several occurrences are the norm; a golf bag might be thrown into the trunk and carted off to the driving range where banging balls has become an obsession and putting is left as an afterthought.

 
Or, in many cases, time is at a premium and golfers may haphazardly pull out their electronic putting cup and roll putts along a wood floor or carpet hoping that this substitutes as practice, instead of travelling to the nearest course with a putting green. The problem with this form of "practice" is it will not teach true roll or speed of a green, not to mention that you'll never figure out how to putt on hilly lies.

Wouldn't it be great to have direct access to a green right in your own back yard? 

Leading short game golf guru, Dave Pelz, preaches regularly that direct access is the key to putting greatness. Okay, so Pelz has designed a wonderland of sorts in his own backyard - a masterfully created two acre SYNLawn Synthetic Golf haven, complete with reproductions of Augusta and Sawgrass greens that roll true ...and never need water!

Not everyone can be Dave Pelz but many folks can easily create a short game area complete with putting green near a terrace or patio for daily enjoyment and will probably practice a whole lot more...and with much more accuracy, thus helping to lower your handicap.

Dave Pelz-SYNLawn 8'x14' GreenMaker

Why go with a synthetic lawn and not create a grassy haven? 

As mentioned before, synthetic lawns don't need to be watered, so you'll save up to seventy percent on your water bill. Artificial turf is also always green, never needs fertilizer or mowing and even feels like real grass. Finally Dave Pelz, a former NASA physicist (nope, I did not know that either), has helped develop this particular synthetic lawn for over five years to simulate a real golf green.  Have I gotten your attention?

If so, and you are considering creating a short game area in your back yard, Mr. Pelz has a few tips to help build a unique and complex putting green so that you can't wait to get out and practice.

• “Amateurs trail the Pros in Lag putting performance because it is one of the least practiced areas of their games. Creating a realistic 'Tier' in your backyard green complex will teach you how putts break as they traverse a Tier, and improve your touch for distance."

• "Humps are an interesting addition to a putting surface: they increase the green-reading challenge."

• "Valleys in rough areas can get as large as a grass bunker, or just run through an area and add to the natural contours. Valleys in rough areas add to the short game challenge and allow practice on sidehill lies."

SYNLawnGolf can build custom putting greens to specifically work on areas of focus, large or small, or you can make this a fun DIY project. Want to practice indoors? SYNLawn's portable putting greens and mats can either substitute as fairway turf or a realistic putting surface right in the comfort of your home.

Ever wanted your own backyard putting green? Voice your opinion @Golf4Beginners and on @SYNLawn_Golf, the Turf Experts on Twitter...and LIKE SYNLawn Golf on Facebook!

Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Easy Golf Tips to Inspire Confidence on the Putting Green

Whether you wish to lose weight, get a new job or correct a golf swing, almost everyone starts the New Year with at least one "improvement" resolution.

Golfers usually pull out training aids searching for swing improvement but, in this players opinion, it is equally as important to work on putting skills.

As short game guru Dave Pelz says, "More than 40 percent of all golf shots are putts, and over half of those are short ones."

In his new book, The Grumpy Old Golfer's Putting Tips, E.P. Murphy dispenses "subtleties of the game within the game" that he has learned in his forty-plus years on the golf course.

At Golf for Beginners we are always learning...and sharing...so we would like to begin the New Year with game improvement tips for all players.

Here are a few golf putting tips, sent in by E.P. Murphy, aka the Grumpy Old Golfer, to help inspire all players before the start of the new season:

Tip #4 –  The only golf club in the bag specifically made to hit the ball into the cup is the putter – master it first, master it best!

Tip #22 – Touch is one thing very good putters have in common. Touch is the core ingredient for long term success.

Tip #30 – Putt to stroke it, not to sink it.

Tip #34 – Aim makes you a contender – pace makes you a finalist.

Tip #58 – Another drill on the practice green is to aim for no hole, but just putt to the fringe of the green so that you concentrate intently and completely on pace and not on a hole.

Tip #70 – On elevated greens it is better to observe the putt path below the level of the green than from above.

Tip #94 – Make cleaning off your putter face part of your setup routine.

Tip #128 – Speed is more important than break on long putts.  The distance, short or long, is more often greater than the distance right or left of the hole.

Tip #201 – The three mind-set qualities of the putting stroke:  No Doubt – No Effort – No Thought

Tip #264 – One way to weaken the firmness of a downhill putt is to strike the ball closer to the toe of the putter.



Thanks to the Grumpy Old Golfer for his usable putting tips.

The Grumpy Old Golfer and his plain talking tips will help you take your putting skills to another level.  These golf tips come from notebooks he carried on the course and from conversations and other experiences over the past 40 years. There are 300 practical tips to help guide you in your quest to grasp the game within the game - the art of putting. 

Do you have tips to add to this list? Feel free to leave them here on our blog, on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and LIKE our Facebook page.

Spider-man Camilo Villegas putting strategy, using your brain to defeat the brawn and two bits for better putting

Click here to listen.

"Spider-Man", "Trendsetter" and even "Rock-Star" are some the monikers which come to mind when branding 26-year-old Camilo Villegas. Magazines are targeting him, with People voting Villegas one of its hottest bachelors and Golf Digest naming him one of the most ripped golfers on tour.

His flexible signature maneuver on the green is memorable. And ladies are attracted to his retro look from international clothier J. Lindeberg, who has been hailed as the most influential fashion designer in Sweden, claiming to have "reinvented the wheel" when creating golf fashion.

Villegas seems a bit overwhelmed by the attention thrust upon him and prefers to talk about golf, not girls.

"If people like the way you play, the way you dress, the way you look, that’s all good. But the bottom line is my goal is to play good golf," Camilo stated in a Golfweek interview.

Take a tip from Natalie Gulbis, Camilo, and expand your horizons. Calendars and reality shows make plenty of money too and can turn Camilo Villegas the golfer into Camilo Villegas "business entrepreneur".

Camilo's ability to stay focused on his golf game is one reason why we have chosen a putting tip from the up-and-coming Columbian player. Another reason for our selection is that Villegas' positive putting stats on the PGA Tour don't lie.

Golf for Beginners also takes a look at the mental game, honing in on how to outthink and outplay the competition. This week's putting drill uses quarters as an incentive to make your view of the golf hole bigger and easier to hit. Click for more golf drills...


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