Golf Tips to Help You Improve Lag Putt Percentages

Probably one of the most important golf tips we can offer on Golf for Beginners has to do with putting.

Dave Pelz said that the "make percentage" of PGA Tour players averages just over twenty-nine putts per round compared with twenty to thirty handicappers who average a staggering thirty-five and more putts per round! Knowing this one simple stat makes you really want to work on your short game.

Golfers know that it is extremely important NOT to choke on those easy three-footers, but it is crucial to learn the art of lag putting to get the average player into the "circle of trust".

Move that little white ball safely into the hole in the least number of strokes and your score will drop.

In his recent Golf Digest article, "4 Shots You Need to Win at Augusta (and Anywhere)", Brooks Koepka notes that a "tricky lag" was needed during The Masters in order to compensate for the speed and swing on the greens although the short putts were equally as treacherous.

"Nowhere else do you see four-footers that break three cups. You have to hit the short ones with authority, but to even get those, your lag putting needs to be dialed in," noted Koepka.

This week, Golf for Beginners has put together a few easy golf tips and drills to avoid posting those nasty three-putts to your scorecard. If, as Pelz states, "PGA Tour pros three-putt an average of 2.4 times—per event," you can imagine how many strokes the average player is throwing away!

- If you are the type of golfer who always seems to lag the ball short of the hole, Dave Pelz suggests putting with a chipping stroke. "Add a little wrist hinge both back and through. Again, this will help you avoid hitting the ball too softly and coming up short."

- Bradenton Country Club’s Head Pro, Brian Lake, says that "feel" is overrated. "You’ll learn distance control faster, applying science."

"If you play just by feel, it takes you three times longer to finally teach your brain what those distances are,”  Lake states. The science behind the tip is, for every one inch you swing your putter behind and forward of the ball, the ball is going to roll approximately one foot. If you swing your putter two inches back then two inches forward, the ball should travel approximately two feet, and so on.

Golf for Beginners certainly doesn't want to overwhelm players so, since these two tips are easy to remember, try them the next time you practice your putting and let us know how these putting drills worked for you in our golf blog comments section below or on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

The Latest #Golf Club Fitting and Thought-Sensing Instruction Technology

As you drift aimlessly through your local golf superstore, how many times have you been tempted by the latest driver or irons? I'll bet it's every time the "eye candy" catches your attention. First thing you do is grab the club and head over to the hitting booth to try it out. 

Most golfers are guilty of the "grab and go", thinking that the golf club which you swung great in the store will serve equally up-to-par on the course. You then find out that it's just not the same converting a golf club from net practice to course use.

What essential piece of the puzzle did you miss out on?  The Golf Club FITTING!

Golf for Beginners has written several articles about the benefits of custom golf club fitting and, this being the start of a new season we would, once again, like to emphasize the importance to all level of golfer, in order to maximize your experience on the course.

There are different ways to get to the same end in a golf club fitting; for the most part, professionals use an indoor booth and software that allows them to see how you hit the ball - the trajectory, distance etc. There is one problem with that equation...you are looking at a screen and only imagining the outcome.

I recently met with Dale Ketola, Director of Instruction and Golf Fitting for the newly opened Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (on behalf of MBN.com).

This golf instruction and club fitting center is unlike any I have seen. Why? I'm glad you asked! Watch my short Facebook Live interview with Dale, (see below).

Dale uses the latest technology, including swing comparison V1 software for instruction and Flightscope® with doppler radar to track the golf ball in flight - offering real life results.

Ah, but Dale has one special trick up his golf shirt sleeve; you can see the ball flight outdoors! I am sure there are other golf-fitting centers cross-country which utilize this tech but here, in Myrtle Beach, it's the first of its kind.

Now onto the science-fiction-fact portion of this blog...an exciting new tech breakthrough, on the order of mind-reading, is a thought-sensing headset Dale uses to aid in visualization called FocusBand©. Worn like a headband, FocusBand©, measures your subconcious thoughts before, during and after your shot. Wonder if we can use that to enhance our personal relationships?

Dale's thoughts on FocusBand©, “It's pretty cool and really works. I don't know of anyone else in the Carolinas who has one.”

Want to check out the new golf technology first-hand? Listen to the end of the Facebook video for Dale's cell-phone number and email address and tell him Stacy sent you!

Have you tried Flightscope® or FocusBand©? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and tweet us @Golf4Beginners.

Say Ahh to Aching Golf Feet with New Massaging Flip Flops

Today was a great time to receive my new ahhsoles in the mail! I just finished a round of golf at Burning Ridge Golf Club and, although my Footjoys are amazingly comfortable, for me there is nothing quite like slipping off the golf shoes and putting on a pair of flip-flops.

Most golf shoes come out of the box ready for wear but there is usually a breaking-in period; it takes a bit of time to soften them up! Players could use a bit of a "massage" after a round.

If you find yourself rubbing your feet after taking off your shoes or, if you are a die-hard flip-flop fan as I am, a pair of these "peculiar" toe-wiggling, ripple or massaging open-toed, soothing sandals may be just what your tootsies need.

I received two pair of ahhsoles - one had a foot bed made of cushioned "grass" and the other pair had ridges built into the foot bed for a massaging feel. I quickly tried on both pair and chose the Green Coral...all I could say was ahhh, perfectly named! The flip-flops are spongy and tingly - the fake grass sole is soft and cushiony - I happily wore them all afternoon.

The second pair of ahhsoles had a "ripple" effect on the bottom of my feet. I get the idea of the knobs providing my feet with a massage but am still trying to understand the sensation; the pads felt a little hard on my soles. I found myself continually gravitating to the Seagrass Model (above) so I am happy to report that I found a new, after-golf, pair of flip-flops to keep in my car right next to my set of golf clubs.

The ahhsoles tagline on their site says that these flip-flops are "offensively comfortable"; quite frankly, I find nothing "offensive about them. The styling is Gen Y/ Millennial - the colors are bright and refreshing and would also be great to take with you on a beach vacation!

Thanks to Ahhsoles for sending me the flip-flops for review; opinions are my own.

Have you tried ahhsoles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section of Golf for Beginners blog and send us a tweet @Golf4Beginners.