Golf Takeaways for Amateurs from The Open Championship

During Jordan Spieth's final round at The Open Championship, there were wayward shots and missed putts - disappointing for the young PGA professional seeking a back-to-back win.

On the flip side, Francesco Molinari was sure and steady, plodding along with sixteen pars and two birdies to clinch his victory.

Congratulations go to Molinari, however, for not allowing the pressure of playing golf with Tiger Woods to dictate his swing or his confidence.

Golf for Beginners has compiled this short list of golf takeaways that amateurs should consider, based on the conditions at Carnoustie and the trials and tribulations overcome by players during the 147th British Open Championship.

Play It Safe:

Keep calm in the face of adversity - golf is a game of recovery, as Francesco Molinari showed the rest of The Open field on Sunday. Think about each hole and plan your strategy to keep the ball in play, going into the hole in the least number of strokes.

Play the Wind: 

Jordan Spieth complained stated about the windy conditions, "I felt like I had really good control of the ball. I didn't play the wind the right way on those two holes. I was trying to fight it instead of accepting that the wind is going to win out here."

What can an amateur golfer do to combat the wind?

Butch Harmon golf tip for playing the wind: "Keep the ball low to neutralize the conditions. Take a couple extra clubs, and swing at 75 percent. Fast swings create more backspin and send the ball higher, so resist the urge to smash it."

Putt to Win:

Putting far outweighed being in tough lies off of the tee - Molinari was listed as fourth in putting for the week at Carnoustie, a statistic which helped him win The Open Championship. Molinari has been working with a coach to improve his putting, once said to be a "weakness" in his game.

Coach Denis Pugh stated, "He isn’t giving away strokes gained elsewhere on the course, on the greens now." For amateurs, don't give away strokes. Practice your long putts too...at least to snug the golf ball up to the hole so it's an easy two-putt.

What golf lessons did you learn from watching The Open Championship? Comments welcome below and tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

5 Unique Golf Facts About The Open

The 2018 Open Championship will be hosted at Carnoustie, not far from St. Andrews which is considered by some to be the home of golf.

Most fans of the sport know golf facts but how many of us are aware of these tidbits?

Golf for Beginners presents five interesting, and unique, facts about The Open Championship.

1. Jordan Spieth will defend his win but, did you know that Gary Player is the only golfer to have won The Open in three different decades (1959, '68, and 1974)?

2. Jordan Spieth's win was exciting but now it is bittersweet - tradition dictates that he (as well as all winners of The Open) must return the Claret Jug before The 2018 Open starts - Spieth said,

"The traditions of The Open are very special, even if you’re on the wrong end of that one. It’s the coolest trophy that our sport has to offer, so having to return that was certainly difficult. Kind of hit me a little bit there on the tee box."

3. The Claret Jug given to the winner of The Open is a replica. The original was mistakenly given to Tom Watson in 1982.

4. Harry Vardon is the golfer with the most British Open wins - six in total, while Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods each have three wins under their belts. Vardon is also the inventor of the overlapping grip, used today by many golfers!

5. The winner of the 2018 British Open will receive almost two million dollars in prize money.

Have more British Open facts to add to this list? Feel free to add to the comments section of this golf blog or tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.


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Three Golf Tips to Keep Your Attitude in Check

When your golf game is losing steam, how do you adjust your attitude to compensate for the downward spiral?

Golf for Beginners has a few golf tips to keep you in the groove.

The average golfer has both good and bad rounds...and so do professionals on Tour. Where it may be easier for a Tour player to bring their minds back from double bogeys, it isn't as easy for the rest of us.

I have my bad days as well, and I play golf with a youth who shares the same dilemma so I recently asked Dale Ketola, the professional golf instructor from Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center, how to handle the pressure when having a bad round of golf.

His answer? Keep a "poker face" throughout your round.

Need help with this? Watch the tour professionals. No matter how their round goes, their expression rarely changes. Try to maintain a poker face, no matter what the situation - no highs, no lows. I am curious to see how many of our readers can successfully sustain this type of composure!

Another golf tip (not suggested by Dale):

When your golf game is carding doubles, step up to your ball and try to remember the last time you hit a similar good shot - visualization is one of the main keys to hitting solid shots.

Dr. Bob Rotella, in a Golf Digest article, suggested this third golf tip which, if you can do it, will help you whether you play a good or not so good round.

Don't think about the result...instead, think of the process during your round.

Process goals, according to Rotella include:
Executing your pre-shot routine on every shot.
Trusting your swing on every shot.
Staying in the present, which boils down to...not thinking about what your score might be and taking each shot as it comes.

Golf for Beginners is not stating that, if you follow these three golf tips that your rounds will miraculously improve but we believe that you will be able to move forward in your study and appreciation of the game and not focus too much on negativity when your attitude takes over.

Golf tips are welcome in the comments section of this blog. Tag Golf4Beginners on Twitter with your comments.

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