1. Putting
2. Phil Mickelson's Short Game DVD
3. Mike Weir News
4. Gotta Have Gadgets

Back to Contents

1. Putting

Putts per round
Improve your putting to improve your game. Count your putts per round and see where you stand. Average putts per round benchmarks:

• Tour Pro - 29
• 0 Handicap - 33
• 10 Handicap - 34
• 20 Handicap - 35
• 30 Handicap - 37

Putts per green in regulation are an even better performance indicator.
For serious players, putts per green in regulation take their ball-striking into account. If you chip your way closer to the hole, of course your putt numbers will be lower; the also mean that you probably took more strokes to get to that putting stroke in the first place. So, when you make a green in regulation you are often in birdie position. Make that putt and you've made one that counts.

Lag putts (from 30 feet or more)
Practice lag putts. Get your lag putt to within 6 feet and you will improve your score. Pros and amateurs have the same percentage of putts made from 6 feet and in, so you'll get better faster if you improve those lags.

The Stroke
The stroke is everything. Be smooth. Keep an even, simple rhythm back and through the ball. Make sure your club moves through the ball after impact. The stroke has to flow like a pendulum -- no interruptions, no jerky stabs at the ball.

Nick Faldo made a great point on the Golf Channel a few weeks ago. On the new 'Golf Fix' show, he gave a great example of how focusing on the smooth, even flow of the stroke helps him several ways:

• it helps groove his stroke
• the tendency to 'hit' the ball is eliminated
• the putter face stays square to the ball; the ball stays on line to the target
• the balls rolls more evenly (fewer bounces that affect line and speed)
• smooth is the only way to putt fast greens like Augusta (or any downhill putt).

Straight Stroke or Arc Stroke
My stroke goes straight back and straight through the target line when I putt. Others swing the putter back in an arc (face open to the target line) then forward to impact where the putter face is square to the target line and then closes as the head follows through after impact. Both methods attempt to move the ball in a line to the hole.

I don't know which stroke is more common; all I know is straight works better for me. There is no "right way" for putting. The ball has to go in the hole, so whatever works for you.

Feel and Consistency
Putting is all feel. This is why it is so hard to stay consistent with your stroke. Feel is a physical sense that manages how we match speed with distance to our stroke. Playing irregularly means feel can change from round to round. Practice putting drills will improve consistency.

Feel applies to equipment, especially putters. Jerry Kelly won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans in April, cashing a cheque for $1.1 million after buying a Cleveland Classic 3 putter at Nevada Bob's in Wisconsin for $69.99. So much for expensive "Tour grade" equipment. Kelly probably spent more on golf balls for the week than he did on his putter.

Some Putting Drills
Push Putt: Stand three or four feet from the hole. Hold your putter with your top hand only (left hand if you are a rightey). Take your address position and with no ball, "push" the putter toward the target. Hold the putter face square all the way to the target. Keep the putter shaft aligned with your arm. Repeat this drill until it feels comfortable.

Add a ball. Place the putter behind the ball and, without a backswing, push the ball to the target. I vary this by placing a cup on the floor as a target to simulate putting the ball in the hole.

Putting on Rails:This drill develops feel for a smooth, flowing stroke.
Place two irons down on the ground parallel to one another making an alley to the hole. Make it six feet from the hole. Place the heads of the irons toward the hole, each head pointing away from the alley they create. The alley should be just wider than your putter head, say a quarter-inch on either side. Make a few putts first, to make sure the alley lines up with the hole.

Now put a ball in the alley, take your address position and close your eyes. Now make the same putt. Open your eyes when you hear the ball hit the bottom of the cup. At first some putts will fall short or even miss because your speed wasn't right. After a while, they'll all go in. This is a great drill for getting your stroke back and keeping it consistent.

Ring Around the Daisy: For improving your percentage on short putts.
Take at least six balls. Place them around in a circle, the same distance from the hole, start at 3 feet. Now putt each ball in succession. If you miss, stop. Replace all the balls and repeat until you've made all six in a row. Go around in the other direction.
When you've made twelve in a row, move the circle out to four feet and repeat. Then out to five, six or until you are confident with your short putts.
Phil Mickelson uses this drill. Only he makes 100 in a row before he's done. He plays for a living.

Putting Indoors: You want fast greens, I'll give you fast greens; try wood, no-pile carpet, linoleum or cement. Use a cup. Tape it to the floor, or get one of those artificial putting gizmos you see in most golf shops to simulate a hole.
Pick your track, set it up and putt. This is a great off-course venue to perfect your stroke. You can work on the smoothness of your stroke or any of the drills mentioned above. Any "hit" in your putt will rocket by the hole since these venues will stimp beyond anything you'll see on the course. Great way to keep yourself sharp in the off-season.

Bonus Link: Here is a link to an article about Dave Pelz and what he suggests to improve your putting: LA Times Sports article.

Back to Contents

2. Phil Mickelson's Short Game DVD

I recently purchased a copy of Phil Mickelson's new Short Game DVD (Phil Mickelson Secrets of the Short Game, Paramount, 2009). As an acknowledged short game wizard, Phil has long been admired for his short game shotmaking. He finally released a 2-disc DVD set that focuses on 50 yards and in.

Now that Phil has 3 majors, he felt he had the credibility to produce a training video that producers have been bugging him to put out for several years.

The two volumes cover:

• Putting
• Chipping
• Flop Shots
• Bunker Play

Highlights

1. Overall Phil is a great teacher. From his interviews, he is known as an articulate speaker and knowledgeable student of the game. He puts these skills to great use in the DVDs. The videos are well-paced with excellent production quality. This is high definition video that shows Phil's methods well.

2. Putting Tips Putting includes Phil's famous circle putting drill; his thoughts on reading putts and an excellent discussion and gadget for improving your aim when putting. Phil shows his use of a LazrAimer; a sound-activated laser light coupled with a mirror insert on his putter face. When mounted against the wall of Phil's practice room at home, he aligns himself as if putting to the laser light, turns the light on with a vocal command that bounces the light off the putter face. If he has aligned correctly the light bounces back directly above the light, if not he can see where the head is pointing by virtue of the mis-directed beam and correct for the miss. Phil aligns to the light at various distances during off-season practice sessions to keep himself sharp. The gadget is marketed through the Dave Pelz or Phil's own website.

   The LazrAimer is marketed through Dave Pelz Pro Shop

3. Hinge and Hold is Mickelson's basic swing key central to chipping, flop shots and bunker play. Phil demonstrates this key element very well in successive applications to shotmaking situations. The demonstrations are really well described and photographed. The DVDs are very good teaching aids. If Phil ever wants a second career as internet swing guru, he has it made.

I tried the Hinge and Hold. I found it more "handsy" than my usual stiff-armed version of chipping. But the concept of applying this principle as a means of consistently keeping your hands moving through the ball at impact for all short game shots appealed to me. After a few attempts, I found the hinge and hold surprisingly easy to work with. My initial chipping resulted in a much more lofted ball flight that I was used to, but I quickly became consistent with my distance control.

Have a look at Phil's Secrets of the Short Game and see what you think. I purchased my copy online via Amazon (about $37 plus shipping). You can also get a copy direct from Phil Mickelson's Official Website. Highly recommended.

Back to Contents

Weir Golf Design
Mike announced his intentions to break into golf course design in 2008. In the fall he "interviewed" golf course architects to find a design partner that would best fit his goals and design principles. That man is Ian Andrew, a Canadian who lives in Toronto. Ian is progressive, experienced and very well respected in the Canadian golf industry. For more on Andrew's background and resumé, check out Ian's website at: http://www.andrewgolf.com

When I was in Vernon, BC in October 2008, Mike Weir was discussing possible development of property he owns near Predator Ridge, just south of the city. This land is rumoured to be a possible site for one of the first courses to come out of his Course Design venture.

No More Taboo
Mike is no longer affiliated with Taboo Golf Resort. His association ended amicably, as per their contract agreement, in March 2009. This is a move likely intended to clear the way for Mike's own course design business.

Back to Contents

• Ping Moon Lite II carry bag
  Ping's awesome pencil bag the Moon Lite has been revamped for 2009 with a raft of cool new features added.

  The Ping Moon Lite weighs less than two pounds and has won a legion of fans thanks to its clever stand up strap system. The Moon Lite II has been designed to be slightly more spacious than its predecessor and the Ping Moon-Lite II has three pockets, including a large one for clothing, one for balls, tees and accessories and a water bottle pouch.

  A new molded, three-way top also improves balance and a hinged internal stay allows the bag to fold in half for easy storage. The patented standing strap also brings the bag within easy reach when on the ground. The Ping Moon Lite II will be available in Black/Silver, Navy/Silver, Red/Royal and Royal/Green colour options and has a suggested retail price of $75.

  For details checkout Ping's website.

• iXoundWear Hats
  Take your tunes and golf tip podcasts to the practice range with you. This gadget frees your hands and organizes your iPod® out of the way. The iXoundWear™ headwear, and related products products are designed to hold the iPod Nano (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation) or the iPod Shuffle™ (1st and 2nd generation) in a pocket built right into the a golf hat. They even have a sleeve for the wires and a spool to keep them neatly wrapped up. The iXoundWear™ cap (or visor) you can practice any aspect of your game, no worries. I bought a black model for my 1Gb Nano. Music definitely adds a nice touch to my practice sessions. Cost: $9.95 plus shipping.

  For more information see iXoundWear's website.

• LazrAimer
  Aim is the first fundamental of good putting. If you’re aiming your putter face correctly, you’ve taken the first step to consistently holing putts. The Pelz LazrAimer helps you square your putter face for accurate aim so you can confidently set up to the ball and have a reliable putting stroke. The voice activated Pelz LazrAimer provides you immediate visual feedback of your putter face aim at address and helps you adjust it to perfect your putter set-up.

  Learn to correct aim problems, improve your set-up and roll putts truer. Re-check your aim using you LazrAimer periodically before practicing other areas of putting. Start out with good alignment and you have a better chance on maintaining your line throughout your putting stroke.

Back to Contents

Visit the Site for Back Issues of Golf Practice-zine

Visit Best-Strategies-For-Better-Golf.com