How to Lower my Score

Many golfers wonder how to lower their golf score. There are many different things that I could tell you on lowering your score. I'll just stick with my top 3. The first would be, practice. As you familiarize yourself with your clubs and swing, you naturally notice things that you can modify to improve accuracy and consistency. As you practice at the same course, you'll begin to know the course better and identify how to best play each hole.

The second thing I would say is to know your club yardage and the effects of upslope and downslope. What I mean by club yardage is to know how far you hit each club. The only way you'll know this, is if you practice and take note. I think this is easiest while out on the course using a golf app with a distance measurer. I use Golfshot. It's free, and it gives me the distance to the hole. It helps me easily determine what my yardage for each club is as I cycle through them. For a fee, you can even access golf tips.

Knowing the effects of upslope and downslope are crucial on the approach. As a general rule, if the fairway is sloping upward to the green at a slow, steady rate, I will add 10 additional yards to my shot. This varies per person due to swing speed. I do the same in reverse for a downward sloping fairway, subtract 10 yards from my shot. Usually, this will mean going with the next club up or down, but not always. If it's a steeper up or downslope, I'll increase/decrease the yardage to the hole. This will help you not fly over or land it short of the green as often, thus saving a stroke. Over the course of a full round of golf, that's 18 shots.

The third thing I would say is to cut the hole up into sections. Don't try to hammer it to the green at 240 yards out if you can only hit it 200 unless you are very accurate with that club. The further a club can hit, the more accurate you have to be. It's like an airplane being 1 degree off of its flight path. If it's off by 1 degree over a short distance, it will find itself relatively close to its intended destination. If it is flying across the nation, 1 degree will put it off by hundreds of miles.

Instead of powering it to the green, predetermine what clubs you're going to use. You will need to consider how far you hit each club as well as the hole layout. Are there any doglegs, creeks, or lakes that you need to plan for? Let's look at an example of Hole 1 at my home course, Cedar Ridge Golf Course. 

There are two routes that you can take on this hole. One takes 3 shots and the other takes only 2, if done correctly, to get to the green. The obvious choice may be the 2 stroke play for a chance at Eagle, but there are some things to know about that route. All of the brown is out of bounds. So if you don't make it to the fairway, you get penalized for OB. There is also a 30-40 foot hill the length of that shot with thick grass. Even if you ignore OB, if you don't make it, you can't find your ball. So if you can't carry the ball over 200 yards with a decent arc on the shot, you should use the other route. 

Even using the 3 stroke route has its risks. The fairway slopes to the left, so you have to make sure that you stay on the right side or it will roll onto a cartpath and carry you back many, many yards. There are also some seriously bad trees off to the left that have thick grass below that you will not find your ball in. Lesson here is to choose the route that suits your game. 

If you can take those three steps to heart, I know that your game will improve. Please leave comments below with any other suggestions you have to lower your score!

How High to Tee Up the Ball on a Drive

One great question is how high should I tee up my golf ball? You mind as well start the hole out right, so why not learn a proper setup. I have always been told to tee it up so that you see half the golf ball above your driver. So depending on the driver height, this will vary for each person. As you will find out from the video below, someone with a shallow swing needs to tee it up a bit higher than someone with a downward swing. I personally like mine teed up higher to maximize drive distance.

My preferred tees for driving are the Hyperion Golf 4 inch Bamboo Tees. These have lines marking a couple of different heights so I can setup the tee to the right height every time. They also last longer than the normal 4 inch wood tees I've golfed with. Those usually only last me one, maybe two hits. The Hyperion Bamboo Tees last me much longer. I can usually use only 1 or 2 for every 18 holes. For $12.95 for 100 of them, I can play a long time before repurchasing.

Anyway,   check them out using the link at the bottom of the post. Make sure to view the video below from Me and My Golf. They've got some great tips on how to determine your tee height.

Source: Me and My Golf

Time Flies!

It has been quite a while since my last post! I'm going to do my best to post once per week from now on. We'll get you more tips and tricks as well as news of the day. Let me know if there are any topics you'd like me to go over in particular.

In the meantime, I've added some products that I like from Amazon on the Pro Shop page. Go check it out!

Great New Golf Balls!

If you've ever wanted to get the most out of your golf game and haven't been satisfied with the results, you may be playing with the wrong ball. Most golfers struggle with a slice and spend most of their time searching for balls in the weeds and bushes. One reason for that is the ball they play. If you don't know how to control the golf ball, which most golfers don't, and you play a Pro V1 or other high end golf ball with a urethane cover, you're asking for a slice. The reason is that they're designed for spin, which average golfers can't do.

Here's a great solution for that problem. There's a great new ball available on the market that gets you the best performance. It's rated currently at 5 stars and plays straight. It still offers you control and a soft feel, but keeps the ball from spinning off of the club. The only real way to slice it is to have an extreme out to in swing. Other than that, you're good to go.

Better yet, they have a 20% discount always available to those who purchase it. You just have to click on the Buy 1, Get 1 20% OFF button on the main page to get the code. I've played it myself and am extremely satisfied with it. I've spent much less time in the woods chasing balls, and have felt a greater deal of control over my game. At the listed price of $24.95 before the discount, it's a great deal compared to other high performance balls. After the discount it's $19.96 per dozen!

  So if you want to give it a try, just go to Amazon and search for Hyperion Golf balls or just click here. I think you'll really like what you see when you play with them. They're definitely my go to ball now.

Hyperion Golf also provides tips to improve your golf game. They've got videos on their Facebook page that are super helpful in playing a better round of golf. As of the date of this post, they've also got an offer currently for 70% OFF of the balls, so it's a must buy. Good luck to you in your golfing game!

How to Hit a Draw

One shot that seems quite difficult for most golfers is the draw. It is very handy when you are playing a hole where the fairway curves right to left. Your ball will curve nicely with the fairway and make it easier to stay on the fairway.

The real question is, "How do I hit a draw?" Below is a video explaining the basic principles of how to hit a draw. After that, it's up to some practice at the driving range before you can execute it well on the course.



Source: Me and My Golf

How to Hit Out of the Sand

Hitting out of the bunker is an art that most people don't understand. It's not like other shots that you normally play. That's why it's so difficult. It's not a chip, pitch, or any kind of normal swing. Here are some great tips from Phil Mickelson on how to get out of the bunker with several different sand trap lies.

Your Golf Inspiration

So I was just reading some headlines after watching some golf and got to thinking of the golfer who inspired me the most. When I was in junior high, I started to really like golfing. The golfer who inspired me the most was Tiger Woods. He was phenomenal! Never had I seen a golfer with his skills and abilities. I've always liked him and followed him ever since.

It's sad to me that people are knocking him so hard just because he's had a rough year (his rank at the end of 2014 was 32). Statistically, he's the best golfer who's ever played. (I'd say the only other up with him in the Master's period is Jack Nicklaus) He brought golf to life for way more people than any other golfer. And let's be honest, even though his rank is 286 right now, he's still way better than you or I!

So why are there so many headlines about him? There are other golfers out there right? The reason that he gets so much press is because he achieved so many amazing things in his career. Not only that, but he did it at a very young age. People want to see him get back to where he was doing incredible things. 

Anyway, this was really just about seeing which golfer(s) inspired you. I'd love to see who they are. Just leave a comment at the bottom of the post.