Written By
Bobby Eldridge
Founder of Online Golf Lessons

If you want to improve your short game you have to learn how to chip the golf ball with solid contact.  I am going to explain to you exactly how to just that.  The address position for chipping the golf ball has three components.  Today I am going to tell what they are and how to apply them.

#1.  Ball position is critical for consistent impact.  It has to be in the middle to middle back of your stance.  If it is too far forward you will hit up on it and top the ball or hit it thin most of the time.  The other reason you want it in the middle to middle back of your stance is so the clubhead will approach the ball on a steep angle.

#2. The second part is to make sure you have 75% of your weight on your left foot at address.  Once you place the weight  on your left side, leave it there during the backswing and downswing.  If you stay put during the swing the clubhead will swing steep into the back of the golf ball and it will have the same flight and roll every time.

#3.  After you have placed the ball in the center of your stance and you leaned over to the left with 75% of your weight on your left leg, it is time now to move the handle over to your left side.  Remember when you address the golf ball the handle of the club is in the center of your body.  When you moved your weight over to the left, the center of your body is now on your left side.  That is why YOU HAVE TO MOVE THE HANDLE OVER TO THE CENTER OF YOUR BODY.

When you move the handle over to your left leg it will allow the club to swing UP in the backswing and DOWN in the downswing, thus creating a steep and consistent impact. 

If you follow these steps you will chip the golf ball better than ever.

The best kept secret in golf is to make sure you aim your golf club first then your body.  This game is tough enough without making it more difficult by aiming your body first.  Let me explain what happens when you aim your body first.

When you walk up to the golf ball and plant your feet in the ground and aim them AT the target, along with your knees, hips and shoulders, from the get-go, you are in big trouble.  Everything would be OK, except, you have to place the club behind the ball.  When you sole the clubhead it is going to be aimed MILES to the right of the target.

Now let me tell you what is has to happen from here.  You will have to compensate in order to get the golf ball to fly towards your target.  You will have to hook or pull it back on target.  That my friend is one tough way to play golf.  Don’t get me wrong, it can be done that way but it is very difficult.

Now I am going to tell you an easier way to play golf.  When you walk up to the golf ball you should sole the club first, aiming it at your target. 

Once you have done that you can begin to grip the club.

As you grip the club you can walk into the shot with your right foot behind you and then swing your left foot around so it is parallel to where you want the ball to start.

Once you have placed your feet parallel to the intended target line then your knees, hips and shoulders will follow.

From this position you look down the target line and “See” the target instead of turning your head back to the left to see it.  From this position you NEVER have to compensate during the golf swing.  You can make a full turn in the backswing and smash it from there. 

SO, repeat after me…golf club first then your body when you address the golf ball and not…body first, then golf club.

In order to hit the golf ball further and more consistent, after you grip the club-check your knuckles EVERY TIME.  I have a question for you that you have to answer in two seconds.  Is gripping the golf club an art or a science?  Think about it for 10 seconds if you want to.  Do you know why I am giving you 10 seconds to think about it?  Ten seconds is longer than you take to think about gripping the club when your on the golf course.

When most amateur golfers struggle with their golf game it can be traced right back to the grip the golf club.  What I have heard for the past 35 years is “I am really struggling with my swing”-DON’T TOUCH MY GRIP.  “I keep coming over the top”-DON’T TOUCH MY GRIP.  “I can’t stop hooking the ball”-DON’T TOUCH MY GRIP.

Here is the problem.  Changing your grip can be a nightmare.  I don’t care if you have played for six months or 30 years, for you to make a grip change, it can be a long and painful process.  I started playing golf when I was 2 years old, by the time I was 13 I was bigger and stronger and I had a very strong grip.  I hooked the ball way too much.  My mom told me it was time to weaken it, It was the longest year of my life.

I am going to let you in on two little secrets that nobody talks about.  If you slice the golf or if you hit weak fades to the right, changing your grip will be the most exciting and rewarding thing you will do for your golf game.  You will fall in love with me in five minutes.  (OK, maybe a little overboard-can you tell I am excited)?  On the other hand.  If you hook the ball you will want to wrap that driver around my neck for about three months AND then you will also fall in love with me.

That is secret number one.  Now for secret number two.  Whether you are a slicer or hooker of the golf ball, changing your grip can be very uncomfortable.  I have a saying that I have used with my students for 20 years.  As soon as they change their grip and make solid contact they always say to me “it doesn’t feel good”.  And I always say to them “you have a choice, you can either hit it poorly and feel good or hit it great and feel poorly”.

Let me tell you why the knuckles are so important.  Let’s talk about slicing first.  After you grip the golf club and address the golf ball, when you look down at your left hand, you probable don’t see any knuckles.  of the left hand.  You see the top of the left thumb.  The problem is the clubface will not close in time for you to hit a draw.  This next part is really important.  Before you start your backswing, simple turn BOTH hands to the right the same amount. Do it in baby steps.  Turn the hands on the club so you can see one knuckle, and hit some balls from this position.  If you get rid of your slice then stop.  You have hit gold, that is the correct grip for you.  This is a very powerful change, that is why you will love it.

On to the golfers that hook the ball.  After you grip the club and address the golf ball you will look down and see three or four knuckles of the left hand.  The clubhead will close way to fast in the downswing from with this grip.  You have to move BOTH of your hands to the left the same amount. Do it in baby steps, one knuckle at a time.  The reason this is more painful than the grip change above is because you are going from a stronger position to a weaker position.  You will not feel the love for some time.  I know you can do this, I did.

In closing after you grip the club-check your knuckles EVERY TIME and you will begin to see the ball start flying straighter and further.

If you want to add 15 more yards to your tee shot-in three months, do what I did.  I have a confession to make.  Less than 24 months ago, my great friend Harvey Mackay asked me if I wanted to play 18 holes the following week.  I had cut way back on my golf both playing and practicing for the past couple of years and I was not looking forward to this round of golf.

By the time I reached the 12 hole he (74 year old) Harvey had outdriven me four times.  Harvey was playing to a 9 at the time and he is a great driver of the golf ball.  I should say straight driver of the golf ball with an average of 225 yards.  If I hit it well I was maybe 15 yards past him.  However if I missed the tee shot a tiny bit, I was hitting first onto the green.

When I walked up to the 13th tee, I remember it as thou it was yesterday, I decided that I was going to do something about my golf game.  The first thing I needed to do was start practicing and the second thing was to CATCH UP with the game.  It was passing me by.  The game was changing (getting longer) and I was stuck in neutral.

The next moring I ordered a Momentus Heavy Hittable Driver off of the internet with overnight delievery.  I could hardly pick it up.  I took it to the range, swung it five times and almost feel over.  That is when I decided that I needed to come up with a routine so I could take advantage of my new club.

I decided that I was going to swing the club 25 times, three days a week whether I was at the golf course or not.  In the backyard I went every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Once I started using it at the practice facility I then came up with another way to use it.  During practice sessions I swung it three times for every six balls I hit.  I like to hit three draws, three fades, three straight shots and then three swings with the heavy driver.

On days that I play, I have another routine that I have used for years.  I hit three shots with every club in my bag.  Now my routine includes swinging the heavy driver one time every time I change clubs.

OK, I know you are dying to hear the results.  The only reason I am not going to tell you how much further I am hitting the ball is that everybody is different.  The one thing I will tell you is that I am back.  I have caught up with the sport and…well ok, I am at least 20 yards further off of the tee and 1.5 clubs longer with my irons.  BUT, I have been VERY committed to this process.  I have not missed a day in two years.

VERY IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

#1.  Warm up before you pick up a heavy driver and start swinging it

#2.  Even thou it says it is a HITTABLE club, make 200 practice swings with it before you start hitting balls.  You have to get use to it first.

#3.  This is NOT an overnight fix for short tee shots.  Stay committed to see results.

#4.  I added 15 yards in the first three months, I kept going so I can keep what I have!!!

#5.  Harvey Mackay (USE YOUR HEAD TO GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR) is a genius at dishing out great business advice.  I took advantage of his lesson to me.

Start using a HITTABLE HEAVY DRIVER today and you will add 15 more yards to your tee shot-in three months, like me.

I think the hybrid golf clubs are going to wind up being a better invention than the sand wedge.  I have to ad one more thought.  IF you buy the right one for your game.

Can you believe how incredible it is to stand in the middle of the fairway 200 yards from the green and you get to pull out one of those beautiful replacement clubs instead of a 3 iron?  That is exactly where the problems begin.  You better hope that you bought the correct 3 iron replacement.  From the minute I heard about the hybrids I have referred to them as replacement clubs.

Of course I have a reason why I call them replacement clubs.  I bought three of them before it dawned on me that I was just buying them because I liked them, not because they were correct for my game.  That is when I did some research that I will share with you.

The Rules of Golf states that you are allowed to carry 14 clubs in your bag.  Let’s do some math.  You probably use a driver, putter, pitching wedge, sand wedge and LOB.  That’s five golf clubs and nine to go.  Most of you have a 9-8-7-6 irons.  Now we have nine clubs and four to go.

You have to make sure of two things when you are replacing your longer irons.  If you don’t buy the hybrids in a set you are going to get different shafts from different companies.  Even thou you bought a regular shaft from one company that doesn’t mean it is going to be the same regular shaft of another company.  The second thing you have to be careful of if you don’t buy your hybrids in a set is the loft on the clubs.

That is where my problems began early on.  I was buying different hybrids and the lofts were too close together.

The following chart will help you understand what you have to purchase for a replacement club:

17 degree hybrid would replace a 2 iron or 5 wood

20 degree hyrid would replace a 3 iron or 7 wood

23 degree hybrid would replace a 4 iron

27 degree hybrid would replace a 5 iron

31 degree hybrid would replace a 6 iron

In closing I have to explain one last thing to you.  Not all companys have the same degree of loft.  Some companies might make a 24-28-32 degree set of hybrids.  The one thing to keep in mind is that you are REPLACING a club in your bag.  You don’t want two clubs with the same loft.

I hope this helps you out the next time you head out to buy a couple of hybrid golf clubs for your game.

If I had an opportunity to to stand up in front of the entire golf world and I was only allowed to say one sentence, what would it be?  “EVERY PUTT IN GOLF IS A STRAIGHT PUTT”…Since I would only be allowed to say one sentence, maybe the powers to be would let me repeat myself, “EVERY PUTT IN GOLF IS A STRAIGHT PUTT”.

If there is one thing that I am 100% sure of it is this.  Most amateur golfers have acceptable putting strokes.  Keep in mind that there are two parts to our sport.  One part is in the air and the other is on the ground.  The one on the ground (putting) is so precise at times that it can drive you up a wall.  It is kind of line the Red Zone in football.  You go 85 yards in two plays and then it takes four plays to go one yard.  You hit a towering tee shot, followed up by the best 5 iron of your life, and then you 3 putt from 10 feet.

The reason I say acceptable putting strokes is because you don’t do this for a living and the putting strokes that most of you have is good enough for you to shoot lower scores.  The problem begins after you read a putt.  This article is all about matching your putting stroke up with reading the green correctly. 

No questions asked, the number one putting mistake that I see amateurs golfers make is they don’t aim the putter where they want the ball to start.  Most amateur golfers that struggle with their putting, aim the putter at the hole and then they either swing out-to-in (pull) or roll the face closed for putts that break right and in-to-out (push) or roll the face open for putts that break left. 

Therein lies my favorite quote in golf “EVERY PUTT IN GOLF IS A STRAIGHT PUTT”.  If you have a putt thay breaks 10 inches right to left, you have to aim the putter face 10 inches right of the hole and swing the putter straight back and straight through to that exact spot.  You have to start that putt STRAIGHT and allow the ground to curve the ball from left to right into the hole.  You can not start that putt at the hole and then swing the putter in-to out and push it on line. 

Of course this applies for putts that break left to right.  You have to aim the putter left of the hole, swing the putter straight back and straight through, allowing the ground to curve the ball, not your stroke or clubface. 

The next time your struggling with your putting, remember this mantra:  WHAT DOES YOUR PUTTING STROKE AND GREEN READING HAVE IN COMMON-EVERYTHING!!!