Darren Steels PGA Professional - Top 5 Putting Drills

 

Top 5 Putting Drills

String It Out Lag Putting Drill

1. Cut multiple pieces of string, each about three feet long.

2. Lay the string out on a putting green, evenly spaced, each string about three feet apart, across your chosen putting line.

3. Start about 10 feet behind the first string. Now putt a ball and try to roll it just over the first string. Putt a second ball and try to roll it just over the second string, and so on. When you reach the last string, start working your way back to the first string.

4. Once you become good at stopping balls in-between the string, start varying the distances - put to the first string, then the fifth, then the third, then the last, and so on, varying your distances.

This drill takes your mind off the line (and also off a target) and allows you to focus on speed and feel.

 

Fringe Benefits Drill

1. Get five balls and drop them 10 feet from the edge of the green.

2. Putt toward the fringe (don't worry about putting at a hole, just focus on speed and feel). Try to get each ball to roll about one foot onto the fringe without leaving any short and without running any beyond the fringe into the rough.

3. Back up to 20 feet and repeat, and repeat again at 30 and 40 feet.

 

5-Ball Mix-Up Drill

This distance putting drill is similar to the string drill above, except that in this one we are putting at a hole.

1. Drop balls at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 feet from a cup.

2. Start from 10 feet and putt to the hole. Make sure that if you don't sink the putt, you leave the ball no more than three feet from the hole.

3. Now go back to 50 feet and do the same. Then continue from each distance, but don't go in order - mix up the distances, from 10 to 50 to 30 to 40 to 20 to 40 to 10 to 30 and so on, in random order.

The goal is to leave yourself no more than three feet on your misses. Great distance control equals great lag putting, which means no 3-putts.

 

Close Your Eyes to Improve Feel

 

1. Place three balls each at distances of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 feet from your target (putt toward a hole, a tee in the ground, the fringe, a dropped headcover, anything).

2. At each station, putt the first ball as you normally would. But for the second and third balls at each station, set up with your eyes open, but then close your eyes just before making the stroke.

This drill will help hone your feel on the greens.

 

2-Putt Distance Drill

When golfers talk about lag putting, we mean that while we hope to make every putt we also want to make sure that if we miss we are left with a short, easy putt. Good lag putting means never 3-putting. This drill forces you to control your speed in order to guarantee a 2-putt.

 

1. Set up 30 feet from the hole.

2. Putt five balls at a time. Then walk to the cup and knock the balls in.

3. Make 50 consecutive 2-putts. If you 3-putt, start over.

This drill not only teaches lag putting, it also gets you into pressure situations. Imagine making 48 2-putts in a row. Putts 49 and 50 are really going to test your nerves.

If you have too much trouble making 50 2-putts in a row from 30 feet, then start from a shorter distance. Try 20 feet, and move out to 30 once 2-putting from 20 is comfortable.

Darren Steels PGA Professional - How to hit longer tee shots

Every golfer wants to get a few extra yards out of your drives. Many say that the short game is so much more important than the drive but the drive is what sets up the hole. If your drive is too short or off line your short game will not give you a chance to save par. Here are 5 golf tips on hitting longer drivers

Golf Driving Tip #1 Fire your hips to start your downswing

One of the best power sources you can have for a longer drive is your hip rotation. Many amateurs have heard this but they push there hips towards the target instead of turning them. At the top of your backswing you should focus on starting to unwind and turn your hips. Turn your hips first and keeping your shoulder turn minimal at start of downswing will create some resistance and increase clubhead speed and distance.

 

Golf Driving Tip #2 On the backswing, when your shoulder turn stops your arms should stop

To create distance on your drives you need to have the proper coil to unleash a powerful drive. Your maximum coil will be had if you stop turning your arms once your shoulders stop turning. Many players turn the shoulders and then keep turning the arms. This takes away all of the coil they had built up and the power and the distance of the drive is gone. Use this tip to see immediate results in your golf game.

 

Golf Driving Tip #3 Keep your left arm straight and hand away from your head at top of backswing

When you are at the top of your backswing your hands should be as far as you can away from your head. This will ensure that your left arm is straight. If you bend your left arm you will lose any power you had stored up on the backswing as it will allow you to keep moving your club past parallel. This golf driving tip will not only add distance but help you keep the ball in the fairway.

 

Golf Driving Tip #4 Turn on a sold left side

As you turn through the ball your weight should shift to your left leg. Straighten your left leg and keep it firm to hold a solid base. This will allow the club to come through at a greater speed which will add some distance to your drives.

 

Golf Driving Tip #5 Release your hands right before impact

This is an important tip that many amateurs struggle with. If you release your hands early the power and speed in your swing is gone before it reaches the ball and you will lose distance on your drives. Try to hold back on releasing your hands by keeping your right elbow close to your right hip. This will also cause you to approach the ball from the inside which will create a draw and add some yardage to your drives.

Follow these 5 tips your next time out on the course and your driving distance should increase.

Darren Steels PGA Professional - The Lob Shot

Concept: The whole idea of the "flop" shot is to control the distance the ball rolls after it lands by creating a very high shot. In other words, you are controlling distance by using trajectory rather than using back spin. Just so you know...many tour players feel trajectory is more reliable than spin to control distance so they opt for the flop versus the spinning shot when possible.

1

 

Use your highest lofted club (60 degree wedge is ideal). Pre-shot preparations: The ball position for this shot is forward in your stance. You'll need to experiment but play it as far forward as you can. Open the clubface and open your stance. Light grip pressure is best.

 

2

 

Execution: The length of your swing will be in proportion to the distance you need to hit the shot, but in general, this stroke needs to feel long and smooth (as opposed to sudden or quick). The swing doesn't need to be extremely upright.

 

The pace of your swing should be constant. Feel as though your through-swing is moving at the same pace or tempo as your back-swing.

 

Keep the clubface open throughout the swing. Make sure the clubface is pointing toward the sky after impact. Monitor the back of your left hand (if you are right-handed) and make sure it points to the sky after impact.

 

Swing left (if you are a right-hander). Do not try to swing at the target. Your stance is open so your body-lines are all aiming well left of the target. Swing in relation to your body lines, not toward the target.

Be Careful

 

• When you open your stance it is easy to inadvertently move the ball position back in your stance. Don't let this happen. Make sure that AFTER you have opened your stance, your ball position is nearly off your left foot.

Darren Steels Golf Professional - The bump and run shot

The bump and run shot

Definition: The "bump and run" - also called a "chip and run" - is an approach shot to the green typically played from close to the green's edge. The golfer has the option to pitch the ball or chip the ball from such a location. A pitch shot, however, is struck with a high-lofted club such as a pitching wedge, producing a high trajectory and a ball that typically hits the green and quickly stops.

A bump and run, on the other hand, is played with a lower-lofted club relative to a wedge (an 8-, 7- or 6-iron, for example), and with very little airtime for the ball. With a bump and run shot, the ball is typically played from the middle or back of the stance, producing a very shallow trajectory, with the ball mostly scooting along the ground and running up to the flag.

 

The bump and run is played more along the ground; the pitch shot is played in the air.

 

Why would a golfer prefer a bump and run to a pitch? The front of the green might be open, with a hard fairway and hard green, making an approach that lands on the green tough to stop. Or the wind might be howling, with the bump and run making it possible to keep the ball from getting up into - and blown around by - that wind. A bump in run, in other words, is often a more controllable shot than a pitch shot.

 

Step 1 Bring your feet close together for a narrow stance and position the ball in the middle. Keep most of your weight on your left foot--you should feel like you are leaning toward the target.

Step 2 Slide your grip down on the club so you can stand closer to the ball. Press your hands forward to take some loft off the club. This will help promote a downward strike and a lower shot.

Step 3 Make a short backswing with no wrist action. The shorter the backswing, the better. Think of this as the same length as your  putting stroke.

Step 4 Keep your wrists firm through impact. Strike down and through the ball. The ball will come out low and run to the hole. This shot should fly a short distance and roll the rest of the way.

Step 5 Abbreviate your follow-through. Backswing and follow-through should match each other in length.

Darren Steels PGA Professional - Golf in Turkey

Golf in Belek, Turkey

 

In the mid 1990s, the stretch of Mediterranean coastline to the east of Antalya became the subject of concerted development, which has resulted in over 30 top class hotels and a number of outstanding golf resorts. Benefiting from a fantastic climate, the focus is on Belek, a resort town which is within 35 minutes of Antalya and its international airport, and has outstanding beaches.

Belek has become incredibly popular in a short period of time, with the number of golf holiday makers rising exponentially thanks to the high quality, ultra all-inclusive resort like Gloria, Cornelia and Sirene. The facilities are superb, and the service is outstanding, while the incredible value that is achievable on 5* luxury golf holidays makes Belek even more attractive.

Golf courses

Sultan Course

The Sultan Course is a ferocious test, where the challenging holes wind through the landscape's impressive pine forests. From the championship tees, the course measures 7,011 yards, and will ensure a formidable examination even for the low handicappers. Spectacular views and challenging hazards are the hallmarks of the Sultan Course, which is one of Belek's finest.

Pasha Course

 

The Pasha Course is the second at the Antalya club, and is a more appropriate proposition for the average golfing visitor. While it benefits from the same brilliant views as the Sultan, its full length of 6,267 yards makes it manageable for everyone. The advantage of the long hitters is nullified around the Pasha, whose defence is its tricky dog-legs, sloping greens and strategically positioned bunkers.

 

More of a ‘thinking man's' course than its neighbour, the Pasha is the perfect foil for the lengthy Sultan layout, which is why the Antalya Golf Club has something for everyone.

Darren Steels PGA Professional - Mel's 5th Lesson

 

Hi All,

           Well we are well and truly into the summer now and with the good weather we are having and the long days there's no excuse to not get out on the course to practice. That's what I've been doing, remembering all the advice from Darren and trying to produce it on the course.

 I had a bit of a disaster with my driver last week. I was lifting my clubs out of the car and heard a crack, on investigation I found the shaft had broke. So it looks like I'll be purchasing a new one. I spoke to Darren about it and he said he would help me get fitted for a new driver. So for my   penultimate lesson with Darren this week he has had me on the latest piece of equipment which the club have purchased. The' Foresight golf performance simulator' is a machine that measures how you strike the ball. It accurately collates data when you hit the golf ball measuring the speed, loft , distance ,side and back spin of the ball and by altering the different shafts and heads  of the club  it can pick the right one to suit your swing.  I have been having a bit of trouble getting off the tee with my driver so perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that I broke it.  I started off very poorly not getting much distance at all so Darren told me to put more weight on my back leg and instead of hitting down  on the ball  he said get the feeling of hitting up. After a couple of tries I got the idea and finished up hitting the ball further and straighter. The club I was using was the latest Titleist 913 10.5 degree which has the technology to enable you to alter the head to give 1.5 degrees more loft (12.0) or 0.75 degree less loft. As I tend to slice the ball setting the club with more loft takes out the side spin thus giving you more chance of hitting the ball straighter. I really like the club but I'm going to try other makes before I make up my mind. Still I took the driver on the course on Saturday in a Stableford competition and guess what I got 21 points on the front nine. Unfortunately I didn't score on two holes on the back nine but shot a score of 36 points playing to my handicap. Seems like all the hard work is at last paying off.

Cheers

Mel     

Darren Steels PGA Professional - Hitting a lower tee shot into the wind

 

Well we are definitely in the windy portion of the season! So one shot that is a must to

have in the bag; is being able to hit the ball lower from off the tee.

A couple of points worth noting at this stage are:

a) Playing a low shot from off the tee is not the same as from off the fairway  And,

b) Fighting the wind by swinging harder usually creates a higher ballooning ball flight. So definitely

not a great idea!

So here’s how we create a Tiger like ‘stinger’ ball flight off the tee.

Shorten the Club, Lower the Tee and Swing it Smooth!

Here are three main keys to hitting the ball lower off the tee:

No. 1 Hold further down the grip: By doing this it will give you more control and stiffen the playability of the golf shaft which in turn helps to decrease the spin rate and height of the ball flight.

No. 2 Tee it down lower: By teeing it lower the club will contact higher on the ball thus creating less back spin. Again helping to produce the desired lower ball flight.

No. 3 Swing smooth: As noted earlier; hitting in to the wind it is easy to fight the conditions and try and hit it harder. But unfortunately by doing this you will increase the back spin, thus producing a higher ball flight. So the expression I like to use here is to “swing with ease into the breeze”.

So create a good stable base, take it easy and keep it smooth.

Hope this helps and of course remember; “never fight mother nature”

Good luck and great golfing