What's the best tip you have ever received, and how did it change your game?

[DymnDog]

One "Tip" I learned when starting was: DO NOT TELL THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AT THE DRIVING RANGE THAT YOU ARE JUST STARTING.

My head got so full of well-intended advice that my head was spinning, and I had no real way to tell the difference between good and bad advice.  

[Mr. E]

To pinpoint one thing, expectation management I learned from Scott Fawcett's DECADE, which allows us to apply the analytics of strokes gained from Mark Broadie's Every Shot Counts. Golf is hard! Relax.

[Push-ups For Bogeys]

Watched a video of Alex Elliot a few months ago, and since I normally avoid practice swings it took me until a few rounds ago to adopt. But after advising a few friends and seeing the results, gave it a shot. And the difference is staggering. 
 

the idea is two and only two practice swings.

First in super slow motion. I do like 10% speed, I use that swing to feel what I want, maybe over emphasize on a swing thought. 

Second is 150%, technique and everything out the window, just go for it. 
 

set up to the ball, and swing normal. 
 

I’ve gained what seems like effortless distance, accuracy has improved and eliminated probably 25% of my mishits if not more. 
 

Cheers! 

 

 

[BigMacQue]

"Brush the grass"

On the takeaway, brush the grass a good 6-8 inches or more behind the ball as you take it away.  Keeps it straight and engages the shoulders, so you get the turn of the shoulders and hips right.

[Javs]

1 hour ago, Push-ups For Bogeys said:

Watched a video of Alex Elliot a few months ago, and since I normally avoid practice swings it took me until a few rounds ago to adopt. But after advising a few friends and seeing the results, gave it a shot. And the difference is staggering. 
 

the idea is two and only two practice swings.

First in super slow motion. I do like 10% speed, I use that swing to feel what I want, maybe over emphasize on a swing thought. 

Second is 150%, technique and everything out the window, just go for it. 
 

set up to the ball, and swing normal. 
 

I’ve gained what seems like effortless distance, accuracy has improved and eliminated probably 25% of my mishits if not more. 
 

Cheers! 

 

 

I don’t take any practice swings. I see the shot and setup and pull the trigger. 

[WillRowland]

COMMIT - go through all of your swing thoughts prior to stepping up to the ball.  When over the ball commit to the shot.

[Mark Ruble]

Best tip I ever got:

Rule #1 : If your in trouble with your golf shot, then look for the easiest way to get out of trouble.

Rule #2 : Go back to RULE #1…..

Iv’e saved numerous strokes by following this. At the time my friend was a 2hcp that gave this advice to me about 20yrs ago. This really comes into play during tournament golf. 
 

 

[evomo23]

one of the best things I heard was from Butch Harmon when he said your approach should be once you get to 1 under think lets get to 2 under, never be satisfied, dont try and hold on, but move forward, the other was I asked one of our local pros who had numerous course records for a tip and he said you have hit thousands of balls played thousands of rounds when you have a 135 yd shot hit it 135 dont think where are my hands is my alignment okay...anything just think 135 and do it

[mackdaddy]

A straight ball is the best option 90% of the time, master that before you try to shape balls.

Equally impactful.  Putting pace is most important part over 10 feet pretend the hole is 3 feet around the hole and you will score much better.  It take all the stress out of the stroke.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Mackey
more to say.

[NatesGolf]

As a builder/fitter, the best thing anyone can do to make their game more consistent is to get the loft/lie angles on your irons checked (dynamically), and adjusted by a good fitter. It'll cost you about $5 a club. When the irons are nicely graduated, I can almost guarantee your GIRs will improve dramatically!

[wsmitche]

Best tip I received years ago was when you are in a fairway bunker before you take your stroke lift your chin up. Keeps you from hitting fat. Has served me well over the years.

[Javs]

12 minutes ago, wsmitche said:

Best tip I received years ago was when you are in a fairway bunker before you take your stroke lift your chin up. Keeps you from hitting fat. Has served me well over the years.

Good tip! Actually butt out with chin and chest up are good on all shots. Keeps your posture correct. 

[FmrCaddie13]

Several thousand rounds of playing and a ton of rounds caddying over 39 years lead to these (sorry I can't do only one) and a lot of players, especially average to bad ones will argue on them all. So from tee to green:

1) Choke down on or purchase a shorter driver. You will hit it farther and straighter. Watch the long tour guys like Rory and Sergio (in his prime). They choke down and bomb it straight all the time.

2) When deciding between two clubs take more club every time. The one time you hit a 7 iron 175 is the one time.  If most of the time you hit it 165 play for most of the time. 

3) Except with scoring irons (or all irons if you are a high hdcp) play your full irons aiming for the center of the green. Don't flag hunt. That way inconsistencies long, short, left, right, combo give you a better chanxe of being on the green.

4) Until you master it, chip with the same club every time. I recommend any wedge between 48-56 degrees. You'll develop distance control and touch. Once you have those you can apply it to various lofts based on circumstance (or you'll be so deadly with the one club you won't mess around!)

5) For putts outside of 12 feet pretend the cup is the center of a wagon wheel. If you're first put ends inside the wheel it's an easy 2 putt. Success! Not sure I have ever seen a bad putter who had grest distance control but just could't read greens. Unless you are putting first your companions' putts give a ton of info on break. Watch every putt, not just yours and watch each until they stop rolling for max info. Master distance control, master putting.

 

 

[lacou19]

Always swing with the slope when it's uphill or downhill. Align your shoulder with the slope.

[mjlamont]

It’s not how good your good shots are, it’s how good your bad shots are. Play smart, don’t take any unnecessary risks to minimize blow up holes.

[Golf2Much]

I have three, two of which are somewhat related.

1.  At a country club I was a member at the pro was scoring the men's club championship qualifier.  I was practicing and he called me over.  Looking down the fairway at the golfers coming up 18 he said "There's not a smile on any of their faces.  I want to say your not that good to be that serious!  Heck I can beat them all and I'm not that good!"  So @russtopherb you are right.  Don't take your self too serious and go have fun.

2.  I was at a three day golf school with my friend.  Our instructor was an older women with three LPGA majors under her belt.  We started with goals for the three days.  I had a simple one:  answering if am I physically capable to getting any better?  At 66 years old with some physical limitations, I just wanted to know.  After about two hours on the range, she came up to me and said, "Maximizing equipment may get you an incremental improvement, but no, you not physically capable of making the moves needed to make a significant improvement in your game."  Some would be discouraged.  I was relieved to know that I am what I am.  I've learned to embrace it and not put too much pressure on myself.

3.  From a swing perspective:  have a repeatable pre shot routine (and use it) and commit to the shot.  

[WDobe]

In my almost 50 years of golf there is one thing that helped me the most. For the first many years I struggled to break 100. Yes occasionally 90s and rarely 80s. Chronic slicer, hitting from the top.

Decided in the early nineties to fix it. Bought many books, took a few lessons, etc.  Nothing seemed help very much. One book I came across was “Quantum Golf” by Kjell Enhager. A short, fun read within the mystical fantasy golf genre. Within the story there was one thing that I had never heard in any other book or from any teaching pro, that helped me to stop hitting from the top and thereby help eliminate my slice.

Don’t remember the exact words but basically; don’t stop breathing- at the top of the backswing, exhale as the downswing starts. If you try to “hit” from the top it will cut off your breath. By exhaling as you start the downswing it allows your arms to find the “slot” and therefore approach the ball from the inside to square to inside instead of outside to in, creating the slice.

I had tried every other “fix” - strong grip, draw face angles, etc. - any fix or anti slice thing I tried - nothing worked because I was casting the club from the top trying to hit the ball hard and cutting across the ball. Oh sure sometimes it wouldn’t slice but would pull hard left - not much better!

Now it is a work still in progress- when I started the process to quit slicing my handicap was around 25 or so. I slowly brought it down to an index of around 12+. Even broke 80 a couple times. It has crept up to 16+ the last few years.

I think I’ll read the book again-probably been thirty years! Maybe some other things will hit me like the breathing did!

[ReggieTurner44]

Find a tour pro with a similar body type and try to copy their swing.

[EugeGall]

Don’t take up golf

[cnosil]

21 hours ago, TitleistMike said:

A lesson is a tip. Nicklaus Palmer Boros Harvey Penick writings were loaded with tips. 

I made it to scratch never taking a lesson. Learned from all those tips.

I don’t thing a lesson is a tip. IMO, A lesson has ideas and feels and other concepts that when all put together help the player swing better.  A tip is a single idea that is marketed as being a single fix for your problem.  Tips usually address the symptom and not the underlying problem.   
 

congratulations on making it to scratch without a lesson.  Sure a player can get better by following individual tips, but what can’t be answered is could it have been done faster or more simply by not following tips.  Many players he to scratch or better without lessons, but maybe you could have gotten better than scratch if you had taken formal lessons.  Something we won’t know. Ironically, The idea of Not following tips is actually a “tip”.  

[Javs]

56 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I don’t thing a lesson is a tip. IMO, A lesson has ideas and feels and other concepts that when all put together help the player swing better.  A tip is a single idea that is marketed as being a single fix for your problem.  Tips usually address the symptom and not the underlying problem.   
 

congratulations on making it to scratch without a lesson.  Sure a player can get better by following individual tips, but what can’t be answered is could it have been done faster or more simply by not following tips.  Many players he to scratch or better without lessons, but maybe you could have gotten better than scratch if you had taken formal lessons.  Something we won’t know. Ironically, The idea of Not following tips is actually a “tip”.  

I agree fully with your assessment. To me, lessons or self ownership of your swing is a road map and requires building or finding your best possible swing. One that will hold up under pressure. One that is repeatable and reliable. Tips on the other hand as you stated correct a symptom or offer a quick bandaid to the wound. Tips can also be a thought or a mental approach which may have nothing to do with owning your swing. I believe taking ownership of your swing and working it out in the dirt is the best approach long term. However, since most people don’t really understand the swing or their flaws the only real fix would be lessons from a good teacher. 

[RuttyB]

The best tip I ever received was on advancing the ball out of fairway bunkers. A friend (+2 handicap) told me that when in fairway bunkers with a long shot to the green I should put the ball in the front of my stance, put my weight on my right side (side nearest green), take one extra club and simply swing smoothly. I tried it snd it worked like a dream and has so ever since. I have given this tip yo my other golf buddies and they have all had success with it.

[EugeGall]

9 hours ago, EugeGall said:

Don’t take up golf

Ok so I ignored the tip and used it as motivation 

[FallenSaber]

The greens break towards the ocean. I live in San Diego so knowing the coastal greens will more than likely break towards the ocean has been a huge help. Playing Coronado can be frustrating since it's an island!

[Caro1ina48]

Best thing I was ever told by my current instructor is knuckles down on lead hand. Changed my striking considerably 

[Javs]

On 8/12/2023 at 12:03 PM, RuttyB said:

The best tip I ever received was on advancing the ball out of fairway bunkers. A friend (+2 handicap) told me that when in fairway bunkers with a long shot to the green I should put the ball in the front of my stance, put my weight on my right side (side nearest green), take one extra club and simply swing smoothly. I tried it snd it worked like a dream and has so ever since. I have given this tip yo my other golf buddies and they have all had success with it.

Interesting and guess there is more than one way to execute. However, in my experience you are supposed to choke down on the club and take one extra club. Play the ball back a ball in your stance. Keep your chest and chin up and lower body quiet on takeaway. Then pick the ball clean. With this technique you can play any club successfully out of the bunker depending on lie and the lip height and distance to clear. I can hit a 3 wood out of fairway bunker under the right conditions with extremely high success. However, if the other way works for you go for it. It is just opposite of how I learned and what has worked for me. 

[dabigkahuna]

Over the decades, many tips come and go, but the one that always resonated for me is..............

"See where the ball was"

What it means is that you are keeping your head steady, and eyes focused on the swing plane as you sweep through the ball.  It has required me to swing on a more level plane, and take a reduced backswing to about 3/4's my usual (beyond parallel) backswing.  In all, it has quieted movement and improved solid contact with the ball.  

[MNUte]

You're not good enough to worry about that. 

 

The friend who told me this then sat me down and showed me PGA averages. He also reminded me that I don't play for a living. Now, I'm far better about taking the positives from each hole and round. And funny enough, the moment I stopped being so serious,  I started playing more consistently.

[Fore67]

I was struggling in a 2-man team match play event, when finally the match over and we were playing the last 3 holes in, Bill Wylie (one of Alberta/Canada's finest amateur players of all time) took me aside and suggested, 'try to play each shot as a practice shot for the time when I needed it most'. Takes all the pressure off of the moment and success or failure is left up to the next opportunity. I haven't paid too much attention to that tip in the last decade or so, now that I'm thinking about it again, I will use it the next time I tee it up. I expect that my game will improve immediately!

[thatgolferguy2000]

If you're struggling with getting putts started online, look at a spot an inch or two in front of the ball that you want your putter to pass over rather than look at the ball. Started doing this recently and has worked wonders on putts inside 15 feet.