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

[tdroma98]

The best tip I ever had was to read the book: "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose".  written by Pia Nilsson & Lynn Marriott (Annika Sorenstam's coaches)
The book provided & still provides a great mental outlook to the game and some basics to approaching the game we take for granted. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how long you've been playing, nor your handicap level, I found the book to give a good structure to approach the game and great reference! In addition, as @cnosil stated, find a good instructor one your comfortable with & who can teach you good fundamentals. 

[Duxman130]

I can tell you the best tip I've given when asked by once-per-week players on how to improve.

"Quit Golf"

If you're not going to put in the practice time and physical conditioning, you're not going to improve.  There's no magic words.

 

[Kube107]

I took a 3 Credit Hour Golf class in college.  The instructor was a Golf Digest published Philosophy professor.  He corrected everything from my grip and stance to how to create and maintain a preshot routine.  He taught me how to find my contact point and track club distances.  We worked on how to analyze rounds by keeping track of fairways hit, short game stats and everything in between. But the one thing he said makes you better is to just PLAY! and keep playing.  Strangely enough he rarely talked about Philosophy.  Initially the more I played I got alot worse.  I went from shooting 98 - 105 to suddenly I was shooting 115 - 132 and it was horribly frustrating but I tracked everything and he said keep playing.   Suddenly, everything "clicked".    I was shooting in the mid 90's and then broke 90 and eventually, a few years later and alot of playing, broke 80.  

Bottom line.  Just play.

[SethGolf15]

Couple for me. 
 

1. chipping. Line up. Lean left (if your a righty) to move you center of gravity and then chip. Helps you get better contact each time. 
 

2.  Chipping. Line the ball in the back of your stance to keep it lower. Front of stance to keep it higher. 
 

3. Rhythm. back swing count 1,2,3 down swing counts 1. 
 

4. don’t swing harder on your real swing than your practice swing. 
 

5. You’re not good enough to get mad  just enjoy the game  

6. Also, heard Dustin Johnson say this. the range is for trying things. The course is for playing. Just go out and play. Don’t try to work on your swing while on the course. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by SethGolf15

[jacksonstorm]

20 hours ago, Johnny_Clocks said:

Seems like it would have been easier to not respond than to invalidate my question. 
 

I was really just trying to start a conversation, not “relying on tips”.

 

I agree with you. That seems to be the point of having a forum. Then again maybe his comment was his 'tip'.

 

[Bobvon24]

An old timer I played with for years RIP , would tell me when my game was going bad, he would say just take two weeks off then quit

[jj1010]

I have only took one lesson ever and the tip he gave me changed my game forever. The tip was if your grip is wrong it doesn'tmatter how good your swing is. Ever since then as long as i focus on getting my grip correct before each shot I've played so much better!  

[edkrisiak]

Don't used found balls on the golf course.  Use one brand ball for consistency.

[Julius]

Would agree with the sentiment that actual instructor time is usually well worth it, as they can see and touch you, so while YouTube videos have a place, instructors will make more progress. That said, probably the best "tip" I ever got was around my putter swing.  I have a moderate to strong putter arc, which I didn't really notice so much before (it just felt natural to me), and while it is ok to have it, there are also putter fittings that can address that.  I went to a putter fitter and he measured it and i changed my putter to one that was engineered for that kind of stroke.  I think it has helped over time as I typically don't have a lot of 3 putts anyway. 

[ccostel18]

21 minutes ago, Duxman130 said:

 

I can tell you the best tip I've given when asked by once-per-week players on how to improve.

"Quit Golf"

 

Can’t say that I fully support this comment. Even minor improvements can increase one’s enjoyment of the game and make one feel better about themselves as a player.  Ultimately that is all us amateurs are looking for.

The best advice I have received actually came from this forum.  How I play on the course doesn’t affect my life off the course. It doesn’t increase or decrease the love I give or receive from my family and friends. It doesn’t affect my job or ability to provide for my family.  I am not, nor ever will be a pro, so trying to hold myself up to the standards that are seen on the TV weekly is only going to bring frustration and disappointment in my game.

I agree that instruction from a professional coach is the best way to improve if you are interested in total game improvement. However, if you are a weekend hacker just looking to make yourself feel better about your game then relish the small improvements. Celebrate a round with no triple bogeys. Reflect on those couple great shots you had.  Allow yourself to build on the small positives rather than tearing down your game from the negatives.

If there is a specific area of your game that is really bothering you then focus only on that area for the time being. Bogging yourself down with to many swing corrections, ball positions, club changes, etc, etc, etc, will only breed more frustration.

I fully believe that increased game enjoyment leads to game improvement. 

[Maineiac]

Towel under armpits, hit 1/2 shots with 7 iron without letting towel fall until after striking the ball. Repeat 1,000 times.
 

Led me to consistent contact with full shots and also dramatically improved my chipping. 

[B_R_A_D_Y]

Swing like you’re throwing the club … like a helicopter. Helped my release. 

[John Marchetto]

Get it on the green.  When you miss the green and have a difficult chip don't try to make the hero shot just  get it on the green. 

[Kevin W]

If ball striking is off practice chipping and short pitching to get solid contact back on point then do "hard aggressive short pitching" almost like a short swing building solid contact back. It's amazing when I go back to this how effective I can be getting around the course with solid contact and shorter swings. I think of it as full pitches rather than full swing making it easier for the brain to process. I eventually work back to full swing but anytime that gets off track I go back to the shorter swing and the thought that I'm hitting full pitches. It's amazing when your mind thinks of it differently, simpler, it can make it feel easier. I do this with any club including driver. One more thing, stand athletically, taller and let the arms hang naturally.

Have fun!

[Jrmabin1990]

To look at each shot as an opportunity, and accepting the fact that there's only two results.

it's going to either go the way I want it to or it's not, and I'm okay either way. This changed everything for me.

[GolfSpy BOS]

Best tip I ever got was actually from my Dad.  He always used to say "Tempo, 1-2-3, 1-2."  If I ever get out of sorts on the course I usually remind myself to check my tempo.  Keeps me from getting quick and starting my downswing before I finish my backswing and helps keep my sequence in check. 

Some times I'll even say it out loud during a practice swing.

[DannyDarts]

Grip is the single most important part of the golf swing.

-Ben Hogan

[Peejer]

For me - my miss is usually a pull shot left of target.  Drives me crazy some days...

A very good golfer and friend told me to think of my right shoulder, feel like its going UNDER your chin on your downswing and NOT AROUND your chin.

Obviously, it can't physically go under my chin, but that's the feeling I think of.

 

He told me this over a decade ago and to this day, I still use it when a case of the 'pulls' happen.

 

[DannyDarts]

1 minute ago, Peejer said:

For me - my miss is usually a pull shot left of target.  Drives me crazy some days...

A very good golfer and friend told me to think of my right shoulder, feel like its going UNDER your chin on your downswing and NOT AROUND your chin.

Obviously, it can't physically go under my chin, but that's the feeling I think of.

 

He told me this over a decade ago and to this day, I still use it when a case of the 'pulls' happen.

 

I have been dealing with this problem as well. Some of it has been gripping the club too firmly and coming through with a straight swing plane, but closed clubface. Very good tip though. Somebody recently had me swinging out more by putting a Tee above and left of the ball and swinging towards a Tee.

[MattM32]

“You always get another chance to hit a good shot”    Had a guy tell me this when I played in a group with him and his buddies when I was a kid. Hit a couple bad shots so I was upset said this to me and it changed my round! 

[billybogey]

Other than Billy "Move On". It was K.I.S.S.!! As in " Keep It Simple; STUPID!!!"

Works!! Trust Me!!

[Bradka13]

Two different tips for me...both driver related. 

1. Like most everybody I struggled with a slice until being told to "Imaging standing in the batter's box and swing at the second baseman" Being a baseball player I could relate and while being somewhat counter-intuitive to swing the direction I didn't want the ball to go I was rid of the slice almost immediately.

2. Relax!  Relax to the point that if you relax any more you will soil yourself:-)  Seems like when I am struggling on the tee box (which is more often than I like to admit) I find that I am tensing up and when I consciously relax before swinging, it usually has a positive impact on the resluts.

[RogerKD]

Best tip I’ve had is to start with the correct setup. If I have the basics covered when I setup over the ball it allows me to swing more comfortably and consistently.

[agesicki34]

A lot of great tips here. Nothing new to add but in my experience, course management and understanding/playing to my strengths and weaknesses has really helped me score. 

[TG8]

For my game, hit through the ball, not at it. Helps my ball striking immensely when I start spraying it.  

[shailey]

In my opinion, short game tips are the best if you are perusing the internet.  Some will work, some won't.  Listen, try and practice. Ten abandon or practice more.  Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson, Tiger, any of those guys will give great tips in their clinics that they do at tourneys.  The game changing tip I received was from Tiger.  Two of the courses I am a member at have  grainy grass around the green that sometimes catches the club or ball, sometimes it doesn't.  One of the tips was to chip with the heel up.  The other was to  attention to how the grass acts when you are getting your short shot lined up AND look at where the ball will land.  When brushing the grass, is it laying down after the stroke or standing up after the stroke.  That helps determine how well the ball will release or grab when it lands on the fringe.  That tip helped me make my mind up on two things.  1.  What speed to swing through the shot with or  2. fly it on the green or change loft of my chipping club to give it more speed through the fringe.  That was back in the 2000's when I was a single digit and it helped me get to a plus handicap.  I got up and down for par a lot more often on par 4s and 3s when I missed the green and made more birdies on par 5s.   

When it comes to the swing, I personally would not listen to anything on the internet.  Find a good instructor in your area and stick with them.  Stay off Instagram and the internet listening to short tidbits about how to fix something or do something right  Hint, you might have something else that completely causes it, a physical impairment that keeps it from happening or that isn't a problem AT ALL. The people on the other side of the internet do not know your swing type, flexibility or any other information that could very quickly change how you SHOULD do things.  So the tip you are listening to may sound good, but it actually doesn't apply to you.  

[OrangeCrush]

Play the swing you have that day.

 

The range before your round is for warming up not hitting perfect shots. 

[mharr]

My best tip I got was a number of years ago (sometime in the 80's) when I was about an 18 handicap.  Saw a Tom Watson article in Golf magazine about strategy on long approaches, and how hitting a long iron or fairway wood (this was before hybrids) to a green was high-risk, low-reward, even a slight miss would put you in green side trouble (bunkers, moguls, heavy rough, etc).  A better strategy would be to layup and hit a comfortable shot you feel you can almost guarantee to get on the green.  So I dedicated a year, that if I was 200 yds out or more, I would layup to 100 yds, even if it meant hitting PW or SW twice.  My handicap dropped that year from 18 to 13, my wedge play got SO much better, and I just got much better thinking around the course, where to hit it for my best chance of hitting the green.  I still follow this practice, 30-35 years later as a 67-year old and now as a 7-8 handicap.

[3Wack]

Watch the ball, not the clubhead.

Especially when putting!

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

I have two, one was from my dad having me golf righty instead of lefty. Was too enveloped as a lefty batter in baseball that being a righty in golf I think helped me.

The other actual advice has benefited me more over the last 2 years and that is “80% swing 100% distance”. While obviously I don’t swing 80% all the time it’s more of a reminder that I need to swing easy and smooth not rushed, I am significantly more consistent and longer because of better contact. Thanks @GolfSpy BOS