Are you hitting great golf shots but feeling like you could put a little more power behind the ball? I’ve got a couple of tips to solve this, however, expect to see a consistent 2-5 yard carry gain. Picking up an extra 10 – 20 yards is not realistic and if someone tells you the opposite, proceed with caution. The only way you can pick up mega yardage like that is in the gym, working out your legs and doing explosive compound exercises. My tips below will explain how to work with what you’ve got right now and pick up and extra 3-5 yards carry each club.

1. The most important tip I can provide is, having the correct equipment that is fitted for you and your swing speed. I cannot stress this enough, if you the clubs do not match your swing, you are wasting your time. My swing speed on average is around 115, if I were to swing a regular flexed driver I Will Not see the maximum distance my swing is capable of. Make sure your shaft flex matches your swing speed.
2. Don’t be afraid to use your legs. they are the largest group of muscles in our body. People who consistently hit the golf ball a long way have strong legs. You should feel a slight tension in your legs before you hit the golf ball and upon finishing the swing, you should squeeze the butt cheeks. This sounds like a small change but that alone can produce a couple extra mph of swing speed.
3. Forget about LAG and swing the club. Lag will give you extra distance but will also have you hitting a recovery shot from the forest soon after. Lag is great for distance and bad for accuracy, I don’t know about you but I want both distance and accuracy. The simplest tip I can offer here is to “Swing the Club Head”, a simple example is, imagine you are hammering a nail thru the back of the ball with the club head.

Are you being lured under an evil spell of “sucker pins” on every hole? Well, Every flag position is not created equal. There are 3 types of flags, and they all need to be played differently. I am going to explain to you how to recognize and play the different flag positions on a green.

1.”Get’em flag” 

These are the easiest to spot, they are normally away from all hazards, which more times than not will be in the center of the green. These flags are “get’em flags” because there is a minimal risk if you miss hit a shot. A flag positioned in the center of the green takes out most of the guesswork of a hole, as most golf course distances are to the center of the green. Take aim at this flag and have no fear if you miss hit the shot, there is plenty room.

2.”Egg Flag”

Its called the “Egg Flag” because you need to use caution when handling. These types of flags are harmless for the most part unless you miss hit the shot. In the same way, eggs are a great food unless you drop them, then it gets messy quickly. A broken egg is trash if you aren’t cracking its contents into a bowl. “Egg Flags” are usually just outside of the “get’em” zone, they can appear to be “Get’em Flags” at first glance be very careful of this. There is a hidden danger in going for an “Egg Flag”, catch the shot a little thin and you are in the water, hit the shot fat and you may come up short of the green. For these types of pin positions, take aim at the center of the green, since “Egg Flags” are normally NEAR the center of the green you will have a putting range of about 15ft-25ft. We are looking for a decent birdie and guaranteed par on these holes.

3.”Sucker Pin”

We all know and love these! They can be the “shot of a lifetime” or they can make you want to quit golf entirely.  “Sucker Pins” are the remaining areas, they are close to the edges of greens, they are close to hazards, they are like our Exes; Fun and Crazy but not worth the trouble. STAY AWAY from these flags, PlAY AWAY from these flags. We want to leave with a par on these holes, yes it may be a 60ft 2 putt for Par but that is way better than making a 10 on the hole. Take Aim at the center of the green as well, to secure a Par. “Sucker Pins” require a perfect shot, and unless you have nothing to lose to one of these flags PLAY AWAY from it.

Hole 16 at August National is the perfect example, the Sunday pin location is normally the back left just behind the bunker. As tempting as this flag position may look, just about every Tour player hits his shot to the center of the green and hopes it rolls down to the hole location. This flag is only accessible via the center of the green. remember that.

Do you own headcovers for all your irons? Do you have nightmares about your clubs getting scratches? Do you place your golf bag in a car seat while driving? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be treating your golf clubs like babies and not tools.
If you want to be a good golfer, you can’t be worried about how new your clubs look. Good golfers aren’t afraid to get down and dirty. Sometimes good golfers even toss their golf clubs like they are playing ultimate frisbee (Which I do not condone!). Golf clubs are made to be beaten, they are durable and can handle the pounding. I’ve hit a few of my irons off concrete, rocks, pebbles, mud, you name it. If you saw my golf clubs, they would be able to tell you a story. They are used and abused and have hit many great shots.

via GIPHY

Let me tell you why you shouldn’t protect your clubs like they are newborn babies. If you have been properly fitted for your clubs, they are tailor specifically for you. You could resale them, however, that person would have had to be fitted to the exact specifications that you were also. The likely hood of you finding that person is difficult. Now, let’s say you did find that perfect match. Will they care more the clubs are at a discounted price from retail or that they have a few scuffs and scratches on them? From my personal experience in looking for used golf clubs, the only things that matter to me are that the wear and tear don’t affect the integrity of the golf club. Let’s be honest, most irons today are forged from steel, it is not exactly easy to damage steel.

You could call this a rant, but my main point is that instead of spending an extra $20 to cover each individual iron, go and buy something useful like a putting mirror. This simple mirror will actually help you make more birdies, unlike having showroom ready irons does.

How many times have you taken a golf lesson and the instructor starts to explain what is going on and you are instantly transported to another dimension where you don’t know which way is up?
Golf is not that complicated, it’s a game, you don’t need a PhD in Physics to know how to play golf well. I will tell you the only advice you will ever need, to fix any issue you have in your golf game.

1. Golf is Truly a Game of Opposites, the next time you are suffering from an uncontrollable slice, swing your club head in the direction of the slice. When you are suffering from the horrible hooks, swing more in the direction of the hook. You don’t really need to understand the technical reasons of why this work, Just Use It.
2. Expectation Vs. Reality, I know we all expect to go out and shoot the best round of our lives every time we tee the ball up. The reality is… We Won’t. We all expect to not make any mistakes the entire round, but the reality is, WE WILL! The best advice I ever received was, not to worry about making the perfect golf swing or hitting the perfect golf shot but to except each outcome of every shot equally. If you chunk a wedge to within 1ft of the hole, who cares you didn’t hit a crisp chip shot. If you skull an iron shot to 5ft, it doesn’t matter that you almost took someone’s head off. You only have a 5ft putt left to make birdie. Let’s not get caught up in trying to be the perfect golfer, because that’s unattainable. Even tour pros miss hit shots and get away with it and I’d bet $1,000 that most of them don’t care. Don’t be the 15-handicap golfer expecting to hit the ball like a +3 handicapper.

3. “I Need To Make This Putt”, are the words that should never come from your lips. I’m almost certain you won’t make that putt you are dying to make. Here’s the tips… You only have two options, Try to make every putt or Don’t try any putt. One thing you can’t do is pick and choose which putts you want to make at any given time. You either believe you can make any putt on any green or you don’t. If you believe you can make any and every putt, you should read the putt to the best of your ability and make the best stroke you can make, just that simple. A putt for triple bogey is no more important than a putt for eagle, it’s still a stoke.

4. Have Fun, this one is short but sweet. Remember why you play golf, because it’s fun and challenging Before each round of golf, instead of saying to yourself, “ let’s play some good golf today”, say to yourself “ let’s have some fun today.”

Follow these tips and watch your scores drop simply because your stress levels are down and your mind is much quieter during your rounds of golf.