Trouble with Thin or Skulled Shots?

In some geographic areas the course turf conditions can get hard or the sand traps thin, course or hard. You may find that you have trouble getting the Club under the ball and airborne the way you want. You may be hitting thin shots in the traps or hard ground.

When fitting someone for clubs in these conditions, I make sure thye have a shallow bounce angle (particularly in the Wedges) and a fairly traditional sole depth. I may also grind the leading edge a bit sharper. These fitting patterns allow the club to be a more effective “digger” and get under the ball in most conditions.

Hitting a Lot of Fat Shots?

Many players I custom fit, particularly those where the courses are soft or have deep thick rough, have trouble taking to big/deep divots or getting the club head stuck in the thick rough. I fit them with Irons, particularly the Wedges, with more Bounce Angle and deeper Soles.
In some cases I Grind the leading edge a bit rounder as well. This keeps the Clubs from digging into the soft ground or thick rough. The added bounce and deeper sole will resist going to deep.

Trouble Hitting Through Your Irons?

I have had some trouble the last few years getting my weight off my right side on the down swing. Result? More tooped shots, less solid hits and some chunks!

This year I have worked to set my stance up with 60% or so of my weight already on the inside of my left foot (for right handers) and my right knee tilted in a bit toward the left knee. I try to stay in the position during the back swing and keep my head behind the ball as I swing down and through…much better ball contact. Give it a try.

What's the Proper Set Up For The Pitch Shot?

What’s The Proper Set Up For The Pitch Shot

I am a total believer in the Dave Pelz school of golf. My Pitch shots from 50 yards and closer have improved a bunch. Set up first with a “Square grip”, hands facing each other and thumbs both on top of the grip. Aim the face of the club at your desired target.
Next, set up square behind your club at address. Once set, open your leading foot (left foot for right handers) about 30 – 45 degrees. Check to make sure your club head is still pointing at your target. Soften the hands (Pelz Calls this the “dead hand grip”). Turn your body –Arms – Hands – Shoulders back and through all together.

Do Your Putts Bounce a Lot with Little Roll?

Many of the golfers I Fit for putters just don't get the Ball rolling smoothly end-over-end. There are two main reasons. They play the ball too far back in their stance resulting in closing the putter down (de-lofting). The putter hits the ball down and it then pops up bouncing to the hole.

Play the ball in the middle of your stance or a ball forwared. In some cases the Putter needs more loft for a given player. Yes…a putter has about 4 degrees of loft. A local Club fitter can bend the putter slightly to add a degree of loft so that you get the ball rolling.

How To Make Those Critical Short Putts

Inside 10 feet is the putting “Red Zone” like in football, when you get inside the Red Zone you need to make a high percentage of your Putts.. Here is a process that works for many golfers. First, determine what you think the “break” might be. Pick a spot along the line to the hole that represents the break.



Next determine the stroke needed to get the ball to the hole (distance). Here I find most golfers come up short or are too tentative. Pick a spot on the back of the Cup and stroke the Putt to hit that spot. Commit to it…believe in your Read & Speed – take the putter back and stroke through – and Don’t Look!

How To Make More Putts!

When you arrive at the course and have time at the practice green...concentrate on your putts from 15 feet and closer. Determine how to stroke the ball to go 9 feet (3 full stepes), 12 feet (4 full steps) & 15 feet (5 full steps).

One technique is to see how far the putt goes when you take the Putter back just inside your back foot, then back to your Toe and then back to just outside your back foot..then adjust from there. Next practice from 3 feet. Get the feel for distance at 3 feet and Do Not Look up at all. Practice stroking the Putt and not looking from all distances but particularly the 3 footer.

100 Yards In To Win!

To reduce your scores, I can't stress enough how important it is to know how far each Wedge will go (from your Pitching Wedge on up). I mean 'how far will each Wedge go with a 3/4 swing, 1/2 swing and 1/4 swing'?


You simply have to know this! If you want to learn more, I highly recommend the book Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible by, of course David Pelz. You will thank me and you will improve your game.

How Many Wedges Should You Have?

More golfers are beginning to realize that they should work on game improvement from the Green back to the Tee. I believe the Tee shot with the Driver is one of the 3 most important clubs to master...also among the hardest. Keep proacticing with the Driver but put more emphasis on the "Short Game" from 100 yards in and consider having 3 -4 Wedges in your set. I recommend a Pitching Wedge, Gap Wedge, Sand Wedge and Loft Wedge (no more that 58 degrees for handicaps above 15).

Paralysis By Analysis Hits Tiger Too!

Most golfers know the term "paralysis by analysis" used to describe the poor shot results by over-analyzing the shot you need to hit. If you watched Tiger's play on the last day of the PGA Championship...Y.E Yang caught and beat Tiger for the Championship...I believe we witnessed Tiger totally distracted and over-analyzing. Yes, the course was Windy, but even the announcers commented on how distracted Tiger was testing the Wind by tossing grass in the air almost every shot. We can all stand to be more focused on the Vision and less analytical.

Chipping: Lofted Club or Less Lofted?

When facing a chip around the green, the general rule of thumb is to use a "loft" that will get the ball on the green rolling as quickly as possible. Most golfers I see use too much loft when chipping. If you are in the fringe around the green or the first cut of rough (if it's not to high/thick) try using a 7 or 8 Iron and stroke it much like a putt. If you are a bit farther away, use a 9 Iron. Think...what club will get the ball onto the green and rolling the quickest.

The Hybrid Shot Beats Tiger

Wow. Y.E. Yang's #3 Hybrid Shot at the PGA on the last hole seals Tiger's fate and delivers the PGA Championship to Y. E. The Hybrid type club is among the fatest growing golf clubs in the market and for good reason. Easier to hit for most golfers, with a higher and straighter ball flight, the Hybrid can replace the harder to hit long irons. Fit properly, the Hybrid can really make a difference.

YOU can learn to Choose golf clubs for you too. To learn more about how to fit your clubs to come visit my site!