Putting Secrets; #1 Most Popular Golf Teacher on You Tube Shawn Clement

www.shawnclementgolf.com Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre, and top 25 CPGA Teaching Professional as rated by Score Golf Magazine, shows you untold putting secrets that will have you sinking putts from everywhere!

Putting Instruction For The Weekend Muni-Golfer

Putting Instruction For The Weekend Muni-Golfer

Article by Jim Masters









Look you could watch the golf channel all you want on putting instruction from all the teachers and pro’s but the bottom line if you are anything like me you don’t have the time to go out everyday and put their concepts to work. Like myself and most of the world we’ve got jobs and families that we need to make priority #1. But, when you have the opportunity to get out on a Saturday morning you want to make the best of it. Right?

Well, in this article I’m going to just give you a couple of tips that you can take with you to the course Saturday morning and make more putts!

The first thing you need to realize about putting is that you don’t want to think about hitting the ball. You want to think about rolling the ball to the hole. You see unlike hitting a golf ball, putting takes touch and finesse. If you simply step up to the ball and try and hit it you will not be able to control your distance.

So for the first putting instruction tip – Think roll the ball to the hole.

Second, don’t spend to much time trying to read the greens. Thinking to much in putting will only restrict your ability to make putts. What you want to do is just decide weather your going uphill or downhill. Is the putt going left or right. And once you get those two things figured out simply pick your line you want to putt the ball on and again think roll the ball to that spot.

So for the second putting instruction tip – Don’t spend to much time trying to read the green.

Lastly, focus your attention on making those 3 to 4 footers and don’t play to much break.

How many times have you hit a good drive, nice approach shot and left yourself with that 20 foot birdie putt and then just lipped out that putt and left yourself with that 3 footer left for par and stepped up and missed it turning that birdie opportunity into a disappointing bogey?

Well, I can relate. Because it seems like this happens more times than not. Those putts are crucial to you having a good round or not having a good round.

When facing those 3 to 4 footers make yourself stay focused and don’t play a lot of break. Simply make yourself concentrate on the back of the cup and make a good solid firm stroke and you will make more than you miss!

In Closing:

Putting instruction for the average weekend muni- golfer doesn’t have to be over complicated. Simply incorporate the tips I listed above and you will make your fair share of putts.

I hope you were able to get some good valuable information out of this article.

For further putting instruction and a step-by-step formula for mastering the art of putting… in as little as 5 minutes visit http://www.putting-secrets-revealed.com



About the Author

Hi, I’m Jim Masters and I’m a full time information provider on various topics that have to do with golf. I research various things about the game and post articles about my findings.

One of the best resources for learning about the art of putting is at http://www.putting-secrets-revealed.com If your having troubles with your putting have a quick look! To your success, Jim










Putting skills

Putting skills

Article by shoppinginjoy.com









Putting

Putting is arguably the most important skill in golf.

Forget about reading the green until you have mastered pace. Getting this right comes from developing a smooth putting rhythm.

There are no hard and fast rules about how you address the ball – develop any style you like as long as it delivers a smooth and reliable stroke.

(cheap golf clubs )

1.Very few top golfers break their wrists when they putt.

Instead they let their arms hang loosely and hold the putter lightly so both hang like a pendulum from the shoulders.

Ben Crenshaw is one of the world’s finest. He holds the putter so lightly he sometimes drops it – but this is how he achieves the ‘touch’ behind a smooth rhythm.

Set up with the ball near your front foot, the club face square to the target line and your eyes over the ball.

It is important to keep your hands level or ahead of the ball through the stroke.

2.Move the putter away smoothly, the arms hinging from the shoulders not the elbows or wrists.

Keep the putter head as a low to the ground as possible.

Keep the putter on a line square to the target as you swing it back and then forth.

3.Maintain your tempo through the swing, accelerating slightly into the ball.

Watch the putter head strike the back of the ball on the upswing, feeling almost as if the palm of your right hand is striking it towards the target.

The best putting strokes look smooth because the club is swung back and forward at the same speed.

(cheap golf clubs )

4.Follow through to the hole with your club, not your eyes.

It is good to practice keeping eye contact on the spot where the ball was rather than trying to see where it has gone.

Practice counting two seconds in your head before you allow yourself to see how well you’ve done.

Advanced skills

Getting that ball in the hole is what it’s all about.

Pace is the most important factor in a good putt and direction the second.

You can only judge both of these once you’ve had a good look round.

Good golfers begin assessing the green as soon as they have hit their approach shot. They know there are many factors which influence the ‘break’ or ‘borrow’ of a green.

For instance, many golfers believe a putt will always break towards nearby water.

1.Begin analysing your putt as soon as you arrive on the putting surface. Bobby Jones said he could feel the grain of the green beneath the soles of his moccasins.

Most golfers mark their ball so they can wipe it clean.

You can use anything to mark your ball – most people use a coin or special marker pin.

Walk around the putt to assess it from all angles. Look beyond the green too.

If you don’t have to putt first – take note of what happens to your playing partners’ efforts.

(cheap golf clubs )

2.Tiger Woods is rarely seen without his baseball cap – but it’s more than a fashion accessory. Its curved brim helps to block out distractions and focus on the line of the putt.

And when he’s standing over a putt it helps him make sure his eyes are directly over the ball.

That way he knows he is looking right down the target line to the hole.

3.Pick your spot and aim at it – not the hole.

If you think that the putt is going to move three inches from left to right, pick a spot three inches to the left of the hole.

Focus on a blade of grass and concentrate on rolling your ball over it. Visualise the line curving from your ball to the cup.

4.Don’t forget to take account of others factors, such as wind and the grain of the grass.

The ball only weighs an ounce or so on windy days, the breeze can have a big effect. Most grass does not grow straight up.

Putts that go with the grain of the grass will also move quicker than those against.

If you wanna know more detailed information, please go to the site of http://www.shoppinginjoy.com



About the Author

shoppinginjoy is an online golf club wholesale store which have discount branded clubs in stock now. and the store have done the business for years all over the world with great business credibility.










Golf tips: Putting drills to improve your game

Golf tips: Putting drills to improve your game

Article by Enjoymygolftwo









To improve in any area in discount golf clubs , one must practice consistently. This is no different for putting. To putt better you must practice on fundamentals, which include green reading and developing a sense of feel for the golf green. If you are not putting as well as you would like, I would recommend doing two things. First, try out different types of putting grip styles. For instance, try out the claw grip or a grip with the left hand farthest away from you (for a right handed golfer). Second, you may want to consider getting a new putter. Along with doing these, try out a few putting drills as well. Here are a few simple putting drills for you to practice.

The Circle Drill

This drill is very popular amongst discount golf clubs professionals such as Phil Mickelson. To do this putting drill, you will need about five or six golf balls. Set each ball about three or four feet from the whole, in the shape of a circle around the hole itself. Try to make ten in a row before you stop. This drill will improve your putting in two ways. First, it will improve your short putting. Many amateurs seem to have trouble in this area. Instead of giving yourself five foot gimmies, why not actually make the putt instead? By doing this drill it will also improve your confidence in making numerous putts.

The Line Drill

This drill is great for those wanting to improve upon their distance putts. For this drill, you will need about four or five golf balls. Set up a “line” of putts, one behind the other. The balls should be about five feet apart. So for instance, one ball would be placed five feet from the hole, the next ball would be placed 10 feet from the hole, and so on. All of the balls would be on the same line to the hole. By having the balls on the same line, you will know how much the putt will break, thus allowing you to focus on your distance control Callaway RAZR X Irons.

The Head Drill

Are your putts never going along the line you intended them to go? It may be due to your head moving before you follow through on the putt. To fix this problem try what I call the head drill. When you putt the ball simply keep your head down the entire time. Do not look up at all. This is a very simple drill to do that can improve your putting stroke.

Recommaned discount golf clubs info:

TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Iron Set

Cleveland CG16 Wedges

Callaway X-24 hot irons



About the Author

Have you been to a Callaway Performance Center or a Demo Day or seen the Tour Fit Van in your town? That is about the greatest time to get to know the fittest golf clubs for you. Furthermore, after your acknowledgement on the products you can decide which golf clubs are your fittest, then get on to http://www.enjoymygolf.com for further information and finish your process to get your golf clubs.Our mission is to provide golfers with top name brand equipment at the lowest prices available. We carry the largest selection of the latest equipments from Callaway, Minuzo TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping and so on. More info about discount golf clubs, welcome to discount golf clubs










How Good Can Your Putting Get?

How Good Can Your Putting Get?

Article by Jack Moorehouse









Copyright (c) 2007 Jack Moorehouse

Anyone who’s taken my golf lessons or read my golf tips knows how important I consider putting. Since about 30 percent of your shots during a match are putts, improving your putting is among the fastest ways of lowering your scores and cutting your golf handicap down to size. Improving your putting takes practice. But the question remains, how good can your putting get?

Two factors hamper putting accuracy. First, despite the most intensive care, greens are still natural lawns. They’ll never have flawless surfaces, like those of billiard tables, which means you can execute a putt perfectly and the ball can still miss the hole by a wide margin. Because of these imperfections (or in the ball itself), putts don’t always go in the direction you aim.

Second, even when the shot is off, you can’t see from the course of the ball what went wrong. You could have angled the club to the left or the right at impact. You could have moved the putter during the stroke. Or, you could have mis-hit the ball at impact. Whatever the reason, you don’t get sufficient feedback, so it’s hard improving your putting while practicing. Taking golf lessons helps, but it ‘s not enough.

How Good Can You Get?Thanks to these two factors your ability to sink putts-and lower your golf handicap-is limited. To test just how good a player can get at putting, experts conducted tests on well-kept greens using special equipment, designed to roll balls in the same direction and at the same speed every time. The experts used this equipment on numerous greens and from all sides of the pin, and were able to determine the maximum success rate from 12 feet (3.5 meters).

Most golfers would guess that the success rate was about 70 to 80 percent. No so. The maximum success rate is only 50 percent. That’s right, 50 percent. That means that from 12 feet (3.5 meters) a player can hit a ball perfectly every time and still sink only half of his or her putts. Even the pros’ statistics at this distance might surprise you. Results of research conducted by statisticians of the USPGA show that the average pro, under tour conditions, sinks only about 20 percent of his putts from 12 feet (3.5 meters) with the first shot.

Since most golfers think they don’t sink as many putts as they should, many alter their putting technique again and again to increase accuracy-which I see all the time with players taking my golf lessons. Thus, these players constantly readjust and make changes in how they putt. This approach promises little success and is completely unnecessary. It’s a major cause of the constant dissatisfaction of many players.

Improving Your PuttingGiven the above scenario, what can you do to improve your putting in addition to practicing more? Develop a good solid per-shot putting routine and use it every time you putt. If you saw the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open the other week, you saw a classic example of this. Before sinking an easy 2-foot putt for the title, Cristie Kerr executed her compete pre-shot putting routine, even though she was 2 shots ahead.

While everyone’s pre-shot putting routine will be different, they all should include the following six elements:

1. Take your last reading from behind the ball2. Hit your practice shots at this point3. Go to the ball/Align your putter4. Align your body at right angles to the putter’s face5. Take a last look from the head of the putter to the target6. Activate your “triggering mechanism” before stroking the ball.

Within these six elements, there’s room for variation. Some players like to practice while standing behind the ball. Others like to practice while standing beside the ball. Some players like to lift the club off the ground as a triggering mechanism. Others like to use the “forward press.” It doesn’t matter. When developing a pre-shot putting routine, find out what works for you and us it.

Always follow the steps of your pre-shot routine in the same order. Stay in motion, even though these movements are imperceptible. And never come to a complete stop before the shot. It gives you too much time to think about the putt. Finally, make sure no repetitions exist in the routine and that your subconscious always know where you are in the routine. Use this routine every time you putt and you may find yourself not only improving your putting, but also your cutting your golf handicap down to size.



About the Author

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.










PGA Tour Introduces New Putting Statistic

PGA Tour Introduces New Putting Statistic

Article by golfclubs2011







Dean Wilson always believed he was a good putter, whether he was in Japan or on the PGA Tour. The trick was finding proof of that in the statistics.

He finished no higher than 31st in putts per round over the last five years, but Wilson never put much stock in that because it doesn’t account for how often a player is putting for birdie or getting up-and-down from just off the green. He once was 13th in average putts per greens in regulation by TaylorMade Rossa INZA Left Putter

So the 41-year-old from Hawaii was not surprised when told about a new PGA Tour statistic that became official Monday, one that uses Shotlink data over an entire year to measure how well a player putts compared with the field.

The statistic officially is called “Strokes Gained-Putting,” and it’s the first time in 15 years that the PGA Tour has introduced a new core statistic. Wilson would have been among the top 11 putters in four of the last five years.

“I always felt like I’m a good putter,” Wilson said. “I’m confident in my technique and the theories I use. I just don’t know what the correct way would be to measure it. They’re all skewed one way or another. I could never think there was another way to do it.”

Broadie, who plays TaylorMade Rossa INZA Left Putter when he’s not working as a Columbia Business School professor, has been crunching Shotlink numbers for the better part of a decade as he tries to find the most meaningful measure of a tour player’s game.

“A good putting stat should provide a pure measure of putting skill,” said Broadie, who play TaylorMade Rossa INZA Left Putter and then honed it with a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

His philosophy is simple–the quality of every shot should be based on where it started and where it finished.

It starts with determining how many average putts it takes a PGA Tour player from each distance. Broadie discovered that at just under 8 feet, players have a 50 percent chance of making the putt–in other words, the average stroke for that length is 1.5. The average gets higher for the longer putts.

So if Nick Watney makes an 8-foot putt, he will have gained 0.5 strokes on the field. If he takes two putts from that distance, he will have lost 0.5 strokes to the field. (TaylorMade Rossa INZA Left Putter)

Watney is used as an example because he is the current tour leader at 1.215. All that number means is that Watney gains an average of about 1.2 strokes on the field through his putting.

The numbers might not make a lot of sense, but the names do. Luke Donald would have led the tour in this statistic the last two years. Ben Crane would have led the tour twice. Tiger Woods for years was regarded one of golf’s best putters. With this statistic, he ranked among the top 3 in three of the last five years by TaylorMade Rossa INZA Left Putter.

The tour awards a medal to each player who leads a major statistical category, just as driving distance and greens in regulation. Starting this year, “putts gained” will determine who wins the putting category.

http://www.luckygolf18.com/goods.php?id=319



About the Author

golfclubs2011.com

PGA Tour Introduces New Putting Statistic

PGA Tour Introduces New Putting Statistic

Article by Discountwholesalegolf







Dean Wilson always believed he was a good putter, whether he was in Japan or on the PGA Tour. The trick was finding proof of that in the statistics.

He finished no higher than 31st in putts per round over the last five years, but Wilson never put much stock in that because it doesn’t account for how often a player is putting for birdie or getting up-and-down from just off the green. He once was 13th in average putts per greens in regulation, although that didn’t account ping anser for proximity to the hole. So the 41-year-old from Hawaii was not surprised when told about a new PGA Tour statistic that became official Monday, one that uses Shotlink data over an entire year to measure how well a player putts compared with the field. The statistic officially is called “Strokes Gained-Putting,” and it’s the first time in 15 years that the PGA Tour has introduced a new core statistic. Wilson would have been among the top 11 putters in four of the last five years. “I always felt like I’m a good putter,” Wilson said. “I’m confident in my technique and the theories I use. I just don’t know what the correct way would be to measure it. They’re all skewed one way or another. I could never think there was another way to do it.” That’s where Mark Broadie comes in. Broadie, who plays off a 4 handicap when he’s not working as a Columbia Business School professor, has been crunching Shotlink numbers for the better part of a ping anser forged irons decade as he tries to find the most meaningful measure of a tour player’s game. “A good putting stat should provide a pure measure of putting skill,” said Broadie, who developed the stat and then honed it with a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His philosophy is simple — the quality of every shot should be based on where it started and where it finished. The math is a little more complicated. It starts with determining how many average putts it takes a PGA Tour player from each distance. Broadie discovered that at just under 8 feet, players have a 50 percent chance of making the putt — in other words; the average stroke for that length is 1.5. The average gets higher for the longer putts. So if Nick Watney makes an 8-foot putt, he will have gained 0.5 strokes on the field. If he takes two putts from that distance, he will have lost 0.5 strokes to the field. The average for a 20-foot putt is about 1.9. If he makes the putt, he gains 0.9 on the field, whereas if he misses the putt, he loses only 0.1 strokes. Add these up at the end of each round and you have “Putts Gained.” Watney is used as an example because he is the current tour leader at 1.215. All that number means is ping anser irons that Watney gains an average of about 1.2 strokes on the field through his putting. The numbers might not make a lot of sense, but the names do. Luke Donald would have led the tour in this statistic the last two years. Ben Crane would have led the tour twice. Tiger Woods for years was regarded one of golf’s best putters. With this statistic, he ranked among the top 3 in three of the last five years he was eligible. Others who were around the top 10 just about every year were players whom their peers consider good putters — Woods, Steve Stricker, Donald, Crane, Brian Gay, Aaron Baddeley — and yes, even Dean Wilson. The tour awards a medal to each player who leads a major statistical category, just as driving distance and greens in regulation. Starting this year, “putts gained” will determine who wins the putting category. It’s not a perfect system, although it’s designed to take out the bias from the previous putting stats.More information at http://www.ourdiscountgolf.com



About the Author

http://www.ourdiscountgolf.com

Golf Tips of the Day-Proper address for putting

Golf Tips of the Day-Proper address for putting

Article by mygolfwholesale@gmail.com







I know everyone has different styles for different putters. I’m currently gaming a Scotty Cameron SS Newport 2 MS. It has the 45* toe hang compared to my balanced Yes!Tracy.

I know that on putting, you have to hit the ball slightly on the up swing to prevent skipping the ball. so normally what I do is:

1. Set up the ball, Titleist Pro V1x Ball at http://www.mygolfwholesale.com/blog/goods-842-Titleist+Pro+V1x+Ball.html , about 1 inch from the club face 2. deloft the club a little bit by putting my hands slightly infront of the club head.

Just checking what you guys think or if my method is correct or not on address.

1.These are contradicting statements. One is true, and the other is not. The skipping you refer too is caused by the the loft of the club, and hitting on the upswing. If you hit on the upswing, you are adding loft to the club.

I am not saying your method is wrong because there is no right or wrong way to putting, just your analogy of what you think is happening.

IMHO there are three key factors to all good putters, such as Odyssey White Ice Mini T Putter, Odyssey White Ice #1 Putter and Ping iWi Craz-E Putter at http://www.mygolfwholesale.com/blog/goods-920-Ping+iWi+Craz-E+Putter+.html .

*Their stance is such that their eyes are directly over the ball so they can see straight down the line and eliminate the optical illusion. *Hands are pressed forward to deloft the club face. *Swing is with shoulders causing a pendulum motion with firm wrist to eliminate hitting with the hands.

2. It is sooo right. Take your putter inside and align it flush against the wall and make strokes. This will feel totally bizarre and if it was a sledge hammer your wife would be really hot. You can’t help but feel a difference from your action on the putting green. This is the alignment you should use on the course. Practice this drill until it feels normal. Pay very close attention to the routing of your trailing hand and arm while you are putting along the wall. Be sure your ball position is center or forward. A tile floor is the best place to do this to establish ball position; but, in a pinch anything will do.



About the Author

mygolfwholesale@gmail.com

Reading Putting Distance – An Essential Golf Technique

Reading Putting Distance – An Essential Golf Technique

Article by BQ Browning







How often have you been so close to winning a game of golf – there’s just the final putt. You take your time and breathe deeply, you concentrate and contemplate your stroke – and then you come up short! Worse still, you just miss the hole and have to watch your ball go rolling past the hole, leaving you with a return putt that is further than the original to which you gave so much thought and effort. Putting is one of the basic golf techniques that is sadly neglected by beginners and experienced players alike.

A huge number of games are lost on the putting green and in most cases it is down to the wrong distance, rather than to the direction of your ball. One of the great truisms of golf is that ‘You drive for show and putt for dough’. The weight of your putt is just as important as direction. Many new golfers rapidly get a ‘feel’ for the direction their ball will travel and how it will roll, even on the most unpredictable of greens. No doubt you have seen it yourself when a relative newcomer to the game leaves the ball within inches of the hole even on a sloping green time after time, getting more and more frustrated as the game goes on. What you don’t see quite so regularly is a miss with the ball coming to rest a few inches beyond the hole.

Learning to read the distnace on the green is one of the most basic golf techniques there is. So many factors come into play when making up your mind about the distance your ball will travel on the green. You need to factor in the slope, the quality of the green, is it wet and slow or dry and fast. Even the number of players that have been through the green ahead of you has an effect depending on how well they repair their pitch marks. Fortunately with the increase in the use of soft spikes we don’t generally have so many spike marks to contend with these days. Not least among the factors you must consider is the time of day – greens inevitably speed up as they dry off from the morning dew and the difference by afternoon on a warm day can be quite astonishing.

The main factors you have to concentrate on after taking the conditions into account are reading the line and the distance. Reading the line comes with experience of the game and the course. There are a couple of greens on my course that have deceptive swings which always give the local player the advantage as they are very difficult to spot when you’ve not played the course before. Reading the distance should be a great deal easier but it requires one thing that many new golfers don’t like to do – putting practice. Going to the range and bashing balls a huge distance with your driver is great for the ego but it won’t win you a game, and there is nothing more frustrating than leaving those putts on the edge of the cup, even if it’s a friendly round with your regular partners.

Time spent on the practice green is never wasted, especially if you are playing in a tournament. You should always practice on the day, in the conditions that you will be playing and on the type of grass that is on the greens of that course. You will never see a Pro go out on the course without spending time on the putting green and those guys don’t waste their time practicing golf techniques they don’t need to. Even ten minutes on the practice green will give you a feel for distance in the current conditions.

One of my playing partners learned the hard way never to leave the ball short. As a small boy, who didn’t get a great deal of pocket money he occasionally played with some members of his father’s regular fourball. They had a simple but effective system. If your ball didn’t reach the hole, you paid a ‘fine’, not much to them but a lot to a small boy. The winner took the ‘pot’. These days he never leaves a putt short! Quite simply if the ball doesn’t reach the hole – it won’t drop. I was always taught that you should aim about two or three inches beyond the hole and that way it should just roll gently in.



About the Author

BQ Browning grew up in a Golfing family and has been involved with the game for many years. News views and information are willing shared with fellow addicts at Golf Techniques and Tournament Tips. You will find a treasure trove of golf information written with wit, humour and wisdom.

See Yourself Putting Better and Enjoying Golf More with Golf Psychology

See Yourself Putting Better and Enjoying Golf More with Golf Psychology

There were some amazing golf and putting psychology lessons on show with Phil Mickelson’s stunning win at the Tour Championship at East Lake this weekend. Yes I know Tiger won the FedEx Cup and the million with an amazingly consistent series of results. But given Phil’s year, both on and especially off the course, his victory on Sunday was a simply joyous and breathtaking turnaround. Phil had looked out of sorts in recent weeks and after his quadruple bogey 8 on the 14th hole in the first round, I had sadly anticipated him failing again over the weekend.

You’ve probably heard about Phil’s putting woes and his comments about how “I’ve hit the ball so well and yet my scores haven’t reflected that.” You’ve probably also heard about how “Bones” Mackay, Phil’s longstanding caddie, urged him to get help the week before the Tour Championship from Dave Stockton, one of the best putters in golf and twice a major winner. As if those weren’t sufficient reasons, Stockton also putts a bit like Phil does when he’s at his best.

So what major flaws did Dave Stockton notice in Phil’s putting stroke and what major changes did he prescribe? You’d expect them to be fairly severe given Phil’s recent comments about the inconsistent putting that has plagued him off and on over the last two years. He’s also talked about how his poor putting has detracted from the progress Butch Harman’s been making with his swing over the same period.

Well, Phil described the change in an interview as a “minor tweak” and went on to say “No, it’s very minor. It’s very minor. But [my] hands are back ahead like I used to putt, and the ball is just rolling much better.” In another interview, he talked about Dave Stockton’s comments just “reaffirming the way I’ve putted since I was a kid.”

So what golf psychology lessons can we learn from that then, Andrew, I hear you say? Well first of all, it confirms that if you’ve hit a particular shot well in the past, then you already unconsciously know how to hit it that well again – without changing your technique. All you need to do is to vividly recall one of those earlier successful shots and allow your unconscious golf mind to get on with the job as you get back into your comfort zone. I’d certainly include this type of visualisation in your pre-shot routine.

All that probably happened to Phil was he missed a few putts, lost his confidence and started to fear putting rather than enjoying the challenge. When that happens with any part of our golf game, we stop enjoying ourselves as much as we did and we start consciously analysing things. It doesn’t take too long before we start thinking there’s something drastically wrong with our swing or putting stroke and we start changing things, even though we seemed to have a perfectly effective method before.

This doesn’t just happen over a long period of time. For many of us it can happen in the middle of a round. Have you ever had the experience of playing a series of shots quite well and then hitting a bad shot, maybe a big slice? Did you badly pull or hook the next shot? If you did, you probably consciously thought you needed to make a swing correction, despite already knowing how to hit the ball quite well unconsciously. Well, you did say that you’d hit a series shots quite well, didn’t you.

Another golf psychology lesson was written on Phil Mickelson’s face all day on Sunday, not just when he won. He was clearly enjoying himself immensely, even before he started scoring well. After the round, he commented that, “Today was a lot of fun” and that’s not the way he’s been talking in recent weeks. Isn’t it odd how golfers seem to play so much better when they’re enjoying themselves, even if some, like a certain future Ryder Cup captain, have a hard time convincing us of that fact.

Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.

Visit his website for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it is about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that is played in the 6 inches between your ears.

Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com/ and get your free 25- minute Your Own Virtual Caddy golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.