I love watching the US and European Golf Tours on TV and every now and again I pick up a tip from the announcers that works really well for me. I've picked up a couple of tips from Nick Faldo that have worked brilliantly, mainly because they are so simple.
For instance, I was having trouble with my chipping. Every club I used, from the 5-iron to the wedges, had a similar flight path, ie. quite low so they all ran on. I used to be a really good chipper so couldn't figure out how it had changed for the worse.
Until Nick Faldo got a pro's chip swing slowed down and emphasised, 'Watch how he keeps the clubface open, right through the shot.' One simple sentence and it was only saying something I already knew. But because I'd lost my confidence with my chipping, that simple bit of advice had gone completely out the window.
Eureka! I thought, rushing outside to practice chipping on the lawn. Immediately my shots with different clubs had different flight paths and amount of run. This helped me relax and I realised that my tempo had been way too fast and my backswing too long. Short running chips do not require much backswing.
Another tip which has saved me innumerable shots (and has helped my friends) was 'Always keep your hands ahead of the ball when chipping'. He told us this when a pro played a brilliant chip from a fluffy lie. (One which amateurs often muck up by either hitting skinny and sending the ball completely over the green, generally to another fluffy lie, or they stop on it and leave it in the rough.)
I've told lots of interclub opponents this one (after the match, obviously - I'm not THAT altruistic) and all of them have been rapt that it stops the skinny chips. Naturally, you've still got to practice it to understand where to land the ball, but when you're getting good results, practice is a lot of fun.
Tomorrow I'll tell you another simple tip from Sir Nick that has helped my fairway woods.
How about you? Any simple tips you've picked up?
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