OT-Golf Thu-Your favorite golf website/podcast/youtube
What is your favorite golf place to go on the Internet?
Here are mine:
- Golf Club Atlas - A place where a bunch of golf course architecture nerds hang out to talk about various design aspects of golf courses. If you are researching about your next golf trip, this is a highly recommended place.
- Rick Shields - Out of hundreds of people doing golf equipment reviews on Youtube, this guy seems most genuine.
What are yours?
Spittin’ Chiclets - hockey podcast but they talk a good bit of golf and it’s entertaining.
Seems like the golf talk has fallen off a bit with Whit's injury, but the boys were integral in giving me the confidence to pick the game up. If Biz can do it, so can I!
Love to hear it. Golf is a great game no matter what level of player you are. Get out with the boys and enjoy the scenery.
I like No Laying Up for their Youtube series'. They are a group of typical 30ish guys that go on golf adventures. Their level of play is from scratch to around a 10, good content for the every week golfers. They play some of the best courses out there.
Spittin Chiclets, I dont follow their podcast b/c I'm not a big hockey guy, but on Youtube they do matchplay against former and current pro hockey players. The 2 hosts have great personalities, one (Ryan Whitney) is close to scratch, and biz is a regular 16 handicapper, duffing and hitting good shots...fun to watch.
Robin Williams' video is a classic....
Any advice on a mean slice to the right for a RH golfer?
Everyone has their own opinion it seems.
Square the clubface to your path. It's really that simple.
Blau,
My advice as a golf instructor, former tournament professional and professional caddie, is to learn the “ball flight laws” and understand the geometry of a proper golf strike. Fortunately, there are lots of great explanations on YouTube available.
As a primer, your “mean slice” occurs because the two dimensional path that your club travels is leftward or “out to in” as compared to the imaginary “target line” and the golf ball curves away from the path. Often times, as a natural and logical reaction to seeing the golf ball curve wildly rightward, the golfer’s mind says “point the club face left” (shut) to keep it from going right. Unfortunately, this isn’t the proper “fix” because it’s not the club face that is causing the slice, it’s the path. This shut face/leftward path pattern is what produces the “banana slice” that can start 30-40 yards left and end up just as far right.
The golf buddies don’t help because they keep telling you that the “face is open”— often the blind leading the blind. Then we see the super strong grips — turned way to the right — and if one ever gets their path even close to neutral (straight) they’ll hit a disfunctional, wicked, knee-high hook — the result, the “Army golf” pattern.
Golf is a path driven game, not a club face game. Understanding path and angle of attack are a must to become a decent player.
I’d be happy to help more specifically if you want to contact me.
Go Blue!
You can simplify into this:
- Club face angle at the impact - the initial direction of the ball tells you whether or not your face was; closed (starts off left for righty), neutral (at the target), or open (starts off right)
- Club path - the shape of the shot tells you what your club path was; out-to-in (fade/slice), on-the-line (straight), in-to-out (draw/hook)
I would have to disagree on the club face angle portion, as it's more of a combination of the two things you referenced. If you swing outside in with an open club face, the ball will still start left because of the club path, but slice right because of the open club pace and the spin the club path is putting on the ball.
For years I had the really bad banana slice because I swung outside in, because of the weak grip, the ball always sliced right. I had the club face open (or pointing to the right for a righty) which combined with the outside in path, led to the slice. The ball would always start left and end up way right.
I've since changed my grip to allow a more neutral or closed club face at impact, and also focus on swinging inside out/neutral. The result is I'm hitting more balls straight. But when I miss now, it's a hook to the left when my swing path gets too far outside in.
Sorry, not to quibble, but this is false. If the ball starts left, it’s because the club face is left of “square”. This lack of understanding is what causes so much difficult in learning and becoming proficient at the game — we constantly try to adjust things that aren’t the actually the root cause.
If the club face is pointed left AND the swing is outside in, there's no way it will slice back right. It would start left and stay left/hook.
Extraordinary post. Thank you from this 20 handicapper.
Many thanks!
Im really just trying whatever I can to be a consistent golfer. Don’t need to be good, just decent and give myself chance for par or +1. I go to the range every Sat morning and I’d like to take a few lessons but feel like that might be weird in my early 30’s.
I had a bad slice for years. The fix for me is all in the grip, and there are two things I focus on calibrating at the range now before I play a round: Strong vs. weak grip (Google if you're unfamiliar - it's about how much you "close over" your top hand when gripping the club), and trying to only apply grip/pressure between my index finger and thumb (not gripping in your palm or with your whole hand). If you grip too tightly, your wrists can't turn over as you swing through which will leave the club face open at impact. On the range, I find my grip position to hit a "straight shot," dial that in, then open/close my grip to hit a couple fades and draws until I feel I can control the shot shape.
There are, of course, other things that can contribute to a slice, but for me the grip - particularly focusing on applying pressure with only index and thumb - was a game changer.
I’d second this. When I first got into golf I had a crazy bad slice. The plus side, I usually ended up in the fairway, down side it was often the fairway for the wrong hole. Changing my grip and how much pressure I was using helped a lot. Now I’m pretty much down to only slicing if I really load up and try to crush it. This is probably more coincidental than anything, but I seem to slice some brands of golf balls more than others too.
There’s a reason that the grip is always the first chapter in a golf instructional book, because as Harvey Penick said, “if you don’t have a good grip you don’t want a good golf swing!” it is perhaps the most important fundamental.
The discussion of “weak/neutral/strong” grips is a very deep rabbit hole that golf geeks can spend a lifetime debating. My experience, especially as a learner, is that one should push themselves to weaken or neutralize their grip as much as possible so that they’re not relying upon a strong grip/closed face pattern too much as this can create an scenario where the hands are fighting each other rather than complementing each other. In the thousands of lessons and swings that I’ve analyzed, I’ve never seen a player with a grip that’s too weak — especially the bottom hand.
That’s not to say that one cannot play good even great golf with a strong grip — many elite champions have strong grips — it’s just that it can limit the shot patterns available to a player and, for the average player, tends to “creep” stronger.
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is where I first learned about grip and particularly the bit about gripping with the index finger and thumb. I'm far from an accomplished golfer or expert, but focusing on grip (particularly off the tee box and long iron shots) is probably the one part of my game I can now actually self-diagnose mid-round and make adjustments that lead to (relatively) consistent results. If I hit three hooks in a row, I can self correct with reasonable success, thanks to an easy adjustment that doesn't take mental attention (it's a pre-shot adjustment).
Now, if only I could find a similar fix for the wild variances in my short game...
I'm a range rat and I believe most golfers don't focus enough on weight transfer-I see it on the range all the time. I struggle with it and only hit good shots when I shift my weight into my flexed back knee on the backswing with a neutral grip. When I bow my back knee out, all kinds of bad shots.
In our family, we tend to take the game too seriously.
CPG keeps us grounded in the fundamentals of the game. Fun and laughs.
https://clubproguy.com/pages/learning-center
I thought this was an actual learning center. This cracked me up.
Someone above already mentioned No Laying Up (podcast and more), and if you're interested you should read Brandon Quinn's write-up on them in The Athletic from earlier this year.
The other podcast I like is The Shotgun Start (endorsed by the Shutdown Fullcast crew, if that's worth anything). They do a good job of hitting the PGA and other events each week (LPGA, Korn Ferry, Euro Tour, etc.). They are associated with the Fried Egg website, which focuses more on golf course design rather than tour results. I've definitely learned more about what makes golf courses unique by listening to SGS, and it's added a level of interest to watching the tour events as well.
For YouTube instructionals, I like Me and My Golf. They've started to focus more on driving, but I like searching their archives for tips and drills on all aspects of the game.
I personally really enjoy Mark Crossfields content for people learning the game and really trying to improve. He also does course Vlogs with his buddies that are pretty entertaining.
TXG if you want really good content on equipment, they do really deep dive stuff at times.
Not a huge fan of Rick Shiels videos personally, but I just don't enjoy equipment reviews the way that he does them, stock shaft, feelingsball type reviews, etc... That being said, his podcast is pretty good.
I enjoy Good Good on Youtube. It's a group of 6 guys that play various types of challenges (3 v. 3 scrambles, best ball, worst ball, 3 v 1 scrambles against pro golfers...they even do some mini-golf and Wii golf challenges).and have a lot of fun doing it. I believe they were all college golfers, and are pretty good. They also have long drive champion Kyle Berkshire as part of the group, and it's amazing to watch him drive in their scrambles.
Rick Shiels is good. I also like watching Golfholics on YouTube.
I've never heard of Rick Shields mentioned in OP, Rick Shiels is my favorite.
I'm a terrible and not super knowledgeable golfer, but went out on my own a few times last summer during Covid and have made a goal this summer to become "respectable", which for me I would define as scoring in the 90s. As far as online advice, I have found Danny Maude's instructional videos on Youtube to be helpful. He's a pro at an English club.
It sounds like there are a lot of avid golfers here, and I have a couple of questions (basically asking what are some simple fixes for the high handicapper).
1. Any tips to maintain tempo? I find that as I get frustrated my timing goes haywire, and I start mishitting a lot of balls. I know I'm swinging to fast but have a hard time controlling it.
2. Any tips for short chips. I can't count of the number of shots that either roll off the green, or because my prior effort rolled off or went over, come up short.
I'm pretty much a bogey golfer with usually one or two birdie putts (usually misses) and a few pars mixed into a typical round. I also struggle with the tempo and have tried to make it a point to take a brief pause at the top of the backswing, making sure my lower body starts moving forward before my arms. That seems to work for me for the most part.
"at the top of the swing. There's a slight hesitation. A little nod to the gods."
I'm not sure on #1, but I my suggestion is finding a routine that works for you. Maybe try 1-2 practice swings at max tempo, then one at your desired (slower) tempo before stepping up and hitting. Tempo is as much (or more) mental than physical, at least for me.
For #2, I think average golfers (includes me) around the green should be trying to get the ball up and down on the green in the shortest distance possible. For example, if you're 5 feet off the edge of the green and 25 feet from the pin, don't use a wedge to lob or chip it up to ~5 feet from the pin. A mis-hit will either chunk it or skull it across the green. Instead, use an iron (maybe 7 or 8 in this example) to bump the ball 5 feet and let it run across the green up to the pin. A mis-hit in this case will still likely be on the green. It's not sexy, but it saves a lot of strokes. Obviously, if you're chipping over a bunker or need more elevation, you may need to use a wedge, but the point is to de-loft as much as possible around the green.
Excellent advice! Like a poster above stated, I'm pretty much a bogey-golfer with some pars, birdies(sometimes) and doubles all mixed in most of my rounds. A few years ago I golfed with a customer that had fantistic control around the green with his wedges.. constantly dropping the ball near the hole. So I did what most weekend warriors do.. went out and bought new 52, 56, and 60 degree wedges. Terrible idea.. I just don't have the kind of command needed to softly lob short chips to the hole. Almost always duffed it way short, or bladed it across the green.
This year I've left them in the bag for the most part.. mostly using a 9 iron or PW around the green to play a little more "bump and run". Seems to be working extremely well so far this season.
Any tips to maintain tempo? I find that as I get frustrated my timing goes haywire, and I start mishitting a lot of balls. I know I'm swinging to fast but have a hard time controlling it.
It’s interesting to me how many average players think (or are told) they swing too fast. In my experience the issue isn’t “swinging too fast” forward as it’s actually not swing back fast enough, or more precisely, not generating enough inertia on the backswing. I think a good analogy for this is when one is playing outfield in baseball/softball and they’re trying to gun down a runner round third for home. What does he/she do? They run, then jump, then claw at the air with their arms, all in an effort to generate as much momentum and inertia as possible to make that frozen rope throw a la Dave Winfield. If the outfielder threw like many swing a golf club they’d wind up really slow and deliberate, then try to muscle the ball forward and it would bounce before it reached second base.
When I hear someone say they swing too fast or speak about tempo I often see them try to start forward too fast, without the necessary rebound and “gather” that is a natural, instinctive athletic move. The arms have a natural elasticity to them, and when “flung” away from the body freely, along with the mass of the club, they will rebound back inward. This, IMO, is the “magic move” of the elite ball strikers. The move goes from wide to narrow, much like throwing a ball, or hefting an axe or sledge hammer. The problem is that most people are trying to make a precise and, what they deem or have been told is, an appropriate “on plane” backswing.
The backswing is pretty meaningless. I know that ruffles a lot of golf geek feathers, and I’d have argued with that point at an earlier point in my career. But, as long as the backswing creates width and inertia it can be effective. Unfortunately, most average players create neither going back so they have nothing going forward and then go from slow to as fast as possible in a blurry instant — and more often than not out of sequence.
Try this it’s what I call the “Drag & Fling” Drill:
- Firm grip (do NOT let go of the club)
- soft wrists, elbows and shoulder
- Fling the club away from you using your knees, hips and feet (imagine the club weighs 20 lbs ... how would you move it) let the club head “lag” behind
- only go AWAY, not up, not around ... just AWAY. When your hands reach their maximum width (about waist high) let them slow down
- let the wrists hinge freely
- Let the body react
- notice the “gather” as the mass of the club goes up and then inward (narrowing)
- then, like an athlete, redirect that inertia forward with the thought of having the fastest point of the swing AFTER the ball.
Try this without a ball and just make some divots. Want to swing forward faster? Swing back faster/wider/freer (crow hop analogy). Let the mass of the arms and club going away pull your around, don’t try to “turn”. Notice how your body instinctively compresses downward into the ground as it feels the pressure and mass of the arms and club coming back inward. Once you establish this feel (don’t think, just feel) you can “dial it back” for the shot at hand. Swinging “too fast” is really “over swinging” and once you incorporate this technique into your action over swinging becomes near impossible.
Again, I’d be willing to help if you want.
Go Blue!
https://thefriedegg.com/
Peter Finch is a good one.
If you like golf equipment/fitting, TXG (Total Experience Golf) is outstanding. They break things down in ways that you can understand.
The best golf website is MGoBlog on Thursdays, obviously.
Erik Anders Lang (Random Golf Club)
Seconding NLU
Golfholics
Golf Sidekick
I second Rick shiels. He’s great, and I think it’s because he’s honest and genuine. It’s also how he talks, his delivery…he’s talking to you not at you.
Hi Sten, another PGA professional weighing in here on the grip discussion.
My preference is to start a beginner with a rather strong grip and then potentially neutralize/weaken it over time. The thought process here is that so many beginners that I work with have an underhanded release that a strong grip tends to help them square the club face better early on in their development.
I agree with you that there are plenty of examples of good/great tour pros with exceptionally strong grips. I don’t necessarily agree that having a strong grip limits the ability to shape the ball but I do think that having a strong grip can potentially lead to bigger misses. Matthew Fitzpatrick is a good example of a tour pro who recently started to weaken his grip and as a result has become a better driver of the ball. I watched him for years have this tendency to hit low hooks every now and then and consistently miss left with the driver, particularly during pressure situations.