One of the most common mistakes amateurs make is improper alignment. Some think they should align their feet at the target, others try to get their shoulders parallel to it. Hey, some golfers try to align everything at the target! They're all wrong. by Jerry P Sager

1. Quick and easy tips to play
better golf right now

2. Align The Clubface
One of the most common mistakes amateurs make is improper alignment. Some think they
should align their feet at the target, others try to get their shoulders parallel to it. Hey, some
golfers try to align everything at the target! They're all wrong. The correct way to align your
shots is to always begin by first assessing your target from behind the ball. This will give you
a perspective of the entire hole and help you aim right where you want the ball to go.
Secondly, before you make your actual stance, set the clubface behind the golf ball and align
it directly at the target. Do this before, not after, you get into your stance. PGA Tour players
have a knack for aligning the club head in this fashion. Pay attention to how they do it the
next time you tune in.

3. Choose The Right Club
Most amateurs choose what club to
use based on length. On shorter
holes, they use shorter clubs. Longer
holes, longer clubs; and so on. But
better players know there's more to
selecting the right club than that. It
also includes things like natural shot
tendencies, wind, hazards and
whether or not hidden dangers lurk in
prime landing areas. But most of all, a
better player looks at what type of
approach shot is to follow. The hole
may be only 365 yards long, but with a
good drive, that leaves a touchy 70- to
80-yard approach. Who wants that?
The right play would be to avoid
awkward distances and hit a 3-wood,
leaving a full wedge approach.

4. Don't Change Your Stance
Instinctively, you might assume that
the stance changes, depending on the
club. Not true! When it comes to full
shots (not pitches, chips or putts),
maintaining a consistent stance is
critical to becoming a better ball
striker.
That's not to say there are minor
adjustments in spine angle, ball
position and stance width, but
generally, how you stand over an iron
should not be far off from how you
situate yourself with a driver. Notice
the similarities in the photos above?
This is what you want.

5. Make A Good Grip
Better players always, and I mean
always, have a fundamentally solid
grip. To start, grip the club with your
gloved hand and emphasize the
handle's placement in the fingers
between the first knuckle and the
palm. Then, apply the ungloved
hand so it wraps comfortably around
the handle. From there, the thumb
and index fingers of both hands
form two Vs, both of which should
be pointed somewhere around the
right side of your chest or right
shoulder. Follow this advice and
you'll have a solid grip.

6. Play With The Wind, Not Against It
Many amateurs fret about playing in the wind,
but better players know how to use wind to their
advantage. For instance, better players know
that no matter what type of shot you'd normally
play, whether it's a draw, fade or whatever, how
the wind blows changes everything. You have to
make adjustments to make the wind work for
you, instead of trying to hit a shot to fight
against it. I've seen that happen time and time
again with amateurs.
Put it this way, no matter how big a fade or draw
you're capable of hitting, it's likely the wind will
always win. So what do you do? Play with it! In
the photo above, I've got a stiff wind blowing
from right to left. Instead of battling it, I've opted
to hit a drawing tee shot with hopes that the
wind works alongside me to move the ball from
right to left. Also, since I'm playing with the wind
and not against it, it's likely my draw will be
more pronounced, so I need to make sure I aim
farther right to allow for it. And by the way, if, by
chance, my natural ball flight was a fade,
instead of hitting a draw, I'd play for a straight
shot and aim a little less right of the target.
Either way, I'm letting the wind move the ball
back into the fairway.

7. Play For More Break, Not Less
Have you ever heard the saying, It's always better
to miss it on the pro side of the hole? How about,
Never up, never in? In case you haven't heard
these sayings, what they mean is quite simple.
Better players know that, no matter how well you
judge the speed and break of a putt, if you
consistently miss on the low side of the hole, you're
never giving yourself a real chance. (The low side,
by the way, refers to the side of the hole that's
actually lower than the hole.) Since golf balls don't
roll upwards naturally, unless you hit the putt from
below the hole up the hill, the ball has no chance to
go in.
On the other hand, if you tend to miss more often on
the upper side (the pro side) of the hole, once in a
while, the ball may actually find the hole. The key is
speed. Having the right speed, even if you aim a
little high and for a little too much break, the ball
actually may slow down more and start to break into
the hole even though you were a little off with your
aim. Better players understand this (whether they're
aware of it or not) and generally miss to the higher
side of the hole rather than the lower side. They
also cite speed as more important than direction, for
this very reason.

8. Finish The Shot
Another one of the higher-handicapper's biggest
fears on the golf course is the sand shot. Better
players know that with the right fundamentals, hitting
good bunker shots isn't as hard as it looks. There
are a few fundamentals you ought to follow to get the
job done, such as hitting down and behind the ball
and letting the sand lift the ball. But here, I want to
focus on one thing, and that happens to be the
finish. So many of my students seem to believe that
it's necessary to dig the wedge into the sand as you
would an ax into a piece of firewood, all in order to
excavate the ball. They make a steep backswing and
THUD! The wedge stays stuck in the sand in most
cases, and so does the golf ball.
Instead, try to make a full finish. Swing all the way
through to a balanced and comfortable finish
position. If you think of a full finish before you swing,
you'll be less inclined to drive the club deep into the
sand and, in the end, make a shallower sand divot
and get the ball out of the sand. Also, thinking of a
full finish before you swing helps you to relax and
avoid flipping the hands over and prevents the ball
from getting up and out of the sand. So, think of that
full finish before your sand shot. I'll bet your sand
game improves in a hurry.

9. Stack Your Chips
I think chipping is too often overlooked. Hey, maybe
it's not the most glamorous shot to hit, but that
doesn't make it any less important. A great chip can
help you make or break par faster than any putt.
To become a better chipper, concentrate on stacking
your impact position. This means that, at the
moment of truth, the left arm, the shaft and your
weight should all be stacked over your left leg. This
helps you better control the shot and ensure you hit
it crisp and solid. If you aren't stacked, your chipping
will be inconsistent, and it'll be hard to judge
distances and how much the ball will fly and roll. But
if you stack it, all you need to do is judge how far you
want the ball to go and lengthen or shorten your
backswing so it fits the shot.

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