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If you are an average golfer and looking to make a few tweaks that can take your game to the next level, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on new golf clubs, then we have some simple things you can do in order to help lower your scores by multiple shots. Now if you are a handicap in the single digits, you probably have most of these tactics or products as part of your game already. However, for most players, there will be helpful content in this video for you.
Titleist recently conducted a test on their irons and found that after just 75 rounds, the grooves can become worn, and will have a significant effect on club performance. As the grooves become more worn, the ball will slide higher up on the clubface, launching the ball higher into the air. The spin rate will also decrease up to 1,100 RPM and you will lose nearly half of the stopping power. Purchasing a groove sharpener can reinvigorate your irons and give them new life. A groove sharpener is very straightforward to use by simply going over each groove with the sharpener at a 45-degree angle multiple times. These tools will have a tremendous impact on your ball flight and spin. We have provided a few of our favorite options in the links in the description.
If you don’t have a GPS watch, this technology can dramatically improve your game. If you ever have wandered aimlessly trying to find a yardage marker, then you will love a GPS watch. Every golfer misses the fairway, and a GPS watch will help dramatically in these instances. There are GPS watches that can show you the right line to the green, provide yardage adjustments based on the elevation changes, and provide an aerial view of the hole so you can keep away from any hazards. This is extremely helpful when you are playing a golf course for the first time. It’s all about saving strokes and putting yourself in the best position to score. A GPS watch can also tell you exactly where the pin is on the green. All the points mentioned previously are the reasons that a GPS watch can help you shave a few strokes off your round. There are a few of our favorites listed in the description. If you have interest in a deeper analysis of options, we did a whole video on this previously and we’ll link that in the description as well.
Often overlooked is the contact your hands is actually making with the golf club: The grip. Many experts agree that playing with grips that are worn out has a negative impact on the accuracy and distance of your golf shots. A worn out grip will cause you to naturally tighten your grip on the club, this will then decrease your swing speed as well as clubhead speed. A worn grip can also lead to not squaring up your clubface which will lead to an inferior ball strike and ball flight. Now, you don’t have to regrip your clubs every few weeks like the PGA pros, but once a year is a good idea. We have a few of our favorite grip options in the description below this video.
What would the ability to reach that par 5 in two, or hit a mid-iron instead of a hybrid or wood mean to your game? The only way to help your chances is to increase your swing speed. During the pandemic, Bryson Dechambeau worked on bulking up and increasing his swing speed. He now is averaging the longest driving distance average in PGA tour history and also has the most birdies since the PGA tour restarted the season in June. Now, anyone can swing hard, but to swing in a controlled manner and increase your swing speed is what we are going for. A Swing Speed Trainer will help you achieve exactly this. Along with added swing speed, a trainer can help with increasing your hip strength and speed while clearing them (which will help you if you slice the ball). We’ve outlined some of our favorites in the description below.
In the last 10 years, one of the better advancements in technology in the game of golf has been the Swing Analyzer. If you go to a PGA tour event, most pro’s will have something like a Trackman that is giving them real-time feedback and data on every swing. However, the Trackman can be very expensive, but luckily there are companies that have made this technology affordable. The Swing analyzer technology comes in a couple of different flavors. There are analyzers with sensors that fit right into the top of your grip and then automatically capture data on every swing. You will start to understand how far you actually hit all of your clubs, and when you pair with a mobile application, you will really start to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Another flavor is the sensor that attaches to your golf glove or wrist. Finally there are premium options like the Trackman that you position behind you as your practice and provides you a ton of data on your swing: ball speed, attack angle, club path, face angle, etc. – it can also capture your golf swing as it has a built-in HD video camera. The technology will provide a deep analysis of your swing and what you need to work on, which will ultimately lower your scores. Arccos did a survey of their customers and found an average improvement of 4.2 strokes per round.
This sounds like it’s a little thing, but if you are playing with mud caked on your irons, and never wash your golf clubs, you are losing strokes period. Studies show time and time again that if you have a dirty club face, your ball will slide further up the groves, which will launch the ball higher with less spin. This basically means less control (especially around the greens). You will also have a tough time shaping shots for the same reasons mentioned previously. So if you normally hit a small fade or hook, you will have a much more difficult time shaping these shots with a dirty clubface. A club brush is an easy solution to this problem and there are countless options. It is no coincidence that the PGA professionals have their caddies clean their clubs after every shot. You should too if you want to take your game to the next level. We’ve linked some of our favorite golf club brushes in the description below.
One of the most recent trends in golf innovation is geared toward putting. Just like your swing analysis tools and technology, companies like TaylorMade are providing putters that are geared with the latest tech to capture your putting stroke analytics. It’s nice to understand your backstroke length, front stroke length, total putting stroke time, tempo and many other metrics. The Putter analysis will pair with a mobile app so you can take this information anywhere. Now, if you are just getting started with golf, we wouldn’t recommend this type of technology. However, if you are trying to break 80, this type of data can help your putting stroke tremendously. We have linked some of our favorite options for SmartPutters in the description below this video.
If you have trouble with your aim and ball direction, you could have an alignment problem. Missing greens vs hitting greens and hitting fairways vs hitting Out of bounds will have a dramatic impact on your round. Alignment sticks are a very simple way to visualize your alignment and are pretty inexpensive. There are definitely more expensive options such as the SQRD-UP. With an alignment tool like SQRD-UP, you will make sure that your alignment is right every time. Not only can you use it on the driving range, but the SQURD UP can help with your putting alignment as well.
One of the most important aspects of the golf swing is how you grip the club. The grip ultimately controls the clubface, which in turn will control the flight of the golf ball. Jack Nickaulus said “A good grip allows everything in the swing to happen naturally”. There are many different ways to grip the club: Strong, Weak, Neutral, overlapping pinkie, interlocked pinkie. A grip trainer can get you set up for success with a correct grip. Obviously everyone has comfort in gripping the club a little differently, but a grip trainer will make sure to provide you a guideline on what a “standard” grip feels like. We’ve linked some of our favorite grip trainers in the description below
There you have it! We hope you enjoyed this post!