We all don’t have 8 hours a day to practice golf, so when we do have the time – let’s make it worth it. This involves practicing smarter instead of harder. Tiger puts more focus on the weakest part of his game at that time – a lesson every amateur should learn. If you are taking 40 putts per round but hitting your woods and irons just fine, then don’t spend time beating 7-irons down the range. Head to the putting green and spend 70% of your time there.

Jack Nicklaus would often focus on his fundamentals when his swing went south. He would work with his instructor on the basics – grip, aim, and posture. Jack found this the best way to get his groove back after a bad round. You too, can learn from this by not trying to overcomplicate your practice session. Instead of trying to cram in every drill you just read in Golf Digest into one practice session, ask your swing coach to give you one or two good drills that focus on your specific swing flaw. Practice just those few drills and don’t deviate from the plan. This ensures that not too many thoughts are entering your mind while practicing.

Another great aspect of Tiger’s practice routine is his focus on the target. Most amateurs simply go to the range and swing for the fences without a target in mind. Pick a target for each shot and change targets often. This makes sure you are doing something to actually help you game as opposed to just getting exercise from swinging a club!

Next time you’re at the driving range, go through your pre-shot routine on every shot and see how long it takes to hit a bucket of balls. Probably much longer than it typically takes you to finish a bucket – but this is a much more effective way to practice since you’re actually doing the same thing you do on the golf course.

Some tour pros will even “play” a round of golf on the range. They will start with a driver, pick a target, then hit it. From there they will go through the hole in their mind and hit whatever the next shot requires – maybe an 8 iron to a tight pin position. The more you can simulate a real round of golf on the practice range – the better your practice session will become.

Figuring out an ideal practice routine is individual to every golfer. Just make sure that you’re accomplishing something each time you go out – and keep your short game a top priority. Improving in this area will probably drop the most amount of strokes in the quickest amount of time.

The most obvious time permitted to clean your golf ball is between holes – when the ball is not in play. The other obvious time is on the putting green – after you have marked your golf ball. Cleaning it in both these times is permitted.

Another time permitted is when local rules permit the “Lift, Clean and Place” rule. This situation usually occurs when the course has seen a lot of rain or inclement weather.

There are a few special circumstances in which you must proceed with caution when picking up your ball.

• If you are determining if the ball is unfit for play – you can not clean your ball.
• If you are determining if the ball is yours (identification) you are permitted to only clean the ball “to the extent necessary for identification”
• If you have to mark your ball somewhere besides the putting green (if it is interfering with another player’s stroke) then you are not permitted to clean the ball and must replace it back to it’s original spot exactly as it was before.

What is the penalty for breach of this rule? It’s a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced.

So next time you find yourself in a situation where you might have the opportunity to clean your golf ball, remember to first assess your circumstances. And don’t forget – a clean golf ball flies further and straighter than a dirty golf ball!

It’s not an uncommon theme for most amateurs – the warm-up is usually an after-thought. “If I have time for it, then sure I’ll hit a small bucket, but otherwise I’ll just hit a few putts and head to the tee.” In actuality a proper warm up should be at the top of importance because it helps prevent injuries, physically prepares you for consistent performance and helps increase flexibility.

So next time you find your self in this situation, try this quick series of stretches to get your blood flowing and muscles ready for a great round of golf.

Any good warm-up routine consists of aerobic activity before any stretching should begin. Since doing jumping-jacks or running laps is probably not an option here, a brisk walk from your car to the clubhouse and over the putting green should suffice.

Hamstrings & Hips: put your leg up on the back of your golf cart or trunk of your car. If this is not an option, then slowly try to touch your toes while bending at the waist. Keep your back flat at first, then ease down further as it arches. The hamstrings play a vital role in your swing and your stride and loosening your hamstrings will help your lower back.

Shoulders & Upper Back: Get in your golf stance with a golf cart to your left. Grab the vertical bar that supports the golf cart roof with both hands. As your right arm should be across your chest, lean forward to feel the stretch in your right shoulder. Repeat on the other side.

One last thing to consider before stretching – colder temperatures and earlier (morning) tee times increase the amount of time it takes to warm up. So make sure you give yourself enough time for a proper morning routine.

Even though a proper warm up and stretching routine can prevent injury, add flexibility, and shave strokes off your game, most people don’t take the time to do this. Perhaps it is because most people don’t think it is useful or are just plain embarrassed to do it. Either way, make sure your body is ready for your next round of golf.

Adam Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters, and he did it by the book. With all the story lines at this years Masters – from 14 year old Tianlang Guan and his slow play penalty / making the cut, to having the world exposed to Rule 33-7 – how Adam Scott won the Masters involved no secret formula.

Adam did what pretty much ever Masters champion has done to put on the green jacket. He hit 76.39% of the fairways (Field Average: 60.2%) and putted like a champion (1.67 Putts Per Green). He also only found one greenside bunker all week.

The stat that you shouldn’t be surprised at is his Fairway’s Hit (57.14%) compared to the field average of 65%. Hitting fairways at Augusta National has never been a key to victory.

So what can we learn from these numbers? If you want to win a Masters you better hit a boatload of greens and putt like it’s no ones business. That’s pretty much true for every Tour event, but is key if you want to own a new piece of clothing at the end of the week.

The everyday golfer can, and should take something away from this: Focus on your short game. Hitting big drives makes you feel good – but shooting the lowest score in your group will probably bring more satisfaction.

I encourage you to take a page out of Adam Scotts 2013 Masters victory and focus this year on your putting and wedges; I guarantee if you improve in those areas so will your scores.

It’s Masters week. One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about the Augusta National Golf Club is their beautifully manicured golf course. They spend millions of dollars every year to keep it looking great.

The most famous course element is the greens at Augusta. They are fast, undulating, and require a large imagination to navigate. Most of us will never play on greens that quick, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to learn from watching the best in the world trying to solve their mystery.

There are a few tips when putting on faster greens.

• Play more break. The faster the greens the more every subtle slope becomes a factor.
• Putt to a “target” rather than the hole. Pick an imperfection on the green that is on your intended line and putt to that, it’ll help you focus.
• Focus on both speed and line – don’t become too obsessed with one or the other.
• Use your imagination. Use the slopes of the green to your advantage. Perhaps you need to aim sideways on a putt just to get it close – trust gravity.
• Be smart. Downhill putts will be fast, if you are afraid of the putt and leave it short, you will now face that same putt all over again.

Those are a few keys that will get you started when putting on greens you’re not familiar with. If you want to fine tune your stroke, let’s setup a putting lesson and make sure everything looks great for the coming season.

A player must not make a practice stroke during play of a hole. Between the play of two holes a player must not make a practice stroke, except that he may practice putting or chipping on or near:

1. the putting green of the hole last played,
2. any practice putting green, or
3. the teeing ground of the next hole to be played in the round, provided a practice stroke is not made from a hazard and does not unduly delay play (Rule 6-7).

Strokes made in continuing the play of a hole, the result of which has been decided, are not practice strokes.

Exception: When play has been suspended by the Committee, a player may, prior to resumption of play, practice (a) as provided in this Rule, (b) anywhere other than on the competition course and (c) as otherwise permitted by theCommittee.

Knowing the rules can help you lower your score throughout he round (as long as you’re not holding up play!)

Stretching warms up the muscles and enables you to make the repeated motions that are required during the round.  Three of the more well-known types are Static, Dynamic, and Ballistic.

Static stretching is what most people know as “the norm” when it comes to stretching.   A few examples are crossing one foot over the other and stretching down with your fingertips and holding.  Another is extending your arm across your chest and grabbing the back of that arm with your other hand.   These types of stretches help warm up the muscles so you don’t pull anything.

Dynamic stretching is accomplished by using active movements mimicking the actually sport you are playing.  This can be done in golf by making several golf swings repeatedly.  Ballistic stretching is another form of Dynamic Stretching and as P90X creator Tony Horton puts it, “It kind of lets gravity do the work.”  This type of stretching is done through body movements like running in place, jumping jacks, or just bouncing up and down while shaking your arms and legs.  This is another way that will get your body warm and make you feel great before you play golf.  This is a little more dangerous than your typical static stretch and you may want to consult a licensed professional if you have any doubts as to your limitations.

Either one of these, or a combination, can work for you.  If you are really in a time crunch (or think you may look silly doing jumping jacks on the range) then try this.  Simply take an iron and start making full golf swings without a ball.  Start slow and then build your way up to full speed by the end.   If you take about 20-30 practice swings while gradually increasing your speed this will be a great “dynamic” way to warm up.  Also, you get the benefit of getting a solid rhythm with your golf swing for that day.

Try that next time you are out on the practice tee or course and it will help prevent future visits to the chiropractor and physical therapist.

By knowing how the green is set-up (i.e pin location, slope of green, bunker/hazards, etc) you can decide where it is best to play from with your approach shot into the green.  If the pin is back right, for instance, and your normal shot is a fade, then it would be ideal for you to be on the right center of the fairway.  This would give you the best angle into the green to use your comfortable go-to shot.  There are a variety of scenarios but you need to picture how you would normally play the shot with your skill level.

Now, using the previous situation, you know you want to be right center on the fairway to use your fade shot into the green.   This would lead you to choose which is the best club to hit off the tee.  It would depend on how far of a distance you wanted into the hole with your next shot.  Also, it will give you an idea on which part of the tee box to tee off on. (Most right handed players wanting to play a fade should look at teeing off on the right portion of the tee box to open up the hole a little more).

If you are a tournament golfer you may do this during a practice round and keep notes so you are prepared for the tournament.  If you are a weekend player, you may just take the hole as it appears and try your best to visualize what you would like to do on that hole at that time based on the information you have.

Of course, the execution of the shot is key and the players that can visualize the hole backwards and then execute on that plan tend to shoot great scores and not get themselves in trouble.  Try this next time you are out playing and you will be amazed how you can think your way around the golf course more strategically, which in turn produces less “big numbers” on the scorecard.

This is where club selection plays a large role.  If you are comfortable with one club around the green that is fine and feel free to use it a majority of the time.  However, there are instances where you need to be using a different club.

Common Scenario – You are just short of the green in the fairway and the pin is on the back portion of the green.  The green has several bumps and the pin is on the top level.  Your normal comfortable club is a sand wedge.  However, to be effective with the sand wedge you would have to play a very low skipping shot that hits into the hill and has a lot of spin to help it roll out just a bit.  If you hit into the green with the “normal” wedge trajectory the ball won’t have a lot of room to land near the pin and will probably roll off the back of the green.  This is a very tough shot if you don’t practice your short game a ton.

Possible Solution – Choose a less lofted club like a 9-iron and try to get the ball spending more time on the ground than in the air.  You could use the putter, as well, but only if you had little fairway to go until your reached the green.  With a 9-iron you could carry the ball about a 1/3rd onto the green and let it roll the rest of the way.  This is the safer play and will give you a better opportunity to make the next putt.

The main point to make this scenario or any other one work, is that you must practice with different clubs around the green to learn the technique and how hard you need to hit those shots to go the desired distance.  Don’t make the mistake of never practicing with your 9-iron and then pull it out on the back-9 when the match is on the line.

Practice – Go to your local golf facilities short game area and throw 5 balls down just off the green any distance you want.  Next, choose 5 different clubs.  Try to hit one ball with each club and see the results.  You will notice that each club will carry and roll different distances.  You can start narrowing it down to 1 or 2 clubs that you like from that particular situation.  Rinse and Repeat.  From then forward, when you are practicing your short game you can know use those same clubs from the different positions and feel more comfortable because you have already gone through the experimental phase.

Remember, there is nothing wrong with using just 1 club around the green but you must be able to hit ALL the shots to do so.  Help yourself out a little and practice with a few different clubs from time to time just to have a “go to” shot from certain situations.  This will help you stay confident because you have seen the shot before during practice so you know you can execute when the pressure is on!

Enjoy the process of learning and hope to see you out soon!

This particular tournament can be thought of as an NCAA bracket or a “Match Play Tree” whereas the players are slotted in the bracket based on their world ranking number. A typical USGA match play event usually starts with a stroke play qualifier to determine what “seed” or ranking you will be given. This tournament begins with the top 64 players in the world.

Match play is basically a competition between two players to determine who wins the match. Strokes are not tallied up, rather the player who has the lowest score on a hole, wins that hole. Therefore that player is “1 up”. Let’s say that same player has the lowest score on hole 2 – he is now “2 up”. This goes on until one player runs out of holes. For example if a Player A is “4 up” after the 15th hole, then Player B can no longer win, because not enough holes exist. Therefore, Player A wins “4 up with 3 to play” or “4 & 3″ for short.

In the event that both players finish 18 holes at “all square” then the match goes in to a sudden death playoff. The players play hole-by-hole until someone wins the next hole. So if both players tie the “19th” hole, but Player A wins the “20th” hole – then Player A wins the match at “20 holes”.

One fun fact is that players can “concede” a hole – if a player hits his tee shot into the woods, he could simply turn to his opponent and say “you’ve won this hole”. Then both players would proceed to the following hole.

The main difference that you might see on TV this week between match play and stroke play is that players don’t have to “finish” the hole. You might see a player make birdie, then the losing player will simply pick up his ball and walk to the next hole. This is perfectly legal.