The key component is preparation: setting a goal and establishing a plan to reach that goal. Many players will schedule some time with their instructor and evaluate what they did good that season, and what areas of their game need improvement. Then they make a plan of how to improve. The players that execute their plans most efficiently are usually the ones you see have a great season – or a breakout / comeback year.

I recommend sitting down and taking a serious evaluation of your game. Find the areas of the game that you can improve the most and execute a plan.  Be realistic about your time commitments so that you stick to the plan.

Here are some areas that will help golfers of all skill levels improve the fastest.  These are the main things that Tour Players focus on.  Work with your instructor to find out the proper course of action to improve your game in the shortest amount of time.

1. Course Management – Do you need to hit driver every hole?  Make sure you are taking enough club on certain holes to avoid trouble short of the green. A player needs to know where you can and should miss the green. Ex: If you know you can miss the green right and you normally fade the ball, be aggressive – if you over cut it then you won’t be in trouble.
2. Make more putts – You have heard this 1,000 times so maybe now is the time to listen.  It is no secret, you make more putts, and you shoot lower scores. Think of how many “make-able” putts you miss (or even turn into 3 putts!) Now imagine making those – talk about dropping your handicap, who cares about adding 10 yards to your driver!
3. Know Your Limits Around the Green – Get good with one club at a time. If you chip with a bunch of different clubs, try just using one.  Get comfortable with using that club to hit chips, pitches, bump & runs, etc…  And stop trying to hit the impossible “Mickelson” flop if you don’t know how – it will just add 3 or 4 extra shots that hole!

Schedule a lesson today and let’s talk about how you can improve your game for the season.

Do they have more confidence? Yes.

Do they know their strengths & weaknesses? Maybe.

Everyone wants to hit it like a tour player, most will never be able to – but what everyone can do (and even better than Tour players) is putt.

This is how Tour players think –

“I know I make a lot of putts inside 15 feet, and lag putt really well (most Tour players fall into these two categories) so I am not afraid of missing shots. I can then aim at more pins, and because I know I can putt – this allows me to make a more relaxed, stress free swing that doesn’t focus on failing to pull off the shot. This allows me to drive the ball better and think about how I should be playing the course, not about how I should be fixing my swing.  Because I can putt I know I am going to play well – I am more relaxed before my round and more confident that there will be a positive outcome involving my round.”

It all boils down to the putter. When was the last time you took a lesson just for your putting stroke?  When was the last time you even got out to your local golf course like Wildwood Green and practiced?

If you don’t have time to get to the putting green, here are two ways to improve indoors:

1. Buy The Putting Edge. This is the best and fastest way to get a better putting stroke.
2. If you don’t want to spend the money – Set up two drinking glasses (turned upside down) about 10 feet apart and attach a piece of string to the glasses using tape. Put a quarter on one end to represent the hole and putt from the other end. Place the golf ball directly under the string so that the ball follows the path of the string when you putt. This will help you with alignment, feel, and the beginnings of a consistent stroke.

The Putting Edge allows you to feel a proper putting motion and helps to establish proper alignment. Using the glasses and string allows you to focus on alignment and “squaring up” your body to the putting line.

Contact me to schedule a 30 minute putting lesson and we can work together to lower your scores faster then you ever thought possible.

How can you do that?

What If you only had 1 hour to practice?

Start with putting and move up to your driver. Here is the plan.

10- minutes on putting: Either working on your stroke from short range for centered hits and a square face or lag putting for speed and line.

10-minutes on chipping: Use 1 club from 3 different distances. Work on hitting a certain spot and less about the total result

10-minutes on pitching: move over to the range and pick out 3 different yardages to land shots to. How crisp you hit it is the most important. Work on contact. Also this doubles as your full swing warm up

10-minutes on hitting: Pick 3 different clubs and hit 5-6 balls with each. Again, focusing on contact and not so much on mechanics.

10-minutes “playing”: play your favorite 9 holes in your mind. Pick a solid target and work on pre- shot routine and alignment.

10-minutes of your pick: wherever you struggled this year put some extra time in on that area.

Remember, the average player is practicing on a limited basis in the winter so you need to hit all main areas so you are ready when you get the chance to play. Also, you won’t be so rusty come spring.

Keep practicing and grinding everyone. It only gets easier!

Brian Ondrako is a PGA Certified Professional and teaches golf at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information on golf lessons or to contact Brian please click here

Wildwood Green is celebrating its 25th Anniversary
and have an exciting new “25″ Membership Offer!

The staff looks forward to reaching our goals this season and becoming more private. Wildwood Green will be offering better events throughout next year and we will continue to build on the increased member participation.

Join Today and Enjoy these Member Benefits:

-10 day Advanced Booking
-Member Only Events and Socials
-Member’s only Range Club
-Reduced Accompanied Guest Fees
-Discounted group clinic and lesson prices
-Reduced Carolinas Golf Association Handicap fees
-Personal Locker and Club Storage spots available

Please contact me and let me know that you’re interested and I will have a staff member get in touch with you.

Brian Ondrako is a PGA Certified Professional and teaches golf at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information on golf lessons or to contact Brian please click here

So what could the average player learn?

You could learn that being flashy and bombing the ball isn’t necessarily the key ingredients to shooting low scores. I see if far to often on the practice tee. Players pumping up their swing to bomb their driver. Then, they get on the course and pull out the driver on the 350 yard par 4 and hit it right through the dogleg. One of the reasons are a lot of new players have not taken the time to study the game and understand that a key ingredient to consistent low scores or no high numbers is ball placement, short game shots, and putting. If you can get a handle on these three areas you are going to be so far advancement you won’t believe it yourself.

Think of how many times the ball travels into a hazard, whether it be bunker or water hazard. How many times do you hit it out of bounds? These shots normally happen from hitting your driver and normally because you have swung too hard and lost control.

Try this next time you’re playing. Do not hit your driver at all. Maybe limit your 3-wood play. You would be amazed how much lower your stress is if you hit most of the fairways and set yourself up for a 2nd shot into the green to actually hit the green. And it doesn’t matter if you miss the green either. This is where sound short game fundamentals and feel come into play. You could miss all 18 greens and still have a great shot to break 90 if you had just a decent short game.

Think outside the box on this. Forget the ego in the parking lot and hit smart decisions. Play golf the way it was intended to be played with plotting your way around the course and making good decisions. People want it to be a bomber’s paradise but that fantasy rarely comes true for the average player. Get your mind right and you’re going to play a better game of golf.

Brian Ondrako is a PGA Certified Professional and teaches golf at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information on golf lessons or to contact Brian please click here

How do you practice short game?  It can be tough if you practice at a driving range that doesn’t have the resources like a putting green or chipping area.  Here are a couple tips to get you on your way.  Remember, my door is always open for questions if you just ask.

“Outside the Box” steps to improve short game

1. Putt indoors using materials like tape to outline you target lines and alignment
2. Chip in your back yard using a bucket placed and various distances and trying to hole shots
3. Purchase a small bucket and only hit shots less than 60 yards picking out specific areas on the range like a discoloration in the grass or a pole.  (Using a range finder for yardages helps)
4. Utilize your local public course’s putting green (Most people won’t think this is “Outside the Box” but a lot of players think the practice areas are off-limits.  They are not.  Use them!
5. Find an empty Baseball/Softball Field and get a Shag Bag with balls. (until someone politely asks you to leave)
6. Make abbreviated pitch shot swings in the garage with no ball and use an old piece of carpet to act like grass.

I can’t probably sit here for hours coming up with different ideas and these might not be the best for you but just a way to get started.

Now, if you are a member at a nice course or have a great short game practice area then you better familiarize yourself with it.  If you’re reading this thinking “I practice my short game all the time” then great, double your efforts!

Everyone has the opportunity to become better at golf and improving your short game will help tremendously.   Work hard and try to develop feel with these 100-yard and in shots and you will improve quicker than you ever imagined.

Brian Ondrako is a PGA Certified Professional and teaches golf at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information on golf lessons or to contact Brian please click here

Isn’t it time for a change with your golf game?

When I speak to many of my students i notice that most have confidence issues. They can stripe the ball on the range but can’t “take it” to the course. I realize that the hazards in your mind play a tremendous role in this but one other factor gets lost in the mix.

Most (like 97%) do not prepare themselves properly for their round
of golf. They might hit 50 7-irons in a row and then a bunch of drivers and say “I’m hitting it great”. Then, it unravels from there.

The reason it is the case is how many times do you hit your 7 iron
and driver in the round? Maybe 16-17 times if your lucky. How many times do you hit a half wedge or a low 6 iron or a cut 3-
wood?

The fact is that you need to practice the majority of shots when practicing to get ready for the round. If not, your touch will be extremely off and you will lose touch around the greens and your vision for the course will be thrown off.

My advice: if your working on a swing adjustment then work on it. But, in the days leading up to a round you must turn off the thinking mind and turn on the playing mind. You must hit a variety of shots while working on visualization and alignment. If you continue to think swing then will lose your focus on the rest of the game and therefore your scores will rocket too high.

Have a game plan leading up to your round and during your round and you will be amazed how your overall quality of play improves.

Did anyone notice the pace that Snedeker plays at?  It might be something to look into for the average player.  I am not saying you need to race through your pre-shot routine and hit the ball quickly, but I find a large amount of players take way too long over the golf ball.  The demons start to creep into the mind and that only leads to bad shots.

My suggestion is to work on a pre-shot routine where you take one or two looks at your final target and then look back at the ball for a second and no more.  Then, you just gotta pull the trigger and hit it.  No thoughts are better than a bad thought.  I can guarantee that!

What happens with most players is they are trying to process their whole swing over the golf ball just before they hit it.  It’s like your cramming for a final exam you have the next day.  Your brain cannot process that information nor can the physical body.  It does more harm than good.

So, next time your out playing I want you to give it some thought.  It might take several swings to get used to it but I promise that you will clear your mind and hit more quality golf shots.

- Brian Ondrako, PGA