1. Play the 4,000-Hole Round. These folks tend to play a lot, and their on-course demeanor reflects that. Though some are more outwardly emotional than others, no single shot or hole knocks them off kilter. They play as if these 18 holes are part of a long progression of holes they’ll play, a 4,000-hole-round, say, where good things are bound to happen. Bob Rotella used to say that it’s important not to let the first three holes make you think your round is going one way or another. With these guys, make it the first 300.

Connecticut Senior Am champion Ray Underwood

2. Be Ben Crenshaw, not Ben Hogan. Not all of these players are great putters. But the ones who succeed love to putt. They think “make,” not “don’t three-putt.” They relish this part of the game, seeing it as “an opportunity, not an expectation,” as Connecticut Senior Amateur champion Ray Underwood said. Even players who are not considered great putters generally fail in only one aspect of it. Some are not dependable lag putters. Some (seniors, often) tremble over 3-footers. (The claw is popular). But even they tend to be Crenshaws, not Hogans.

Connecticut State female player of the year Jen Holland

3. Remember What Hooked You. The player of the year this year won the state Amateur, the Mid-Amateur, was second low amateur in the Open, and two team events, the Four-Ball and the Father-Son. For someone who lost three previous major Connecticut events—two in heartbreaking playoffs—it was a massive breakthrough. What changed? “I tried this year to play for the pure joy of it,” said Ben Conroy (pictured squatting above). Easier said than done, I know, but there were lots of nods when he said it. The female player of the year, Jen Holland, a teacher who competes only from June to September, made match play in two national USGA events. She echoed that sentiment. “I don’t really let being in a bunker or getting a bad lie bother me,” she said. “I love to play and the season is not that long.

” I make birdies the old fashioned way: when they’re there,” 17-year-old Connor Belcastro said.

4. “Match Play is Chess, Not Poker.” Those words were spoken by the 17-year-old who won the Connecticut Junior Amateur. “Some people think that in match play you have to go for everything and try to force the birdies, which often leads to big numbers,” said Connor Belcastro. “You could say I make birdies the old fashioned way: when they’re there.” Out of the mouths of high-school juniors!!!!

5. But When the Opportunity Arises . . . These players play smart, but they play aggressively when the chance to score is there. They are not trying not to embarrass themselves. And they get more aggressive as they get closer to the green, going at a surprising number of tight pins in the process.

6. Winning and Whining Don’t Mix. In a season when weather caused massive delays and often made conditions less than ideal, I heard almost no complaints. The one or two who did did not fare well. Players were appreciative of both staff and volunteers, and of competitors who performed well. A little trash-talking was much more common than the “I’m no damn good” self-talk my friends and I tend to indulge in.

So that’s it. Patience. Putting. Putting the fun first. See you on hole 3,344.

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By Jack Woods
I often start a chipping lesson by asking the player what club they would use from a series of different lies. The response is invariably the same – the same, trusty old wedge is repeatedly pulled for every shot.

The problem with this method is there are so many different scenarios that require a different flighted shot. It’s the old one club doesn’t fit all scenario so common with club golfers. Check out the video and continue reading below to develop your short game repertoire and start nailing those critical up and downs.

If you watched closely during Francesco Molinari’s run to the Open Championship, you’ll have noticed the world’s best using a variety of weapons on the firm and fast Carnoustie links to produce different chip shots, ranging from the high lob shot to the classic old bump and run.

Understanding what flight each of our clubs will produce requires some experimenting on the practice green, hitting shots with each club from different lies and observing how they differ. Clearly chipping with a seven iron will create a very different shot to that of a lob wedge, even without adjusting our technique.

From here we need to decide which club is most appropriate for each shot we are presented with out on the course. The best way to do this, as shown above, is to trust our instincts by imagining how you would throw the ball given the chance. If you feel you would instinctively run the ball along the ground because there is a tier to go up or a lot of green between the ball and the hole, this would suggest something with less loft such as a seven iron (far left) is best.

On the other hand, if you would throw the ball up high and land it near the flag because there is a bunker to go over or little green to work with, your most lofted club (right) is the option. Practice this lob drill, repeat with the required club and watch your scores dip.

Jack Woods is a PGA Teaching Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowan Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post VIDEO: Short game fight or flight? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This bold statement isn’t originally mine. I was having an email exchange with former USGA Senior Technical Director Dick Rugge, when listening to the recent Hot List podcast. When there was a suggestion that golfers really haven’t improved despite all the advances in technology, Rugge, who often talked about the subject of handicap trends during his tenure at the USGA, told me about some handicap data that suggested just the opposite.

A quick call to the USGA confirmed that very fact. In the last 25 years, the average USGA handicap for a man has improved nearly two full strokes, from 16.3 to 14.4. For women, the improvement is no less impressive, dropping from 29.7 in 1991 to 26.1 in 2016.

Rugge called the 12 percent improvement in golf the equivalent of “the average 100 meter dash time for high school and college runners dropping a full second” or “the average 1500 meter time of high school and college runners dropping about 30 seconds,” or “the average batting average in baseball going up about 30 points.”

None of those things have happened, of course. Even if you look at more recreational pursuits like running a marathon, golf’s numbers look no less dramatic. For instance, the average qualifying time to get you a spot in the Boston Marathon as a 45-year-old man is exactly the same today as it was in 1990—3 hours, 25 minutes.

In fact, average golfers are getting better than PGA Tour players, too. PGA Tour scoring average (actual) in 1991 was 71.50. It improved to 71.12 in 2016. That amounts to just a 0.5 percent improvement.

Why are golfers getting better? It certainly seems a reasonable suggestion that a key contributor to making average golfers better is the fundamental changes in equipment technology over the last two decades. Go hit some tee shots with a 1990 TaylorMade Burner or try to find a decent hybrid from the first Bush Administration. Quite simply, it’s easier to get the first shot up in the air and in play today than it was 25 years ago. And it’s also easier to hit longer shots from the rough or fairway than it was in the days of 2-irons and steel-shafted persimmon 5-woods.

Mind you, the game hasn’t become easy. The short game is still challenging and increasing green speeds make getting the ball in the hole without three-putting at least twice a round a near miraculous performance for an average player.

In truth, it may not be the case that golfers have even developed better skills in concert with their lowered scores over the last quarter century. Again, equipment has allowed some of the more marginal swings to be rewarded with playable results.

But consider that golf courses aren’t getting any easier and old tracks aren’t being renovated to make them shorter and less of a challenge, and still handicaps are trending down. With everything from agronomy enhancements to work-life balance cutting into practice and play time, the deck is stacked against golfers getting better. And yet the numbers say we’re all shooting more lower scores than ever before.

With all the technological benefits being thrown our way, it really calls into question the anti-golf argument that the game is too hard. There simply are more ways to get competent at golf than ever before. That list includes better clubs and balls, of course, but it also includes better diagnostic tools to help golfers improve their swings and get into the right clubs and balls for their games.

So the next time you start surfing through the Hot List, consider this: It’s not just new toys you might be buying, it’s lower scores.

The post A Closer Look At Handicap Data Shows Just How Much Golfers Have Improved In Recent Years appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.