By Mike Kinloch
A few minutes watching PGA or European Tour coverage is all the evidence you need; there is not one single method that guarantees consistent putting success. A multitude of different grips, holds and putting styles are employed by the world’s best. That said, there are some principles that are common to good putters. One of these is club face stability.

A good way to maintain this stability is with good connection between body and arms. Many problems arise with face and distance control when the arms separate from the body and independently move the putter. The photographs above illustrate this separation. Typically the elbows are pointing out and often the wrist angles change during the stroke.

For those players who use a conventional stance and a traditional length of putter, there are some drills that can encourage a solid connection to improve face stability and distance control.

A good feel is to have the elbows of both arms gently flexed and orientated towards the hips. This will set the shoulders and arms in a stable position. To foster a good connection with the body, grab the material of your shirt high on the lead side of your body and tuck it in to the armpit, gently hold it there with the top of the arm and shoulder. As you make your practice stroke, hold the material in place for the duration of the putt. This will keep the lead side of your body solid through the stroke. Start with short putts and as you get more comfortable with the feeling, extend the length of the stroke. As you are practising, maintain good balance and remain as steady as possible with the lower body.

Towel Tuck
As an alternative to tucking your shirt, you can position a towel under the armpits as I’m illustrating here. As well as improving body and arm connection, these drills can help stabilise the path and arc of the stroke. The towel will provide great feedback. Remember to maintain a gentle pressure throughout the stroke; any slip of the towel is a sure sign there is separation in your stroke.

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Michael Kinloch is Head Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

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One that I use frequently creates a good feel and movement for the backswing. It is done by taking your golf posture and holding the club overhand with the top hand and underhand with the bottom hand. The hands are about shoulder-width apart. The club will hang under the shoulders with the shaft parallel to the target line.

The feeling you want from this start position is that the chest and arms move the club away together, each hand staying opposite their respective chest and shoulder. This feeling continues as the body spirals the club up and around to the top of the backswing. My preference in the swing is to maintain good width on the backswing so this is the feel I am looking for as I complete the movement with the lead shoulder under the chin. I want to feel that at the top of the movement I have maintained the space between the shaft and my chest that I had in the start position.

When done correctly, this gives a great feeling of how the body moves the club to the top of the swing and how the rear shoulder and arm should feel when it gets there. The shoulder should be sat down and loaded at the top of the swing. Really concentrate on how this move feels as you perform it, then try to mimic the sensation when you make a golf swing. Avoid lifting and pinching the shoulder as you practice the movement as this will move the arm and club into a poor position.

The more correct repetitions you make of the movement, the easier it will be to carry that sensation into a golf shot and out on to the course for lower scores.

Michael Kinloch is Head Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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By Mike Kinloch
If you have been watching coverage of tour events recently, you may have seen a number of professionals practising with a similar set-up to the one pictured. One of the most notable European Tour star’s to use this exercise is Tommy Fleetwood who recently won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.

A very common fault that occurs early in the backswing is excessive forearm and wrist roll in the takeaway. This causes the arms and club to get way offline and out of position and often sets off a chain of events in the downswing that makes hitting on line shots difficult. This drill is designed to help you align to the target at address and then make a neutral, online start to the backswing. You need two aiming sticks, one on the ground parallel to the target line, positioned just inside the ball. The other stick is stuck in the ground 4ft back from the ball and at an angle parallel to the shaft line at address.

Starting with a waist-high swing, move the club gently away from the ball and see if the club touches the angled stick. If it does, there is a good chance you are rolling the arms and club to far inside on the takeaway. Practice taking the club away with passive arms and hands until you can avoid the stick. You can hit shots with this set-up but start with small, waist height swings with a ball on a tee. As you become better at taking the club away on line, slowly increase the length of these swings to 3/4 length backswings. As you lengthen the backswing and get the hands to chest height, the shaft should be inclined at a similar angle to the shaft at address.  This is a good indication that you are moving the club back on line and maintaining good arm and shoulder structure.

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Michael Kinloch is Head Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

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By Mike Kinloch
For golfers struggling to control the flight and curve of their shots, particularly those who hit slices, I would suggest checking the clubface position in the backswing and to become familiar with the correct feeling of the hands and clubface as it’s returned to the ball. Often golfers will get the clubface too open in the backswing by excessively rolling the forearms or cupping the left wrist. This leads to a series of compensatory body and hand movements in an attempt to get the clubface back to square.

Often golfers will get the clubface too open in the backswing.

Stand side on to a mirror, or record the movement with a camera phone positioned in the down the line position as pictured; the phone should be level with your hands in the address position. Using the chest and arms, move the club back to waist height and check that the leading edge of the club matches the spine angle. The club head should be in line with your hands as the club shaft reaches parallel with the ground.

Once you become good at getting the club face in this correct position, hit shots off a small tee of approximately 50 to 80 yards with an 8 iron. This can be done with a gentle turn of the body through the ball. Hitting these shots will help you use your body to deliver the club and give the feeling of passive hands as they maintain the club face’s square position.

Mustufa Abidi

In this picture I have exaggerated the feeling. For me to get the clubface in this strong position my left wrist has to be very flat. This will depend on your grip at the start of the swing. If you have a weak or neutral grip, the wrist will be relatively flat.

Mike Kinloch is Head Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post Missing greens? Let us help you get square at impact appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Here’s a drill where you can work on three aspects of putting at once: 1. Visualising and choosing the line of the putt; 2. Accurately starting the ball on the selected line; 3. Controlling the pace of the putt

As you’ll see I have a putt with a substantial break. Having surveyed the slope from behind the ball and then at the hole, I’ve selected my start line or aim point. I’ve marked this point with a tee level with the hole. Having selected the line, approximately three feet in front of my ball I’ve placed two clubs flat on the green. These act as barriers to putts that start offline; the gap between them is only a centimetre or so wider than a golf ball.

If I make a good stroke without pushing or pulling the putt, the ball will go through the gap and I will know the ball started on my desired line. Many amateurs select the correct line but immediately pull or push their ball so this helps with your stroke.

You’ll also notice that I’ve placed an aiming stick three feet behind the hole. If the ball runs past the hole, it should stop before the stick. If I control the speed and the ball is missing on the high side of the hole, I have over-estimated the break. If I miss on the low side, the more common fault with amateurs, I’ve underestimated the break.

By using this set-up, you can improve many aspects of your putting in a single practice session. – With Kent Gray.

Mike Kinloch is Head Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

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By Mike Kinloch
An important part of playing a successful greenside bunker shot is to have a high, soft, trajectory with a spin on the ball to control its roll after it hits the green.

To do this you need to present the correct loft of your sand wedge at impact and make sure the club does not dig in the sand too much during contact.

A common issue in this type of shot is the golfer having the shaft lean too far forward at impact, reducing the loft of the club and digging the leading edge of the club into the sand. To combat this, I recommend practising some swings with a split hand grip (hands about 3 inches apart) and feeling the shaft line up vertically in front of you during impact. This will help to expose the sole of the club to the sand and increase the loft of the club as it swings through the hitting area. Allow the clubhead to pass the hands as the club swings up into the follow through.

Once this feeling is mastered, simply practice contacting the sand in the same place each time you swing. Try to have the sole of the club first contact the sand in the middle of the stance with the ball placed two to three inches forward of that.

Balance and rotate through the shot
Keep the balance a little on the front foot and continue to rotate through impact for consistent and high splash shots from bunkers.

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Mike Kinloch is Head Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowan Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

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How to change the trajectory of your chip shots
By Mike Kinloch

Let me start by saying that I’m a fan of getting the ball on the green as soon as possible. If you have a 50 foot chip and 40 feet of green to work with, then forget floating one high right up by the pin. Your ball should be hitting the deck early and releasing. So first and foremost, let me detail what I believe to be the most effective way of hitting the low, running chip shot.

The main focal point here is your set-up. You need a narrow stance, just one clubhead width apart. Play the ball off the centre of the stance, placing the majority of your weight on your left side. By leaning your body toward the target slightly, your chest should be positioned nicely in front of the ball. Doing this also encourages a gentle shaft lean towards the target, with the handle resting over your lead thigh. This is the position that we want to return to at impact.

If the shot allows you to play it low, always take that option.

For the stroke itself, rocking your shoulders with minimal wrist action will ensure your best chance of striking the ball solidly.

For the higher shot, we need to make some modifications. Go wider with the set-up, with the ball still centered. The key difference is that instead of leaning the shaft forward at address, you should start with it perpendicular to the ball. Having a feeling that you return that shaft back to this upright position at impact will allow you to maintain the loft on your wedge and pop the ball up higher and softer.

Mike Kinloch is a Senior PGA Teaching Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

Photographs by Farooq Salik

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On fast greens, speed matters more than read
By Mike Kinloch

As a rule of thumb, the greens out here in the Middle East – certainly at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club – run pretty quick. If you want to score well, you have to have a good control over your speed, because there are few things more frustrating in golf than a three-putt.

The drill I’ve set up here is the best way to practice your pace putting, while keeping it fun at the same time. I’ve used cones to mark out five distance stations, but you can easily do the same with tee pegs. The first cone is at six feet, with the remainder all exactly one club-length apart up to 18 feet. For an amateur golfer, if you can start holing a few more from this range then great, but what we want to avoid at all costs is taking more than two putts to get down.

Two-and-a-half feet behind the hole I’ve placed an alignment rod, which you can substitute with a golf club. The game is simple. Each putt must finish beyond the hole but stop short of the rod. Running a ball more than three feet past the hole leaves a tricky one coming back, while from this range, it’s important to give every putt a chance of going in. You get one point for every ball that finishes inside this ‘two-putt’ zone, and two points for holing it. If you leave a putt short of the hole, or a ball hits the rod, you’ve lost the game and have to start again.

You want to leave a stress-free tap-in for your second putt.

One technique that I’d recommend when doing this exercise is to look directly at the hole when making your practice stroke. You’ll teach your brain to associate the distance with the correct length and rhythm of your stroke. If you want to make things more challenging, all you have to do is increase the distance of the stations. If you make this exercise a regular part of your putting practice, you’ll start seeing those three-putts disappear from your card.

PACE-SETTING
Learning to judge the correct pace from six to 18 feet will automatically make you a more consistent long-range putter, too. From this distance range, a good week for a tour pro can mean the difference between a mid-field finish and a victory. For amateurs, it’s the range where you would hope but not necessarily expect to hole putts. Making sure you take no more than two to get down is priority No.1, and if your pace is good, a few more will start dropping.

Mike Kinloch is a Senior PGA Teaching Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

Photograph by Farooq Salik

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