When you’ve played in extreme heat in the UAE, have you ever consumed a bottle of water every hole? LPGA physio Chris Wicker says many average players don’t hydrate properly on hot days. Here’s how to make sure you’re doing it right.

When you know it’s going to be sweltering, Wicker says to start hydrating the day before. “You want to have a build-up,” Wicker says. Guidelines for how much to drink depends on your size — the bigger you are, the more you’ll need to hydrate. But Wicker says to take in a minimum of 32-64 ounces of water the day before your round. Another guideline you can follow is to take your bodyweight in pounds, divide it by two, and drink that amount of water in ounces.

When you’re on-course, Wicker says it’s a good idea to rotate drinking water and other hydration drinks. “If it’s hot and humid, you’re sweating … it’s losing the sweat that takes the electrolytes out,” Wicker said. A few things to look out for: You don’t want to drink something with too much sugar and you want something with sodium in it because you want to replenish the sodium you’re sweating out. You can carry some of these drinks in powder form to lighten the load in your bag.

“There’s a lot on the market,” Wicker says. “At the US Women’s Open, they had Biosteel, which is a good product with low sugar. There’s also Liquid IV, Nuun. The big thing is to make sure you’re not chugging a lot of sugar.”

Wicker says on really hot days, drinking a bottle of liquid per hole or every other hole is a good guideline.

“You’ll know you’re not drinking enough if your urine is really yellow,” Wicker said.

Signs that are more dangerous, Wicker says, are not urinating at all and not sweating.

“If you start to get light-headed and nauseated, you’re moving towards heat stroke,” Wicker said.

Keep yourself safe and give yourself the best chance of playing well in extreme heat by hydrating like an LPGA Pro: Drink a bottle per hole and mix in some electrolyte drinks.

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The post You’re probably not drinking enough during hot rounds. Here’s how to hydrate correctly appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The end of November is supposed to be a time to give thanks…unless you’re a golfer residing above the Mason-Dixon line. For this spot on the calendar often signals the end of the golf year, and any season that welcomes such hell is no cause for celebration.

However, though it seems so far in the future, golf will come again. Which is why you need to keep these 12 tips in mind before putting your clubs away for the winter.

The trunk is not your friend
Constant exposure to cold temperatures can sear and dry your grips, causing them to crack. Moreover, according to Titleist, storing balls in any extreme condition will have an adverse effect on performance. Understand that storage space can be an issue, but the back of your car is a graveyard for your equipment.

Say “sayonara” to scorecards
The purpose is threefold: 1) Clear room in your bag compartments 2) A scorecard from a memorable round or course makes for a great keepsake 3) Destroy all known evidence of that 93 at the Member-Guest.

One man’s trash, another’s treasure
Yes, sometimes a club just needs to die, and the offseason makes a perfect parting time for that driver you keep slicing or putter that can’t find the cup. But while the thought of throwing that troubled tool in a fire warms your heart, give it a second life in the hands of someone else. The First Tee and Bunkers in Baghdad are great organizations that take equipment donations, funnelling them to parties that don’t have the same resources we take for granted. Small gestures like this play a big part in growing the sport.

Check your grooves
Are your shots around the green not producing enough spin? It’s not your fault! Well, it’s probably your fault, but your wedges might not be helping. A wedge with 40 rounds of use losses an average of 2,300 rpm compared to a brand-new club. That number gets worse if you spend time at the practice green. If your grooves look worn out, it’s time to pull the trigger on some new wedges.

Get a Grip
Stands to reason the grip – you know, the area where you hold and control the club – should be in good condition, yes? Yet, many amateurs don’t pay heed to the state of these wraps. Golf is hard enough as is; a shoddy grip will only add to these woes. If you play twice a week, you should get your grips changed every offseason.

Why you need to upend your bag
A shocking amount of dirt and grass finds its way to the bottom of your bag. In and of itself, not a huge problem, but buildup could funk up your bag and do a number on your grips. View this exercise as taking out the trash: slightly annoying, but a necessary evil that doesn’t take THAT much time to do.

Pull the flat stick
Keep your short game sharp this winter by practising putting on your carpet or floor. It’s a great way to improve your stroke while simultaneously driving your family crazy. (Amazingly, wives don’t see the utility of using a table leg as a flagstick.)

Wash your towel
Guessing you didn’t give it a scrub once this entire season, you filthy animal. Golf courses are treated with hundreds of chemicals, substances that are likely baked into those fibres thanks to all those mud chunks you had to wipe off the clubface. Don’t let that slime cake throughout the offseason.

Glove love
It’s easy to want to throw an old glove in the garbage, especially if it’s hardened and crusty. But most are more durable than their predecessors, able to withstand a tremendous amount of wear-n-tear. Though we recommend playing with new gloves, old ones are still serviceable to wear at the range. Moreover, always good to have an extra glove just in case you lose one in the course of your round. In short, if they’re not falling apart, don’t heave those experienced gloves in the can.

Unscrew your heads
Most drivers and an increasing amount of fairway woods are adjustable. Though storage closets or basements seem like save havens, they’re anything but: my old roommate accidentally broke a few sticks when attempting to unpack Christmas decorations went awry.

Speaking of which…

Holiday inventory
No matter the observance, chances are its an opportunity to replenish your golf arsenal. (Which, I believe, is the true meaning of the holidays). Balls, tees and gloves are easy asks for stocking stuffers, so let your loved ones know what you need.

And finally…

Clean your clubs
If you think cleaning the dirt from the grooves is the pain in the ass now, try it after its congealed for three months.

The post 12 Tips before putting your clubs away for the season appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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.

But if you do struggle for distance off the tee, what’s to lose from watching UK long drive champion show us how he rips it off the tee? And when we say rip it, we really mean R.I.P, as in those poor, defenceless little white golf spheres.

Physical limitations mean you probably won’t ever come close to launching it like Lucas but it doesn’t make the video any less mesmerising. Think swing and ball speeds on the warp setting. And the sound… oh the sound.

Dornan is set to peg it up on those gigantic tees in the inaugural Long Drive World Series at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from 5pm Friday. It promises to be an eye-popping night with two-time reigning world champion and English compatriot Joe Miller heading a whose who of long driving chasing the £50,000 prize money on offer.

Golf Digest Middle East will be tracking every shot. Well, at least we’ll try. With 400+ yard bombs on tap, thank goodness for electronic tracking technology. And chiropractors. Enjoy.

SEE ALSO:
Lucas Dornan…427 yards and counting

Photo/Video by Kristina Nabieva

The post VIDEO: How to launch it like UK long drive champion Lucas Dornan appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Here’s a tip from Dubai Creek Golf Academy pro Jack Woods that could well be a game-changer for those struggling with the flat stick.

“If you feel you have a slightly twitchy movement of one of your hands it is definitely worth trying the claw for a few rounds to reduce the influence this hand has on the stroke,” says Woods.

“The right hand is usually the problem, so holding the club in a way that this hand is less involved almost always helps you regain control of both the club face and the tempo of the stroke. Don’t be afraid of what your playing partners might think, they will soon be asking how you do it when you’re rolling it in from everywhere!”

The post VIDEO: Claw for a better score appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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Credit: Video courtesy of Golf Digest

The post Video: How to play Butch Harmon’s hybrid scooter appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Two big mistakes I see with driver set-up and how to fix them

“A lot of amateur golfers get too much weight on their left side when setting up with the driver, while others tend to fall back in an effort to stack weight behind the ball. Here’s a simple drill that will help you get into a powerful driver set-up every time. The key is to ensure your weight is evenly distributed across both feet. Watch the clip below and give it a try next time you’re practicing your driving.”

The post Driver set-up Do’s and Don’ts appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Here’s a simple pace putting drill for you that is a great exercise to work on during the off-season.

Even though getting the line correct is a vital part of holing parts, mastering your pace is the single most important ingredient for consistent putting. If you can putt with good speed, you’ll never have much more than a tap-in for your next shot. In the video below, I’ll run you through a very simple box drill that will help you work on both uphill and downhill putts.

All you will need is 10 tee pegs and three golf balls and you’re good to go. Mark out three boxes using the tee pegs as illustrated, then putt balls to finish in each box. You’re not putting to a hole here, you’re simply focusing on pace. Check out the video and build this drill into your practice putting routine to become a better pace putter.

The post Video: Think inside the box with this pace putting drill appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A common fault for amateur golfers of all levels is to ‘early extend’ on the downswing – meaning a premature loss of the body angles established at address and on the backswing.

Scroll down to watch the video

Usually this means the spine straightens too early and the pelvis moves towards the ball. This produces a variety of common shot faults and limits the player’s ability to produce rotational power. In this clip below, I’ll give you a simple practice drill to fix early extension. If you struggle to perform the drill, certain physical limitations may be to blame and a physical screening at the Yas Links Academy can help identify the steps you need to take to rectify it

The post Video: A drill to fix early extension appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Forget the high draw – this is the go-to shot you’ll see most at the majors

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The twin revolutions in equipment and athleticism that have transformed golf over the past two decades have also had a dramatic impact on the way the top modern day tour professionals flight the ball. When I was growing up, many of the top players would employ a fairly pronounced draw as their stock shot. In the 1980s and 90s, draws flew significantly farther than fades and playing with plenty of shot shape was standard with the old tour wound balata balls.

As a result, most of the best players of that era had a lot of hand action in their swings through impact with the ‘reverse C’ finish position a common sight among the game’s finest. But today, what you see now is a lot of players hitting what we would refer to as a tour pro fade. This is a really powerful, very straight shot that might contain just a little bit of fade spin that makes the ball fall to the right. The way players hit this shot is of course quite complex, but in the video below I have identified two key components in the swing that are vital in producing a tour pro fade, and illustrated a couple of drills that you can try in order to gain a better feel for this very reliable, powerful shot.

The post Video: How to hit a tour pro fade appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.