On The Tee with Hank Johnson

Objective: To improve up and down percentage from within 50 yards of the flag by;

1. Pitching the ball within six feet of the cup a high percentage of the time.
2. Pitching the ball within twelve of the cup 100 percent of the time.

Key to success: Make the ball land on the spot you’ve picked and at the angle you’ve visualized.

To improve your ability to visualize the shot: Toss some balls onto the green underhanded to find the best spot and angle for the ball to land on for a specific shot. Once you’ve found the best spot and landing angle, stick a shaft into the green to represent the landing point and landing angle. Now, hit some pitch shots trying to make the ball land on the spot and on the angle the shaft represents. Try different wedges until you find the one that makes the shot easiest to hit.

Use this practice procedure from various places around the green to develop your ability to visualize the best trajectory for the various shots.

Practice technique: Use coins or ball markers to create a six foot and a twelve foot circle around the cup to which you plan to practice. With ten ball like you play with, drop them in ten different locations around the green where a high shot is called for. Without improving your lie, play the ten shots. You may use different clubs if you wish. Use your full pre-shot routine just like you would on the golf course. Mark the balls from previous shots so that they will not interfere. You may leave the flag stick in if you wish.

Your goal: All ten shots within the twelve foot circle and at least half of them in the six foot circle.

Reminder: Every pitch shot turns into a putt when it begins to roll. Don’t forget to look for slopes that will cause the ball to break left or right. Also be aware of uphill or downhill slopes that will affect the speed and therefore the distance the ball will roll after landing.

Objective: To improve up and down percentage from just off the green by;
(5 yards or less from the edge of the green)

1. Chipping the ball within three feet of the cup a high percentage of the time.
2. Chipping the ball within six feet of the cup 100% of the time.

Practice technique: Use coins or ball markers to create a three foot circle and a six foot circle around the cup to which you plan to practice. With 10 ball like the ball you play with, drop them in 10 different locations around the green and from one to five yards off the putting surface.

Without improving your lie, play the ten shots. You may use different clubs for the shots if you wish. Use your full pre-shot routine just like you would on the golf course. Mark the balls from previous shots so that they will not interfere. You may leave the flag stick in if you wish.

Your goal: All ten shots within the six foot circle and at least half of them in the three foot circle.

Things to remember:

Club choice should be related to the amount of roll you want after the ball lands. More loft gives you less roll, less loft gives you more roll.

Every chip turns into a putt when it begins to roll. Don’t forget look for slopes that will cause the ball to break left or right. Also be aware of any uphill or downhill slopes that will affect the speed and therefore the distance the ball will roll after landing.

1. Lack of lower body stability. Caused by excessive movement in the feet and knees during the back swing which allows the hips to over rotate. Improve by keeping feet and knees still in back swing. Best drill is to practice back swing while holding a soccer size ball between the knees. Imagine a bucket between the feet and keep the ball over the bucket during the back swing.

2. Arms swing back too much. Caused by excessive arm swing in relationship to the size of the body turn. For the arm swing and body turn to be "matched" you must stop swinging when you stop turning in the back swing. Best drill is to hold a soccer size ball between your arms and against your chest while you practice your back swing.

3. Wrists cock too much. Caused by the fingers opening up and the hands separating. For proper wrist action a constant level of grip pressure must be maintained. On a scale of 1 - 10 it should be about 5 and stay the same through out the entire swing. Sense your grip pressure in the last three fingers of your top hand and the middle two fingers of you bottom hand.

1. Putting represents a significant portion of the game. More than 40% of the strokes played in an average round of golf are putts. This seems to hold true regardless of the players handicap or the score shot. You have to accept this reality.
2. Putting is boring to practice. Therefore you must have ways to practice your putting that help you maintain interest and focus. Practice games are the answer to this dilemma.

Following are some effective putting practice drills:

12 Ball Drill

Place tees at 12,3,6 and 9 o’clock positions around the hole. Make three putts in a row from one position before you move on to the next position. Start at 5 feet and move back as you get better. Your objective is to make all 12 putts in a row without missing. If you choose a cup that is not on a flat part of the green, you practice will include, uphill, downhill and side hill putts.

Short Putt Drill

Place tees at 3,4,5 and 6 feet from the cup. You must complete each distance before moving back to the next distance.

3 feet – make 30 putts in a row
4 feet – make 20 putts in a row
5 feet – make 10 putts in a row
6 feet – make 5 putts in a row

Start with a straight putt and progress to breaking putts

Lag Putt Drill

Practice long putts to a line. Place a string between two tees to create a line across the back of the cup to which you plan to practice. From distances of 20,30 40 and 50 feet use the cup to choose your line if the ball will have enough speed to reach the string. Try to roll each putt to the string. Your goal should be to get each ball within a PUTTER GRIP length of the string. If you master this drill you will virtually eliminate three-putts.

Objective of Practice: General

“Maintain your strengths and improve your weaknesses”

Structure of Practice: Performance Based

“Practice will only improve performance if it is structured according to accurate and complete performance data.”

Round Charting is Essential to Improved Performance

Basic facets include:

• Driving Distance
• Fairways Hit
• Greens Hit
• Chips/Pitches
• Bunker Shots
• Putts

Shot By Shot is a great system.

Key

“Identify the trouble spots in your game and develop a practice plan tailored to your needs.”

Quality Practice is More Important Than Quantity Practice

• Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.
• Perfect practice makes perfect.

Practice Application

• Always have a specific purpose for practice sessions
• Never hit a practice shot without a purpose
• Never hit a practice shot without a target
• Never hit a shot without using your pre-shot routine
• Keep your practice varied and interesting
• Keep a practice journal to monitor your activities

Put Practice Time On Your Schedule and Keep Your Appointment!

Golf application: A golf stroke pattern within which all components are compatible and supportive of each other.

Most golfers are already consistent in doing whatever they do. They are just not happy with whatever they do consistently.

Perhaps what they really want is more Certainty. They want their shots to be more predictable when they are playing.

Golf, by it’s very nature is unpredictable.

“No one knows what will happen in golf until it happens. All one can do is work and suffer and wait for fate.”

- Bobby Jones

Understand that you are likely to play your average game on any given day.

Things you can do:

1. Develop a very precise pre-shot routine that promotes consistency in;
   GRIP
   AIM
   POSTURE
   BALL POSITION
2. On the course confine your focus to;
   TARGET
   TEMPO
   TRUST
3. Practice like you play;
   SMALL TARGETS
   DIFFERENT CLUBS
   DIFFERENT LIES
   DIFFERENT SHOTS