How to fix a "chicken wing" in a golf swing, where the left elbow (for right-handers) lifts away from the body and goes to the side after contact with the ball, with two drills, from a Korean professional golfer from KGolf24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T8n9y45Rxc

PGA coach Chris Ryan discusses several truly important elements of a solid iron swing and explains how they work together to produce more consistent ball striking.
He also highlights some of the most common mistakes made by amateur golfers and demonstrates a simple drill that helps develop the correct movement pattern. This video is especially useful for players who occasionally struggle with inconsistent contact and overall swing consistency.
📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUUU_U48f0c

A discussion of 5 common mistakes in alignment and golf swings with a driver and ways and drills to avoid them - from Chris Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWKbbS19IKU

Helpful recent golf tips. This video discusses a few fundamentals of iron play that may help amateur golfers improve the quality and consistency of their ball striking. The explanations from golf coach Giles Gill are clear, and the suggested checkpoints are easy to follow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMzPO3jT4PM

An interesting look at pre-round putting practice. The author, Mr One Putt, suggests focusing your pre-round practice on the putting green on just two distances: short putts from 4 feet (about 1.2 metres) and long putts from 30–40–50 feet. The obvious goal is to minimise the number of three-putts during the round — although these tips may also be useful for golfers who occasionally find themselves making four or even five putts on a green).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxmmiK3xwcU

Helpful recent golf tips.
An interesting perspective on the start of the downswing when playing irons, aimed at better incorporating the body into the swing and developing the right feel and sequence – ultimately helping to produce more solid and powerful contact with the ball.
There are some exaggerations to make the point clearer, but the idea is worth trying. The video also includes practical drills to help develop the movement.
From Justin Rose and Chris Ryan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSsdNNGKDD0

A simple but powerful adjustment for a more consistent golf swing.
Many amateur golfers ruin their swing before the club even moves simply because their lead arm is rotated the wrong way at setup. If your lead arm (assuming left arm) is rotated too far left, it forces a steep backswing, leading to fat shots, pulls, or weak slices.
The secret "cheat" is subtle: at address, rotate the upper part of your lead arm slightly to the right toward your trail hip (turning your bicep inward) while keeping your shoulder down. This keeps your arm connected to your body, automatically shallows your swing path, and helps you approach the ball from a powerful inside position without forced manipulation.
The video breaks down common setup mistakes (like shrugging the shoulder or twisting the forearm) and provides a great chest-height drill to help you find the right feel.
Check out the full guide, from ManningGolf, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF6S50TuDx0

10 Tips for Your Next Golf Tournament — From Your First to Your 100th
 
Playing in a golf tournament is different from playing a casual round. Here are 10 simple tips from PGA Professional Alex Elliott and Neil Tappin that can help you handle competition golf better:
 
1. Have a stock shot
Know the shot you can rely on under pressure. It might be a fade, a draw, or simply your safest shot. When in doubt, stick with it.
 
2. Clean your clubs after every shot
Grass, mud or other debris in the grooves can reduce spin and make the ball travel farther than expected. Keep your clubs clean — and carry a towel.
 
3. Prepare your scorecard before you tee off
Fill in your name, date, competition and handicap. Mark the holes where you receive handicap strokes. This can help you make better decisions during the round.
 
4. Don't try to hole every long putt
From 25–30 feet, your main goal should be to avoid a three-putt. Think of a “bin lid” around the hole and focus on getting the ball inside it.
 
5. Warm up — but don't start practising your swing
Get your body moving, hit a limited number of balls and finish with the shots you want to take to the first tee. A bad warm-up shot doesn't predict your first tee shot.
 
6. Leave your bag in the right place
When you reach the green, position your bag so that you can leave directly towards the next tee. It saves time and reduces unnecessary pressure.
 
7. Manage the course, not just your swing
Identify the big trouble before every shot. Avoid the areas that can turn a manageable score into a disaster. For higher handicappers, avoiding “card wreckers” can be more valuable than chasing birdies.
 
8. Keep your swing thoughts simple
Use your pre-shot routine as a checklist for grip, stance and setup. Once you're over the ball, try to have no more than one or two simple thoughts or feels.
 
9. Make alignment part of your routine
Visualise two parallel lines: the ball-to-target line and your body alignment. Build the same routine into every shot, from the first tee to the 18th green.
 
10. Check your scorecard before handing it in
Make sure the gross score for every hole is correct and that both you and your playing partner have signed the card. Your round isn't quite finished until the card is safely handed in.
 
Good advice for your first competition — and probably still good advice for your 100th.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ8ZRyGfmTA&t=350s

Briefly and clearly: how to naturally achieve proper clubhead acceleration and swing power in golf. A pendulum-based visualization: first with just your body, then with your shoulders, then with your wrists, so that it all becomes a harmonious and natural swing. From JacoboGolf: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0Rt_7gB47xU

An interesting look at the driver swing of a skinny golfer who still hits the golf ball more than 300 yards.
Ross from Elite Performance Golf Studios weighs around 63 kg, doesn't go to the gym, yet can regularly drive the ball over 300 yards.
So where does the speed come from?
His main point is that power in the golf swing is not simply about strength – it is about how efficiently you create and transfer speed.
Here are a few ideas from the video that I found particularly interesting:
1. Don't try to swing harder
Trying to hit the ball harder can actually make you slower. When you consciously add effort, you can disrupt the sequence of the swing and lose the natural acceleration of the clubhead.
2. Think “speed”, not “force”
The objective is not to force the club through the ball. Instead, allow the club to accelerate naturally, with the maximum speed occurring at the right point in the downswing.
3. Be careful with “use your big muscles”
Ross challenges the common advice to use your chest, shoulders, legs and other big muscles to generate power. The problem isn't the idea itself – it's how golfers interpret it. Trying to actively drive the swing with these muscles can interfere with the natural sequence and actually reduce speed.
4. Get the sequence right
The body and the club need to work in the right order. Efficient sequencing allows energy to flow through the swing rather than being generated by one part of the body trying to do all the work.
5. Let the clubhead do the work
A fast driver swing doesn't necessarily feel violent or exhausting. Ross describes his own swing as controlled and relatively effortless. The feeling of speed comes from the club accelerating, rather than from the golfer trying to smash the ball.
6. Strike matters as much as speed
Even a very fast swing won't produce maximum distance if the ball isn't struck well. Centre-face contact is critical because more of the clubhead speed is then transferred efficiently to the ball.
And perhaps the most interesting takeaway:
You don't necessarily need to become stronger to hit the ball farther.
You may simply need to learn how to use the speed you already have more efficiently.
This is a useful reminder that “swing harder” and “swing faster” are not necessarily the same thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myaJ5BKRVdc

How to become more confident over 3–5-foot putts

Putts from 3 to 5 feet are extremely important if you want to reduce your score. They are short enough that we expect to hole them – but long enough that a small mistake in setup, aim or stroke can cost us a shot.

Here are some interesting tips from Brad Faxon, an eight-time PGA Tour winner and one of the best putters of his generation.

First – get your stance right.

Faxon's advice is simple: your good putting stance would never make your stroke worse.

Find a comfortable, balanced stance that allows your arms to hang naturally and gives the putter enough freedom to move. Don't try to make your stance overly technical. The key is to feel stable and comfortable over the ball, without unnecessary tension.

Then try this drill.

The purpose of the exercise is to develop feel and confidence on short putts, rather than simply practising the same mechanical stroke over and over again.
Start with a putt of about 3 feet.

Your task is to hole three putts – but each one should arrive at the hole at a different speed:

1. Die it into the hole
Hit the putt softly enough that the ball barely reaches the hole and drops in.

2. Hit it firmly
Now hit the same putt with enough pace that the ball would hit the back of the cup.

3. Use your normal “golf course speed”
Finally, hit the putt at the pace you would normally choose when playing on the course.

The important part is that all three putts should still go in.

Why do this?
Because it teaches you that there isn't just one “correct” speed for holing a short putt. You can make the same putt with different amounts of pace – and developing that range of feel can make you much more comfortable when you face a 3- to 5-footer on the course.

Once you're comfortable from 3 feet, move back towards 4 and 5 feet.

A simple drill – but potentially a very useful one for those putts that suddenly feel much more difficult when the score actually matters.

🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube

Helpful recent golf tips - on the wrist hinge.

One interesting idea from this video: your wrist hinge should look the same with every club in the bag – wedges, irons and woods. What changes is the timing of the hinge, depending on the club you are using.

For golfers who tend to take the club too far inside, the recommendation is to blend the wrist hinge with the body rotation rather than starting the hinge immediately as the club moves back. This helps keep the club on a better path and avoid an inside takeaway.

A useful feel from the video is “push the beach ball beneath the water.” This is used to help create the correct upward wrist hinge while the lead hand moves into flexion, rather than extension.

The key message is simple: same hinge, different timing. Getting this right can help make your ball striking more consistent from club to club.

Tip from Porzak Golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur-mk2nJvrU

Helpful recent golf tips

A detailed look at the swings of great players such as Sergio Garcia, Scottie Scheffler and Ben Hogan, and what amateurs can learn from their movement through impact.

The video focuses on an important difference: many amateurs have a relatively wide downswing, which can make it difficult to create shaft lean and compression. The key is learning to move the knees and hips towards the target while turning, tilting and staying in posture.

Here are three drills professional golf instructor Craig Hanson suggests to help develop that movement:

1. Alignment-stick drill
Place an alignment stick in the ground at about a 45° angle, roughly a club length away. As you swing through, try to move forwards, down and under and touch the stick. The drill helps you feel the lateral shift and movement through the ball.

2. Wall / resistance-band drill
Use a wall, or a fitness band under your lead foot. As you move forwards, feel the lead side working up and away, while the gap between your knees closes. The idea is to feel the combination of shifting, turning and lifting rather than simply moving forwards.

3. Impact-position drill
Place the club outside your lead foot, move forwards and down into the position, with the lead leg pressing against the movement. Hold the position for a few seconds, then return, make your backswing and hit the ball. This gives you a feel for the body and leg positions needed at and just after impact.

The common theme is simple: don't just move towards the target – move forwards, down and under while turning through the shot.

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRjLRnNtrSc

Another simple way to hole more short putts

We recently looked at short putting – and here is another idea that may help you hole more of those frustrating short ones.

And they are worth working on. On the PGA Tour, players made 82% of putts from 4–5 feet in 2026 so far. For a 15-handicap golfer, the make rate from 3–5 feet is only about 50%, according to Arccos data cited by Golf Digest.

So why do we miss them?

According to Alex Fortey, one common problem is deceleration. When a short putt matters – a birdie putt, or one to save par or bogey – we can become tentative and start steering the ball into the hole. A backswing that is too long makes this even more likely.

Lee Trevino's (six-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member) simple solution:

1. Move the ball back
For a short putt, move the ball about 1–3 ball widths farther back in your stance than usual.

2. Make the stroke shorter – but keep it positive
The new ball position naturally encourages a shorter backswing. Use your foot as a reference and avoid taking the putter too far back.
Then keep your normal tempo and accelerate through the ball rather than slowing down.

So the idea is:
Ball farther back → shorter backswing → same tempo → positive stroke through impact.

Try it on the practice green with a few short, straight putts. The goal is not to hit the ball harder – it is to make it easier to avoid deceleration when the putt matters.

The video is presented by Alex Fortey, golf coach and founder of The Art of Simple Golf.

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6H_WVHHSbc

Helpful Recent Golf Tips
Are you releasing the club – or steering it through impact?

One thing that can quietly creep into almost every golfer’s swing is trying to control the club through the ball.

A useful drill from a recent golf tip is designed to give you the opposite feeling: an effortless release.

Start with a short or half swing and, after impact, let the club continue to rotate and extend around you. The goal is to feel your forearms getting closer together – even touching – while your arms continue extending.

The key sensation is that your hands are not on the steering wheel. You are not pulling, holding or manipulating the club. Let it go.

A few things to watch:
• Keep your grip relatively neutral. If the clubface is already too closed, a full release may simply send the ball left.
• If the ball goes left immediately, the problem may also be a steep downswing. Try to feel a shallower approach before releasing.
• Start with single shots. Don’t worry about the result – notice the sensation first.

Once the feeling becomes familiar, take it into a full swing.

You may find that a little less control produces a much freer, more consistent motion.

By Zach Allen, a PGA-certified golf instructor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of62yjzj6Rg

Helpful recent golf tips.
This video from Team Titleist and Joe Plecker, an active member of GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Teachers in America, looks in detail at what the hands – and the rest of the body – are doing during an iron swing.
One idea particularly caught my attention: don’t try to drive the handle directly at the ball.
According to Plecker, as the club approaches impact, the handle should work up and in, curving around the lead hip. This allows the clubhead to release past the handle at the right time.
A useful way to understand the motion is to think of a hockey stick. You don’t drive the top of the stick straight at the puck. It works up and around, allowing the blade to meet the puck.
The same idea can help with an iron: move into the lead side, let the hands lower, then allow the handle to work up and in rather than continuing to push it towards the ball.
Plecker also makes an important distinction: casting is not simply lowering the hands. Casting happens when the shaft straightens relative to the lead arm too early.
If you tend to push the handle toward the ball and struggle with inconsistent contact, this is an interesting movement to explore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fuGIVu1o4

Helpful recent golf tips.
Soft sand and firm sand require two different bunker techniques.
PGA coach Matthew Galley’s video gives an explanation of how to adapt when the sand under the ball changes – something many amateurs struggle with.
In soft, fluffy sand, the goal is to use the club’s bounce. Play the ball forward, keep your weight on the lead side, lower the hands and open the clubface. Galley demonstrates a conventional splash shot, entering the sand a couple of inches behind the ball and letting the sole glide through.
From a firm or bare lie, almost the opposite applies. Too much bounce can make the club rebound off the hard surface and produce a thin shot. So the recommendations:
use more loft, but keep the face relatively square;
move the ball slightly farther back;
put the hands a little forward;
use more of the leading edge;
make a shorter swing and take less sand.
The useful takeaway is simple: don’t use the same bunker setup for every lie. First assess whether the sand is soft or compact, then adjust how much bounce you expose and how much sand you try to take.
Watch the full video on YouTube

Pitching: Control the Flight, Control the Distance

Dan Grieve gives a useful lesson on controlling pitch shots — particularly when the wind makes the “standard” shot a poor choice.

For the basic pitching motion, keep the lower body relatively quiet and let the chest rotate around it. Grieve describes the feeling as having “heavy feet”: the chest and clubhead stay connected through the swing rather than the hands taking over.

From there, learn to change trajectory.

For a standard pitch, play the ball slightly forward of centre. To hit it higher, move it farther forward and allow more release. To lower the flight, move it progressively back, add some shaft lean and use a shorter, more controlled release. Another option is simply to use less loft — for example, a gap wedge instead of a sand wedge.

That becomes especially valuable in the wind. A high, spinning wedge can climb, stall and finish well short.
Grieve’s advice: “When it’s breezy, swing it easy.” Use less loft, reduce excessive wrist action and keep the ball moving forward through the wind. In stronger conditions, even a controlled half-swing with a 9-iron can be more effective than a high wedge.

The broader lesson: better ball-flight control also improves distance control.

Video by Dan Grieve — PGA Master Coach, Head Professional at Woburn Golf Club and renowned short-game coach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxgEV9Fj70I

How to Hit Your Hybrid Better: Setup, Strike and Speed

Hybrids are designed to make long shots easier — but a few setup mistakes can make them surprisingly difficult to hit well.

Here are four practical tips from Mark Crossfield.

1. Don’t play the ball too far forward

A common mistake is positioning the hybrid almost opposite the lead toe and leaning the handle backwards, as if trying to help the ball into the air.

That encourages the club to bottom out too early and then move upwards into the ball — increasing the chances of tops, thin shots and contact low on the clubface.

Crossfield generally plays the ball 2–3 inches inside the lead heel, moving it slightly farther forward only when he wants a higher shot.

2. Let the handle sit slightly ahead of the clubhead

With the ball on the ground, you don’t need to help it up. At address, Crossfield wants the handle slightly forward — roughly level with the ball while the clubhead remains behind it.

This helps you strike the ball higher on the face and allows some turf interaction. With a hybrid, a small scrape or even a little divot is not necessarily a bad thing.

3. Pay attention to the lie of the club

Hybrids are often relatively upright. If your hands are too low and the toe sits well above the ground, the loft can point left and the effective sweet spot becomes harder to reach.

Crossfield suggests a more neutral setup, standing a little taller and allowing the toe to sit only slightly above the ground.

The hybrid’s sole is also quite versatile, so experimenting with lie and posture can help you understand how they influence strike and ball flight.

4. Don’t make a “little iron swing”

A hybrid still needs speed and commitment to produce the launch and distance it was designed for.

Crossfield often sees golfers making short, cautious swings as if they were hitting a controlled 8- or 9-iron. The result can be a ball that never launches properly or simply falls out of the air.

Instead, use a healthy stance, make a full shoulder turn and commit to the follow-through. You can certainly develop softer hybrid shots too — but the soft swing shouldn’t automatically become your default.

The overall message: don’t try to help your hybrid into the air. Set up so you can strike it properly, then give the club enough speed to do its job.

Tips from Mark Crossfield, a golf coach with more than 30 years of coaching experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt5D9JJiIRI

Which Wedge Should You Use — and When?

Alex Elliott, a PGA Professional and Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach, suggests a simple way to make wedge selection less complicated: think of your wedges as low (48–52°), medium (54–56°) and high (58–60°) loft, then choose according to the lie, the flag position and how much green you have to work with.

From the fairway, farther from the green

If the lie is clean and the flag is at the back, use the lower-lofted wedge — around 48–52°. It produces a lower flight, lands earlier and rolls more.

This is also the safer option: you do not need to carry the ball precisely to the flag, and even a slightly heavy strike may still release towards the target.

For a front pin, especially when you need to carry a bunker or stop the ball quickly, choose the higher-lofted wedge.

For a middle pin, Elliott recommends the club that allows the smoothest swing rather than forcing a hard swing with one wedge or an overly soft swing with another.

His basic pitching setup stays simple: around 60% of the weight on the lead side, the ball slightly back in the stance and a smooth, passive motion.

From the rough

Expect less spin and therefore more rollout because grass interferes with contact between the ball and clubface.

Elliott’s default choice is the medium-lofted wedge — roughly 54–56°. It gives a useful compromise between height and rollout.

In thicker rough, more loft may be needed, but the priority should often be reducing risk: forget a difficult front flag, aim for the middle of the green and get the ball safely putting.

Close to the green

Again, let the amount of green available dictate the club.

If there is plenty of green between you and the flag, favour the lower-lofted club. Keep the ball in the air for less time and let it roll.

If the pin is close to the fringe and you need more stopping power, move towards the medium or higher-lofted wedge.

Elliott keeps the chipping setup almost unchanged: narrow stance, ball towards the back of the stance, then change the club rather than constantly changing ball position and opening the face.

That is probably the most useful idea in the video: there is rarely a “wrong” wedge — but there is often an easier, lower-risk option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mdgxeaPekk&list=PLdQgf3CFvdvQ&index=8

Helpful Recent Golf Tips.

Better Iron Distance Starts with Better Impact

This video is for golfers whose iron shots regularly finish short — and who may be trying to solve the problem simply by swinging harder.
Alex Elliott’s alternative is his SMART system, designed to improve strike, compression and distance more efficiently.

S — Setup
With a 7-iron, Elliott places the ball about three ball-widths inside the lead armpit, uses an athletic stance and starts with a little pressure already favouring the lead foot.
For longer irons, move the ball slightly forward; for shorter clubs, slightly back.

M — Movement
First decide what ball flight you want. For a well-struck iron, Elliott looks for a relatively low launch, good spin and a steeper descent — rather than a weak, floating flight that tends to finish short.

A — Arc
The club should still be travelling downward through impact. An arc that starts moving upward too early makes fat and thin strikes more likely and reduces compression.

R — Rotation
This is where his main drill comes in.
Place a rolled towel under your lead foot. Make a backswing, then feel pressure move into that foot while your chest initially stays back. Next, push into the ground through the lead foot. This helps the lead side straighten and the body open naturally, creating room for the arms and encouraging a downward strike.
Make several slow rehearsals with the towel, then remove it and hit balls while keeping the same sensation.
The goal is not to force the hands forward. Better shaft lean should result from pressure shift and rotation.

T — Tempo
Keep the transition smooth. Elliott compares it to a roller coaster: it climbs to the top, then releases and accelerates naturally rather than being forced.

He also gives a useful rule of thumb for club selection in the wind:
• Headwind: allow roughly 1% extra distance for every 1 mph of wind. A 150-yard shot into a 10 mph wind may play about 165 yards.
• Tailwind: the benefit is only about 0.5% per 1 mph. The same 150-yard shot with a 10 mph helping wind plays roughly 143 yards.

So better iron distance is not only about speed. Better setup, strike, rotation, tempo — and smarter club selection — can keep many more shots from finishing short.

Another useful video from Alex Elliott:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLRs3JCYSoQ