Nobody has seen Tiger Woods hit more balls than Rob McNamara, the TGR Ventures vice president who has not only played more than 500 rounds with Woods in the last 15 years, but is also his designated practice partner at home in Jupiter, Fla., and a second set of eyes when Woods is on the
Instructions
Most of us have been taught the same lesson at some point in our lives—finish what you start. Whether it’s an around-the-house project, a book you are reading, or the sandwich you just made, the lesson always applies. Nobody likes a quitter. This is true at every level of golf. From the final round of
Part of playing sports as a kid is practicing while you’re pretending you’re the hero: the walk-off homer to win the World Series, the diving catch in the end zone, or a six-footer to win the Masters. In “My Game: Tiger Woods,” produced by GOLFTV and Golf Digest, Tiger says he did it, too. The
Tour players aren’t the only ones who tee it up in majors. You have your own: your flight in the club championship, the annual golf trip with your college buddies, the member-guest at your club or the money match against the person who always seems to get in your pocket. You need to hit the
When you hit into a greenside bunker, is your brain flooded with swing thoughts that make the next shot seem complicated, like you’re running through a long checklist just to get the ball out? Instead, clear your mind—if you can—and try my simpler approach: No matter the lie, no matter the yardage, play the ball
We’ve all been there—standing over a four-footer really matters. Could be for that a birdie. Could be to win a weekend match. Could even be to keep your team from going backward in a scramble. No matter the scenario, there are only two outcomes. Why do some golfers always seem to make these while others
Professional sports have become massively data-driven, whether you’re talking about the coaches and athletes themselves or the broadcasts that show the action. Statistics and analytics show the how, what, why and how many for tour players in the form of everything from clubhead speed and distance to strokes gained relative to the field in different
As the days get shorter and your course becomes less playable, turn your attention to working on your game for next year—especially getting longer off the tee, says golf-fitness trainer Kaitlyn Pimentel. She particularly likes the two exercises on this page because of the way they complement each other. “With only these two exercises, you
Don’t Be That Guy Golf prides itself as a “gentleman’s game.” En the masse, golfers take this mantra to heart, adhering not only to the rules, but towards standard etiquette on the golf course and to their fellow hackers. Unfortunately, due to bad habits or general ignorance, there remains a multitude of breaches of etiquette.
Think of all the times you’ve hit your ball into the one spot you absolutely didn’t want to go. The tee shot O.B., an approach that comes up a yard short in the water, a chip that slides past the hole and ends up rolling 30 yards off the green. It doesn’t seem like really
For the remaining few who argue that the modern golf swing is in a slow creep toward production-line sameness, July 2019 was a rather disastrous month. That’s when Matthew Wolff, a 20-year-old PGA Tour rookie starting as a pro for just the third time, lifted, looped, squatted, jumped and powered his way to victory at
Your ball rolls through the green, just far enough so you really can’t putt it. You need a little drop shot that lands softly and creeps to the hole. Nervous? Don’t be. With the right setup and a couple swing keys, you’ve got this shot. Use your most lofted wedge and open the clubface before
Growing up at Oak Tree National in Oklahoma, I got to play a lot with Scott Verplank, and I modeled my short game after his. It’s a pretty good one to copy. His short game was unreal for two decades on the PGA Tour. One shot he taught me that I use a lot creates
Swing catalyst motion plates cost software about $21,000. and 3-D A TrackMan 4 launch monitor is $19,000. BodiTrak software and portable force plates are about $2,500. All of these game-improvement devices will definitely help you play better golf, but I’m guessing you’d like to know if there’s a low-cost alternative. How about a 99-cent sponge?
You might have heard of the swing flaw known as the chicken wing. It refers to the bend in the lead arm (left for right-handers) as the club moves through the hitting zone. This bend causes the elbow to jut, giving the arm the look of a bar-food staple. Unfortunately, it often leads to fat