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The post The real root of most swing problems isn’t your swing appeared first on Golf.

A poor grip, bad posture, incorrect distance from the ball, faulty alignment, improper ball position — or any combination of these — will sabotage even the most talented player. You simply cannot build a repeatable, high-level golf swing on a shaky foundation.

Can you hit a good shot from a bad setup? Of course. But can you do it consistently? Absolutely not. Remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Poor setup conditions might allow you to stumble into a great shot here or there, but over time they will cap your ceiling and keep your ball-striking wildly inconsistent. If you’re constantly chasing fixes during the swing, chances are the real problem started long before the club ever moved.

That’s why I constantly remind my students that practice should be about quality, not quantity. One of the simplest ways to raise the quality of your practice is to place an alignment stick on the ground and go through your full pre-shot routine before every ball you hit. Not some of the time. Every single time. Treat the range like the golf course, not a ball-dispensing machine. If you wouldn’t hit a shot on the course without aiming and setting up properly, why would you do it on the range?

So who had the greatest pre-shot routine of all time? Arguably, Jack Nicklaus. Right behind him, I’d nominate Tiger Woods and perhaps Raymond Floyd. What made these players special wasn’t just talent — it was discipline. I often tell my students that one of the defining traits of elite tour players is that they’re “boring.” They do the exact same thing before every shot. Same routine. Same checkpoints. Same commitment.

Recreational golfers, on the other hand, tend to be far too “exciting.” One ball they aim carefully. The next ond they don’t. One swing, they stand tall. The next, they crouch. Over time, that inconsistency becomes impossible to overcome.

If you want to play better golf, become a setup expert — and yes, it’s worth repeating: become a setup expert. Develop a pre-shot routine that is 100 percent fundamentally sound. Build a grip that matches your swing, establish athletic posture, position the ball correctly for the club in your hands and aim with the precision of a world-class marksman.

When those fundamentals are in place, the swing becomes simpler, contact improves and consistency follows. The setup doesn’t just start the swing — it defines what’s possible once the club starts moving.

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The post This head movement in the downswing is crucial for generating power appeared first on Golf.

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The key, as you probably know, is to leverage the ground and move your weight from your back foot to your front foot as you begin your downswing. This is a non-negotiable.

The trick, however, is not letting your head follow while you make this all-important weight shift. Keep it back. 

In fact, it’s a good idea to feel your head actually move away from the target while you shift from back to front. It’s this lower-body shift toward the target with your head hanging back that creates the whiplike motion all big hitters share, as well as maximum speed.

When you move your head with your shift, your path goes haywire, either forcing an out-to-in path or one that’s overly in-to-out. So, when you swing, especially with driver, think of two forces: the forward one with your lower body and the hang-back one with your head.

The ball won’t know what hit it. 

Mike Perpich is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher who teaches at RiverPines Golf in Johns Creek, Ga.

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The post What’s the correct tee height for every club in the bag? appeared first on Golf.

The post What’s the correct tee height for every club in the bag? appeared first on Golf.

Here’s everything you need to know about teeing it up correctly in order to set yourself up for success. There are three tee heights to consider.

1. Driver 

Many amateurs tee these shots too low, but there’s an easy way to check. When you place the peg in the ground, confirm that about half the ball sits just above the top edge, or crown, of your driver head when you set it on the ground.

With driver, you want to catch the ball on the upswing. Combine that with a ball positioned just slightly forward in your stance and it becomes easier to catch the ball on the sweet spot as the club is rising. This is the contact you want to maximize your smash factor, resulting in drives that are more consistent and fly farther.

2. Fairway Woods and Hybrids 

The optimal tee height for these clubs is when the ball is positioned just barely above the top edge of the club when it’s sitting on the ground. A common mistake is teeing these too high, thinking it’ll help launch the ball better. But if it’s too high, you risk popping it up. Use this simple gauge and you’ll catch it clean every time.

3. Irons 

Unlike with your driver, iron shots are meant to be struck with a descending blow. You need to tee the ball low, almost flush with the grass. If you can fit your finger underneath the tee, it’s probably too elevated and that could cause you to catch it too high on the face, leading to poor contact. I promise, these three simple keys will help you find the sweet spot way more often.

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The post 5 key components for making a perfect backswing appeared first on Golf.

The post 5 key components for making a perfect backswing appeared first on Golf.

That said, no two backswings are the same. Based on your body type, flexibility, and desired ball flight, your backswing may look very different from someone else’s — just as you see on professional tours and practice ranges every day.

Here are five key fundamentals that influence an effective backswing.

1. Solidify your grip

While it may seem removed from the backswing itself, your grip has a major influence on it. Holding the club properly in the fingers allows the wrists to hinge and release correctly. If you tend to wear a hole in your glove, there’s a good chance your grip needs work.

The club should rest across the crease between your fingers and palm, with the heel pad sitting on top of the grip. Grip strength — whether it’s more “weak” or “strong” — also affects forearm and shoulder alignment. Since your shoulder line influences swing path, your grip ultimately plays a direct role in your ball flight.

2. Maintain proper posture

Good posture and setup are essential for consistent, center-face contact. Proper spacing between your arms and body also affects the club’s starting direction.

Standing too close or feeling crowded often causes the backswing to move away from the body, leading to a pull or fade pattern. Standing too far from the ball encourages a more rounded swing, often producing pushes or hooks. Correct posture allows your arms to swing naturally underneath your shoulders, creating a strong foundation for the swing.

3. Understand how the arms work

Swinging your arms generates speed and power. Their primary job is to move the club up and down in the swing. As the backswing begins, allow your arms to swing freely. Once they move across your chest, your body will naturally begin to engage.

Using arm momentum helps create proper backswing length and keeps the club on a functional path.

4. Let the body do the turning

As the arms start the motion, the body responds. When the shoulders and hips engage, the club begins to move around the body, creating depth that sets up an effective downswing path.

The phrase “don’t let the club get behind you” can be misleading. When the upper body turns away from the target, the club naturally moves into depth — and that’s not a problem. Any club position that matches your body rotation is generally correct.

5. Know your flexibility limits

Your flexibility determines how long your backswing should be. If flexibility is limited, avoid forcing extra length — it can lead to injury and cause you to lose your setup structure, making consistency much harder to achieve.

A simple test: sit in a chair and swing your arms back as far as you can without moving your lower body. This gives you a realistic sense of your natural limitations and an appropriate backswing length.

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The post Want to be a birdie machine? Make the putt! Here’s how appeared first on Golf.

Rules

Find a flat area on the practice green and place an alignment stick behind the hole. From the hole, walk 10 paces away and place a tee in the ground. Two feet beyond that, place another tee. Then another two feet behind that. Do likewise until you have five tees in the green. From the first tee, roll putts. The goal here is to either make the putt or get the ball between the hole and the stick. Coming up short is a no-no. (Those shots never go in.)

Once you can get three balls either in or past the hole without hitting the stick, move to the next tee. Then continue all the way to tee number 5. Set a time limit— like 15 minutes. When you start seeing putts roll at different speeds from different lengths one after the other, you’ll really start controlling your rolls. I do this with rec players and my Tour students. Works like magic.

Mike Bender runs the Mike Bender Golf Academy at Magnolia Plantation GC, Lake Mary, Fla.

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The post Here are 5 smart and simple tips to get better in 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post Here are 5 smart and simple tips to get better in 2026 appeared first on Golf.

If you have the drive, we created a simple road map for you to get there. Over the last week, we published five stories in which a handful of our Top 100 Teachers gave their best tips to excel in key areas of the game.

Scroll below to check out all five tips and click on the one (or all of ’em!) that you need to bring your game to the next level this year.

No. 1 — Instantly make more putts

How are you going to finally make more putts in 2026? According to one teacher, it starts by making a simple change to your practice routine.

No. 2 — Fix your chipping

What’s the best way to cure your chipping woes? According to one Top 100 Teacher, it starts with ensuring you have the proper setup.

No. 3 — Add speed to your swing

Want more swing speed heading into 2026? Try making this one tweak to your practice regimen, courtesy of GOLF Top 100 Teacher Bernie Najar.

No. 4 — Find more fairways

Want to find more fairways? According to one teacher, finding the fairway comes down to one aspect of the swing that’s easy to sharpen.

No. 5 — How to escape every bunker

Want to master greenside bunker shots? This top teacher breaks down the five keys you need to splash it out every time.

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The post This 1 swing drill can help you find more fairways | 5 key tips for 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post This 1 swing drill can help you find more fairways | 5 key tips for 2026 appeared first on Golf.

No. 1 — Instantly make more putts
No. 2 — Fix your chipping
No. 3 — Add speed to your swing

5 key tips for 2026: Find more fairways

If your golf game is anything like mine (let’s hope it’s not), you need to find the fairway a lot more.

Rory McIlroy said that one of his biggest keys for amateur golfers to lower their scores is for them not to try to hit shots that they are incapable of pulling off. The need to try the “hero shot” normally arises when you are out of position. If you find yourself in the fairway more, the need to attempt shots that you shouldn’t attempt should decrease.

So, what’s the key to putting the ball in the short grass more often in 2026? GOLF Top 100 teacher Kellie Stenzel says that finding the fairway comes down to a few things.

“Finding the fairway, like most solid golf shots, comes from a fundamental setup and being in balance throughout the swing,” Stenzel said. “Something as fundamental as a good grip, so that the club face is square at impact and this makes it so much easier to aim correctly and encourages a proper swing path. Being in balance at address and throughout the golf swing is certainly key to making solid contact and ending up in the fairway.”

According to Stenzel, there’s a simple practice drill to help fine-tune your balance and grip and ensure you’re finding more fairways in 2026.

“A great practice technique is to hit balls with your feet close together as this will force you to be efficient and stay in balance,” Stenzel said. “Extend this practice to the tee shot and attempt to hold your finish until the golf ball lands. If you are balanced to start and throughout your swing to finish your odds of hitting the fairway are very high.”

So, when you’re grinding this winter in preparation for the 2026 golf season, work on your balance and your grip and find more fairways in the New Year.

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The post 1 tip to instantly fix your chipping | 5 key tips for 2026 appeared first on Golf.

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No. 1 — Instantly make more putts

5 key tips for 2026: Fix your chipping

Padraig Harrington believes the key to shooting lower scores is to spend at least 20 more minutes on the chipping area. A tighter shore game will allow you to keep the bigger numbers off the card.

But if your game is anything like mine, 20 minutes won’t be enough to polish your chipping woes. Luckily, GOLF Top 100 teacher Kellie Stenzel has a tip to help make saving par easier as we head into 2026.

“My definition of a chip shot is a short game stroke where the ball rolls a greater distance than it carries,” Stenzel said. “You want to equate your chipping with your putting, as the motions are very similar in that the stroke should not be above hip level on either side. This will help to minimize risk.”

The key, according to Stenzel, lies in the setup. If your setup is correct, you’ll make the proper contact when chipping instead of blading or chunking it.

“The setup is the key to proper contact where the club hits the ball and then the ground,” Stenzel said. “Lean everything equally toward the target so that the end of the grip of the club is still pointed to the center line of your body and your lead shoulder drops. This proper degree of lean will help the club brush down the back of the ball and then hit the ground. Your sternum should be slightly target side of the ball to insure proper contact as the club head moves down and into the ground.”

So next time you’re grinding in the short-game area, remember to get the proper lean at address and to ensure crisp contact and be able to get up-and-down when you need it.

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The post 1 easy way to instantly make more putts | 5 key tips for 2026 appeared first on Golf.

5 key tips for 2026: Make more putts

Ready to finally drain more putts? According to Adam Smith, a GOLF Teacher to Watch and the head golf instructor at The Country Club of Virginia, the key to improving your putting starts with changing the way you practice. More specifically, what you practice first.

“Dedicate this year to going to the practice putting green first,” Smith says. “I tell my students to do this and it really pays off. All golfers are programmed to first head to the range and hit balls. And then, because they’re too tired from swinging, they only putt for a very short period of time.”

Smith says that routine of hitting balls first and then quickly rolling a couple of putts before teeing off is a habit weekend warriors struggle to change — and don’t even realize it’s holding them back.

“The world‘s greatest players dedicate 50 percent of their practice time to putting and the other 50 percent to working on their full swing,” Smith says. “So my advice is to turn over a new leaf this year to benefit your golf game and practice putting before you hit range balls.”

Some bonus advice? Smith says to get fit for a putter, too. While the benefits of a full-bag fitting are obvious, getting fit for a putter is just as important as the other clubs, especially since it’s the one you use the most.

“The funny thing is that we use our putter on every single hole, and yet everyone wants the next best driver,” Smith says. “Get with a certified golf club fitting professional who is skilled at fitting putters — the proper length, lie angle, grip size and putter head style should all be taken into account. Make an appointment, get fit and then make an investment in the most important piece of equipment in your golf bag.”

And after that, you know what to do — hit that putting green before the driving range.

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The post 5 great drills to improve your distance control when putting appeared first on Golf.

The post 5 great drills to improve your distance control when putting appeared first on Golf.

Distance control starts with solid technique and a simple principle: the length of your backstroke should be your primary distance controller, with as few moving parts as possible. Your head and lower body should remain quiet until the stroke is complete.

Here are some of my favorite drills to help improve your distance control.

1. Three-foot increment drill

Set balls at three-foot increments from the hole, starting short and gradually working your way back. The only goal is to roll the ball the correct distance and finish close to the cup. Don’t worry about break or aim — focus solely on speed.

If you fail to roll the ball the proper distance, stay at that spot until you succeed before moving back. As the distance increases, train yourself to lengthen the backstroke slightly. This drill teaches you how to make precise adjustments to backstroke length.

2. Putt to 10, 20, 30 and 40 feet

Place targets at each of these distances on a relatively flat section of the green. I like using alignment sticks to clearly define each target. Putt to each distance, focusing on matching stroke size to putt length.

This drill also allows you to calibrate your backstroke lengths, which can immediately translate to better distance control on the course. Remember to add length for uphill putts and subtract length for downhill ones.

3. Back-and-forth drill

This is one of my favorites because it forces you to adjust your stroke for changing conditions — even when the putt length stays the same.

Choose two holes on the practice green that create contrasting conditions (uphill/downhill or sidehill). Putt back and forth between them, aiming to two-putt or better a set number of times in a row — start with five and build from there. If you three-putt, the count resets to zero.

4. Eyes-closed putting

To improve feel, putt to a target with your eyes closed. At impact, decide whether you think the ball will finish short or long of the target. Then open your eyes and assess the result.

This drill strengthens your awareness of speed and helps develop instinctive distance control over time.

5. Draw-back game

This drill works great as a two-person competition. Play match-play putting around the green with the goal of finishing your first putt within three feet of the hole — roughly the length of your putter.

If your first putt doesn’t finish inside that range, draw the ball back one putter-length from the hole and putt again. This game rewards great speed control and reduces pressure on the second putt.

Whether you’re working through drills or competing with a partner, time spent on the practice green pays off. Few skills translate to lower scores more directly than controlling your distance on the greens.

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