Mistakes We Sometimes Make - Simple fixes for common faults

What's that thing sticking out of the back of my glove? Turn the page to find out how a tee in your glove can help you around the greens.

We all make mistakes. It doesn't matter if you're a Tour player or it's your first time touching a club, we're human beings, and we're all prone to making errors every now and then. Out here on the practice tee, I see my fair share of mistakes. And while a big part of my teaching is on full-swing mechanics, many of my students waste strokes around the green, too. In the following pages, I've outlined just a few of the common mistakes I see golfers make, and I've brought some simple fixes to help you get back on track.

PITCH IT LOW

One of the most common mistakes I see is when my students try the hinge-and-hold approach with regard to their chipping and pitching. This means, they hinge the club going back and hold that hinged position into the finish. This shot sometimes works, but it's a tricky one for beginners, and you actually create a lot of backspin that way. To hit a low-rolling pitch shot, allow the hands to release and the arms to rotate through the shot. To illustrate, I stuck a tee pointing out of my gloved hand. Through impact, I want that tee pointing down. Try it yourself and watch which way the tee points. If it's level or pointing down, that means you'll hit a low roller.

PITCH IT HIGH

Hitting a high pitch shot isn't unlike the low one, only you release the hands without the rotation of the wrists. So, again, with the tee inserted into the Velcro® of my glove, the goal in hitting a higher pitch shot is to make the same swing, only as you release the hands, don't rotate the arms.

This means the gloved hand will pronate (bend backward), but don't worry. That's necessary for applying the needed loft of the clubface onto the ball. As for the swing, it stays the same. And, by the way, creating excessive backspin when chipping is rarely a good idea. It's too unpredictable.

Reference Resource: http://www.golftipsmag.com/instruction/faults-and-fixes/lessons/mistakes-we-sometimes-make.html