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by ralphseo

SUIT THE COURSE TO YOUR GAME

1. REHEARSE ON THE DANCE FLOOR

Be honest. Do you spend longer than one cigarette practicing putting? Doubtful, even though you use the club at least 30 times a round. Here's the plan. In the week leading up to your match, practice with the flat stick for an hour each day, spending a half hour each on 30-footers and five-footers. Loren Roberts, one of the best putters ever, warms up stroking 30-foot putts in order to get a feel for greens. Good lag putting is crucial because it cuts down on three-jacks. Why five-footers? If you do nothing else in your match well except make short putts, you'll be tough to beat. Plus, the sheer number of reps makes you less stroke-conscious and more focused on the line, speed and visualization. And speaking of brushing in short ones…

2. TURN PRESSURE PUTTS INTO TAP-INS

There are five-footers, and then there are Five-Footers -- knee-knockers that you simply must make under the gun. The secret to holing them is not mastering technique but becoming comfortable with pressure. And the way to get comfortable under pressure is to expose yourself to pressure. Try this drill, a favorite of Phil Mickelson's. Spread five balls around a cup, each three feet from the hole. Go around the circle twice, trying to hole 10 straight. If you miss, go back to zero. Once you make seven or eight in a row ... you feel that? The tightness in your hands, the tremor in your patellas? That's pressure. You'll feel it in your match, too. Stick to your routine, and keep at it until you drain 10 straight. Now move the balls out to six feet and repeat. Hard work? Hell, yeah. But if you master this drill, you'll become the best pressure putter you know.

3. GET HIM TIPSY

A week or so before your showdown, treat your opponent to a lesson. On you. (No, no -- you insist!) Make it with a reputable local pro. This act of "generosity" is a Trojan horse. We all know that one's handicap instantly doubles after a full-swing breakdown.

4. CHIP LIKE YOU PUTT

To improve your chipping touch, Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brian Manzella suggests this variation of the Around the Clock putting drill. "On the practice green, place a dozen balls around the cup -- one for each hour on a clock -- so that each is about a 15-footer," Manzella says. "Then putt each one using your 6-iron. Choke down a few inches on the iron and play the ball even with your right foot, just barely brushing the grass. No divots! You'll soon start lagging them to kick-in range, and you'll make some, too." This drill fixes the disconnect that many players have between putting and chipping, when in fact the motions are very similar. It also gives you full-swing confidence. Knowing you can get up and down makes you fearless in the fairway, leading to better approach shots.

5. HONE A GO-TO SWING

The best cure for first-tee jitters? Groove a go-to shot that can't miss the fairway, says Top 100 Teacher Todd Sones. Try a Tiger-esque stinger. "Tee it low, so that about a quarter of the ball is above the clubface, and choke down an inch," Sones says."Play your normal ball position -- ideally, aligned with your left armpit -- and take a full backswing. The secret to this swing is to make a low follow-through. A low, hold-off finish leads to less spin, so you get a low, bleeding fade that just can't miss."

6. SUIT THE COURSE TO YOUR GAME

Choose a track that plays to your strengths and his weaknesses. If he's Mr. Aerosol off the tee and you're Straight Shooter McGavin, find a course with pinched, tree-lined fairways. If he's a good putter and you're not exactly Ben Crenshaw Jr., seek out shaggy, slow greens -- no tee-time at Oakmont. Then play a practice round or two to learn the course's nuances. Oh, and couch your selection of said field of battle in this plausible pretense: "Burt, it wouldn't be fair to play at my home course, so I've found a neutral location…" Just make sure to muffle your diabolical laughter.
by ralphseo | 2013-09-23 12:59