5 Tips for Playing Business Golf

Tip #1: On the course, keep business talk to a minimum. The main focus of business golf is to get to know people better, build relationships. It’s not really to do business on the golf course. The best time to do business is after the round, in the bar. Go get a few drinks, light snacks, and you can talk business there.

When you do discuss business on the course, don’t do it on the first hole. And once you start talking shop, keep the business conversation to short little snippets because you don’t want to delay the game. Make small points and continue conversation at the next tee or on the green. This technique gives people a chance to think about what you’ve said.

Tip #2: Keep up the pace. Nobody likes a slow player, so keep your pre-shot routine between 15 and 25 seconds and try to take only one practice swing per shot. If your ball goes in the bushes, don’t take the whole five minutes allowed to search for it. Just throw one out and keep playing. If it’s the client’s ball, go ahead and look for it longer.

Tip #3: Don’t get angry. People are going to miss shots; it's how you handle the misses that matters. It will reflect poorly on you if you’re getting angry or screaming profanities.

Tip #4: Don’t cheat. If you cheat on the course, you probably cheat in business.

Tip #5: Putt for dough. Finally, if you’re playing in a scramble tournament and you’re not a very good golfer, you can still contribute to the team’s success by making a few clutch putts. So practice your putting before the tournament begins and maybe you'll make a few when it counts.

You may also want to take a lesson before a business outing, and at least make sure you know the basic rules and etiquette so you don’t accidentally offend anyone. If you can get the ball down the fairway and keep up with the people you’re playing with, you are going to be more confident and successful.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Keith Lyford is director of instruction at the Golf Academy at Old Greenwood in Truckee, Calif. You can read more about Keith at lyfordgolf.net

Ask the Top 100: Help! I have a tee time with a client and I can't play golf

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I have been invited to play in a foursome with a client of mine who is a great golfer (and one of my biggest accounts!) I am not a golfer — a fact that I disclosed — but my presence has been requested anyway. How can I prepare for this outing in two weeks?
Jim T., via email

Dear Jim,

Golf is a unique sport in that players of varying skills can play the same course while enjoying each other's company. So you should embrace this as an opportunity to spend a few hours with one of your best clients in a casual setting. He or she invited you, so feel good about your relationship with your client — and don’t sweat your mis-hits. All great players have played with beginners before, so it’s unlikely that you can do anything on the course that your client hasn't seen before.

If you’re looking for a quick fix, find an experienced teacher in your area who can provide a couple of hours of instruction. Explain to the instructor that you just need a few basic concepts that you can remember on the day — and that you’re not trying to learn the game in two weeks! If you have time, invest in a playing lesson. This will help you to understand basic etiquette, where to stand, order of play, etc. Most players really don't care if your technique is rough around the edges as long as you don't walk on their putting lines, stand in their sight lines on the tee or talk during their swings.

Also, be sure to keep up with the pace of play. "Miss it quick" is what you will hear from many good players, meaning don't over analyze your shot. And when you’re really struggling, cut your losses and pick up. You are going to hit bad shots, it's the nature of the game. 

Have fun, enjoy the good shots you hit during the round and forget the bad ones!

Good luck,
Jon

Top 100 Teacher Jon Tattersall teaches at Golf Performance Partners in Atlanta, Ga.

Ask the Top 100: Stop hitting balloon balls

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I’m an experienced player with a 7 handicap, but when I initiate my downswing I lift my head and I come out of my spine angle. As a result I cast the club, releasing it before impact and hit a short, straight ball that balloons. How can I retain my spine angle and keep my head level or even have it move toward the ball so I can hit a nice low ball?
Walter H. New York, NY

Dear Walter,

NOT a single player EVER raises their head! They do however change their spine angle (that is, their posture), which moves their head.

Raising up in your downswing is caused by throwing your wrists from the top to the ball – we teachers call it casting, which is fine in trout fishing, bad news in golf. Casting also can be caused by weak lower back and lower abdominal muscles.

Here are a couple of drills to help you stop raising up out of your spine angle:

Drill No. 1: Grab your left wrist with your right hand while facing a wall. Now take your address position and place your forehead against the wall. Make a slow motion backswing and downswing, allowing your head to come off the wall at finish.  If you are moving around and changing your spine angle you will soon wear a sore spot in your forehead! This drill will eliminate any side-to-side or up-and-down movement of your head in your swing.

Drill No. 2:  Face away from the wall and take your address position like you did above. Now back up until your rear end touches the wall. Make swings while keeping your butt against the wall. If you’re outdoors, you can actually hit balls doing this drill. You will need a plastic chair or golf club that you can place against your rear — you should feel like you are sitting down on it slightly. As you come into finish you can allow your butt to come off the chair or golf club.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Chuck Evans is director of instruction at Emerald Bay Golf Club in Destin. Fla.

Ask the Top 100: How long should my putter be?

E-mail askgolf@golf.com to cure what's hurting your scores with advice from the very best teachers in the game. Please include your name and hometown. Do you have a video of your faulty swing? Upload the video from your digital camera to a service like YouTube and send us the link. We'll send it off to a Top 100 Teacher for help ASAP.

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I am a 5'11" male and I have always used a 35-inch putter shaft. Is this appropriate for me or should I be looking for a putter 34-inch or 33-inch putter? Your help would be appreciated.
Rod M., Davenport, Fla.

Dear Rod,

At my school we have done more than 1,000 putter fittings over the past four years. Our research has found that players at 5'11 would fit somewhere between 33 1/2 to 34." The variable would be arm length. If you arms are a little long, lean toward the 33 1/2.

The correct length putter allows for a player to tilt properly forward at the hips, allowing your eyes to come to rest over the inside edge of the ball, with his weight over balls of your feet and -- this is important -- your elbows rotated slightly inward and connected to the front of your ribcage.

Don't forget that the length of your putter affects the swing weight of the putter, that is, the feel of the weight as the putter head swings back and forth. The swing weight of the putter has a great influence on a player's feel, tempo and distance control. My recommendation for the gram weight of a putter that is between 33.5 and 34 inches would be 350 grams.

If you would like more information on fitting putters, check out my web site www.coutourgolf.com

Good luck,
Todd

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Todd Sones is director of instruction at the Whitedeer Run Golf Club in Vernon Hills, IL. You can read more about Todd Sones at www.toddsones.com

YouTube + Top 100 Teacher = No More Hooks

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I am a low-handicap player with decent distance off the tee and with my irons. The one thing I am lacking is accuracy with my clubs. I do play a natural 5-7 yard draw, but lately, my draw is turning into a 15-20 yard hook with the driver and a push with the irons. I know the push and block are related, and I don't want to give up my draw. Can you help? Here is a video of my swing when I played a few rounds in Scottsdale, Ariz. The shot on was on a par 4 that set up well for my hook.
Neal G., via email

Dear Neal,

I took a look at the video you sent and it does appear that you are getting the club under the correct swing plane. Too far under plane can cause pushes, pulls, fades, and draws, so unfortunately you now have a number of shots in your bag. (Ha-ha! That's Top 100 Teacher humor.)

When your plane angle (the path your clubhead travels toward impact) is too shallow or too far from the inside, your ball location becomes even more critical. If the ball is too far forward you'll hook it; if it's too far back you'll hit a push. Flatter plane angles require more clubface rotation through the ball -- think Sergio -- while more vertical plane angles require less clubface rotation, like Chris DiMarco's up-and-down swing.

Ultimately it is the "job" of your left hand to control the clubface. Think of an ordinary door opening and closing: this is the motion you want your left hand to do. Turn your hand to the right in the backswing and roll it to the left from impact until the ball is gone. If you roll too early, you'll have a hook and/or a pull hook. Not enough roll and you have a push or a fade.

You should work on getting the club down on a little steeper plane and experiment with ball location until you find the spot that gives you straight-away flight.  Remember, there is NO one ball position, it's different for EVERY player AND for EVERY club!

You should also make sure that the leading edge of the clubface is at a right angle to the target line when it is in line with your left shoulder. Again, if it is on the closed side of that alignment then it will draw or pull and if the clubface is open to that alignment, you'll hit a fade or push.

Try what I've just given you and if you need more help, we're here!

Regards,
Chuck

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Chuck Evans is director of instruction at Emerald Bay Golf Club in Destin. Fla.

Ask the Top 100: How to stop hitting fairway woods fat

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I'm having a horrible time hitting fairway woods. I'm getting these huge divots that are bigger than my sand-wedge divots.
Charles L., via email

Big divots with your fairway wood are usually caused by a steep downswing (think of a chopping motion).  You should also check that your ball placement isn't too far back in your stance. 

To cure a steep downswing try the following two drills:

1. Tee up some balls at driver height and try to sweep the ball away (using a 5-wood or 3-wood) without clipping the tee.

2. Practice hitting a 5-wood from a sidehill lie with the ball above your feet. Grip down on the handle and concentrate on making a flatter backswing. 

Making some exaggerated, inside-out practice swings will also help to "shallow" out your swing and develop a feeling of the correct motion.

Good luck,
Keith

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Keith Lyford is director of instruction at the Golf Academy at Old Greenwood in Truckee, Calif. You can read more about Keith at lyfordgolf.net

Ask the Top 100: How can I go from a 3 to scratch?

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I am an athletic, 6’4” male with a 3 handicap and good all-around game, but the distance of my drives hurts my scores on long courses. I hit an 8-iron about 150 yards, which I’m fine with, but my driving distances are very inconsistent even though my accuracy is pretty good. I hit my drives 230-290 without too much of a difference in the "feel" at impact, with more of the drives being in the shorter part of that range even when both are hit close to the "sweet spot" of the driver.
Keith, Sacramento, Calif.

Dear Keith,

It sounds to me as if you have a good understanding of your golf game and where you can improve your game and your handicap.

As you may know, the sweet spot in many of today's drivers is slightly above the center of the face and because of this you will need to tee your golf ball relatively high and be sure you are contacting the ball slightly on the upswing. In order to accomplish this flush, square contact, you must tilt your shoulders properly at address.

When you position your golf ball forward of center in your stance for a tee shot, you should increase the natural tilt of your shoulders to the right. This will help you to catch the ball on the upswing and also position you powerfully behind the ball at address, increasing your distance consistency. If your shoulders are not tilted properly, your clubhead can come in too steeply, which costs you distance because you can’t create optimal spin and launch with a descending hit.

Check your grip pressure, too. While you want your grip to be secure because your fingers are closed around the grip of your club, you do not want to hold so tightly that you lose leverage. If your hands and fingers are relaxed, your wrists can hinge in reaction to the clubhead and this can increase your leverage and distance.

As you mentioned, improving your short game is priceless when it comes to lowering your scores, so be sure to keep your focus on that area. At your low handicap, a one-stroke decrease in handicap is a 33 percent drop. Keep up the good work and let us know when you reach scratch.

Best,
Kellie

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel teaches at the Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton, N.Y. Read more about Kellie here.

Ask the Top 100: Swinging poorly? It's gotta be the shoes

Dear T.J.,
 
My goal is to have a good repeatable full swing, so I spend lots of time working on my full swing.  Some people say, “Drive for show and putt for dough.” I always respond: “You can’t putt from the tee box.” I’m shooting somewhere between 97 and 102, and I have broken 90 on a par-70 course, but that hasn’t happened in a while. Can you take a look at my swing and let me know how I can improve?

Patrick A., San Juan, Puerto Rico

P.S. You might notice I’m wearing flip-flops — they are the FootJoys of tropical golf.

Golf is played on the inside rims of your feet — and you can’t do that wearing flip-fops! Stop your video just before impact and you'll see that you're "nailed to the right side.” Your right knee is straight up and down and your weight is still on your right side. That’s at the speed of a 7-iron so it’s going to be compounded with a driver. Just before impact, your weight should be left and your right thigh should be slanted toward the target so that you're on the inside rim of your right foot. This will allow you to release your core, which in turn releases the clubhead. But if you’re wearing flip-flops, you won’t ever get there.

The Takeaway: Lose the flops, gain a release.

Best, T.J.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher T.J. Tomasi, Ph.D., a Class A PGA professional, teaches at the Nantucket Golf Club in Massachusetts. You can learn more about T.J. at tjtomasi.com

Ask the Top 100: How to use lead tape to fix your slice

Where should I put lead tape on a driver to correct a wicked slice?
John B., via email

Great question, John. I asked Craig Allan, our club fitter at Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia, for help with this one. Here’s what he had to say:

Within every clubhead design there is really only one optimal CG (center of gravity) position, so it is probably best to get fit to a clubhead that creates the ball flight you desire. That is why equipment makers intending to help golfers improve their ball flights are designing drivers with shafts that insert at different positions instead of drivers with adjustable weights.

That said, it is possible to slightly adjust the CG and bias of a club with some specific placement of weight. This type of "tweak" is sometimes necessary when your club is close, but not perfect.

For…
 
More Draw/Less Fade = Weight on heel
More Fade/Less Draw = Weight on toe
 
Adjusting the vertical trajectory is more difficult as loft is really the primary factor, but here are some guidelines…
 
Higher with more draw or less fade = Weight on low heel
Lower with more draw or less fade = Weight on high heel
Higher with more fade or less draw = Weight on low toe
Lower with more fade or less draw = Weight on high toe

Good luck,

Gale

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Gale Peterson teaches at the Sea Island Golf Learning Center in St. Simons Island, Ga.

Ask the Top 100: Stop leaving short irons short

E-mail askgolf@golf.com to cure what's hurting your scores with advice from the very best teachers in the game. Please include your name and hometown. Do you have a video of your faulty swing? Upload the video from your digital camera to a service like YouTube and send us the link. We'll send it off to a Top 100 Teacher for help ASAP.

Dear Top 100 Teacher,
I love to play but I’ve had this recurring problem hitting my short irons. I just get no distance with them and leave everything short. I just turned 50 and I am still in pretty good shape. So how can I start hitting these clubs farther? Thank you for taking the time to listen to me cry.  I do appreciate your help and this web site for all of us that love the game   
Bill, via email

To hit your short irons farther, the club needs to still have some energy stored in it through impact, resulting in solid contact and a descending blow. Here's how to stop the tears and get some smash on that golf ball in three easy steps.

Step One: Check your grip to make certain the club is more in your fingers than in your palm. The pad of your left hand should cover the grip and the V’s formed by your thumbs and hands point to the right side of your face.

Step Two: Stop halfway through your backswing to make sure your left arm and shaft form an “L” and the clubshaft is pointing toward your right shoulder.  Complete the backswing by turning your left shoulder slightly behind the ball.(You should feel like your weight is loaded into your right hip and the inside of your right heel while your back is facing the target.)

Step Three: Try the pump drill. At the top, let your lower body initiate the downswing getting you back to the address position while pumping the club down in front of your right thigh so the “L” is maintained.  Keep your body and arms moving to the finish.

While practicing your short irons at the range, do two pump drills with the ball on a short tee and then one continuous swing with the ball on the ground.  Two-for-1 is a great ratio for change, and you'll start flying those irons all the way to the green.

Best,
Gale

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Gale Peterson teaches at the Sea Island Golf Learning Center in St. Simons Island, Ga.