Ditch the Old Rules: The Tour-Proven Bunker Technique That Actually Works

Do you have a Pre-Shot Routine? Do you know it? Do you do it each and every time you strike a golf ball, even during practice? So many golfers have a Pre-Shot Routine for “some” or “most” of their golf shots but don't even know what their actual routine is when I ask them in a lesson. A preshot routing is essential if we want to be consistent on the course. We don't want to be the golfer who makes a swing, hits a great shot, it finally feels right and we have no record of what we just did? Unfortunately, without a good Pre-Shot Routine it may never feel right, opening the door for tension and anxiety to creep into our game, and as we all know, tension and anxiety are the killers of both your Golf game and life itself. While a preshot routing can’t keep you from that occasional chunk, duff or thin shot it can reduce the likelihood of hitting another poor shot by almost 50%. For that reason alone the average golfer should employ a solid preshot routine! Now, let's find a Pre-Shot Routine that we like, understand and rely on when it is time to make the swing. Understanding your Pre-Shot Routine will really help to keep the tension and anxiety levels way down and bring a constancy to your game. Watch the professionals on TV and you will see that they ALL have a solid Pre-Shot Routine. At Imagen Golf we have videos of Tiger Woods going through his Pre-Shot Routine in 1997, 2001, 2006 & 2016 and today and in all the swings he made his Pre-Shot Routine never changed. It continues to be simple and consistent. Some will tell you that Pre-Shot Routine involves selection of a club, checking the wind etc....and that is not wrong at all. For me though, it is after those other decisions have been made, and now it is time to execute the shot. Here is My Pre-Shot Routine: It starts about 10 ft. behind the ball behind the ball, looking down the line of play to get a visual for the shot I’m going to make. I’m standing perpendicular to the line of play, facing the shot line, I make 1 good practice swing, if it’s a poor practice swing I’ll take another as I’m looking to feel the swing that I want to make for that shot. I step into the ball from the left, (I’m right handed) now I am behind the ball, with arms hanging low and trying to get as loose and relaxed as possible. I line the clubface up with my line or target with my bottom hand, my feet start together ball right in the middle of them, and I then take my stance from there, feet are about shoulder width apart. I take my grip, a waggle of the club and I’m set. I now look back down the course to bring my line of play in, and pick a spot 3-5 ft. in front of me on that line. I am now staring at the spot. Now that I am in a good set-up position, confident and set all I have to do is make my swing. All of this happens in less than 2 minutes. Balanced Finish: Because my body & mind are set with this routine, tension and anxiety are kept as low a level as possible giving me the opportunity to execute the best possible swing. Study the professionals; watch for their Pre-Shot Routine and re-evaluate yours. Find a style that fits your game and practice it on the range. Remember, it is important to know and execute your Pre-Shot Routine every shot so that you will be prepared to make the best possible swing for the shot at hand.

In a recent interview, Dustin Johnson revealed his practice habits and stated that he spends 80% of his practice time working on his wedges. Scoring comes down to how well you handle the shots from 100 yards and in. The more you practice chipping and pitching, the more confidence you'll gain in your ability to control the distance and land the ball on the green where you want it to. Start with this sample plan to break up your practice time and start seeing results in your golf game. Assume a 2 hour practice time slot: Spend 5 minutes hitting iron shots with your 7,6,5 irons to warm up Spend 10 minutes hitting balls with your driver and woods, shaping different shots Spend 15 minutes hitting wedge shots with a half swing, controlling distance Spend 15 minutes hitting wedge shots with a full swing, controlling distance Spend 15 minutes hitting wedge shots with a max swing, controlling distance Spend 15 minutes hitting wedge shots with a 3/4 swing, controlling distance Spend 30 minutes working on 6-8 foot putts Spend the last 15 minutes working on lag putts (30+ feet away) I promise you if you focus on this style of practice, you're going to see your wedge play get much better. And the times you screw up a lag putt or chip shot, leaving yourself 6-8 feet short of the hole, you'll feel confident putting and sink more putts to save par. Sign up for one of our Short Game Lessons Today!!!

We all know that short game is where the scoring happens in golf, yet many golfers spend too much focus on their driver. Today, we want you to forget about your golf swing and just focus on your chipping and putting skills. By improving your short game, you will see your golf scores get lower. It’s a fact. We compiled 10 challenging and fun short game drills for you to attempt different days at practice. To add pressure to yourself, keep track of your scores and try to beat your own records each time you attempt these short game drills. Plus, we received many requests to create a practice plan that is short game focused and doesn't take too long to practice so we've built a short game challenge with 10 Levels to pass you can learn more about here. 10 Short Game Drills for Improving Quicker The One Legged Chip When it comes to good chipping technique, you don’t want to move your weight around during the shot. By keeping your weight forward on your lead leg, you’ll make more crisp and consistent contact with the ball. To ensure you get comfortable chipping with your weight remaining still, try the one legged chip shot to improve your short game. The Steps to Follow: Take a narrow stance Put most of your weight on your front foot Lift your rear foot off the ground and let the toe rest on the ground Perform the chip shot 15 Points Chipping Game For this short game drill, you’ll need to grab 5 golf balls. Then select a location around the practice green to chip from. Pick 3 holes you think would be considered easy, medium, and difficult to chip to. Chip all 5 balls to the easy hole first and record how many you can get within 5 feet of the cup. Each successful chip to inside 5 feet scores a point. Repeat this for the medium difficulty and hard difficulty locations, tracking your score. Then add up your 15 chips and see how you scored out of 15. If you can get 10 or above you’re doing well! 3-2-1 Chip In Drill This short game drill can take 10 minutes or it could take an hour! You could even make an entire golf practice session out of it. To start, grab 3 golf balls and drop them somewhere 4-10 yards away from the practice green, giving yourself a few yards of carry distance before the ball makes it to the green. Select a hole to chip all 3 balls to and try to chip them in. Once you chip in a ball, get rid of it so that now you’re down to 2 balls. Continue this drill until you chip in the second ball and remove it so that you’re down to one ball. Finally, once you chip in the 3rd and final ball, you’ve completed this drill. Make sure you’re moving around each time to different holes and different distances away from the edge of the green. Par 18 Putting Game This short game drill will challenge your putting skills and help you learn to handle pressure. Follow these steps: Grab 9 golf balls Pick 3 easy putts, 3 medium difficult putts, and 3 hard putts Place your 9 balls at each of these locations you just picked out Give yourself 2 putts per location and see if you can score 18 or lower Try to beat your score each time to add a little pressure to your game. The best score you can get is 9 if you one putt everything and the average score is 18 if you 2 putt everything. So try to get 18 your first time playing this game and then work down from there aiming for 17, 16, 15, and so on. Up & Down Ladder Drill An up and down is when you successfully chip a ball onto the green and sink the following putt on the first try. No two putts. So in this short game drill you’re going to be selecting 3 holes to use for up and down attempts. Pick one hole that is 20 feet away, another hole 40 feet away, and lastly a hole that is 60-80 feet away. Start by chipping to the short distance hole, then the medium distance, and then the far distance hole. Convert all 3 up and downs in a row. Then reverse it by chipping to the far hole, then the middle hole, then the closest hole and making all 3 up and downs in a row. Start over each time you fail to make them all in the correct order. 5 Ball Circle Putting Drill This is a classic putting drill to build up your skills from all angles around the hole as well as build your mental toughness to perform under pressure. Start off 3 feet away from the hole and work back to 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet and so on as you pass each level. The Drill Set Up: Pick 5 spots around the hole in a circle and place tees in the ground to mark the spot. Set one ball at each of the 5 locations. Move around the circle trying to make all 5 balls in a row to complete that level. Then move back to the next distance and repeat. Beat the Previous Chip Drill Here is a chipping drill that will place pressure on you and build your short game mental toughness. Start off by measuring a 5 foot radius around the hole, marking different angles around the hole with ball markers. Now that you’ve created a ring around the hole with a 5 foot radius, you’ll need to: Grab 2 golf balls from your bag Pick a location to chip from Get the first chip inside that 5 foot ring (leaving yourself a putt of 5 feet or less) Then try to get the second chip closer than the first chip If the first chip fails to get within 5 feet, go grab it and restart. Only once the first chip is inside 5 feet will you be allowed to attempt the second chip. It’s a very challenging but fun drill. Start off with a hole that is closer to you and once you pass the drill, move to another hole further away or that is more challenging. One Handed Lag Putts Another area of the short game that shouldn’t be neglected is putting from long distances, also known as lag putting. Therefore, the next two short game drills will focus on building your lag putting skills to help you stop 3 putts! Measure out distances of 30 feet, 40 feet, 50 feet, 60 feet, and 70 feet from a hole of your choice on the practice green. Place one golf ball at each spot you measured and marked, giving you a total of 5 different putts of varying distances. Attempt to hit each of these lag putts with just one hand on the putter. If it helps, place the other hand behind your back or in your pocket. The goal would be to get all 5 putts within 4 feet or less of the hole, leaving yourself easy tap in putts. Beat the Previous Lag Putt Drill Similar to the chipping drill above, this putting drill tests your speed control and places pressure on you to hit each putt closer than the previous putt. Measure out 5 different distances again for lag putts (far away putts) from 30-90 feet away from the hole. You choose the 5 distances between this range. (Ex: 35 feet, 50 feet, 65 feet, 75 feet, 80 feet) Place a ball at each of the 5 distances. Start at the furthest away distance and try to get it within 6 feet of the hole. Then try to get each of the following putts even closer than the previous putt. It challenges you to control your putting distance so that you leave yourself room for each following putt to beat the previous. If you make the first putt from 80 feet away, you can’t really beat that! 300 Putt Challenge Our 10th and final short game drill is a high volume rep drill to build your putting skills from 6 feet and in since this is a critical distance you’ll face often. Start off on day 1 by making 100 putts from 2 feet, 3 feet, and 4 feet away from the hole. Day 2, move back one foot. Make 100 putts from 3 feet, 4 feet, and 5 feet. Day 3, move back one foot. Make 100 putts from 4 feet, 5 feet, and 6 feet. Continue working your way back if you’d like until you’re making 100 putts from 8 feet, 9 feet, and 10 feet. Ideally, your focus should be on that 5 feet to 7 feet range since these are very common when you don’t hit the best chip shot or best lag putt. That's it, let me know your thoughts? See you on the links!!!

Instructions: From your hands and knees position, place one knee across your body --- up and over toward your opposite hand. Lift and cross your other knee over the foot of your crossed under leg. Drop down to your elbows and slowly slide your straight leg back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the back of your bent and crossed under hip (Picture A). Hold this gentle stretch position for 10 full swing visualizations – OR – until you feel a complete melting/softening of the initial stretch in the back of your hip. When you are ready to increase the stretch, slide your leg farther back and/or reach your arms out in front, lower your chest and head to the floor (Picture B). Repeat 1-3 times per day for both legs as needed. Purpose: Releases tightness in the front and back and outer portions of your hips. Improves your hip rotation mobility. Reduces strain and injury potential in your lower back, hips, knees and ankles during the complete golf swing. Improves your ability to maintain a stable foundation (quiet legs) during your backswing, and a complete, unrestricted hip rotation during your follow-through.

Instructions: Lie on your side with both hips and knees bent to the 90°/90° position, a pillow/towel stack between your knees, and a pillow supporting your head and neck. Place both hands together in front of your chest (Picture A). Inhale, then, slowly exhale as you rotate your upper torso back and reach one arm behind you as far as possible. As you rotate, be sure to maintaining a stable pelvis, hips and leg position, until you feel a comfortable stretch in your chest, shoulder, spine and/or hips regions (Picture B). Hold this gentle stretch position for one full swing visualization – OR – until you feel a complete melting/softening of the initial stretch. As the stretch feeling gradually releases, you may be able to rotate your upper torso back farther into a new stretch position. You may also perform this same stretch by placing one hand behind your neck and then rotate back. Repeat 1-3 times per day for both sides as needed. Purpose: Releases tightness in your chest, shoulder, spine and hips. Improves rotation mobility potential in your spine and hips during the full golf swing. Reduces strain and injury potential in your spine, hips and shoulders during the complete golf swing.

In many ways, golf is a confusing game. Want to make the ball curve to the right? Swing to the left. Want to make the ball fly high up into the air? Swing down through the shot. You get the idea. Nothing is straightforward in golf – it seems that everything is the opposite of what you would expect. The same can be said for power and distance. Want to hit the ball impressive distances with each club in your bag? Learn how to swing ‘slower.’ That’s right – if you want to hit the ball farther, you are going to need to learn how to swing “slow” (or more specifically, “controlled”) and easy while maximizing your swing speed at the moment that matters most. Don’t worry if that doesn’t make a lot of sense right away – this is a concept that many golfers never manage to grasp. The Only Moment That Matters For all of the work that is put into your golf swing, your club is only touching the ball for just a fraction of a second during each swing. Impact lasts for just the blink of an eye, as the club face slams into the back of the ball and sends it rocketing off into the distance. Despite this fact, most golfers try to make their entire swing fast, not just the moment of impact. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. There can only be one fastest point in your swing, and if you are trying to swing quickly, that moment is not going to be at impact. https://youtu.be/w-UmefMZfnA The Pros Do It Right If there is one specific thing that is frustrating about watching golf on TV it’s the ability of touring professional golfers to hit the ball incredible distances with seemingly very little effort. You have certainly seen it for yourself – a pro golfer makes a swing that looks totally effortless, and yet the ball explodes into the sky and doesn’t come down for more than 300 yards. How do they do it? Is it the equipment? What’s their secret? The ‘secret,’ if there is one, is that pro golfers don’t waste swing speed like amateurs do. The average amateur player hits their maximum swing speed well before the club ever reaches the ball, meaning that the club head is actually in the process of slowing down when impact occurs. On the other hand, the typical pro is a master of reaching top swing speed at the perfect moment. They key to this is largely how the pros swing in the proper ‘sequence,’ that being how they start their downswing with the bottom (legs) and then move that motion up toward the top (shoulders and arms). When many beginner golfers try to swing ‘fast’ the result is an attempt to move the hands and arms too quickly which causes the upper body to get ahead of the lower body – this is often referred to as ‘getting quick at the top.’ While this motion feels intuitively as though more swing speed is being generated the opposite is actually true. https://youtu.be/xS-uy7VYIGw There’s No Need to Rush When you stand over the golf ball preparing to hit a shot, you need to understand that there is no rush to complete the swing. Sure, you don’t want to take so long preparing for a shot that you hold up the pace of play, but the actually swinging motion itself can take its time to develop. The ball isn’t going to roll away – so start slow and build up to a powerful strike. There are two key points in the golf swing where amateur golfers are prone to rushing. The first is the takeaway. Many players snatch the club away from the ball when they start the swing, setting the stage for a swing that will be rushed from start to finish. A quick takeaway means that your body will not have time to get into the right position to support a powerful downswing move. The other danger point in the golf swing is the transition. This is likely the number one culprit when it comes to amateur players rushing through the golf swing. As soon as the backswing finishes, many players decide that they need to take the club down to the ball as fast as humanly possible. Rather than getting their legs involved to develop real power, these players simply throw their hands down toward the ball and slap at it with an arms-only swing. Not surprisingly, the results are consistently disappointing. Rushing the swing, whether in the takeaway or at the top, is always going to lead to weak contact and below average shots. Even Tempo and Lower Body Power No one part of your swing should look rushed or hurried when compared to the rest. This is why the professionals are able to make swings that look so effortless – they don’t hurry at any point . The best swings are the ones that build gradually from start to finish, with a steady acceleration of the club occurring from the top down into impact. To maximize your power by accelerating the club all the way through impact, you need to use your lower body correctly from the top of the swing. As soon as the backswing is finished, your legs should take over the job of turning your entire body toward the target. It is essential that your legs are the first thing to fire from the top – if your hands and arms win this race, you will be destined to create a weak downswing. Use an even tempo and hold your arms and hands back while your legs initiate the action. If you can do this correctly, the effortless power seen in the swings of professional golfers may soon start to appear in your own game. Pro golfers are actually trying very hard to create power, despite the appearance that their swings are slow and effortless. However, since they understand the correct techniques and mechanics involved in developing power, their swings have a beautiful appearance which the envy of amateur golfers everywhere. You can’t hit the ball 300 yards without generating a good amount of club head speed, and you can be sure that the pros are actually swinging very fast – only they are swinging fast at the perfect moment in the swing, not all the way through the swing. Master your tempo and timing to max out swing speed at the bottom if you want to follow the lead of your favorite tour professional – your swing may ‘look’ slower to the casual observer but you’ll know that your only applying your max speed at the only moment that really matters…IMPACT! Additional Resources Check out this video by Paul Wilson Golf Instruction for more excellent drills you can do to create that effortless, slow, and easy golf swing you’ve been looking for. https://youtu.be/rFxh7hhXwjI Recommended Further Reading Here are a few staff favorite books on the subject of creating an effortless golf swing that we recommend checking out: The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing by Michael McTeigue Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons by Ben Hogan

They wake up every morning thinking about how they can shoot lower scores, and their practice and training regimens are on par with the highest performing athletes in the world. Not everything they do is complicated though. For example, every tour player out there knows the exact carry distance of each club in their bag. They monitor this constantly and many keep a simple laminated chart in their notepad for reference. The question is… do you know these numbers? If you're like most amateur golfers the honest answer is no and your game is likely suffering because of it. Knowing your carry distances can go a long way toward improving your confidence and hitting great shots in high-pressure situations. Instead of second-guessing your club selection, you can zero in on executing the task at hand to the best of your ability. Here are a few tips to help you get your carry distances dialed in: Track your distances on the course. The first step in learning your carry distances is data collection, and the best place to do this is on the golf course during a round. The driving range is great for warming up and working on your swing, but when it comes to tracking distance I've found that you get much more accurate readings on the course. Most range balls just don't fly like real ones. Keep a notepad with you and record the carry distance of each shot that you hit is as accurate as possible. Create a quick chart . I've build mine using a simple spreadsheet on my computer, but you can make it even easier by drawing one up with a pen and paper. Once you've got it completed just run it through the laminator, trim it down to size, and attach it to your golf bag for quick reference. Never stop updating. The first distance chart you create doesn't have to be perfect. I create a new one every few months, and I'm always tracking my performance to see if I'm gaining or losing yards with each club. When you've got your carry distances committed to an easily accessible guide on your golf bag you'll be amazed at how much more you can focus your mind on actually executing each shot instead of trying to calculate which club to use. Helping you get the golf swing and game you've Always Imagined! Daniel is the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf and Best Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within". Reach out to us at:

In anything you try to learn, you will always worry about the wrong things until you know what you should actually be worrying about. As they say, you don't know what you don't know. Since your goal is to get better consistently, you have likely been playing golf for a while by now. Nobody picks up a club and shoots under 100 in a day. But I guarantee that you spend too much time on at least 1 of the following things: Hitting your 4, 5 and 6 iron on the range - You will not hit your mid-irons near as much as you will hit your driver and wedges. So why are you practicing them like they were the only clubs in your bag? I rarely hit 6-iron through 4-iron on the range, and you probably shouldn't either. 20 foot putts - You have very limited practice time, and unless you've made all your 3-footers this year, these are a waste of your time. Hit a few here and there, but your time should be spent 10 feet and in, and 40 feet and above (lag putting). Getting more LAG - The golf industry loves the word "Lag" because it SELLS. I remember the countless hours I wasted trying to lag the club in the downswing. Remember, lag is the result of a proper transition and impact alignments; not something you can create out of thin air. Spinning your chip shots - Oh how we love the sight of a spinning chip/pitch shot! It gives us golfers the chills. But... It's not something you should practice. You're going to develop so so so so so so so many bad habits in your attempts to spin the ball. Instead, learn the proper chipping/pitching fundamentals which will inevitably result in more spin. Trying to swing faster for more distance I saved this one for last because it is probably the biggest time waster of all. There are tons of training aids that promise faster swing speeds. There are tons of coaches who promise 40 more yards. Just about every driver on the shelf promises more distance. But just like the rest, distance does not come from an attempt for more, but as a result of learning which parts of your swing generate distance, and making those parts more efficient. Distance is sexy, I won't lie. But please stop trying so hard and learn how the golf swing works before you start your never-ending journey for more yards. Nope, not me. Maybe these don't apply to you. In that case, you are in a small minority and should probably keep doing what you're doing. But if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the assumption that most golfers reading this have fallen into at least 1 of the above "practice traps". Don't be the golfer who is always searching and never finding. Instead, learn the golf swing inside and out so you can instantly diagnose your swing faults. Daniel is the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf the tri-state area’s leading golf instruction and advisory firm and Best Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within". Reach out to us at: www.ImagenGolf.com Daniel@ImagenGolf.com

The reverse pivot occurs in the backswing when the golfer's back leg straightens, and the body weight is shifted to the front leg and the upper body tilts toward the target. This motion inhibits amount of torque a golfer can create on the backswing because they cannot rotate their body forcing them to make compensations in their swings on the downswing. Make a better turn. Think of turning your shoulders and hips level as you swing to the top. This will tilt your spine away from the target and not towards the target. This reverse pivot or reverse weight shift as it is sometimes called is due to compensation caused by weakness of the back leg's hip, and thigh muscles, specifically the gluteus maximus muscles (buttocks) and the quadriceps. If these muscles are weak, the golfer will not be able to physically handle shifting their weight correctly onto their back leg on the backswing. The golfer will tend to straighten the back leg by locking the knee, which helps support the body weight, and then the golfer will tend to shift the weight to the front leg to maintain balance. A reverse pivot forces the golfer to start the downswing with the upper body, denying them of enough leverage to maximize clubhead speed. A reverse pivot will also put a tremendous amount of pressure on the lower spine, which can cause pain or injury. Most golf professionals will tell you that common swing faults such as poor posture and lack of rotation or a reverse pivot are from physical limitations and until you address those limitations you may never improve. Are your physical limitations holding you back from playing your best golf? Understand and identify your swing faults (if you have any) and the physical limitations that may cause them. Swing faults, which are technical flaws in your golf swing, can be caused from physical limitations and or from improper swing mechanics such as lack strength and inflexibility in critical areas of the body. Your flexibility, strength, coordination, balance and stability, which is your body's ability to maintain certain positions for a length of time, in your golf specific muscles are imperative to making a good golf swing and playing your best. If you have any physical limitations or weaknesses, they will affect the way you swing a golf club. For example, if you have tight hamstring muscles, it will be difficult for you to maintain the correct amount of spine angle during the swing. You may "come out of the shot" or "stand up" through impact, which can cause topped or weak shots. If you lack strength or flexibility in your hips or buttocks, you may not be able to shift your weight properly and as a result lose power and consistency. Identifying your swing faults and physical limitations are absolutely necessary to building a fundamentally sound golf swing. Identifying and correcting your swing faults and physical limitations should be a focal point in your golf specific fitness program. Playing golf with physical limitations or common swing flaws can cause serious injury to the most vulnerable parts of your body such as the low back, neck, elbows and wrists. Identifying and correcting swing flaws will not only improve your golf game, but also help you prevent the most common golf injuries. Daniel is the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf the area's leading golf instruction and advisory firm and Best Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within".