Share your knowledge with your mates.
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By way of any experiment and because every game of golf for me is 'research' - I took the opportunity to ask my golfing colleagues for the best tip they'd ever had.
It was a tough ask, it seems, as we sat round after our Sunday morning roll-up with pints of ale and bacon butties.
Perhaps because of the kind of company I keep, some couldn't make the distinction between 'a tip' and a 'swing thought'. But no matter. All are worth sharing on this Monday morning, when many of you will be rue-ing your only chance to play in the last seven days and already looking forward to the weekend.
Hopefully there's something you can take away to integrate into your next game.
Neil Tunstall (14 h'cap)
"The best tip I saw was for chipping and pitch around the green. I try to feel the length of back swing and throughswing I would need to toss the ball on to the green under arm.
"I like to imagine the ball taking a gentle arc, bouncing softly on the green and rolling to the hole. My backswing is determined by how far my arm would go back to achieve the ideal result."
Brendan Blyth (13)
"Balance for me is the key. I try to ensure I think about keeping my weight slightly tilted forward towards the balls of my feet. When I forget, my weight tends to go to my heels and I fall off balance."
Glenn Sharpe (5)
"I like to hit the ball hard but my game can be erratic if I don't think about weight transfer from downswing through impact to follow through. That weight transfer from right-side to left-side in the swing is crucial, otherwise I tend to fall back after impact."
Trevor Smith (4)
"Putting is vital to my game and there's nothing more frustrating that leaving the ball short of the hole. I was always told 'never up, never in'. So I always try to imagine that for long putts, the hole is at least a yard beyond its actual point, that it's a foot behind for medium length and that for short putts, there's a hole 2-3 inches behind the actual cup. As a result I always give my putts a chance."
Dave Summerfield (18)
"I know I don't turn my right hip enough in my take-away so that's something I'm currently working on, as well as a better shoulder turn."
Tom Bain (8, aged 15)
"I like to hit the ball long but I had a tendency to slice a lot until our pro suggested I stand a little further away from the ball and stand taller at address. It has worked for me as I don't now tend to get in my own way."
Sam Sharpe (h'cap 7, age 13)
"For my age I'm only small but I can keep up with most adults in length because I concentrate on maintaining a wide swing. Keeping the take-away long and wide encourages an arc which hits the ball longer with less effort."
Dave Mann (14)
"My short game has improved because I remember when chipping to keep the ball back in my stance. With my weight favouring my left side and hands slightly forward I concentrate on the ball and hit through it."
Andy Clemson (6)
"Soft hands - in other words grip pressure - is what I think about before every shot. Most people grip the club too tightly, which encourages tension in the arms and the body.
"I also ensure that my left foot is planted firmly on the ground for every shot. This not only encourages stability but helps my body to coil and release like a spring."
As for me, a ten handicapper, I've been lucky enough to have had hundreds of tips - some from top players and coaches - most of which are long forgotten.
However, one from legendary coach John Jacobs, helps me through the bad times.
It is to think about my left shoulder at address as if I've got a parrot on it.
By nudging the shoulder forward, as if encouraging the parrot to speak, it keeps the alignment of my shoulders square to the target rather than relaxing to an open position.
Hope fully all that has given you something to think about. And now we'd like to hear about the swing thoughts and tips that work for you. Tell us on
the forum.
