Colin Montgomerie's five best tips for better golf

This piece was written by former GolfMagic editor Bob Waters, updated in 2017.

Colin Montgomerie is one of golf’s greatest players and also one of the game’s finest ambassadors – he’ll also pass on tips to improve your golf, if asked nicely!

"It’s important to grip the club correctly," says Monty. "Don’t grip it too tightly. A light grip at address encourages a smooth and consistent start to the swing."

Monty advises to always take great care of your equipment and it will take care of you.

"Clean the grip of your clubs regularly with soap and water and when they start to become worn, change the grips. It’s only a few pounds and you will gain the benefit immediately with more control," he says.

"It’s also important to ensure that your clubs have the correct lies, lofts and shafts. See your pro about that."

Monty’s a great advocate of ‘never up, never in’ so reckons we should not be unrealistic about how far we hit each club in our bag.

"If you are a beginner you have to expect to mis-hit the ball more often than not and therefore I recommend taking an extra club to reach the green – say a 7-iron when the distance maybe suggests 8-iron.

"The vast majority of danger is at the front of greens and many amateurs make the mistake of under clubbing and therefore finding that danger."

"I practice putting by setting myself a target of holing 100 putts in succession from two feet. If I miss one I penalise myself by starting from the beginning. This exercise is great for improving my consistency when standing over those vital shorter putts as well as improving my concentration."

Though he’s not renowned for spending hours on the practice range, Monty recommends warming up before you play, and practising with full concentration on the handful of shots he does hit.

"I always start with a few basic stretches and then hit two balls with each of the clubs in my bag. I start with my sand wedge, work up to my driver and back down to my sand wedge."