October 1st, 2008 by PGA Golf Art

How you can build a better game

With a state-of-the-art facility like the Ely Callaway Performance Center onsite, it isn’t hard to draw a crowd at Callaway Golf headquarters. Tour Pros from around the world flock to the Performance Center and practice facility here in Carlsbad, California. And since our goal at Callaway Golf is to help you improve your game, we’re sharing the pearls of wisdom we hear. Here’s a collection of instructional thoughts we’ve heard from Callaway Golf Staff Professionals—ranging from overall strategy to how to maximize your practice time.

Rocco Mediate, PGA Tour
I don’t really have a structure to (my practice time). I go out onto the course and hit shots. I don’t like hitting 3-irons into the middle of nowhere. My practice schedule consists of a few holes, a bunch of shots and a lot of short game and putting. If I’m playing well, I don’t mess around with it.

Rich Beem, PGA Tour
Most of my work is done on the golf course because that’s where your real-life situations are going to be. That’s where you learn how to play—on the golf course, not on a driving range. You have a chance to learn your strengths and weaknesses.

Leta Lindley, LPGA Tour
Getting the golf ball airborne when you first start is a big achievement. Make sure you have enough loft on your driver and play the shaft that’s right for you. Even as a beginner, those are things to consider. Remember, the whole idea of the game is get in position to make easier putts. And don’t get discouraged; it only takes one good shot to bring you back.

Bruce Fleisher, Champions Tour
If you want to practice your golf swing, take your 8-iron because it’s a long enough club to finish your swing but it’s a short enough yardage to  measure your accuracy. For timing and tempo, the 8-iron is a very good club to practice your golf swing. If you have a full-time job and have to work, you’re probably never going to be playing on a pro tour; there are simply not enough hours in the day. But if you find even an hour a week, even 20 minutes at a time, it will make a huge difference in your game.

Olin Browne, PGA Tour
The bottom line is what you shoot, not how you play. The best way to shoot low scores is to putt great. The next best way is to chip it close. The next best way is to hit quality short shots. The next best way is to hit quality irons and fairway woods. And, finally, the next best way is to hit good drives. Do you see the pattern developing here? I always tell that to my kids and to people who ask me how to improve, but virtually everyone is on the range whacking driver.

Mark McNulty, Champions Tour
Most amateurs that I play with in pro-ams, their balance is way off. I see them on the range and once they hit the shot they are falling all over the place. If you go to the range where guys on the tour are playing, you’ll see that they are always balanced—finishing high and well-balanced on their feet. If you find yourself falling one way or another as you finish your swing, work hard to improve your balance.

Johnny Miller, lead golf analyst for NBC Sports
Just because you have a club that, for you, hits a certain shot that maybe is not your favorite, don’t get rid of the club. Good golf is mostly about consistency, rather than beauty. If you can make the same shot every time with a certain club, play for that shot. Even with the amount of experience I have, I still try to build confidence in each club knowing that each one has its own personality due to the shaft, the weighting or the length.