6 Secrets to a Better Golf Game

Try these tour-tested tricks for lowering any handicap.
By David Schipper,

Todd Hamilton is not happy. I've just schooled the reigning British Open champ on our first hole at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. My first shot found the green; his hit the rough. I two-putted for par; he tapped in for a bogey.

I suppress the urge to pump the air, triumphant, but a grin slips out. Hamilton sees it, returns it, and raises me. "How about a hundred bucks on the next one?" he says, flush with motivation.

"Sure," I say. "Let's do it."

I've swung a few clubs over the years - I'm a 12 handicapper - but frankly, I'm not qualified to carry Hamilton's bag. As I step up to the next tee, I realize this, and my mind starts to race: You suck, Schipper. You haven't swung a club in months. You'd shank a basketball with a snow shovel. I squint, shuffle my feet, look down my forearms, and try to remind myself, Keep your hands soft, arms straight, shoulders back, swing slow...

Thwack! I watch my ball whirl, cockeyed, down the left side of the fairway. It lands in a hollow surrounded by some shaggy trees. Hamilton steps up, pauses, then uncoils. His ball rockets skyward, severing the blue Georgia sky. It falls toward the middle of the green and continues its graceful journey toward the pin.

"Nice shot," I manage.

Hamilton birdies the hole, I double-bogey. By the end, I lose big. But on one hole, I proved myself against a PGA pro - and milked him for a lesson, to boot. Six of his best tips follow.

Hey, Tiger, we still on for this weekend?

1. Stay on track
Imagine a set of railroad tracks leading to the hole. "You want the clubface to be on the outer track, and your feet, hips, and shoulders on the inner track," says Hamilton. If you're hitting with a 5-iron, keep the ball slightly ahead of center (toward your left foot if you're right-handed).

The smaller the club number, the more you should move the ball forward on the track - with your driver, the ball should be almost at your left heel. With high-numbered clubs, move your ball back. Keep your knees flexed over your shoestrings as if you were about to complete a squat.

Start your swing with your weight distributed evenly on each leg, but add more weight to your right when you take the club back. Throw this weight onto your left leg as you swing through the ball.

2. Grip with your fingers
Ever wonder why there are so many duffers around? "Most golfers don't grip the club correctly," says Hamilton. "They put the club in their palm, making it hard to snap through the ball. That leads to a slice."

If you're right-handed, hold the club with your left fingers - position it directly over the point where your fingers meet your hand - pointing your thumb straight down the shaft. Lay your right hand over it so your right palm is over your left thumb.

If you have short fingers, interlock your right pinkie with your left index finger; if you have longer fingers, overlap them. Make sure the V between your right thumb and index finger points directly up your arm to your right shoulder.

Finally, and most important: Don't grip it too tightly. "Sam Snead always thought of it like an open tube of toothpaste," says Hamilton. "Try not to squeeze any out."

3. Find your trigger
Great golf swings look like one fluid motion, but they're made up of three components.

First is the trigger. "It's hard to unfold such a complex movement from a complete standstill," Hamilton says, adding that he pushes his left foot into the ground to get him going. You can try that, or press the club handle with your index finger, or do whatever works for you - as long as it doesn't throw off your form.

The other two components each have two movements. Recite the words "I'm a... golfer" while you swing. The first two words represent the pace of the backswing; the third, the downswing and follow-through. "If you bring the club back too quickly, it's going to fall off the tracks and mess up your downswing," says Hamilton. "But if you take it back nice and relaxed, you've won half the battle."

The rest is basics: Keep your arms at your sides as if you were holding towels under your arms; form a neat triangle from your shoulders to the grip; and bring your clubhead back only as far as your left hand will go without overstretching. Let your knees slide forward to begin the downswing. Swivel your hips as you follow through. "Your belt buckle should point slightly in front of the ball at impact," says Hamilton.

4. Try four play
Ben Hogan, winner of four U.S. Opens and two Masters, once said the secret to putting is to "grab your wedge." In other words, if you chip well, you won't need to sink a 6-footer for par - you can just tap it in.

"Divide the length of your chip into fourths," advises Hamilton. "Carry the ball a fourth of the distance and it'll roll the rest."

5. Break, the rules
Once you make the green, start your putt by reading the break. Your secret signal: the cup. "Unless you're playing very early in the day, one side of the cup will look as if it's been used more," says Hamilton. "That's because all the balls are breaking into that side."

Other tips: Shiny grass means you're down-grain, so the balls will break fast in the direction of the grass; dark green means you're hitting against the grain, so your putts will be slower.

6. Bowl for birdies
Now it's time to putt. Imagine arrows leading to the hole like the ones on a bowling lane. "For a 15-foot putt, pick a spot that's one grip-length ahead of the ball," says Hamilton.

And remember the railroad tracks: "Your feet are parallel to the inside track, and your putter goes back and through on the outside track." The ball should be just right of your left heel (the reverse for lefties).

Swing with your shoulders and arms, not your wrists. "You want your wrists to be one with the stroke," says Hamilton.