Reduce your handicap quickly by practicing these 3 essential skills

Most golfers practice without a plan, wasting precious practice time hitting the wrong clubs and working on the wrong shots, leaving them wondering why their scores aren't improving.

The truth is that two-thirds of a solid golf cycle comes down to your performance in three key areas: putting, wedge play and driving. By understanding where your lashes actually come from – and striving to make these regular things less common – you can create a workout plan that addresses these areas. Work backwards from the green, set clear and measurable goals and bring a game-like mindset throughout. When you practice taking shots on the course, improvement becomes intentional rather than accidental.

See below for a breakdown of each of these three skills, and tips on how to improve each one.

“>

Part 1: Placement

Set the basics

1. Holding: Place the putter grip on the fingers of the lead hand, running from the bottom of the index finger to the bottom of the life line of the palm. The trail hand shows the lead hand, palms facing each other and both thumbs resting directly on the flat front edge of the grip. This alignment minimizes wrist rotation and encourages a pendulum motion driven by the shoulders.

2. Ball area: Set the ball slightly forward of the center of your stance—about below the logo on the chest of your shirt. This allows the putter to make contact with the ball just past the bottom of the arc, producing a slightly upward strike that gets the ball on the end quickly. If the ball is too far back, it will swing and have an inconsistent roll.

3. Area width: Place feet hip width apart. This wide stance helps provide a stable base while allowing the upper body to move freely. Your weight should be evenly distributed, with a slight bias towards the balls of the feet.

4. Head position: The head sits slightly behind the ball at address, indicating a forward ball position. This backward tilt encourages an upward stroke. The head stays here throughout the stroke—any forward drift affects both the arc and angle of the face at impact.

5. Shaft Lean: The shaft should be almost straight at address, pointing in the middle of your head and ear. Too much forward lean moves the putter and creates a skid, and too much back lean adds loft and causes bounce. A neutral shaft angle maintains the putter's loft and allows for a consistent roll.

A stroke

The length of the putting stroke should be controlled by the distance to the hole, not how fast you hit the impact. A common mistake among rec players is a short backstroke paired with a fast forward stroke, which produces speed and consistency. The goal is for the backstroke and follow-through to be roughly equal in length, and the speed of the putterhead to remain smooth and consistent.

Backstroke: The putterhead goes back, down, driven by the movement of the shoulders. The hands and wrists remain passive except for a small hinge.

Impact: The face should be square to the starting line during contact. The hands stay even if slightly in front of the putterhead. Avoid any flicking of the wrists — the relationship between the arms and shoulders established at address should remain stable.

Background effect: The follow through is shorter than the backstroke as the putterhead naturally decelerates after contact with the ball. The face remains square as long as possible before naturally rotating in an arc.

Background effect: The follow through is shorter than the backstroke as the putterhead naturally decelerates after contact with the ball. The face remains square as long as possible before naturally rotating in an arc.

Long putts: For longer putts, lengthen the backstroke while maintaining the same smooth tempo. Avoid the urge to go too fast by using the ball to add distance. Just rely on the long backstroke.

Short putts: A combined stroke with a backswing of equal length and follow through is most reliable for short putts. Keep the tempo the same for long putts – only the length of the stroke changes.

Learn and drive speed

Speed ​​and learning are the two variables that determine whether a putt goes into the hole. Most putts are missed due to slow speed rather than poor reading. This drill trains both at the same time, using the simple tee as a reference point to improve entry angle feel and distance control.

Entry point: Identify the spot on the edge of the hole where the ball needs to go. For a straight putt, the entry point is halfway to the back of the cup. For a broken putt, switch to the high side. Committing to a specific entry point moves the focus from the entire hole to the target object, improving reading accuracy and first line direction.

First line: With the entry point determined, point to the starting point. This is the exact line where you want to start the ball on broken putts [1]. Committing to the first line, rather than relying on the hole as the only point of reference, produces more precise alignment and better directional control.

Set up: Talk to the ball from the tee that is placed just before your near vision on the target line. Align the face of the putter with the first line, and move the feet into place. Aligning the face before the body always produces better setup accuracy than trying to establish both at the same time.

Match the tee and speed: Based on green speed and slope, adjust the tee position to indicate the correct entry point. Then practice alignment with your vertical line and commit to that first [2]. The tee keeps both the reading and the speed connected – the right inlet only works if the speed matches the reading.

Part 2: The Wedge Game

The distance of the wedge

Distance control with wedges is key to shooting low scores. With such a high percentage of approach shots being played from wedge distance, this is a real opportunity to hit the ball close, change the swing and create more birdie opportunities.

Set up: Research indicates an ideal launch angle of about 30 degrees for these shots, and the setup is designed to produce just that. A small stance with 60 percent forward pressure helps control swing size. Place the ball slightly back of center – about one ball back – to encourage clean contact and a low, inbound flight. Open the position slightly to maintain proper alignment.

Swing Clock: Using the clock system – the leading arm as the hour hand of the clock – changes the length of the reverse from 9:00 to 7:30 to 11:30. As the length of the backswing changes, so does the distance. Measure yards using a launch monitor or scaled targets, and complete this process with each wedge to build the perfect yardage arsenal.

7:30: The lead arm turns at 7:30 — perfect for a short pitch. The wrist hinge is small, the turn is limited and the finish is low and shortened.

9:00: The leading arm reaches parallel to the ground. The wrists are completely turned, the torso turns about 45 degrees and the end shows the length of the back.

11:30: The lead arm extends to 11:30 – just short of a full turn. The change should be quick, and the end is the same as the length of the return.

Finesse wedge

Finesse wedge shots should be used close to the green (within 30 yards) if you need to control carry distance, trajectory and spin at the same time.

Feet: Use a small, open and open posture. Flaring the front foot encourages spin, which is an important ingredient in the shot. The open alignment complements the rest of the finesse wedge setup, keeping the movement connected and consistent.

Weight: Love the lead foot about 60 percent of your weight. This position encourages downward strokes and promotes consistent contact. Avoid any change in pressure during swing. Irrigation on the lead side should be maintained throughout.

Club: Choose the tallest wedge in your bag for maximum height and stopping power. At address, the shaft points toward the lead hip. Various club options allow you to adjust the launch angle and total distance with the same movement.

Face: Keep and open face throughout. The most common mistake is to rotate the arms through impact to square the face, but this lowers the club and produces a lower, faster shot. Keep the face up.

Movement: The backswing is controlled and compact. The descent is driven by the body rather than the hands. Swing the club through the foot line – to the left of the target – while keeping the face open.

Finish: Complete the length with your weight forward. Hands should not rise above waist height. Let the body control the finish, not the arm pressure.

Part 3: The driver

Driver basics

The driver wants a very different setup than any other club in the bag. The address area should be adjusted to promote a shallower, steeper angle of attack. If you want the highest distance, you should open the ball in the air rather than hitting it on the ground.

1. Holding: Stop holding before setting all postures. After gripping the club, place the clubhead behind the ball with the feet close together.

2. Condition: Take your first step on a trail leg. This will put the ball forward in the stance, in line with the lead arm. The lead hip should sit slightly higher than the lead hip at address, moving the angle of your spine slightly away from the target. This helps with proper pivot in the backswing and hitting the top of the ball. Arm structure is equally important for hitting hard drives. At address, the lead arm should be long and extended, while the trailing arm remains flexed with the elbow toward the lane's waist.

3. Swipe: As the lead arm rotates across the chest during the backswing, allow the lead arm to curl naturally, keeping the hands well placed under the club. The shoulders are fully rotated, while the lower body remains stable and loaded. This creates the energy needed to generate power in the turn.

4. Remove: As the clubhead approaches, the wrists and hands should quickly relax. This powerful, uninhibited release of the club through impact transfer kept the power out of the clubhead, culminating in high speed.