The chicken wing golf swing has never really been a great look.

To be honest, when you see golfers chicken winging, it’s really difficult to even say “nice shot” or “looks great.”

Although this common flaw does not keep all players from hitting a good shot, it’s important to start to get rid of the chicken wing, as it generally means there are other problems in the swing.

To fix the chicken wing, we have to rewind a little and look at what is causing it.

What Is a Chicken Wing Golf Swing?

The chicken wing golf swing (for a right-handed player) is when you swing through the golf ball, and your left arm creates a chicken wing type motion. The arm does not rotate as it should, and it certainly falls out of position compared to the right arm.

What Causes a Chicken Wing in a Golf Swing?

Many golfers think the chicken wing in a golf swing is created after impact. Of course, this is where it is visible, but it is not necessarily what caused the issue to come up.

Instead, problems like hips swaying on the backswing, poor movement toward the target, and arms losing their extension through impact are significant causes.

Arms Losing Their Angle

You know the old tip to keep your left arm straight? It’s never explained correctly, and most professionals will shake their heads when a beginner comes to them with this left arm that will barely even move.

However, there is something to be said for keeping the left arm straight through the impact position. If your arms start to bend and get a little too loose, the chicken wing is the mistake you will see come up.

Arms through impact should stay strong and extended.

Swaying on The Backswing

Swaying in golf is never good.

To get the proper performance, you need to make a pivot, not sway. Golfers that have trouble rotating and shifting their weight will often find themselves in a position where they need to catch up or manipulate the clubhead so that it is square.

The last thing you want to think about as you get towards impact is the angle of the clubface. Make sure that you pivot correctly and that there is much less thinking that needs to be done.

Lack of Weight Shift and Hip Rotation at Impact

Great players can turn their hips toward the target at impact. The weight shifting is crucial as it will create power in not only the swing but also consistency in how the club is delivered.

Great players have their hips shifted more toward the target at impact. This move allows golfers to rotate their arms more effectively. The hips start to rotate, creating room in the swing for the arms to rotate through as they should.

Without this weight shift and hip rotation, players can feel stuck. Of course, the stuck motion only makes it more challenging to get your arms into that final position, and the dreaded chicken wing shows up.

It’s a good idea to narrow down what is causing your chicken wing golf swing before you attempt to start fixing it. The fix that you choose should be something that is directly related to the cause.

3 Tips to Get Rid of Your Chicken Wing Golf Swing

Now that you have the reasoning behind your chicken wing, it’s time to eliminate it. This is not a swing fix that can happen with just one shot. I would highly recommend heading to the range with the ability to video your golf swing.

Sometimes the visualization of what the chicken wing golf swing looks like prior and what it looks like after you make your changes will help you ensure these fixes stay in place the next time you hit the golf course.

1. Improve Arm Connection

One of our favorite drills that will help fix quite a few swing flaws is one that allows your left arm to stay a bit more connected. You can use this drill if you are also struggling with an over-the-top motion on the downswing.

The first part of this process is to just take your typical setup. Then you will put a golf glove or even a golf towel under your left armpit (for a right-handed player). This will need to stay in place as you do this drill.

Next, you can start taking some half swings where you don’t even hit the ball. Just make a move back and through that ensures that the glove or towel does not fall out.

I would then try to hit a few shots like this. Stick with something like the 8 iron or pitching wedge, so you don’t have to worry about forgiveness or launch in the club. The shots are not intended to go far. Instead, they just teach the importance of connection and what that feels like.

2. Follow Through Only Drill

Another great drill for getting rid of the chicken wing golf swing is one that works on the follow through only. Instead of taking a backswing, you will start at your setup position and then just go to a full follow through.

To do this, you must push your body a bit and almost force it to get into the proper position. The follow through only drill ensures that you don’t take a chicken wing golf swing, as you will feel the arms rotate correctly up to the top of the swing.

With the follow through only drill, you want to make sure that you are also transferring all of your weight to the left side.

I would do this about 4 to 5 times, then take a full swing and hit a shot. You should feel the muscle memory start to develop and push your body into the proper position.

3. Alignment Sticks to Help

We talked about the bigger problems related to the chicken wing golf swing. Things like swaying on the backswing and not rotating your arms. However, there are also issues with the basic setup and stance that can cause problems in the swing.

When practicing at the range, make sure to bring some alignment sticks with you.

To fix this problem, in particular, make sure that your stance is not closed. Set up alignment sticks for both stance and ball position.

In addition, if you are comfortable with your alignment sticks, you can also set one up behind your right hip. The hip needs to rotate, not slide or bump into the alignment stick that is secured into the ground.

Alignment sticks are very versatile, and they help with a variety of swing issues. If you have a chicken wing golf swing and are tired of hitting shots with an open clubface, or those that lack distance, take some time to learn different drills with an alignment stick, and you will likely find it easier to perform on the course.

Some players are finding that an alignment stick holder is easier for them to use when practicing on mats. For the hip rotation drill, this is undoubtedly the case. You will need to be able to place the alignment stick in the ground for it to be effective and create that wall of support.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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Dreaded fat shots are some of the most frustrating shots in golf.

Sometimes you will hit a great drive setting yourself up for an easy 100-yard shot into the pin. In your mind, this ball is going to land about ten feet from the hole setting you up for an easy birdie.

However, if you hit the ball fat, chances are your shot ends up about fifteen yards ahead of you.

Hitting fat shots can be stopped. A few tweaks to ball position, address position, and even spine angle can have you hitting the ball clean and crisp once again. Here are my 5 best tips to finally stop hitting the ball fat.

What Causes a Fat Shot in Golf?

A fat shot is caused by taking a divot behind the ball as opposed to in front of the ball. This can happen for various reasons, including improper weight transfer, too much head movement, and even the wrong mental picture of what it takes to hit a golf ball up in the air.

Hitting fat shots is a very common mistake in the game of golf. Many players would rather hit the ball thin than fat.

How Does This Compare to Hitting a Thin Shot?

When you hit a fat shot, the golf club hits behind the ball before it makes contact with the ball. Hitting a thin shot means you strike the golf ball only, or even partially up towards the middle of the ball. Fat shots are often hit as the club is still moving downward, and thin shots are hit as the club moves up.

5 Tips to Stop Hitting Your Golf Balls Fat

If you have a tendency to hit the ball fat, here are some things you can do to prevent that from happening. The common causes of hitting the ball fat can usually be fixed with a few sessions at the range.

Keep Your Head Stationary

One of the most common causes for hitting behind the ball is that your head moves up and down or side to side in your golf swing. If you look at videos of great players, you can see that there is, in fact, a bit of head movement.

However, most of the time, the head stays level, and it can return to the same exact position when it’s time to strike the ball. For many players, this head movement becomes a significant issue. As they turn back, the head dips down, and then it needs to move up at impact.

As you might have guessed, this movement up never happens. Therefore the club strikes into the ground too far.

If you can learn to keep your head stationary and focus on it, staying right over the golf ball, you will be less likely to hit the chunk.

Check Ball Position

Ball position is so often overlooked by amateur golfers. It’s kind of boring to work on ball position in your golf swing; we get that. However, it’s incredible how one tiny golf ball positioning can make or break your ability to have the clubhead strike in the proper position.

Ball position that is pushed too far forward towards the left foot (for right-handed players) can become a problem. Instead, it makes sense to have the ball just a bit closer to the center.

As we talked about, a fat shot can come from hitting the ground before the ball, and if the ball is too far up in the stance, you will strike grass first. Use a series of alignment sticks to help you

map out the proper feet position and ball position.

Move Weight Towards Left Foot

The goal of every golf swing is to finish with your weight forward on your left foot, standing square to the target with a full rotation. However, most players get stuck on their back leg. This leaves them feeling like they can’t get full distance, and it often results in hitting fat shots.

Sometimes golfers get lazy and have a bad swing habit that keeps their weight back. Others have a tendency to overswing, and it becomes too much effort to get the weight forward.

One of my best tips here is to start with a little bit of weight on the left foot. Don’t load up so that 90% of the weight is on the right foot at setup. Take a few swings like this and see if you can feel that weight making its way to the left side a little easier.

Play with this balance and transfer until you can find a happy medium that allows for a cleaner and crisper transfer of weight.

Mental Perception Changes

Are you one of the golfers that believe you need to lift the ball up in the air? If you are, you need to get that thought out of your mind. One of the reasons golfers hit a fat shot is because they think they need to lift the shot up in the air with their hands.

Don’t do this!

If you hit the golf ball at the bottom of the swing arc and take a divot directly after the ball, the launch, ball flight, and distance will be perfect. Start to get a mental picture in your head of what the proper impact position looks like.

Golf clubs and golf balls are designed in such a way that you can quickly get the ball up in the air by striking down and through it. Don’t overcomplicate the process by trying to lift the ball yourself.

This concept is really easy to learn when you practice chipping. Start taking some more compact chipping type golf swings and notice how much easier it is to hit a clean and crisp golf shot if you can keep your hands forward as opposed to flipping them to get the ball up in the air.

Narrow Stance with Room to Swing

We talked about ball position, but there are some things about the stance and setup that are also important for golfers to understand and implement. Hitting fat shots is not always caused by the swing. Sometimes the way you address the ball has you set up for hitting a fat shot.

The first step here is to take a narrow stance. If your stance is really wide, you may have a tough time transferring the weight. There are not too many downsides to a more narrow stance as long as you have some balance and stability.

In fact, many golfers that are struggling with their swing will take a narrow stance to see if they can control things and get it back to the standard position.

Next, make sure that you have enough room to swing the club. If you stand too close to the golf ball, you will hit behind it. As your hands come through the impact position, they get too close to your leg, and it causes you to hit behind the ball.

Play around with different distances to the golf ball. The longer the club, the further you will stand from the ball. In addition, make sure that you can fully transfer your weight and get to the forward position with all of your weight on the left side.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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Swinging over the top is a problem that so many golfers struggle with.

It doesn’t matter if you are brand new to the game or have been playing your entire life; getting a swing path that is a bit over the top is something that needs to be fixed.

For some golfers, a simple swing thought can have you on your way to square shots. However, for most players I have worked with, a combination of drills, training aids, and good old-fashioned practice have been the only ways to fix your over the top golf swing.

Take a look at my six key steps to finally fix your over the top golf swing, and start swinging through the golf ball with confidence.

Step 1: Record a Video

The first step in this process may seem like a simple one but both pro golfers and average golfers that have done it will tell you it’s a must.

Start by recording a video of your golf swing.

One of the most challenging things about the game of golf is that we can’t see the golf club when we swing. Trying to determine where the swing path or swing plane is wont’ be easy. However, with modern technology, a quick video will let you see quite a bit.

So many players say to me, “I don’t know how to diagnose the video.”

I understand you may think that is the case. However, chances are you will be able to see a great deal of what you are doing wrong. Also, you want this video as a comparison when you finish fixing your over the top swing.

Take two videos with the help of a friend. One of the videos should be down the line; another should be a face on video.

If you don’t hit the big slice that has been bothering you, record a few swings so you have some evidence of the problem.

Step 2: Check Your Setup

The next part of this process is to look at the most obvious errors in the game. Players who have their grip, feet position, shoulder line, hips, or even their head position wrong at setup.

So many players want to fix their over the top swing by working on their angle into the ball, their rotation, or ensuring they make a good transition. These are all important but are you setting yourself up to get to this position?

If your feet and your shoulder lines are crossed, straight shots are hard to achieve.

We know that practicing your setup and stance is quite boring compared to other things on this list; it’s well worth getting this down before you try and fix something that may or may not even need to be fixed.

Step 3: Perfect The Takeaway

The takeaway of your golf shots should be low and slow. Taking the club back with just your arms, swinging back really fast, or forgetting that important transition between backswing and downswing can cause poor shots and an over the top swing.

Most golfers struggle at the top of the swing, but there are issues at the start of the swing that can cause this problem.

The golf takeaway is often overlooked by amateur players.

One of my favorite swing tips for golfers working on their takeaway is to take a small blade of grass or even a leaf and place it just a few inches behind the ball.

On your backswing, make sure you may contact with this. To do so, you will have to engage your lower body, keep the arms out of it and ensure you are having the golf club and the body work together.

Step 4: Get To The Inside

Now that the basics are out of the way, it’s time to do the actual work to fix your over the top golf swing. There are two things you need to think about here, getting the club path more on the inside and ensuring the club face is rotated so that it is square at impact.

The first part of this process is ensuring a more inside club path. This club path encourages a golfer to keep their right elbow (right-handed golfer) more connected throughout the swing. The right elbow should even feel as though it is touching your body as you make your transition at the top of the downswing.

One of the simplest and best drills for this is to put a golf glove or even a towel under your right armpit and ensure it stays in place as you make a good transition.

Another drill to consider here is over-exaggerating the inside to out swing path. Most golfers that come over the top have an out-to-in swing path. What this typically looks like is a golf club that starts coming down with the arms and shoulders from the top of the swing.

The club never appears to drop into place and fill in that space that you created with a good rotation.

Exaggerating this move so that you feel as though you are coming way inside on the approach to the ball is a good way to get your lower body sequence worked out and feel what you need to do.

When you go back to hitting balls, chances are you won’t be exaggerating nearly as much, and you will actually be in the correct position. Some players that struggle with this common problem of coming over the top will add an exaggerated inside approach to their pre-shot routine.

The next thing to work on is the club face angle. If you get to the inside, but your club face is not square to the target line, the shot won’t work out. Most golfers struggle to rotate their forearms.

Step 5: Training Aids to Help

Feeling this inside-to-out path and getting rid of the over the top swing plane will be hard for some players. If you have been swinging like this your entire life, you won’t fix it with one good swing. In fact, it will take quite a bit of time and effort to work this out.

Some of the best options for fixing coming over the top is to use alignment sticks or something like the Eyeline Speed Trap. All you need to do with an alignment stick is set it in the ground at an angle just above the golf ball.

The goal is to swing under this alignment stick. If you swing over the top, you will hit the alignment stick.

Start with slow swings here, as you won’t want to make contact with the alignment stick and hurt yourself.

The Eyeline Speed Trap is another excellent device that allows you to see the proper path and eventually leads to golfers having a square face at impact. The latest release of the Eyeline Speed Trap makes it much easier to use the device without damage to your club or yourself.

I love the visual benefits of a tool like this.

When you head out to the golf course, you can be sure that your mind is in the right place and that you are prepared for what impact position should look like.

Step 6: Transfer to The Course

As a golfer (and teacher of the game) who has had issues with swing path in the past, I know how it can feel simple to fix issues on the range and then an entirely different situation to fix them on the golf course.

You are not alone in this frustration of transferring knowledge to the course.

The best way I have found to help this issue is to work on making your driving range practice more like the course.

Most amateur players head to the driving range with a bucket of 75 golf balls and then just start firing away. This is, of course, not the solution. Even if you do come closer to fixing your over the top swing, chances are you have ignored other issues that could be creating inconsistency.

Instead, take some time to work on the drills we talked about. Hit ten or twenty golf balls using the drills. Then take out a training aid like alignment sticks or a path trainer and work with that for some swings.

The idea is that you are building the muscle memory to then use when the pressure is on.

Once you feel like you understand the motion, you have to start putting pressure on.

Pick a target and try to hit it just as you would on the golf course. If you miss the green because of a slice, chances are you were over the top. If you hook it or draw it, maybe you came a little too far from the inside.

Make a mental note of this shot and then move to the next one. Don’t stand there and rapid-fire golf shots; it gets you nowhere. Make your practice like the course, and everything will transition to the course independently.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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If you are new to the game of golf, a great milestone to shoot for is to break 100. 

It can take some time and patience, but with the right tips, any golfer can start to break 100 on their scorecard regularly.

How Long Does it Take Most Golfers to Break 100?

According to multiple statistics, it can take anywhere from 1 to 2 years for beginner golfers to break 100. Some talented beginners may be able to break 100 within a few months, but only if they commit to a rigorous practice schedule.

Did you know that only 55% of all golfers break 100 consistently? That’s why setting a goal to break 100 on your scorecard is a great place for amateur golfers to start.

10 Key Tips You Can Start Using Today to Finally Break 100 in a Round of Golf

1. Take Lessons from a PGA Teaching Pro

If I could change one thing about my golf career, I would have taken lessons from a professional instructor right away. 

Most golf courses have a PGA teaching pro on staff who can help teach you the basics of the game like the proper grip, stance, and setup. Taking lessons from a pro when you are first learning to play will help you learn the proper mechanics of the golf swing before any bad habits get ingrained into you.

Many folks have been able to shave 10 strokes or more off their score by simply getting a few key pointers from a professional instructor. A private lesson will usually cost anywhere from $60 to $125 an hour, but most instructors will normally give you a nice bulk discount if you purchase a set number of lessons. 

I was amazed at how much my game improved after only six lessons with a PGA teaching pro.

2. Get Fitted for Golf Clubs

Did you know that even if your swing mechanics are fundamentally sound, your golf clubs could be keeping you from breaking 100? A professional fitter can conduct a lie board test to determine what type of lie to give your irons. This simple adjustment will make it so much easier to hit your approach shots straighter.

A professional fitter will also make sure each of your clubs has the proper amount of loft. This will give you more control over your distance, which will greatly increase your chances of breaking 100.

Getting fitted for golf clubs can cost up to $400. However, some club fitters will either waive or severely reduce the fitting fee if you buy the new clubs from them. If you are going to pay top dollar for new golf clubs anyway, you might as well have them tailored to your own personal swing type.

3. Improve Your Putting with The Gate Drill

Did you know that most of your strokes on the golf course come on the putting green? Think about it. If you two-putt every hole, that’s 36 strokes. If you three-putt every hole (which is not uncommon for newbies), that adds up to 54 strokes. 

The fastest way to improve your score and break 100 is to learn the correct putting technique. The gate drill will make sure your putting stroke stays on a consistent “straight back and straight through” plane. This will help you make more birdies and pars.

Tiger Woods has been using the gate drill for several years. This drill is perfect for making sure that the putter face stays square at impact. Here is how it works:

• On a practice putting green, stand about 4 feet from the hole.
• Place two tees in the ground that are barely wide enough for your putter head to glide through.
• Now practice your putting stroke without making contact with either of the tees.
• Now that your putting stroke is more fundamentally sound, you should notice a big improvement on your scorecard.

4. Get Better at Lag Putting with the 40 / 50 / 60 Drill

A key to breaking 100 is learning how to avoid three-putts at all costs. The best way to do that is to improve your lag putting. This will especially come in handy on greens that are exceptionally large and fast.

Phil Mickelson is one of the best left-handed golfers in PGA Tour history. In the video below, Mickelson talks about how the 40/50/60 drill has helped his lag putting. Here’s how to perform it:

• Set three golf balls down 40 feet away from the pin.
• Do the same thing at 50 feet and 60 feet distances.
• Hit three lag putts from each distance while trying to get each ball to within five feet of the hole.
• Hit each lag putt with maximum force and aggressiveness but experiment with how far back you take the putter at each distance.

5. Try the Best Chipping Drill Ever

Let’s stick with short game tips and talk about hitting better chip shots. It’s amazing how many golfers neglect chipping during their practice time. That won’t cut it if you’re trying to break 100 on your scorecard.

The below video from Craig Hanson is a fantastic way to practice hitting quality chip shots. The cool thing is you don’t even need to be at the driving range to do this drill. You can perform it just fine in your backyard.

• Use 6 golf clubs to make 5 corridors.
• Each corridor should be spaced about 5 yards apart.
• Set a pile of golf balls 5 yards away from the first corridor.
• Practice landing your chip shots into the first corridor.
• Once you land one in the first corridor, proceed to the second corridor, third corridor, etc.
• Continue in order until you land a golf ball in each corridor.
• Now work your way back from corridor #5 to corridor #1.

A key to hitting good chip shots is being able to land the golf ball where you want it. This drill is one of the best around for helping golfers with their chipping accuracy.

(Bonus Tip: Practice your chip shots with your left hand lower on the golf club. This will help give you a better feel of the clubface.)

6. Dial In Your Driving Accuracy with the 4 Tees Drill

Nothing will keep you from breaking 100 faster than hitting inaccurate tee shots with your driver. Hitting your golf ball into water hazards or out of bounds (OB) isn’t just annoying, it costs you a penalty stroke every time.

The most common mistake that most rookie golfers make with the driver is overswinging. Lots of folks immediately try to kill the golf ball once they get the driver in their hands. This leads to way too many wayward tee shots and lots of lost golf balls.

The drill outlined below is perfect for teaching golfers how to make a more relaxed swing with the driver. Here’s how to try it out:

• Put 4 tees into the ground in a horizontal pattern without golf balls on top of them.
• Make a smooth, relaxed swing while simply trying to knock the tee out of the ground.
• Repeat the process until all 4 tees are out of the ground.
• Now tee a golf ball up and make the same type of smooth swing (you should notice that you probably made good contact with the sweet spot on the driver’s face).
• Hold your finishing pose for at least three seconds to ensure that your golf swing has plenty of balance.

7. Improve Your Bunker Play with the Best Bunker Drill Ever

Bunkers can ruin a good round of golf in a hurry. Bunkers can also keep you from breaking 100 if you don’t know how to get out of them safely and quickly. 

It’s not uncommon for some amateur golfers to cost themselves three or four strokes if they get caught in a particularly tough bunker. This can lead to lots of unwanted double bogeys and triple bogeys. Those big scores can make breaking 100 almost impossible.

In the video below, Zach Allen goes through a great drill that will help all golfers improve their bunker play. Here’s a brief description of how it works.

Take your sand wedge and dig it into the sand about one inch behind the golf ball. Now, make an aggressive swing and try to spank the sand. This will help you get used to what a good bunker shot should feel like and sound like.

(Note: During a live round of golf, you cannot ground your golf club into the sand. Doing so will result in a two-stroke penalty)

8. Smoke the Ball with Your Fairway Woods

Most beginner golfers and even some average golfers have a tough time hitting their fairway woods. This is because the fairway woods are longer and they have a straighter face. 

It can be incredibly difficult to get the ball off the ground with a 3-wood. For this reason, most high handicappers should opt for a 5-wood or one of their hybrids instead of the 3-wood. The extra loft from these clubs helps get the golf ball in the air.

Here are a few tips that will help you hit your fairway woods a bit better. This will help you shoot lower scores, especially on the longer Par 4 and Par 5 holes.

• Choke down on the club by an inch or two (this will give you more control of the clubface).
• Never try to scoop the ball up off the ground.
• Aim a little bit to the right and try to hit the ball to the left.

9. Hit Better Approach Shots with this Iron Drill

A great way to lower your handicap and start breaking 100 consistently is to improve your iron play. While hitting the driver accurately off the tee is very important, hitting a quality second shot will help you avoid the bogey blues.

Chris Ryan explains in the below video how to do his favorite iron drill. This drill will give you immediate feedback after each golf swing. Here is a brief guide to how it works.

• Take a can of white spray paint and spray a straight line in the fairway.
• Place a golf ball on the far side of the line.
• Take a 7-iron and address the golf ball while placing the clubface on the near side of the white line.
• Make several practice swings while focusing on hitting the left side of the line (target side).
• After all the practice swings, look down at the white line and study where you’ve been making contact with the ground.
• Now line up and hit the golf ball.

10. Perfect Your Pitch Shots with These 3 Tips

If you are going to break the 100 milestone consistently, you’ll need to be able to execute quality shots with your pitching wedge. Pitch shots are tough to execute for most amateur golfers because they are usually considered to be “in-between” shots. 

If your golf ball is too far for a chip shot but too close for a full shot, you are in prime pitching distance. A key to hitting good pitch shots is to focus on finesse and accuracy. In the video below from Alex Elliott, you’ll learn these three pitching fundamentals.

• Match your setup and length of your swing to the length of the shot. For shorter pitch shots, you want to use a more narrow stance. For longer pitches, consider spreading your feet out a bit more. It also helps to choke down on the golf club and open up your left foot a tad.
• Keep your arms in sync with your body. Focus on making a U shape from one hip to the other hip. This will keep you from getting too steep in your backswing.
• Complete a nice follow-through with your belt buckle pointing toward your target. This will help improve your balance.

Master these tips and you’ll be on your way to breaking 100 (and then 80) in no time.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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I could tell you that consistent practice and lessons will guide you to a scratch handicap, but from my experience, that is untrue. A combination of practice and playing, a strong mind, and talent are essential to achieving this goal. In this post, I share 10 expert tips on how to become a scratch golfer.

I have played team golf with four players that are now professional golfers playing their trade on various tours around the globe. We all had the same coach and practice regiment. However, they had a natural talent and a strong mindset that led them to a zero handicap and a tour card.

Some players have what it takes, and others do not. But I will explain how to best position yourself to achieve this goal.

What Is a Scratch Golfer?

Simply put, a scratch golf player has a handicap index of 0. Therefore, they must shoot even par in 18-holes to play to their handicap. If the total par is 72, a scratch golfer is expected to return that score on an average day.

When a scratch golfer plays well, they will card several birdies and finish their round under par. Conversely, bad days lead to the scorecard reflecting over par.

How Realistic Is It to Reach This Level of Play?

Not everyone can reach the level of a scratch golfer. I want to remove the fairytales and focus on the facts. You need to possess an element of talent and dedicate yourself to playing and practicing consistently.

Casual players who hit the golf course a couple of times a year are unlikely to lower their number of strokes to the range of a scratch golfer. Conversely, those who train and play consistently are not guaranteed to become lower handicap golfers.

It is realistic if you thoroughly understand golf swing mechanics, course management and improve the weaknesses in your game. Plus, you must have a steel mind that shrugs off a bad shot and encourages resilience.

10 Tips to Help You Become a Scratch Golfer

1. Get Fitted for The Correct Equipment

The first step to becoming a scratch golfer is to get fitted with the correct equipment for your game. A high handicap golfer is typically oblivious to which golf clubs and ball best suits their golf swing. That is why I suggest visiting a professional fitter sooner rather than later.

They will set you up on a launch monitor and analyze each part of your swing through impact. Statistics provided to you by the launch monitor include clubhead speed, club path, backspin, sidespin, apex, direction, and distance. Plus, they assess your putting stroke to find the ideal design for your setup.

Fitters have you test various clubs during their search for your holy grail. In addition, they determine which golf ball is compatible with your swing.

Although their work involves analyzing stats, posture, swing, and ball position, they have two objectives. Find the equipment that maximizes your distance without compromising accuracy.

Without the correct tools, you cannot expect to reduce your total number of strokes from that of a bogey golfer to the level of scratch players. That is much like sending a soldier to the front line with a knife, expecting them to win the battle.

2. Take Lessons

Hopefully, you took a golf lesson or three from a PGA professional when you first took up the game. That would have taught you the basics, such as How to grip the golf club, alignment, ball position, and rotation.

However, a couple of lessons will not cut it. You need to consistently work with a coach to neutralize any issues as soon as they arise. Otherwise, you walk off the golf course, pondering how one lousy hole prompted a disastrous round.

Then, you hit the range and keep making the same mistake without comprehending your errors and how to fix them. The experienced eyes of a coach will detect your issue, help you correct it, and then work with you to get back on track.

Regular lessons basically prevent bad habits from seeping into your game and imploding your mission to be a scratch handicap.

3. Practice with a Purpose

One of my friends, Pete Arnott, coaches amateurs and professionals in Scotland. We recently spoke about practicing with a purpose and how that sets amateurs from the pros.

He used the example of Tiger Woods, who would pick out a spot on the driving range and hit different shots to reach that point. For example, he would hit a full, straight 7-iron to the target, followed by a draw and a fade. Then he would hit a 6, 5, 4, and 3-iron and attempt to land it on the desired spot.

The point is that Eldrick had a mission to land as many balls as possible in the same spot by playing different shots. This gave him multiple shot options from that distance to navigate varying weather conditions and golf course layouts.

By the end of his practice session, he had improved his ability to stick it close to the target from that distance. Therefore, practicing with a purpose helped boost his game.

Before you learn how to hit a draw or fade, I urge you to improve your accuracy and distance control with a straight flight. Start with your highest lofted wedge. Pick out a point in line with your average full wedge distance, and hit 20-shots to that target. After your 20th shot, take a break and analyze the results.

If you achieved a 70% success rate, move on to your next wedge and follow the same procedure. Work your way through your bag and dial in every club in your bag. That is one example of numerous methods to practice with purpose and actually see improvement in your game.

4. Play Often

While some golfers make our game look like it requires minimal fitness, that is fake news. You can practice all you want on the range, but if you do not take those teachings to the course, you will struggle to lower your handicap.

There are 3 elements involved here; walking, winging the club, and your mental state. You need endurance to navigate 18-holes of golf consistently, which comes when you play golf frequently.

When you are exhausted after the hole 12th, it is impossible to focus. That leads to a lack of power on your downswing and reduced hip and shoulder rotation.

As a result, you produce inaccurate shots and lose distance. That is one way to rapidly ruin your round. A couple of duffs and miscalculations can add those feared squares to your scorecard.

5. Master Your Short Game

A solid short game is vital to reach a scratch handicap. If you cannot execute chip shots and struggle to putt, a scratch handicap is an insurmountable challenge. Pencil in a short game session, at least once a week, to hone in on your performance around the green.

When you possess the ability to get up and down from around the green, it enables you to escape disastrous situations. Instead of a bogey, you walk away with a par and do not destroy your round.

Besides, saving your round increases your chances of carding birdies. Golfers who know how to stroke a flat stick stand a higher chance of carding birdies during their rounds. 1-under par holes are essential to becoming a scratch golfer.

We have a guide dedicated to the 9 best short game drills. Give this a read if you are searching for exercises to boost your greenside skills.

6. Learn How To Scramble

Players unfamiliar with the term should read our guide called what is scrambling? But, if you know how to scramble, you should improve your skills. You will rarely achieve a 100% fairways in regulation record every round. As a result, you need to prepare to escape tricky situations.

When you are in the thick rough, the sand, or behind a tree, you need to learn how to escape with minimal wounds. Therefore, you need to play smart and put yourself into a position where you can attack the flag and one putt to get down for a par.

High handicappers would implode in this quagmire and try and hit the ball through a 1-foot gap in the tree. Despite missing the 21-yard fairway, they still think they can execute with precision.

7. Shape Your Shots

I said earlier that you should focus on hitting the ball straight before embarking on a shot-shaping mission, and I stand by that. However, as you lower your handicap and know your way around the course, the next step is, shaping your shots.

The ability to hit a draw or fade enables you to position yourself optimally on doglegs and work your ball around trees and obstacles. Plus, working your ball from left to right allows you to remove hazards and trouble from your line. Plus, you can induce these shapes to play with the wind rather than into it, resulting in a loss of distance.

8. Play with a Caddie

Certain golf courses do not offer caddie services, but if your local does, take advantage of their knowledge. I credit most of my results on the course to my caddies as a junior. Edwin guided me to make the right club and shot selections, taught me how to read greens, and play off different lies.

Having a caddie gives you one less element to worry about when on the golf course. You do not have the heavy load of your bag on your back, and you have a second opinion before making a shot decision.

Finally, it helps if you can build a long-term relationship with a caddie, as I did with Edwin. He understood my game, my thought process, and what shots I could and could not execute. Thanks to him, I made better decisions that saved me strokes when I could easily have carded a double or triple bogey.

9. Improve Your Course Management

Amateurs often step onto the tee box and start swinging. There is no thought about the hole’s layout and where they should place their ball. Course management requires you to think astutely and play for your position. Effectively, you ask where should my ball land on this shot to give me the best chance at attacking the flag on approach?

Manage each shot and think about position. It is, of course, easier to make birdies from the fairway than from the woods.

For example, if water runs along the left side of the hole, you should avoid this area like the plague and instead aim to the right. That completely eradicates the threat of the water hazard.

10. Learn Green Grass Grains

My final word of advice revolves around grass strains. Each type of turf performs differently and impacts the result of your putt. For example, Bermuda grass produces fewer breaks when putting with the grain of grass. Conversely, bentgrass grows upwards and enables balls to break in every direction.

Bermuda greens are slower, while bentgrass produces increased speed. In addition, there is a third strain of grass used on golf courses, called Poa. This grass creates inconsistencies on the green by offering a pure roll one moment and deviating bobbling ball the next.

The point is that each grass strain impacts your putting experience. If you do not know how to play these greens, you will battle to play to a scratch handicap. Especially when you play at away courses covered in grass that you are unfamiliar with.

Further Reading: If you are a beginner, I suggest you learn to crawl before you can run. Study our review on how long it takes to get good at golf, and then come back to this post.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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