Problem: You can’t seem to find the fairway with your driver, OB right, trees to the left, your inaccuracy off the tee is moving that handicap higher and higher. How do you put that tee shot in the fairway?

Here’s a tip that can help: On the practice range, pick out a spot a few feet in front of your ball (place a ball or tee on that spot) and make sure you focus on it. As you look down the fairway, feel as though you are driving the ball down the center of a tunnel that starts over the spot you have picked out.

Now hit drives, but concentrate on hitting the ball over the spot down the tunnel without any thought of where you want the ball to finish. (Next time you watch PGA Tour players on TV, take notice of how many seem to be looking at a spot in front of their ball during their pre-shot routine). Jack Nicklaus was one of the first players to do this, and it really makes it much easier to start the ball online off the club face.

This works because focusing your thoughts on the ball and where you want it to go immediately after being struck helps you concentrate on the hitting area, not the landing area. This allows you to lock-in to the club head striking the ball, which all great ball strikers do.

When you become too fixed on your target, you lose focus on the ball, which causes missed-hit shots that travel off-line. Keeping focus on where you want the ball to start while feeling like you are hitting it down the tunnel will also help eliminate negative thoughts during the swing.

These tips will help you be a better ball striker, with a more consistent swing, which will have you driving that ball in the fairway.

Need help with your short game? Want to shoot lower scores in the near future?

Take a few lessons with your local PGA Professional, and spend half of the time on putting and the other half on the golf course.

For example, let’s say you take two one-hour golf lessons. Start off with whatever part of your swing needs the work. Show the pro what your problem shot is. Work to correct the issue.

Next, go to the putting green, and work on the putting stroke. Most of the golfers I ask say that putting is not their strong suit. They state that it is probably the weakest link. So the first half hour is on the swing, and the next 30 minutes is on putting technique.

I can show a student a lot in 30 minutes. During some lessons, I even video the golfer making putting strokes. Feedback is key. The putting stoke is a simple action. Correct form is fairly simple. I am always amazed how creative golfers get when it comes to making a simple putting swing.

If you are not a great putter, and you currently use a non-conventional method, I think you should consider reviewing some basics with your pro, such as: reverse over-lap grip; flat left wrist; ball left center; no wrist action; stance 12-inches apart; ball 12 inches from front of feet; center of golf ball opposite sight line on putter; swing putter with shoulder; and no lower body movement

Practice these basics on a putting green until comfortable. Next, take the next hour-long lesson on the golf course. Yes, a playing lesson. Spend the entire hour on the course learning how to read the greens better and how to lag your first putt closer to the hole.

One basic rule I have golfers follow is that if you are outside four paces from the hole, just go for a two putt. Work on your distance control. Three-putting is caused by poor distance control on the first putt and by bad green reading or a combination of both. Most putting greens are relatively flat, whereas greens on the golf course have much more slope.

Spending time with a pro and talking about how to play these breaking putts can help. Hitting extra putts on the course late in the day to get experience at playing more break can be a fantastic learning experience. I highly recommend this type of lesson and practice for improving your putting.

Have you ever watched a tour pro play a practice round? Watch what they do on the greens. Typically, they putt several balls from different locations. They watch how the ball rolls across the green. This improves feel and increases the chance for success on the greens.

In review, take a couple of lessons. Spend half the time on putting technique lesson one. The next lesson is on the golf course. Become a good green reader. Practice on the course if possible, and gain experience in rolling the ball on greens that have more break. Work on distance control.

Your scores are going to drop, and you will be developing a solid short game.

The majority of golf strokes occur near or on the putting green, but every day on the lesson tee I see players who have no concept of how to hit a basic short shot in golf, whether it’s a putt or a chip.

If you want to save shots and lower your score, here are some tips.

First, understand that a solid putting swing and a chipping swing are pretty much the same. So why is it that players often fear these short golf shots? The answer is that the cause of the issue is the breakdown (or collapse) of the left wrist in the hitting area.

I like to call the bottom of the golf swing the “impact zone.” When the left wrist bends or flips during the swing, the club head travels in an upward direction when it should move down and forward through the swing.

When I see great putters, I see absolutely no change in their wrist position. The left wrist is flat.

When I see great chippers, I notice a flat left wrist at impact and into the follow-through. This is a very important swing dynamic to work on. Some even refer to a flat wrist as a “secret.”

When I see a golfer with bent wrist action, I suggest they consider changing to a flat left wrist type stroke.

Start with your putter and position your left wrist on the golf grip so that your flat left wrist matches the flat club face. I have my students check this by holding the club perpendicular to the green and visually check the putter face alignment to their flat left wrist. If your grip in straight the two should line up.

Now, you are ready to roll a few putts. When putting, focus on your shoulders moving the arms and the flat wrist. The shaft and the left arm should form a straight vertical line.

Check this in front of a mirror or stand next to a wall and press your arm and club up against the wall. With this alignment you will feel a solid impact with the ball. Make sure the left wrist is flat.

Next, try it with a short iron. The chip swing is the same as a putt, but the set-up is different. What I recommend is to play the ball back in your stance, lean the shaft left so your hands are opposite your left leg, aim your feet left of the target (10-30 degrees), open your stance and keep your weight on the left foot.

Now, make a putting type swing with the flat left wrist. Notice that the club head stays low after impact and the left wrist is still flat. The divot or contact point with the turf is in front of the golf ball. The flat wrist ensures that you’ll make solid contact with the ball. Keep the shoulders, arms and club moving at the same pace. The flat wrist keeps this in line. This will help you control the distance and direction of your short shots.

This flat wrist is very important for golfers at any level. Pro golfers know this secret and practice it all the time. Next time you watch golf on TV, look for the flat wrist. Next time you see your local PGA Professional, ask him or her to help you develop this skill and show you some drills to practice. If you work on keeping the flat wrist through this impact zone, you will see great results.

One of the most respected short-game teachers these days is Stan Utley, who came to the forefront in the early part of the decade when he started working with Jay Haas.

Utley, who played the PGA Tour himself with limited success (he won the 1989 Chattanooga Classic), was known for his ability to get it up and down from anywhere. Soft hands and great feel combined with an easy technique made Utley great around and on the greens.

Now Utley, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., works with many top professionals and amateurs on their short games. Author of “The Art of the Short Game,” he has some definite thoughts on some of the myths and misconceptions. Utley says his ideas aren’t new; he just found better ways to explain them.

Recently, he shared a few of his tips during a golf clinic at Grayhawk Golf Club n Scottsdale.

Stan Utley: It’s in the wrists

When it comes to chipping and pitching around the greens, most players have heard how using the wrists can lead to all sorts of problems in the short game. Utley thinks most players have taken that too far and lack any kind of feel in the short game. Trying to take the wrists and hands out of the stroke also leads to unnecessary tension, he says.

His advice: Be a little wristy. But he’s “guarded” in that advice. What he means is that there must be some release, and the hands have to be involved in the stroke. The idea of just leaving it up to the big muscles of the shoulders, for example, is flawed.

Utley points out that there are three circles in the golf swing – the body, hands and grip, and the clubhead.

“The clubhead has a long way to go,” he said. Which means that the hands and wrists need to move to allow the clubhead to catch up to the inner circle.

Footwork and bounce

Utley points out that most amateurs have very poor footwork when it comes to the short game. They are too still and don’t allow the right knee (for right-handers) to turn into the left leg as they come through the shot. The body movement would be similar to that of a short throwing motion.

He also advises players to have plenty of bounce on their wedges and he advocates hitting a variety of shots from one wedge to develop great feel. The bounce is important, he said, because it allows you to skid the bottom of the club through the turf instead of sticking the leading edge into the ground.

Stan Utley’s putting philosophy

With regard to putting, Utley said, “There’s no wrong way to do it,” but he does differ in his philosophy from Dave Pelz, who advocates a straight back and straight through stroke.

Utley said he believes in the same philosophy except his straight back and straight through are on the slightly tilted plane on which people swing the putter. That means it looks like the club moves inside, but in reality it’s just following the naturally tilted plane.

Utley also believes the putting stroke should not be a shoulder-only stroke. He believes the hands and wrists provide the most feel and smoothest and most natural strokes. And he also says, contrary to what many high handicappers believe, the through-stroke should be shorter than the back stroke. The reason for this is that in a true stroke, the ball should absorb the energy of the putter at impact; therefore the through-stroke would naturally be shorter.

“I’m very focused on joint tension,” he said.

Slice or hook?

Finally, Utley posed two questions to the audience: What rolls farther? A hook or a slice? Naturally, the answer is hook, to which Utley followed, “Then why would I want to slice a putt if it doesn’t roll as well as a hook.”

His point is that you must release the putter just as you must release the clubhead if you’re going to hit a putt. He used Tiger Woods as a great example. “It never looks like he’s expending much energy.”

His second question to the audience was how do we produce a hook – by hitting the ball on the inside or the outside? The answer is the outside, which means the toe must pass the heel through impact? In other words, release.

As he concluded his presentation, the audience headed to the golf carts and Utley issued this advice: “Now go out and hook some putts.”

When I was in my teens, in the 1960s at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, co-owner Jackie Burke taught me how to become a great putter. He constantly reminded me that great putters felt it in their fingertips and that all putts went wherever the hands went, good or bad. He made me very aware that my focus should be only on what my hands were doing and not what the putter head or ball were doing – that they were the effect of using the hands properly.

Since then, putting for me has always been easy and fun and also easy to teach. I was lucky enough to have someone who understood what great putting felt like pass it along to me. Since most golfers have never been taught this simple solution to great putting I have developed some feel drills that will help anyone become a better putter.

Here’s a drill I taught Nick Faldo in 2000 that improved his putting from one of the worst putters on tour to No. 1 in putting at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, some of the toughest greens in the world to putt, where he averaged 25 putts per day.

Improve your putting with the thumb pointing drill

This drill is called the thumb pointing drill. Even though there are a couple of other elements (how to hold the club for control, and how to get in the best set-up) that will enhance your putting performance, this drill will help you become a much better putter.

First, you must focus on the relationship between your hands and the intended target. Now, feel the corner of your lower thumb on the grip that is closest to the target. On your right hand it will be the corner of the nail on the outside of your thumb and if you use left hand low it will be the inside corner of the thumbnail. Take some practice strokes feeling that corner pointing at your target at the end of the motion.

Now putt 3-inch to 6-inch putts making sure to hold the point at the finish of the stroke. By doing this you will discover the ball went the direction you pointed, good or bad. Two things will come from this drill: 1. Your focus will shift away from the putter head and ball and 2., you will complete your
stroke giving you better rhythm and distance control.

When you get a good feel for short putts, increase the distance until you feel comfortable from all distances.

Once you learn to narrow your focus to your hands and where they are going, putting will become simple and fun.

The next time you’re on the putting green, try these three simple practice drills that will help you become a better putter:

Place a golf ball about 5 to 6 feet from the hole, then put two tees in the ground, approximately 8 to 10 inches behind the ball. Place them a little farther apart than the length of your putter head. Make sure they are directly on the target line you intend to putt the ball.

This drill is intended to have you swing the putter straight back away from the ball. If you strike either tee on your back stroke, your backswing path is offline. When you can swing the putter head back and fourth between the tees, you will know that the putter is moving along the correct path, ensuring you will make solid contact every time. This path is vital, because it helps start your ball on its intended target line.

Next, I encourage golfers to hold the finish of their putting stroke until they hear the ball falling into the hole. This drill is effective in training your head and body to stay still over a putt while also helping you maintain the putter face on line throughout your stroke. Finally, your focus on the follow-through will keep your mind off missing the putt.

As I watch golfers struggle with putting, I notice many have trouble with distance control. This problem relates to feel.

A good drill to increase feel and improve your distance control is to practice putting with one hand. Start by placing a ball 8 to 10 feet from the cup, and hit a few putts with just your right hand. Next, repeat the putt just using your left hand.

By now you should notice which hand gives you better control of the putter. From then on, practice your one-hand drill mostly with the dominate hand.

This drill will have you feel much more comfortable and confident over putts, improving your distance control, thus giving you a more confident stroke.

If you suffer from the occasional yip, tend to pull your putts, have trouble keeping the clubface square at impact or just plain struggle with the putter, you’ve no doubt considered alternative methods.

Alternatives, of course, would include the long putter, belly putter, claw grip and any number of other gimmicks that might help steady the nerves or help you find a pendulum stroke.

Well, here’s another idea. Simple Golf, of the Symple Power Swing technique, has introduced the Symple Putting method.

Ironically, Symple Putting does not utilize the principles of the Symple Swing. In fact, it’s pretty much the opposite. The Symple Swing primarily employs the body’s core muscles; Symple Putting is a wristy stroke that involves very little arm motion.

“This is a hinge method,” said Mike O’Leary, director of instruction for Simple Golf LLC. “It’s much like a grandfather clock.”

Symple Putting anchors on the thigh

For an idea of how Symple Putting works, just imagine the putter as the pendulum on a clock. Your hands are essentially the fulcrum on which the putter swings, and your left thigh (if you’re right-handed) anchors your hands.

In fact, you set up by placing the club in your left hand, which is at around mid-thigh, then closing the grip with the right hand. You execute the stroke by swinging back and through with the left hand in constant contact with the left thigh. The idea is that by anchoring the putter handle on the left leg, the clubface must return to the same spot it was at address, therefore eliminating pulls, pushes and opened and closed clubfaces.

Distance control is accomplished by varying backswing length with the left wrist. If you’re thinking long putts could be a problem, you’ll be surprised how far you can hit with this method. For really long putts, however, you must speed up the tempo in addition to lengthening the backstroke.

Scoring Machine putter works best for Symple Putting

Not surprisingly, Simple Golf has a specially-designed putter for this method called the Scoring Machine. This mallet has a flatter lie angle, designed to accommodate a putter that’s anchored at mid thigh.

Finding the right length is crucial for executing this putting method correctly, and the folks at Simple Golf determine that based on your height and build.

Simple Golf isn’t just marketing this method (and its putters) to players who use the Symple Swing, but to anyone looking to improve putting regardless of their full-swing action.

If you think about it, Symple Putting is probably most like using a belly putter, but instead of anchoring the club in the abdomen, it’s anchored on the thigh with ball position off the front foot. Plenty of good players use belly putters or long putters, so this might appeal to them as well.

At least one Champions Tour player has tried the method, said Simple Golf founder and President Joe Davidson, but because it’s not a paid endorsement, Simple Golf can’t release his name. Simple Golf also features former LPGA player Jan Stephenson and ex-NFL player Jack Youngblood in its videos.

Speaking of videos, the putter comes with video instruction, a head cover and online and telephone support.