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Articles by Rules Guy
Struggling with tension in your golf swing? Try the ‘potato chip’ drill
We’ve all been there. You’re standing over an important shot, thinking about everything that could go wrong. Before you know it, your grip tightens, your muscles tense up and the free-flowing swing you’d grooved on the practice range is a distant memory. Tension is one of the biggest obstacles to playing good golf, particularly under pressure. Most golfers know the standard advice: Take a deep breath, relax your hands or make a few practice swings to loosen up.
Greg Norman’s 3 tips for driving the ball long and straight
Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In Timeless Tips we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today, feature and article from our October 1995 issue where Greg Norman shared three tips for driving the ball long and straight. There are few skills in golf as valuable as the ability to drive the ball long and straight.
2026 Top 100 Teachers Summit: Schedule and Speaker Lineup
Hello Teachers! The whole GOLF team and the 8AM family look forward to welcoming you to Omni La Costa for GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers Summit. With a full and energizing schedule ahead, we’ve included the lineup of confirmed speakers below to help you plan your arrival and departure. Attire is casual but polished, so your best teaching outfit will serve you well throughout the event.
The crucial course-management mistake costing you strokes (and how to fix it) Original
One of the biggest course-management mistakes I see golfers make is aiming at the flagstick without considering where their shots typically miss. I joke with my students during playing lessons that they aim at more flagsticks than I do, and I’m the professional! I encourage golfers to play aggressively to conservative targets. It might sound contradictory, but the concept is simple: choose a smart target, then make an aggressive, committed swing.
Rules Guy: The wind blew my ball as I made my putting stroke. Penalty? Original
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. The wind blew my ball during my downstroke on a downhill, downwind putt. Since I was worried about the wind, I didn’t ground my putter, if that matters. The putt itself wound up being awful … but did it also result in a penalty, especially given that the ball had moved closer to the hole?
This Tour coach’s putting drill changed the way I practice
When I recently went to see GOLF Top 100 Teacher Stephen Sweeney for help fixing my putting, he asked me a simple question. “When you miss putts, do you know why you miss them?” After thinking for a moment, I realized that I did not — and that’s the case with most recreational golfers. When a putt doesn’t drop, golfers are programmed to immediately come up with a reason for the miss. But for most, they put the blame on the wrong things.
Gain speed — and yards! — with these 5 steps
Power in the golf swing comes via the arms and hands (your connection to the club) applying force to the club, and ground reaction forces (your connection to the ground) amplifying it. When they’re out of sync, power is elusive. But when they’re aligned, club speed increases and the ball goes farther — all with less effort. What I’ve learned watching thousands of high-speed players — and measuring them with Swing Catalyst Force Plates — is what actually happens when they ramp up for speed.
Too many swing thoughts can kill your golf game. Here’s how to avoid it
Golfers have never had more information about the golf swing than they do today. With just a smartphone or computer, you can study the movements of the world’s best players, watch thousands of instruction videos, and learn exactly how the body and golf club should move. But what if all that information is actually making you a worse golfer? As a PGA Professional, I’ve dedicated much of my career to understanding the biomechanics of the golf swing.
Rules Guy: I hit my ball to the edge of the cup. How long can I wait for it to fall in? Original
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. Jack hits his approach to the very edge of the cup, while his playing partners all miss the putting surface. He checks on his ball but doesn’t mark it until the others are on the green, hoping it will fall in during the extended wait. Is this allowed? – Daryl Laumann, via email By “very edge of the cup,” presumably you mean the ball is overhanging the edge.
This training aid helps you dial in the most important putting keys
When it comes to lag putting, speed is the biggest key. But once you get inside make range (roughly 10 feet), starting the ball on your intended line becomes critical. That requires a consistent stroke path and a square clubface at impact — two skills the Putting Thing from Why Golf is designed to help you dial in. The training aid features two sets of adjustable gates that provide instant feedback on your stroke path and start line.
Getting your kid into golf? Here are 3 things every parent should know
Your child just attended a junior golf camp this past summer, and now they’re hooked. Registration for local fall junior programs has opened, and you want to take advantage. Pretty soon, it’ll be the holidays, and it looks like junior clubs are on the wish list. Or maybe it’s been a couple of years since your child first picked up the game, and now they want to take it more seriously, perhaps even competing in tournaments. So, what should you do now? What’s the next step?
This putting guru’s simple drill helped me make more putts immediately
There’s nothing in your game that can make up for a cold putter. No matter how far you hit it off the tee or how solid you hit your irons, if you can’t putt effectively, you’ll never maximize your full potential. Conversely, if you are a good putter, you can cover up a lot of flaws elsewhere in your game. When the ball is rolling in the cup on a consistent basis, it gives you a certain confidence to score that is impossible to replicate elsewhere.
What’s the optimal tee height for maximizing driving distance?
Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back at our June 2006 issue when we published the results of an experiment to find out the perfect tee height for maximizing distance with the driver.
Rules Guy: My ball won't stop rolling when I place it. What now?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we've got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. My approach shot landed on the lip of the bunker, held in place by the handle of the sand rake. If I move the handle, the ball drops into the sand trap. The rules state the rake is a movable object and can be moved with the ball replaced to its original spot.
Rules Guy: My ball won’t stop rolling when I place it. What now?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. My approach shot landed on the lip of the bunker, held in place by the handle of the sand rake. If I move the handle, the ball drops into the sand trap. The rules state the rake is a movable object and can be moved with the ball replaced to its original spot.
How this golfer fixed his early extension without trying to fix it
A recent lesson with my friend Travis reinforced something that’s important to remember no matter where you’re getting your golf instruction: If you want to fix something in your swing, you have to fix the cause. Too many golfers just chase symptoms. Travis is a former mini-tour player who’s taught the game himself, so he’s no stranger to instruction. But early extension had crept into his swing anyway, just as it does for players who’ve never even been on a lesson tee.
How to change bunker-shot distances — without changing your swing
Bunker shots are ripe for big numbers in the recreational game. Because of a lack of practice — and lack of understanding — most weekend warriors are doomed when they find their balls in the sand. GOLF Top 100 Teacher David Armitage has made it his mission to change that. Throughout his career as an instructor, Armitage has made bunker play his area of expertise, with the goal of making bunker shots less scary for everyday players.
Tour putting coach shares simple green-reading method for amateurs Original
To make more putts, you need to read greens properly. You can have the putting stroke of prime Tiger Woods, but without the ability to read the green properly, you’ll never make putts. I’ve learned this the hard way over the years. While I’ve typically been able to put a nice roll on the ball, my green reading has left quite a bit to be desired — and my putting has suffered because of it.
An easy way to check your putter aim — and make more putts Original
As easy as the pros may make it look, anyone who has ever stepped on a green knows that making putts is no simple task. To get the ball to find the center of the cup, you’ve got to perfectly marry line and speed — not to mention avoiding any imperfections that may throw the ball off line. As you get closer and closer to the hole, the more important controlling your face angle becomes when putting.
Rules Guy: If your ball finds a drain, can you take relief on the fairway above it?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we've got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. A creek runs along the left side of a hole at my course, enters a culvert that runs underneath the fairway and then exits on the right side. Red stakes mark both sides of the creek, but the stakes terminate at the entrance to the culvert where the creek goes underground.
Rules guy: If your ball finds a drain, can you take relief on the fairway above it?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we've got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. A creek runs along the left side of a hole at my course, enters a culvert that runs underneath the fairway and then exits on the right side. Red stakes mark both sides of the creek, but the stakes terminate at the entrance to the culvert where the creek goes underground.
Rules Guy: If your ball finds a drain, can you take relief on the fairway above it?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. A creek runs along the left side of a hole at my course, enters a culvert that runs underneath the fairway and then exits on the right side. Red stakes mark both sides of the creek, but the stakes terminate at the entrance to the culvert where the creek goes underground.
Fred Couples shares his 5 best tips for hitting crisp iron shots
Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today, we look back at our July 1998 issue for tips from Fred Couples on hitting crisp iron shots. If there’s one person in golf that’s worth modeling your swing after, it’s Fred Couples.
1 mental trick for playing consistent, high-level golf Original
Both Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz know how difficult it is to play quality, high-level golf consistently and not let a bad shot, bad hole or bad tournament drag you down. Staying even-keeled and not riding an emotional roller coaster is often what separates good players from great ones, both in the professional and amateur ranks. So, what’s the key to playing consistent, high-level golf?
Is the bump-and-run *really* more reliable than a chip shot? Original
Ditching high-loft wedges around the green in favor of a hybrid bump-and-run is one of golf’s classic pieces of advice, but do the numbers actually back it up? That was something I wondered recently, so I decided to conduct a small experiment. We put three amateur players through a 30-shot test to see if putting with a hybrid produces better proximity and consistency than traditional wedge options.
The simple putting setup test will perfect your aim line Original
Much like with the full swing, success in putting is largely predicated upon a proper setup. If you don’t get into a solid setup position, you’ll overcompensate with your stroke, making consistency on the greens difficult to achieve. I speak from experience. As someone who’s struggled on the greens for much of this season, discovering that my setup was not correct was a lightbulb moment for my game.
Rules Guy: What’s the maximum number of penalty strokes you can accrue on 1 shot? Original
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. Hypothetical question: How many penalty strokes could a player get from hitting one tee shot? My thought: He’s late for his tee time, asks his opponent what club he used, tees it up in front of the marker, has too many clubs in his bag, uses an illegal club or ball, and then hits it out of bounds. Your thoughts?
Which club should you use from the fringe? Top teacher explains Original
During the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, you’re likely to see players faced with a decision: use a putter from off the fringe or reach for another club. On a course with large, undulating greens, thinking beyond the putter can sometimes help you get the ball closer to the hole. But which club is best in these situations? They all have their pros and cons, and knowing what the advantages of each club are can be crucial for getting the ball close to the hole.
How to easily execute a longer greenside bunker shot
With the Presidents Cup coming to Medinah Country Club and the recent redesign of the greenside bunkering, we’re likely to see the world’s best players faced with longer, more challenging bunker shots. Most golfers have an easier time mastering a short bunker shot 10-15 yards from the pin, but struggle when they are faced with a longer bunker shot. The good news is that these longer bunker shots don’t have to be complicated.
I asked a Tour coach to fix my putting. He made 2 simple fixes Original
When I was a kid, putting was the strongest part of my game. I didn’t have unlimited access to a driving range, but the putting green was always free. So, after dinner most nights, I’d head over to the course and hit putts until the sun went down. Now, as a 30-something living in New York City, I face the opposite obstacle. I can head to the simulator any time of day to work on my swing, but there aren’t many putting greens in my vicinity. So naturally, I’m now a much better ball-striker than putter.
What you can learn from the pros’ tee shots at the Presidents Cup
With the Presidents Cup coming to Medinah Country Club, the strategy off the tee will be about much more than simply finding the fairway. The recent renovation by OCM Golf created areas of width that give players different ways to play a hole. A player can challenge the penal bunkers and potentially earn a better position for the next shot, or play to the safer side knowing they may be sacrificing distance or a more open angle into the green.
Rules Guy: Can I quickly mark a ball on a slope before it rolls back?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we''e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. If I hit a ball onto the green and it stops at the top of a slope, can my caddie run up and mark it before a gust of wind might make it roll back down the slope? – Rick Gacho, via email Presumably you are tipping this looper well, yes? Indeed, your caddie — or even, dare we say, you — can run like the wind to prevent any breeze from blowing your ball away.
Rules guy: Can I quickly mark a ball on a slope before it rolls back?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we''e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. If I hit a ball onto the green and it stops at the top of a slope, can my caddie run up and mark it before a gust of wind might make it roll back down the slope? – Rick Gacho, via email Presumably you are tipping this looper well, yes? Indeed, your caddie - or even, dare we say, you - can run like the wind to prevent any breeze from blowing your ball away.
Rules Guy: Can I quickly mark a ball on a slope before it rolls back?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’’e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. If I hit a ball onto the green and it stops at the top of a slope, can my caddie run up and mark it before a gust of wind might make it roll back down the slope? – Rick Gacho, via email Presumably you are tipping this looper well, yes? Indeed, your caddie — or even, dare we say, you — can run like the wind to prevent any breeze from blowing your ball away.
Rules Guy: Can I quickly mark a ball on a slope before it rolls back? | Instruction | GOLF.com
18 hours ago Three people were injured but miraculously nobody was killed when a vehicle crashed into the pro shop at a historic New England golf course that had close ties with designer Donald Ross and his family. Local police said the driver and two pro shop employees at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, …
5 pre-shot routine elements you should consider for your game
A great set-up routine is a way to put the most important parts of your setup together in an order that works best for each individual. In most of my full-swing lessons, establishing an individual setup routine is a priority. While there are many options, here are some parts you may want to consider for yours. The practice swing should be a realistic swing taken far enough away from the golf ball that you are not inhibited by its presence.
This legendary pro just turned 100. Here are some of his secrets
Ed. note: Thirteen years ago, I visited legendary teaching pro Bob Toski in Boca Raton, Fla. The goal: spend a day with the PGA of America Hall of Famer, at his home and on the range, to better understand what kept his mind sharp and his motor running. Toski was 87 then, and still crackling with energy and chat. If you’d told me then he’d live to 100, I would have believed you. That’s how vivacious he was. Well, Toski made it.
3 pro-approved drills to add speed and power to your swing
I recently got a couple of my favorite tour students, Rafael Campos and Ty Gingerich, together for one of our performance sessions, where we combine golf instruction with fitness and strategy. Rafa’s out on the PGA Tour, and Ty is getting ready for DP World Tour Q-School, but even at though they are at some of the highest levels of the game, some of what we worked on can be useful for everyday players, too.
Rules guy: Do I get free relief if my ball hits a fake bird?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we''e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. To scare waterfowl away from the lake shores, our course uses fake birds on slender poles attached by string and wire that can "fly" with the breeze-soaring, dipping, turning, and so on. A few of these fake birds can be in the line of play from a tee box or near a green. What happens if a shot hits one of these "birds"?
Don’t make this crucial set-up mistake when hitting bunker shots
The bunker is a scary place for many recreational golfers. When players with a bunker-phobia find the sand, they typically have one thought in mind: “Don’t screw this up.” The problem with that mindset is that it introduces doubt and leads to hesitant swings, which is never a good strategy in the trap. The reason for their doubt and hesitation is a history of poor play from the sand.
Rules Guy: Do I get free relief if my ball hits a fake bird?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’’e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. To scare waterfowl away from the lake shores, our course uses fake birds on slender poles attached by string and wire that can “fly” with the breeze—soaring, dipping, turning, and so on. A few of these fake birds can be in the line of play from a tee box or near a green. What happens if a shot hits one of these “birds”?
The 2 best drills for practicing bunker shots, according to a bunker expert
Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf. Bunkers are a place of anxiety for most recreational golfers. Whether it be from a lack of practice or an incorrect technique, bunkers give most weekend warriors fits. David Armitage, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, knows this fact well — and he’s set on changing it. Although he teaches all facets of the game, his favorite topic is bunker play.
The best way to learn how to change trajectories with your wedges Original
Great wedge players don’t just know how far their wedges go. They know how to control how the ball gets there. They do this by changing trajectories, which gives them another way to manage distance, spin and how the ball reacts when it lands. A big part of that control comes from understanding how much loft you deliver to the ball at impact. If you add loft, the ball tends to launch higher.
This 1 piece of swing data separates low- and high-handicap golfers
Many swing characteristics can separate good golfers from bad ones: swing speed, attack angle, low points, distance … you get the idea. But there’s one data point that nearly always differentiates good and bad golfers — and you don’t even need to see a golfer’s full swing to know where he or she falls on this spectrum. That data point comes in the form of pelvis sway.
How to put spin on your pitch shots (the right way!), according to a top teacher
One of the biggest misconceptions in wedge play is that you have to do something special with your hands to make the ball check. Players try to cut across it, flip the clubhead under the ball or add excessive loft. What those types of players fail to understand is that spin isn’t a trick or gimmick. It’s simply the result of creating the right conditions between the clubface and the ball at impact. Clean contact, clean grooves, enough speed and the proper amount of loft create friction.
Rules Guy: I made an ace - with my playing partner's club! Is it legal?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we''e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He's got all the answers. A friendly four-ball match. We reach a par-3, and my buddy looks to pull his 6-iron only to realize he left it on a prior hole. Another player offered up his 6 and, sure enough, my pal jars his first-ever ace. We counted it…but I'm thinking he'd normally incur a penalty, even though he only had 13 clubs in his bag at the time.
Rules Guy: I made an ace — with my playing partner’s club! Is it legal?
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’’e got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers. A friendly four-ball match. We reach a par-3, and my buddy looks to pull his 6-iron only to realize he left it on a prior hole. Another player offered up his 6 and, sure enough, my pal jars his first-ever ace. We counted it…but I’m thinking he’d normally incur a penalty, even though he only had 13 clubs in his bag at the time.
11 pieces of swing advice from the smoothest players in golf
In our quest for ease and grace and rhythm and all the things that comprise effortlessness, what could make more sense than walking in the oh-so-light footsteps of the giants? The players who make the complicated look simple, who seem to enter a flow state upon setting foot inside the ropes, who magically pull power from the ether. The ones whose buttery swings you’d kill for, with a butter knife if necessary.
I switched to a mallet after this putting lesson | The Lab
I’ve been trying to hold down the fort on being a blade putter user for a long time now, and I’m still holding out hope, but a few months ago during my first-ever putting lesson with Stephen Sweeney, I was convinced to give the mallet a real “college try.” Turns out, it’s been a game changer. Let’s dive into some of the facts and I’ll explain why the mallet is in my bag, but the trusty blade still sneaks in.
14 pieces of private golf club etiquette you need to know
Whether you’re the inviter or the invited, your goal for a day at the club is simple: seamlessness. Here are 14 pieces of etiquette for the next time you head to a private club, whether you are a host or a guest. 1. Email or text the guest a link to the club with directions, policies, etc., highlighting anything unusual. 2. Pick a specific time and place to meet to minimize any guest anxiety or bumbling around. 3.
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