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Articles by Todd Sones
Is an ill-fit putter wrecking your stroke? Here's how to know
Back when manufacturers were trying to decide the “standard” length of mass-produced putters, they relied on a bizarre metric: the height of a golf bag. If you measure the front lip of your typical staff bag, it stands 34 inches from the ground. So, for the putter to sit neatly in the front compartment, they were designed at 35 inches in length. If you walk into a golf shop today, you’ll find 70 percent of the putters there are still 35 inches.
Have a tight par-4? Add versatility off the tee with a knockdown driver shot
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An easy trick for perfect chips? It features the club handle
Skulls, thins and fats: the worst way to describe any chip. You can eliminate all by keeping a simple thought in mind: Start with the butt of the club pointing at your belly and keep it pointing there throughout your motion. It doesn’t matter what type of chip you’re trying to hit, or if you use a lot of wrist hinge for extra loft, or hardly any at all for more run. Sync your arm swing and your body turn so that the butt always points at your center.
Use this technique to make bunker shots off an upslope a breeze
You’re on an upslope in a bunker, a very common hazard lie. Most weekend players, wary of falling backward when they swing due to the pull of gravity in this situation, typically tilt their shoulders into the hill (lead shoulder lower than the trail). It kind of makes sense but more than likely will lead to a dig and a second attempt from the sand. Some players choose to align their shoulders with the slope (lead shoulder higher than the trail).
How to hit every lag putt with the correct speed
Short backstroke, long through stroke: That’s what I mostly see from rec players on lags. What results is mostly a “shove” stroke that has almost zero chance of covering the right distance. I recommend doing the opposite, making a longer backstroke and a shorter through stroke. Call the ratio 60:40.
How to properly step into a shot, according to a Top 100 Teacher
To ensure you start on the right foot (literally), step into your stance with your trail leg first. Once you do that, you can set the club down, tilt from your hips to get into proper posture, then align your stance — in that order. This step-in routine helps ensure you’re in the right posture as you determine the proper distance from the ball with every club — an essential step if you want to make balanced and repeatable golf swings.
All great ball-strikers have these 2 things in common
By: Todd Sones, Top 100 Teacher July 22, 2021 All great ball strikers have two commonalities in their swings. Getty Images With so many different swings in the hall of fame, it’s clear that there are a lot of ways to successfully swing the golf club. However, there are commonalities all great ball strikers share. Conversely, there are commonalities poor players share, too. And the No. 1 thing on both of those lists is hand and wrist position at impact.
Stop Coming Over The Top
Editor's Note: Story updated May 10, 2017 — It's a phrase heard on driving ranges, tee boxes and fairways nationwide. I'm coming over the top. It's a lament as common as I'm lifting my head or I'm swinging too fast. And as hard as golfers try to correct this fault, most endure little success. The slice sticks around and continues to wreak havoc on the scorecard, head and heart. As a golfer you deserve better! Golfers who come over the top do so because they have no other option.
Golf tip: When it comes to good putting, the eyes have it
By Todd Sones Impact Golf/Scoring Zones School Updated 8/27/2019 7:52 PM There are many theories regarding the placement of the eyes in relation to the ball while putting. One thing we all seem to agree on is that good putters don't have their eyes past the ball. In my teaching, I have come to settle on positioning the eyes over the inside edge of the ball as the best way to go, while setting them just inside the ball is acceptable too.
Golf Tip: Finding the right grip pressure
This week I wanted to share a principle that contributes to solid short-game shots. You've probably heard teachers or players talk about keeping a light grip pressure for feel, or keeping a constant grip pressure throughout the swing. I prefer a different principle, because I think it helps promote the right movements from your arms and wrists through the downswing. It also helps make sure the clubhead is stable and square through impact.
Golf tip: Proper sequence can help refine your short game swing
In a last month's tip for successful short game shots, I focused on standing to the handle for a good set-up. Once you are set up correctly, the next element to hitting solid short game shots is about developing the proper sequence in the downswing between the body, hands and clubhead. Short game shots require precision and finesse, not speed.
How Tiny Tim Became a Pitching Giant
As if peering around a corner, the Freak tilts his head slightly to the left as he begins his explosive, homemade pitching delivery. What lurks around that corner is either greatness or danger, which makes tiny Tim Lincecum, all 172 pounds of him, the most fascinating pitcher in baseball. Not since Mark (the Bird) Fidrych spoke to baseballs, manicured mounds and baffled hitters more than 30 years ago has a pitcher been this consistent and this captivating from the start of his career.
Golf tip: How to get rid of the greenside skulls
Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Todd Sones' new book, "The Scoring Zone." You've probably read and watched a lot of short game lessons in magazines or on videos, and you've probably seen tons of different descriptions about how to hit a variety of shots.
Putting Tips: 7 Ways to Become a Putting Machine
You read almost every putt, but if you’re like most players, your routine is guesswork disguised as green-reading. That won’t get you close to the hole, let alone “in.” You’re not the only one reading, and weeping, on the greens. A new Golf Magazine study shows that America is massively misjudging the slope under its collective FootJoys, under-reading putts by a whopping 65 percent, on average. As a new season beckons, now’s the time to raise your reading level—and save a fistful of strokes.
Tiger Woods: 5 Reasons His Game is Not the Same
When rampant charges of infidelity brought Tiger Woods’s marriage to a close five years ago, the world’s greatest golfer lost more than his reputation. He lost his game. What happened? According to a crack team of Top 100 Teachers, Tiger, like a devalued stock, has underperformed. A harsh indictment, but the numbers don’t lie -- Tiger is statistically average in areas where he used to dominate.
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