Tips from the pro

Rock Hollow Golf Club’s resident golf pro, Todd Smith, offered these free tips for golfers.

Putting
Alignment is the most difficult aspect of putting. The easiest way to get lined up properly is to: 1) Use a putter that has a line on the face for alignment; 2) Use the markings on the golf ball to line up where you want the ball to start rolling. If you do those two things, you can then line up the putter to the markings on the ball and know you will always be lined up to where you want the ball to start rolling.

Chipping
Most mistakes in chipping are the result of poor club selection. You should chip with every club in your bag. Pick a club with which you can land the ball on the edge of the green and let the ball “run” to the hole. The goal of chipping should always be to hit the shortest possible shot. Get in the habit of picking out a spot to land the chip instead of looking at the hole when chipping.

Alignment
The easiest way to obtain proper alignment is to imagine you are hitting shots while standing on a railroad track. The outside track is your target line and the line you want to hit the shot on. The inside track (parallel to the target line) is the line you want your body matching. Always remember your clubface is pointing down the target line and your body is pointing down a line parallel to the target line.

Driving distance
Modern golf equipment (metal, woods and golf balls) is designed to hit high shots with longer carries. To maximize your distance off the tee, try these two simple tips. 1) Tee the ball up with at least one-half of the golf ball above the top of the face of the driver. 2) Position the ball in your stance so the ball is lined up with the middle of your front foot. You will find you will start carrying the ball farther and taking advantage of the new designs in golf equipment.

Posture
Posture is the key to producing a golf swing that is on proper path. To get set up properly, try this simple exercise. 1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees locked. 2) With both hands push in slightly on your stomach to get “bent from the waist.” 3) Let you arms hang down in a tension free manner. 4) Slightly flex your knees. This should put you in a perfect set up position. Everyone has their own unique body type, and this exercise works for golfers of every size.