Instruction
How to take ownership of your golf swing
A troubling trend I see with golfers today, both amateur and professional, is the lack of overall ownership they have with their golf swing. I have always said that good golfers are like lambs; they follow the lead of their best golfer friend in order to seek out the magic teachings of their guru, instead of getting their own or working with the coach they currently have. In fact, countless PGA Tour players have left their coach for their friend’s coach, the most legendary example being Tiger Woods’ decision to leave Butch Harmon for Hank Haney, who he met through his best frient Mark O’Meara.
Whether you believe Tiger’s decision was a good one or a bad one, coaching switches have stalled the careers of many great golfers, which could have been avoided if they took better ownership of their golf swings in the first place.
The idea of owning of your swing mechanics was taught to me early on by a Golf Machine Teacher out of Memphis named Charlie Long. He introduced me to Homer Kelley’s great work, and without him I would have never made the idea of swing ownership such an important part of my teaching — and I know after reading this, some of you will alter what you do when it comes to instruction, too.
Here’s the concept in a nutshell: Good golfers know what they feel, know their body, and understand their golf swing mechanics and why certain things work and don’t work for them. For the process to be successful, golfers must buy into the golf swing they have, as well as the golf swing they want to have. Because if you don’t own the knowledge of your current swing — its feels, how it reacts under pressure, and what things negatively affect it — then you will be lost on the golf course.
I’ll admit; this process isn’t easy, and you can’t just trust the first instructor you meet. Finding the right coach is something you as the player should take very seriously, since this will be the person you trust to help you get to the next level. I always say that you should have an idea of what shots you need to eliminate under pressure, and what swing flaws you know causes them. That is ownership — you know what you want to accomplish, and you have a good idea of what could get in the way.
Next, I would suggest you sit down with your new potential teacher and explain what you feel and what you think. See what he says. This interview process helps you filter out teachers and swing philosophies that aren’t a fit for you. From there, I suggest your new teacher perform a simple 5-minute swing analysis, with him explaining what he would like to do and why. This is where you have the chance to speak up, ask questions, and eliminate any misconceptions or confusion before you get to work.
My biggest pet peeve is hearing a golfer say, “I took one lesson from this guy and it screwed me up.” If you owned your swing mechanics, you would have never have let that happen. You would have interviewed the teacher and weeded him out within the first 5 minutes.
The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.
“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.
Understand What Cold Does to Your Game
Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.
Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.
Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.
Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing
Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.
Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.
Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.
Take More Club Than You Think You Need
This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.
The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.
Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.
Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens
Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.
Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.
Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.
Embrace the Mental Challenge
Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”
That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.
Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.
Warm Up Longer and Smarter
This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.
Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.
The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.
So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.
Stop Overthinking Every Shot
Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.
This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.
How to actually do this:
On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.
Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.
If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.
This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.
Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)
Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:
Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.
Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.
Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.
Save Your Best for When It Counts
Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.
How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.
Here’s what actually works:
Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.
Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.
Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.
The Bottom Line
Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.
You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.
Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.
Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.
Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee
Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.
Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.
Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.
The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.
Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens
This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.
How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.
Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.
Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.
When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.
Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient
Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.
He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.
Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.
Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.
Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
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Dave
Aug 2, 2016 at 11:12 pm
Very interesting article.
Dropping three / hitting four
Aug 1, 2016 at 11:56 am
Tom – insightful article, thanks.
Is it reasonable to ask a PGA Professional “Hey I’m committed to improving my game and want to make sure you’re the right guy for the job”? If they don’t want to have that initial conversation should we just run for the hills?
Golf lessons are a big investment — time, money and (ultimately) the quality of our golf game. Just wondering how to approach professionals in those initial discussions.
Jay K.
Sep 4, 2016 at 6:56 pm
“If they don’t want to have that initial conversation should we just run for the hills?”
I would. Good teachers work with what you have. I am sure many have a swing in mind, they want you to learn, but the really good ones realize not everyone can do what is necessary to make that swing work. So, they work with what you can do, and teach you how to get the most from it.
MattSihv
Jul 30, 2016 at 12:57 am
This is true! I had someone change my entire swing and after two years with the new swing, my game had completely fallen apart. Went to a new teacher, and he immediately got to the root of the problem. We got back to what was natural for me, and started building from there. The improvement has been mind-blowing.
Philip
Jul 29, 2016 at 11:07 pm
Very true – I’m in the process of accepting (owning) my swing. I also know what I am doing incorrectly that would take it to the next level, but I finally realized that my body knows more than myself or any golf instructor will ever know about how it wants to work. Thus, I just keep nudging it along – being sure to never try and control (restrict) my swing – just being aware of of what the club head is doing and what ball flight will most likely result. Golf sure starts to be fun when the ball goes in the direction you are expecting, whether it is a great or mediocre swing. I still have a swing coach I like to review my setup and overall swing fundamentals with, but I accept responsibility for the results.
ILoveHateGolf
Jul 29, 2016 at 10:53 pm
Boredom alert. You’ve been warned.
Have taken many lessons from many coaches. Made the ‘take just 1 lesson’ mistake a couple of times early before I committed to getting better. Then I made the mistake of taking 12 or so lessons from a McLean guy who ‘taught’ me to move laterally back 2″ off the ball during my backswing. Learned that what goes back must go forward and was stuck with a sway for years. So I read a lot, mostly conflicting stuff like ‘keep your head still’ and what that nitwit Flick wrote in his (in)famous “Beware keeping your head still!” Golf Magazine article. Took more lessons from a different guy. Stopped seeing him after a $400+ playing lesson and still kept swaying. Decided, like Hogan, to ‘dig my swing out of the dirt’ and after thousands of range balls and 2 Cortisone shots the only thing I dug up was more dirt. Quit golf for 2 years after shooting 93 and 77 in the same day, but am back at it hard again. I have learned plenty over the years, and agree 100% with the idea of ‘owning your swing’. For me it means:
it’s a swing, not a strike (“ball striking” is a cursed term for me). pulling with the left rather than hitting with the right (I’m RH, and this alone keeps me from lunging at the ball; where were you 20 years ago??). Need to turn all the way through the ball and not stop at impact and start up again. Keep your damn head down, stupid! (I think I need a lesson in positive self-talk.) Keep your grip strong but your pressure light.
ILoveHateGolf
Jul 29, 2016 at 11:53 pm
And it’s a journey, not a destination. The journey can be and has been mostly fun but not knowing diddly about how you’re supposed to swing and making the same mistakes over and over again is misery. Looking back and realizing most of the lesson guys don’t really know how to make us better was a revelation, as was understanding the folks who experience the most success at Golf Schools are those who cash your ‘tuition checks’. I’d gladly pay a lot of money to a coach who could cut my handicap in half. In fact I offered to do just that to a Trackman joint – with the caveat that if I did what they recommended, practiced 2-3x a week, and played at least 27 holes/wk and didn’t lower my 10 handicap to 5, they would refund my money. Unsurprisingly, no takers there.
So if you aren’t lucky enough to have played in HS or College, or aren’t a freak with a natural talent, you have to own your swing, do the homework and put in the work yourself while seeking the ‘right’ instructor for you (and depending on where you are in your development, the right teacher now may not be the right one down the road). Good luck. Lord knows in this game most of us need it.
Leftienige
Aug 1, 2016 at 9:45 am
I had a few lessons from a new pro at my club . He was obsessed that all faults could be cured with a correct grip . After several sessions, and no improvement, I said I’d go my own way for a while . His suggestion was I should come back and see him once a month “To Get my cheque gripped ” .— Freudian slip ?
Mike
Jul 29, 2016 at 7:40 pm
Finding the right coach to help you fix swing flaws is a road to nowhere. And it certainly will not lead to any kind of “ownership” of your swing.
Mat
Jul 29, 2016 at 5:43 pm
And for anyone on here that spouts of about not buying something and “get a lesson” is very much perpetuating the stupidity.
For what it’s worth, I worked with a coach for a while and stuck with it through two injuries before I stopped. It’s very hard; he’s a great coach, but it didn’t work for me.
Mr. Wedge
Jul 29, 2016 at 11:04 am
The process of finding the “right” coach for average golfers is more difficult than people think. Here’s why: 1) There aren’t any good repositories of instructor reviews. So this leaves us to choose based mostly on recommendations from friends, whose swing could be completely different from yours. 2) You have to invest the time and at least 3-4 lessons before you can tell whether you are making progress or heading in the wrong direction. I was always told, a new swing mechanic may feel wrong just because it’s different from the normal. So how do we differentiate that, from a move that is not right for our swing? Takes time to tell. and 3) Because of both #1 and #2, finding the “right” coach can be a very expensive process that just isn’t feasible for the average golfer. That’s why the “3 lessons for $99” at your local golf store are so popular. But that’s also a waste of money, just a smaller amount to shell out at once.
Mat
Jul 29, 2016 at 5:45 pm
+1
Andrew Cooper
Jul 29, 2016 at 9:02 am
Good stuff Tom. I just think that it is difficult for a learning golfer to know what they need out of a coach. The golfer really into seeking perfect technique, could actually benefit from a more feel based coach-and vice-versa. So maybe keep an open mind too.
Scott Shields
Jul 28, 2016 at 3:18 pm
I’m a golfing machine guy myself.
What’s nice is that nearly ANY move can be found in that book as one of the component variations, and quantified. You’ll understand its place in YOUR swing, and more importantly, by understanding your own swing, you can understand how your feelings and mechanics inform each other.
Good read.
8thehardway
Jul 29, 2016 at 12:38 pm
No, it’s not a good read; even with 7 editions under its belt there’s no editing, the format actually impedes comprehension and the overall impression is that whoever inherited the copyright to this work resented the bequest.
4pillars
Jul 28, 2016 at 2:57 pm
I don’t know what happened between Tiger and Butch, but what I have read suggests that there were very serious underlying issues in the relationship, which have nothing to do with his following another golfer to another teacher.