Me and My Golf: Lower your scores with our best-ever golf tips

Me And My Golf's Andy Proudman and Piers Ward share their best-ever golf tips with Today's Golfer.

Me and My Golf, You Tube’s most-popular golf coaches, share their best-ever tee-to-green tips and fixes to help make this your best season on the course ever.

When they’re not busy coaching European Tour star Aaron Rai, Piers Ward and Andy Proudman spend their days filming content and fixing the swings of everyday golfers.

JUMP TO TIPS: Long game | Iron Play | Pitching & Chipping | Bunker Play | Putting

Their YouTube channel, Me And My Golf, has 736,000 subscribers, and more than 167 million views since launching 10 years ago. They also have their own website and podcast of the same name, and have interviewed and worked with Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson in the past 18 months.

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Their mix of fun, relatable and entertaining videos is now so popular that millions of golfers seek their help and advice every month – and now we’re giving you the chance to put their best drills and fixes into practice to help transform your game this season.

We spent a day with the duo at The Belfry where they shared their best golf tips and drills which are guaranteed to add more distance, accuracy and consistency to your game and help you beat your best score.

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LONG GAME

How to stop slicing your driver

Most people assume the finish has little relevance to your quality of strike, but what you work on post-impact can influence what you do before impact. Our laser butt drill is brilliant at giving you feedback on how the clubface arrives into the ball – and all you need to do is stick a tee peg in the butt end of the golf club. This drill is called the ‘Laser Butt’ because you are aiming to point the butt of the club towards the target post-impact.

Hit your tee shot as normal, but aim to pause as soon as the club shaft is pointing parallel to the ground – just before you complete your finish. If the tee is pointing to your target, this means you completed a full release through the hitting area and delivered the clubface square. Whereas, if you didn’t rotate the clubhead enough through impact and left the clubface open, the tee peg will point left, or even behind you. It’s a great drill for the range.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to fix your slice

RELATED: Tested – Best Drivers

How to stop hooking your driver

There are two things you need to check here, and the first relates to how you are holding the club at address. For the right-handed golfer, a common fault is to set-up with the right hand too far underneath the handle, which promotes a strong grip. That may feel natural to you, but the problem comes as you swing back to waist height and the clubface is pointing down to the ground. From that position, it’s very easy to close the clubface as you swing through.

Take your grip with your right hand only and pinch a tee peg between the thumb and index finger. The aim is for the tee peg to be pointing ever so slightly to the right of the shaft, so the right hand sits more on top of the grip and it feels like you are shaking hands with the club.

This will make it easier to get the toe of the club pointing up at the sky during the takeaway, which will allow the clubface to rotate over into a more open position, straightening your ball flight.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to fix your hook

RELATED: Tested – Most Forgiving Drivers

How to set-up for consistent drives

If you want to be more consistent with your driving, you need to try our ‘K-Bomb’ drill. A big issue we see at address is when people start looking and reaching for the ball with the head, causing an open and high right shoulder. We call it the K-Bomb because it looks like a reverse K if you’re set up correctly. The bomb is then the next bit when you crush your drive off the tee!

Set up normally with the golf ball just inside your left heel (for right-handers). Take your right hand off the club, place it on your right thigh and slide it down an inch. Now bring your hand into the side of the club, and grip it again. This may feel unnatural at first, but it will make sure your shoulders are aligned parallel to your target, boosting your chances of hitting the fairway.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to set-up for driver

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How to generate driver power with hip turn

Historically, coaches used to teach you to keep the right knee flexed and resist any hip turn to create more of a coil in the backswing. But the downside with creating a big separation between the upper and lower body is that it can encourage an ‘over the top’ path and a shorter swing arc. This then makes it harder to generate power and to keep the clubface square without making compensations.

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Thread a tour alignment stick through your belt loops and as you swing back, pay attention to your legwork and try to allow the back leg to straighten somewhat. This will free the hips up to create a longer, more shallower swing and the alignment stick will be in line with the ball at the top of the backswing.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to turn your hips

RELATED: Tested – Longest Drivers

How to hit your fairway woods

A lot of people make the mistake of treating a fairway metal the same way they treat a driver; thinking you need to hit up on the ball, when it’s actually the exact opposite. If you’ve got a 3- or 5-wood in your hand, you want to be hitting down on the ball, even if it’s on a small tee.

Place a golf towel just behind your golf ball (as shown) and take your normal address. Make sure the weight favours your lead leg slightly and that the ball position is not too far forward – a good guide is to position the ball a clubhead inside your left heel. From here, concentrate on swinging in balance and try not to fall into the trap of leaning back and trying to help the ball into the air, otherwise you’ll hit the ground – and  towel – before making contact with the ball.

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Another good tip is to make a series of practice swings where the sole of the club is clipping the ground, and the club is bottoming out slightly past the ball. Try to feel like you’re pushing all the pressure into the lead leg at impact, and brushing the ground simultaneously. If you can do those two things, it will increase your chances of making great contact with the ball.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to hit your fairway woods

RELATED: Tested – Best Fairway Woods

IRON PLAY

How to build a better backswing

One move we see all the time is when someone wants to hit the ball more powerfully and moves their weight and hips laterally in the backswing, causing them to hit the ground before the ball.

Moving off the ball into the trail leg, with the weight loaded on the outside, leaves you in a poor position at the top to attack the ball, robbing you of power and consistency.

We often talk about the concept of shifting weight in the swing, but you do that by turning, not shifting, your hips – and the best way to practise that is by using our ‘Butt Wipe’ drill.

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With your bag directly behind you, take your address so your butt cheeks are up against the bag. From here, swing back and feel how your right hip and butt cheek wipes itself down the side of the bag.

This centred pivot motion is the exact opposite of a sway and will unlock extra power thanks to a bigger turn. More importantly, it will help to promote that ball-first-then-turf contact we’re all looking for!

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to build a better irons backswing

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How to strike your irons more solidly

Kicking the bucket is something we’re all trying to avoid in general life, but in this context it will help you to strike the ball more solidly, especially if you’re prone to hanging back or moving too much in the swing. So, the next time you’re at the driving range, rest a range basket against your lead foot and make a point of kicking (or in this case, shinning) the bucket before you strike the ball.

Automatically, this will shift the pressure on your lead foot forward and help you to strike the ball first, and then the ground afterwards.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to hit your irons more solidly

RELATED: Tested – Best Irons

PITCHING AND CHIPPING

How to play short pitch shots

Stop swinging up and down the target line. We say this to so many golfers who struggle with those short, in between pitch shots and try to almost help the ball in the air by tilting the spine backwards, which limits turn and compromises strike.

At address, try to feel like the right shoulder is sitting higher than normal. Place a tour stick on the ground as your reference point and try to feel like the clubhead and hands move in and around that alignment stick, rather than straight down it. This will get the body turning and the head moving towards the lead leg, which is key to achieving a more downward and consistent contact.

Check that the chest points to the target post-impact for a full body turn.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to play short pitch shots

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How to chip it closer from any lie

The biggest issue we see with chip shots relates to golfers trying to use the same set-up and technique, whatever the lie. But there’s actually a big difference between hitting a chip from the fairway and from the rough…

Chipping from the short grass

Set up with your feet quite close together and the ball position just ahead of centre. From here, the upper arms should be lightly touching the chest and the focus should be on keeping this triangle between the arms and club during the shot. Note how passive my wrists are in the backswing, and then the follow through. This is key to staying connected throughout the swing and as long as you turn the body through the shot post-impact, you will make solid contact every time.

Chipping from the long grass

You need to create a steeper angle of attack by hinging the wrists in the backswing and feeling like you’re sliding the club underneath the ball – just like a bunker shot. At set-up, have the ball closer to the back foot and lean a little bit away from the lead leg to limit the amount of shaft lean. This will stop the clubhead from digging in, and also utilise the bounce more, which is key to gouging the ball out from a nasty lie.

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How to stop duffing and thinning chips

What is your intention when you’re hitting a chip shot? People don’t believe us when we say that we are looking to hit the ground, not the ball.

This may sound really strange, especially if you were taught to put the ball back in your stance, lean the shaft forward and hit down on the ball. But we now know from experience that by following these old principles, the club can easily dig into the ground if you’re not precise enough, often causing duffs and thins.

Many of the best players in the world now set up with a neutral shaft angle and almost try to return the club back to the same position at impact, similar to a bunker shot, to keep the loft and bounce on the face.

This is a great way to remove any anxiety because it stops the leading edge from being exposed. Even if your strike is slightly off, the club will be able to glide and cut through the turf, collecting the golf ball on the way through.

BUNKER PLAY

How to create a solid base for better bunker shots

It’s no secret that you need to change your set-up and technique to play a good bunker shot. But what you may not realise is how important the legs are in creating a solid base to hit from and in making sure you hit the sand in the right place. It’s not as simple as just widening the stance, opening the face and accelerating through the shot.

The key is to put 70 percent of your weight through your lead foot and to maintain that flex throughout the whole swing. By also flailing the foot out and leaning into the shot, this will make a big difference in being able to strike down into the sand and to propel the ball up and out.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to play better bunker shots

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PUTTING

How to Read, Aim and Pace your putts

You need to RAP your putts. In the Me And My Golf world, this means you need to go through a process – a tick box exercise almost – to allow you to produce the best putt possible. RAP – Read, Aim, Pace, is the system to help you remember it.

Read: Walk around the green and use your feet and eyes to identify the high and low points on the green so you can correctly predict the amount of break on your putt. Watching the putts of your playing partner(s) will also aid your decision making.

Aim: Once you’ve read the putt, you need to be precise, not vague, with your aim. Imagine the curve, then pick your start line. A good tip is to use a spot in front of the ball, or the markings on your golf ball to help with your alignment.

Pace: When you’re standing over the putt, all your focus needs to be on feeling the journey of the ball. This is not the time to start worrying about your technique. Make a series of practice strokes looking at the hole to gauge the speed and length of the putt, and then concentrate solely on committing to your stroke and start line.

WATCH: Me and My Golf show you how to RAP your putts

RELATED: Tested – Best Putters

How to putt without tension

We see far too many golfers who stand over their putts with too much tension in their hands – they struggle to make a smooth takeaway because they are pushing or leaning down on the putter head. This is easily done if you’re too focused on your start-line or technique – but there is an easy way to release all that tension and it’s as simple as copying Rickie Fowler.

Before starting his stroke, Rickie taps the putter down and hovers it about a millimetre off the ground, so he can feel the weight of the putter in his hands. By using the same tactic, this will stop any chance of the putter snagging in the grass on the way back and help you to achieve a more controlled and measured stroke.

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How to align your putts

For better, more consistent putting, an alignment line sounds like a no-brainer, but it doesn’t work for everyone. It effectively comes down to three simple options…

1. If a line looks good to your eye and your putting improves when using it, make the change.

2. If a line doesn’t look right, is too off putting and it negatively impacts your performance, stick with a no-line ball.

3. If the line doesn’t look right yet it out performs a no-line ball, stick with it. Even if it feels uncomfortable to begin with, you will adapt quickly and it will make you a better putter – as we saw with Rickie Fowler. Unless it clearly messes your putting up, persevere and you will benefit.

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