Gary McCord

Article / Updated 12-06-2024

Good rhythm in your golf swing doesn’t just happen. You need to set the tone for your swing with your waggle. A waggle is a motion with the wrists in which the hands stay pretty much steady over the ball and the clubhead moves back a foot or two, as if starting the swing. Waggling the club serves three main purposes: Waggling is a rehearsal of the crucial opening segment of the backswing. When you use a waggle, you don't have to jump right into the full swing without getting used to the feel of it. Waggling can set the tone for the pace of the swing. In other words, if you have a short, fast swing, make short, fast waggles. If your swing is of the long and slow variety, make long, slow waggles. Be true to your style. In golf, you don’t want to start from a static position. You need a running start to build up momentum and to keep your swing from getting off to an abrupt, jerky beginning. Waggling the clubhead eases tension and introduces movement into your setup. The waggle is actually the second-to-last thing you do before the backswing begins — the last thing is your swing trigger. A swing trigger can be any kind of move. For example, 1989 British Open champion Mark Calcavecchia shuffles his feet. Gary Player, winner of nine major championships, kicks his right knee in toward the ball. A slight turning of the head to the right is Jack Nicklaus’s cue to start his swing. Your swing trigger is up to you. Do whatever frees you up to get the club away from the ball. Create the flow!

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Golf bags aren’t just for holding clubs; like any sport, golf requires other essential equipment and helpful items that make your game a little easier. Here are the essentials for stocking your golf bag: At least six balls A few wooden tees A couple of gloves A rain suit A pitch-mark repair tool A few small coins (preferably foreign) to mark your ball on the green Two or three pencils Sunscreen A small pouch for your wallet, money clip, loose change, car keys, rings, and cellphone (which is turned off) A spare towel

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Betting is a part of most golfers’ typical outings; the extra competitive spirit of making bets contributes to the game can make golf that much more fun. Here are some bets you typically see on the course. Remember: Never bet more than you can afford to lose. A Nassau is a three-part bet with the same stake wagered on the first nine holes, the second nine, and the total for the round. If you’re playing a $5 Nassau and you win all three parts, you’re up $15. Skins is the format in which each hole is worth a certain amount — but if two players tie, all tie, and the money goes into the pot for the next hole (and sometimes the next and the next). To play wolf, one player takes on everyone else in the group. For a set price, the lone wolf can choose one of the others as his or her partner. Snake is a side bet: The first player to three-putt a hole gets stuck with a “snake” that costs a predetermined sum each hole until someone else three-putts. In Bingo Bango Bongo, the first player on the green earns a point (bingo), as does the one closest to the hole when everybody’s safely on (bango) and the first to hole a putt (bongo).

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

The sheer variety of golf clubs you need can be overwhelming; after you have all the clubs you need and you hit the golf course, how do you know which club to use for each shot? The following table gives you a quick guide to the kinds of clubs in your bag and the shots you take with them. Club What It’s For Driver Teeing off — and very occasionally hitting from a good lie in the fairway Hybrid club Getting shots of 150+ yards airborne 2- to 9-iron Hitting toward the green, usually from 120–190 yards away — use low-numbered irons for longer shots, high-numbered irons for shorter shots Wedges Hitting short, high shots from near the green or from sand bunkers Putter Rolling the ball into the hole after it’s on the green (or occasionally from just off the green)

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Penalty shots (and their effects on the score) are an unfortunate part of golf for most golfers. Scoring golf penalty shots can be confusing, so the following table helps you adjust your score and shoot on. Penalty How to Score and Continue Play Out-of-bounds Two-stroke penalty (the stroke you hit plus one penalty stroke). Drop a ball where you last shot from and continue play. Whiff Count each time you swing in an effort to hit the ball. Unplayable lies One-stroke penalty. Drop the ball (no nearer the hole) within two club lengths of the original spot; drop the ball as far back as you want, keeping the original spot between you and the hole; or return to the point from which you hit the previous shot. Water hazard (yellow stakes) One-stroke penalty. Play a ball from its original position. Play from as close as possible to the spot from which you played the previous shot. Or drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the hazard between the hole and the spot where you drop the ball, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard you drop it. Alternately, play the ball as it lies without grounding the club for no penalty. Lateral water hazard (red stakes) One-stroke penalty. Play a ball from its original position. Drop a ball outside the hazard within two club lengths of where the ball last crossed the margin of the lateral water hazard (but no nearer the hole), or within two club lengths from a point on the opposite edge of the water hazard equidistant from the hole. Alternately, play the ball as it lies without grounding the club for no penalty.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022

Even if you’re new to golf, you can still look and act like you know what you’re doing. Making sure you have the right equipment in your bag and making intelligent decisions about which club to use can get you off to a great start. Offer to keep score and propose a couple of fun bets, and you can really impress your fellow golfers, no matter how long they’ve been playing the game.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Golf has its own language, and its scoring lingo can be especially puzzling to understand. If understanding golf scores seems like a foreign language, the following table of golf scoring terms can help you feel right at home on the course. Scoring Term What It Means Ace Hole in one Albatross/double eagle Three strokes under par on a hole Eagle Two strokes under par on a hole Birdie One stroke under par on a hole Par Score a good player would expect to make on a hole or round Bogey One stroke over par on a hole Double bogey Two strokes over par on a hole