Tips from the PGA Champions Tour

Members of the PGA Champions Tour offer their tips for amateurs:

Jim Dent
In order to hit the ball a long way, you need to have the right equipment for your swing. The right golf shafts can help you generate clubhead speed in the hitting area. Most amateurs probably play with shafts on their drivers that are too stiff. If you go to a softer shaft in the driver, the club won't have to work as hard to kick at the bottom, and it just might give you 20 extra yards off the tee.

Dent has won 12 times on the Champions Tour and led the tour in driving distance for six consecutive years.

Bruce Fleisher
Many of my pro-am partners miss key short putts during their rounds because their eyes are moving during the stroke. As a result their heads are not steady. What I try to do from four feet and closer is to focus on the ball and then listen for it to go in the hole. Try this tip, and you'll be amazed at how many putts you'll make. If you learn to use the ears during your putting stroke, you'll become a better short putter.

Fleisher has won 15 times on the Champions Tour and was the Tour's 1999 Player of the Year/Rookie of the Year.

Hale Irwin
Proper body position and alignment are key ingredients toward producing a good golf swing. In this game, you have to be able to hit the ball where you are aimed. In order to do that, you also have to get in the right body position at the start of the swing. Most amateurs bend over too much at the waist. They need to keep their backs straight and have some flex in their legs so they can get good arm extension through the hitting area. I consistently see too many amateurs aim far to the right and play the game from basically a closed stance. Right-handers should think about aiming down the left side of each fairway and at the left side of each green. With your shoulders opened slightly and your stance opened, you can swing the club down the target line rather than across your body. You should hit more solid shots in the right direction.

Irwin has won 36 events on the Champions Tour and is a three-time Champions Tour Player of the Year.

Bruce Lietzke
I'm a real believer in playing one type of shot all the time. In my case, my swing produces a fade, or a consistent slightly left-to-right ball flight. I see quite a few amateurs who try to change their ball flight on the practice tee and go away from their normal shot patterns. My recommendation is that amateurs find one swing that is comfortable and produces solid contact. They should then learn to use that swing in all situations regardless of whether a hole is straight or is a dogleg right or left. Even on a hole that is a dogleg 90 degrees to the left, I can always find a way to play the hole with my normal fade. If you follow my advice, you'll be able to play the golf course the way you want to and not the way the architect wants you to play it.

Lietzke has won six events on the Champions Tour, including the 2003 U.S. Senior Open.

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