Fantastic, Jon - your book got me from a 14 to a 7 in less than a year. No nonsense, straightforward wisdom that can (and will) make you a better golfer. Since I've been reading Jon's book (on the third pass!) and tuning into the podcast I have rediscovered the simple joy I get from playing this confounding game - golf is once again fun, most of the time 🙂 Your insight has been and will continue to be an absolute game changer for me Jon...thank you!
bought the book a while ago and didn't get to read it. Now this vid pops up on my feed and turned out to be an absolute gem. thank you Jon. Will read the book and incorporate the things you mentioned here.
Anytime one of my buddies turns up at the course this summer talking about another swing tip video they've watched, I'm going to just send them this! Awesome video Jon.
Awesome advice for all golfers, Jon! I just got your latest book, “Foundations of Winning Golf” and can’t wait to study it! Love the pod and all your content, Jon! Thanks!
Not finished the book yet but plowing through it and loving it. Smart stuff. Winter here so sim only for now but can’t wait to see how putting this stuff into practice lowers my scores. Thanks Jon!
@@jonshermangolf There seems to be a boom happening in the Toronto area with sim spots opening up all over. I think as they get better they will challenge IRL courses for peoples golf budgets.
Thanks to my buddy, I am now reading your book and going to apply the expectations section of the book this Friday at Chambers Bay Golf course. Thank you for speaking directly to me through this first section of the book! 🙏🏽
I thought you would have emphasized one of the key things I learned from you which is to use the yardage to the middle of the green and don’t go pin seeking. Your books and podcasts and Instagram posts have helped me tremendously.
Love the video Jon. The concept of enjoyment has been a game changer. I recognised the club throwing, like looking in a mirror!!😂. Having lessons at the mo so keeping a cool head while playing has been so important. How about some on-course strategy videos?
Great book. Went from 22 to 18. The long term goal one has to remember for sure and not the mistakes after a momentary set back ie a poor round. The Sweet Spot is great too with Adam Young.
Good stuff. I question the order of importance of Driver>Irons>Wedges. I think if you can hit driver, your irons should easily be at least "around the green". Wedges NEED to be on the green and preferably inside 3-putt range. Maybe its just me but I think Driver>Wedges>Irons. 11-index. JIMO.
Thanks! This has been studied extensively, I suggest you read Every Shot Counts. Iron play is where golfers separate the most from one another and where you can influence your scores the most. That's not to say wedges aren't important - being able to get them on the green consistently will absolutely lower your scores, just not as much as iron play.
Mostly agree - as a 50 year 'veteran amateur' I would just add/change a few things, and the big one is ask yourself who are you. If you are under 30 and want to build a great game, then follow this advice to the limit and implement all the lessons (and get PGA lessons if very serious). If you over 40 and just want to play and enjoy the game, then the priority changes. When over 40 IMO it goes like this - 1.Driver 2.Chipping (under 100 yards). 3.Putting. The driver is for the range, the chipping and putting you do at home and/or a local park - a lot. IMO using the same wedge and putter is crucial - ignore the khrapp of multiple clubs for chipping - that is for very good players and if you aint by 40 you aint ever gonna be (and trying will make you angry - it did me). Get fitted for a driver - just the driver - and it aint about distance - 300 in trees aint worth 250 on the short grass. Once you have done that and like it and the fitter - then ask about fairway woods/hybrids - same again. Once you have done that, then ask about irons - same again. Dont do it all at once - take a year to change them all. Meanwhile, decide what wedge and putter you love - they are crucial to scoring. I have an old Odyssey White Hot #2 Putter and an old Ping Wedge - they work great and I have had them for decades - when they are hot I break 80. When playing putting it in play with driver is number one. For the next shot on a par 4, if you cannot honestly say I will make this next shot to the green 8/9 out of 10, then play the easy shot and layup to about 80 yards - that is why you have that 'magic' wedge. If you cannot honestly say I will put this chip within 6-10 feet 8/9 times out of 10, then put it in the middle of the green. As the man said, when on the green it is about speed (distance) and the aim is to get it within 2-3 feet when the putt is over 15 feet. Practice only long putts before you tee off (20+ feet) - and then practice the 2-3 footers. It is a simple game - dont make doubles and triples by trying shots that come off only 1 in 5 times - when you do that and chip and putt well, you will score a lot better than if you go for everything because although you eill play great shots, you will also play bad ones. Going for it will get you a birdie now and then, but you also get a few doubles, and a triple or two. I have played a lot of ProAms - the Pros are seriously long/good off the tees, and they get up and down all the time - that is what it takes to be a Pro - avoiding bogies - they win when they sink a lot of putts. Looking at the golf Pros game and technique, is like trying to learn from Richard Petty how to drive a car on suburban roads. Petty can and does 'go for it' - you doing that on normal roads will result in an accident. Play the shots you can play - stop trying to get a birdie every hole - that is for Pros whose hcp is Zero and who are 'going for it' all the time - to win the tournament. The average Pro round across all Pros in a year is 70 (2 under). If your handicap is 12 that equates to shooting 82. Stop trying to break 80 by getting birdies - break 80 by getting 10 pars and only bogey 7 of the other 8 holes. Par 3s are the key - it is absolutely a must to put the ball on the green or in a safe spot to chip close from - do not try to get close to the pin - they are always a trap. Par 5s are not an opportunity to get an eagle - they are the opportunity to get a solid par (4 of the 10 needed for hcp of 12) and every now and then your 3rd shot to the green will be very close and you get a birdie (or you sink a long putt). Forget your score on each hole - count the number of Pars and Bogeys you have made - think of the end total - not the hole you just played or are playing. So many amateurs dont have a target score and dont have a clue how they are going in their round on the 15th tee.
mmm ... your pie chart about woods/irons is flawed. 1. I estimate a player that shoots about 90 hits no more than 8 full swing irons in an 18 hole round ... that's less than 10% of shots played. 2. drivers and irons are swung much differently, so lumping those clubs together is a mistake. 3. Driver is crucial tho. 12 to 14 holes out of 18 (67% to 78%) of holes start using driver. 4. players are hitting 9i, wedges, and pitch shots about 20 to 25 times every round ... that's 23% to 28% of all shots. One more thing to consider about irons ... even the best players miss several greens per round with their approaches using 7i to 3i ... that means no matter how good you get with your irons, you'll still miss a bunch of greens with them. Improve your driver ... length especially. Get real good with shots of 120 yards or less. (You'll need a few of those for pitch outs too.) And get real good from inside 5 feet and with lag putting. This can reduce productive practice to an hour, and turn those 89s into 82s ... and from the low 80s, you got a shot at getting into the 70s once in a while.
All due respect, Jon, your numbers are WAY off. 66% of your score is driver & irons??? That is absolutely untrue. Putting alone is almost always 35-45%. When you add in all the strokes from 100 yards and in - well, it's literally impossible for that to be only be 33% of your total score.
You're thinking in absolute terms. Go read Mark Broadie's book Every Shot Counts. This myth was debunked, and honestly, it's not up for debate. Putting only accounts for 15% of how golfers SEPARATE from one another. It's hard to separate when you have a ton of 18" tap-in putts. Seriously, go read the book, I'm not just making this up. The golf world accepted this many years ago.
@@jonshermangolf I've read it. Some folks swear by it, others - mostly professionals in the industry - have debunked it. The issue with the book is context - context is EVERYTHING. Go read some debunking of the book - it might open your eyes. Cheers.
@@jonshermangolf Yes. Your book is still the best golf book I've read, but re Mark's - the flaw in using Strokes Gained as an end-all for all golfers is context: It works great for professionals because of the small finite number, but his data for amateurs is based on less than 0.3% of all amateur golfers, and adding to that, does not factor in major contributing variables such as age, health, location, environment, and several other determining factors. So, to say it is an absolute for amateur golfers to go by is disingenuous and uninformed. ✌
Again, untrue. Since the book came out there are TONS of companies tracking millions of shots by real golfers of all levels. I’ve looked at the data and Mark’s numbers have held up. I don’t know one prominent coach who disagrees with his findings or any valid evidence of it being debunked, and I have my ear to the ground on this since this is my job to be informed.
As a reader of the book, implementing these things in your game will most definitely lower your handicap. Has changed my game for sure. Thanks Jon!
Love to hear it!
Fantastic, Jon - your book got me from a 14 to a 7 in less than a year. No nonsense, straightforward wisdom that can (and will) make you a better golfer. Since I've been reading Jon's book (on the third pass!) and tuning into the podcast I have rediscovered the simple joy I get from playing this confounding game - golf is once again fun, most of the time 🙂 Your insight has been and will continue to be an absolute game changer for me Jon...thank you!
Love hearing stuff like this. It’s very rewarding to know you’re getting *real* help from my advice. Thanks for the support!
been waiting for this one! thanks Jon!
Glad you enjoyed it!
bought the book a while ago and didn't get to read it. Now this vid pops up on my feed and turned out to be an absolute gem. thank you Jon. Will read the book and incorporate the things you mentioned here.
Haha that’s awesome! I think you’ll get a few ideas 💡
Great stuff Jon! Please keep the content coming!
Thanks for watching. Hoping to have a new video every week 🫡
Anytime one of my buddies turns up at the course this summer talking about another swing tip video they've watched, I'm going to just send them this! Awesome video Jon.
Haha love it. Thanks for watching!
Great Job! Been listening to your stuff for a while now. Great to see you here on TH-cam and expanding your footprint...Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I've been wanting to do this for a while, so it feels good to get the first video out there. Will try to do one a week.
Awesome advice for all golfers, Jon! I just got your latest book, “Foundations of Winning Golf” and can’t wait to study it! Love the pod and all your content, Jon! Thanks!
Thanks, Greg! Hoping to give you more ideas on how to get better here as well
The Four Foundations is great !
Thank you!
This was great! Thank for sharing @JonShermanGolf!
Appreciate you watching!
Brilliant absolutely brilliant
Thanks!
Great video Jon!
Thank you!
Not finished the book yet but plowing through it and loving it. Smart stuff.
Winter here so sim only for now but can’t wait to see how putting this stuff into practice lowers my scores.
Thanks Jon!
Thanks! I'll try to make some videos on how to use a simulator effectively soon.
@@jonshermangolf There seems to be a boom happening in the Toronto area with sim spots opening up all over. I think as they get better they will challenge IRL courses for peoples golf budgets.
I've been on the Practical Golf website seemingly forever and look forward to your emails, Jon. Glad to see you on YT.
Appreciate the support
Thanks to my buddy, I am now reading your book and going to apply the expectations section of the book this Friday at Chambers Bay Golf course. Thank you for speaking directly to me through this first section of the book! 🙏🏽
The first section of the book is usually everyone’s favorite! Glad it helped and thanks for watching the video
I thought you would have emphasized one of the key things I learned from you which is to use the yardage to the middle of the green and don’t go pin seeking. Your books and podcasts and Instagram posts have helped me tremendously.
Thanks! It will be on another video 🤗
Love the video Jon. The concept of enjoyment has been a game changer. I recognised the club throwing, like looking in a mirror!!😂. Having lessons at the mo so keeping a cool head while playing has been so important.
How about some on-course strategy videos?
Thanks! Eventually I would like to get to more on-course stuff, but the logistics will be a little harder for me. Stay tuned.
Well done, great info.
Thanks for watching 🤝
Great book for sure!
Thank you!
Good luck with the channel John, Ronan
Thanks looking forward to creating a valuable library of info here
Makes perfect sense
🤗
Great book. Went from 22 to 18. The long term goal one has to remember for sure and not the mistakes after a momentary set back ie a poor round. The Sweet Spot is great too with Adam Young.
Thanks!
On my 4th can of Dr Scholls since November. Giddyup.
Let's go!
Jon, well said.
Thanks for watching
Great video and a and a great book.
Thank you
Listened as an audio book was great. Nice to put a face to the voice. I always hear you say “gulf”.
Are we going to see more content on TH-cam
Yes my plan is to try and have a new video every week. Thanks for watching.
Good stuff. I question the order of importance of Driver>Irons>Wedges. I think if you can hit driver, your irons should easily be at least "around the green". Wedges NEED to be on the green and preferably inside 3-putt range. Maybe its just me but I think Driver>Wedges>Irons. 11-index. JIMO.
Thanks! This has been studied extensively, I suggest you read Every Shot Counts. Iron play is where golfers separate the most from one another and where you can influence your scores the most. That's not to say wedges aren't important - being able to get them on the green consistently will absolutely lower your scores, just not as much as iron play.
Great book, and check out his other book if you're in a more competitive environment - The Foundations of Winning Golf
Thank you for saying that. Means a lot to me that the books *actually* help golfers
dropped about 8 shots by following the books guidance .... now in the single digit world...
Amazing! Congrats
I have found that most of my double bogeys usually include a bad wedge shot and three putts.
Very common, and I believe they are low-hanging fruit to fix!
Mostly agree - as a 50 year 'veteran amateur' I would just add/change a few things, and the big one is ask yourself who are you. If you are under 30 and want to build a great game, then follow this advice to the limit and implement all the lessons (and get PGA lessons if very serious). If you over 40 and just want to play and enjoy the game, then the priority changes. When over 40 IMO it goes like this - 1.Driver 2.Chipping (under 100 yards). 3.Putting. The driver is for the range, the chipping and putting you do at home and/or a local park - a lot. IMO using the same wedge and putter is crucial - ignore the khrapp of multiple clubs for chipping - that is for very good players and if you aint by 40 you aint ever gonna be (and trying will make you angry - it did me).
Get fitted for a driver - just the driver - and it aint about distance - 300 in trees aint worth 250 on the short grass. Once you have done that and like it and the fitter - then ask about fairway woods/hybrids - same again. Once you have done that, then ask about irons - same again. Dont do it all at once - take a year to change them all.
Meanwhile, decide what wedge and putter you love - they are crucial to scoring. I have an old Odyssey White Hot #2 Putter and an old Ping Wedge - they work great and I have had them for decades - when they are hot I break 80.
When playing putting it in play with driver is number one. For the next shot on a par 4, if you cannot honestly say I will make this next shot to the green 8/9 out of 10, then play the easy shot and layup to about 80 yards - that is why you have that 'magic' wedge. If you cannot honestly say I will put this chip within 6-10 feet 8/9 times out of 10, then put it in the middle of the green.
As the man said, when on the green it is about speed (distance) and the aim is to get it within 2-3 feet when the putt is over 15 feet. Practice only long putts before you tee off (20+ feet) - and then practice the 2-3 footers.
It is a simple game - dont make doubles and triples by trying shots that come off only 1 in 5 times - when you do that and chip and putt well, you will score a lot better than if you go for everything because although you eill play great shots, you will also play bad ones. Going for it will get you a birdie now and then, but you also get a few doubles, and a triple or two.
I have played a lot of ProAms - the Pros are seriously long/good off the tees, and they get up and down all the time - that is what it takes to be a Pro - avoiding bogies - they win when they sink a lot of putts. Looking at the golf Pros game and technique, is like trying to learn from Richard Petty how to drive a car on suburban roads. Petty can and does 'go for it' - you doing that on normal roads will result in an accident. Play the shots you can play - stop trying to get a birdie every hole - that is for Pros whose hcp is Zero and who are 'going for it' all the time - to win the tournament. The average Pro round across all Pros in a year is 70 (2 under). If your handicap is 12 that equates to shooting 82. Stop trying to break 80 by getting birdies - break 80 by getting 10 pars and only bogey 7 of the other 8 holes. Par 3s are the key - it is absolutely a must to put the ball on the green or in a safe spot to chip close from - do not try to get close to the pin - they are always a trap. Par 5s are not an opportunity to get an eagle - they are the opportunity to get a solid par (4 of the 10 needed for hcp of 12) and every now and then your 3rd shot to the green will be very close and you get a birdie (or you sink a long putt). Forget your score on each hole - count the number of Pars and Bogeys you have made - think of the end total - not the hole you just played or are playing. So many amateurs dont have a target score and dont have a clue how they are going in their round on the 15th tee.
Thank you for your thoughts
Great summary video Jon. KISS - keep it simple stupid 😉
Thanks! Sometimes it's hard to do that, that's what I'm here for :)
Let's go Sweet Spot people, subscribe!!
Yes!!!!
Who's the club throwing stunt double?
Haha I don’t know actually
You should have recruited Adam...
😂😂
mmm ... your pie chart about woods/irons is flawed.
1. I estimate a player that shoots about 90 hits no more than 8 full swing irons in an 18 hole round ... that's less than 10% of shots played.
2. drivers and irons are swung much differently, so lumping those clubs together is a mistake.
3. Driver is crucial tho. 12 to 14 holes out of 18 (67% to 78%) of holes start using driver.
4. players are hitting 9i, wedges, and pitch shots about 20 to 25 times every round ... that's 23% to 28% of all shots.
One more thing to consider about irons ... even the best players miss several greens per round with their approaches using 7i to 3i ... that means no matter how good you get with your irons, you'll still miss a bunch of greens with them.
Improve your driver ... length especially.
Get real good with shots of 120 yards or less. (You'll need a few of those for pitch outs too.)
And get real good from inside 5 feet and with lag putting.
This can reduce productive practice to an hour, and turn those 89s into 82s ... and from the low 80s, you got a shot at getting into the 70s once in a while.
It’s not flawed :) based on research from millions of golf shots from players of all levels. Go read Every Shot Counts by Mark Broadie.
I’ll listen to this for a week.
🤝
All due respect, Jon, your numbers are WAY off. 66% of your score is driver & irons??? That is absolutely untrue. Putting alone is almost always 35-45%. When you add in all the strokes from 100 yards and in - well, it's literally impossible for that to be only be 33% of your total score.
You're thinking in absolute terms. Go read Mark Broadie's book Every Shot Counts. This myth was debunked, and honestly, it's not up for debate. Putting only accounts for 15% of how golfers SEPARATE from one another. It's hard to separate when you have a ton of 18" tap-in putts. Seriously, go read the book, I'm not just making this up. The golf world accepted this many years ago.
@@jonshermangolf I've read it. Some folks swear by it, others - mostly professionals in the industry - have debunked it. The issue with the book is context - context is EVERYTHING. Go read some debunking of the book - it might open your eyes. Cheers.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one!
@@jonshermangolf Yes. Your book is still the best golf book I've read, but re Mark's - the flaw in using Strokes Gained as an end-all for all golfers is context: It works great for professionals because of the small finite number, but his data for amateurs is based on less than 0.3% of all amateur golfers, and adding to that, does not factor in major contributing variables such as age, health, location, environment, and several other determining factors. So, to say it is an absolute for amateur golfers to go by is disingenuous and uninformed. ✌
Again, untrue. Since the book came out there are TONS of companies tracking millions of shots by real golfers of all levels. I’ve looked at the data and Mark’s numbers have held up. I don’t know one prominent coach who disagrees with his findings or any valid evidence of it being debunked, and I have my ear to the ground on this since this is my job to be informed.