The Mitsubishi Electric Classic is being played this weekend at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth from Friday through Sunday.
Several Champions Tour stars who are in the field shared their best tips for amateur golfers:
- COLIN MONTGOMERIE: "They grip the club far too tightly. Think they're going to strangle the club. So grip the club lighter, and then they'll be better off. … and the average amateur three-putts every second green. So it's amazing. To practice 5-footers is key for the amateur. Very few amateurs hole out from five feet. Very few.
- PAUL GOYDOS: "Practice putting. Period. No one, including Tour players, are good enough putters. That's the easiest thing you can do to get better at, would be putting. You can get to be a better putter just by practicing."
- ESTEBAN TOLEDO: "The mistake that they make is that they lean back all the time… 100 percent. They slice the ball, and they think they're going to use the hands to manipulate the ball, and it doesn't work that way."
- JEFF SLUMAN: "If every pro doesn't answer this question then they're not paying attention, but amateurs never hit enough club to get to the hole. Ever. … And although it's very boring, I would get some quality short game instruction and then practice the short game. That's the place where 99 out of 100 amateurs really lose a lot of shots.
- TOM BYRUM: "Probably one of the most common mistakes is not judging their lie and what they can do with it, as far as if they hit in the rough. I also don't think they realize they don't hit it as far as they think they do. And chipping and putting. Start from the hole back."
- JESPER PARNEVIK: "First of all, they think they hit it farther than they do. When they start thinking they're long, they go by yardages all the time and they're always short. And most of them slice the ball. They should just aim left. They're still hoping they're gonna hit that straight shot every time; so yeah, staying down the left rough every time, they'd be perfect."
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