Henrik Stenson has been one of the prominent figures in golf throughout a career which boasts 22 professional wins across the globe. The Swedish legend currently ranks in the top-25 for the most European Tour wins in history (11), and has also accumulated 6 PGA Tour wins.
Since his switch to LIV Golf, Stenson has added another victory to his resume and currently tees it up for Majesticks GC. With an overwhelming amount of experience and knowledge, gleaned from over 26 years in the professional game, Henrik Stenson is the sort of player amateur golfers should look to learn from in order to improve their own game.
With that in mind, we sat down with Henrik Stenson and asked him to share his 5 best golf tips to help you shoot lower scores...
Henrik Stenson
1. Iron Play
It’s all about consistency – that’s what you want in your iron play. I’ve built my overall game around finding fairways and being able to attack with anything from 4- to 9-iron on approaches. That range of irons is probably where I’ve been the best over my career.
I think the reason I do so well with them is that I hit down on the ball quite a bit and generate a high launch with a lot of spin. It gives me the advantage that I can stop the ball quickly on the greens when conditions are a little firmer.
You need to have a consistent set-up for consistent ball-striking. We’ve all got certain things we’re better at in this game, and for some reason iron play has always been my biggest strength. I don’t really think about it too much. I just kind of react to shots in front of me. It’s easy to lose sight of the perfect ball position, your aim and your balance in the iron game, so make sure you do those three things right every time.
Also, don’t let too many small things creep into your mind as it’s easy to get off track when you do that. Try to find the baselines in your iron swing and keep yourself close to them.
2. Bunker Shots
Bunkers are what many amateurs fear most. You want to swing the club like a consistent pendulum, the same as in putting. You build momentum on the way back and just casually let the club collect the ball on the way down.
You’ve got to be willing to throw the bounce into the sand so it cushions against the sand when you strike it and allows the ball to come out high.
A proper set-up would be ball more towards the left foot, open the face and swing the club a couple inches short of the ball in the sand. Many of you just stop the club at the ball instead of allowing it to do its work.
3. Playing Under Pressure
If you prepare well beforehand and have a good plan in place of how you’re going to play the course and the positions you want to be in when you’re playing each hole, then you need to also have your mindset engaged on trying to execute that plan as well as you can.
In tense situations you’ve got to stick to your routines and do things the same each time. That’s what really separates the ones who are really good under pressure and the ones who tend to lose their footing a little bit.
You counter that by staying calm, sticking to your routines and doing the things you set out to do before the heat even entered the situation. That’s crucial for trying to win golf tournaments and for you club golfers when you’re trying to play your best.
4. Chipping
Decisive is one of the key words for playing good golf and solid chips. In my practice stroke, I often use my left hand and the momentum I’m creating with it to let the weight of the clubhead swing underneath the ball and pick it up.
I like to hold the face a little bit open on chips to expose a little bit more bounce and let the club pick it up. A lot of times, people have their hands too far forward or set-up is too square and the ball too far back.
You’re taking away a bit of the bounce, then, and it becomes a sharp leading edge and too stabby. Tell yourself through the chip to ‘let it flow’.
5. Putting – Line And Pace
Pace is a huge factor in three- putting. Many times you see club golfers race eight-footers five or six feet by. But if you only had the right pace you could work the putt out backwards, then pick out the line you have to take.
Know how you want to hit a putt – that comes with practice and trusting your tempo – then pick your line based on how far you know you need to take the putter back. The easiest way to save a couple of shots is better pace control in your putting.
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