Teach Me To Golf by Renee O’Higgins

A great lesson doesn’t end with a dozen swing thoughts.

It ends with a few clear priorities to practice.

For this first lesson, our focus was:

1. Low point control
Learn to make the divot at—or just in front of—the ball. Consistent ball striking starts with controlling where the club meets the ground.

2. Better impact
Keep the upper bicep connected through impact to help stabilize the clubface and improve contact.

3. Iron vs. Driver
With an iron, your pressure moves forward and your body stacks over the ball.

With the driver, your pressure still shifts forward—but your head stays behind the ball to help launch it.

Three concepts.

One clear practice plan.

That’s how improvement happens between lessons.

P.S. The divot board and impact bag used in this lesson are linked in my Amazon Storefront (link in bio) if you’d like to practice these drills at home.

Want to make more putts?

Start by finding the center of the putter face more consistently.

All you need:

• 2 tees
• 10 golf balls

Place one tee just outside the toe of your putter and one just outside the heel — about a finger width on each side.

Now the challenge:

Make 10 putts without hitting either tee.

Hit the outside tee?
You likely caught the ball too close to the heel.

Hit the inside tee?
You likely caught it too close to the toe.

Why does that matter?

Off center contact costs you energy and makes distance control less predictable. Then golfers start changing the speed of their stroke to compensate — and consistency disappears.

Center strike.
Better speed control.
More putts made.

Two tees.
Ten balls.

Can you make all 10?

The putter is a great safe option from just off the green…

But it shouldn’t be your only option.

If you want to add more versatility to your short game, grab your highest lofted hybrid and try this:

• Set up like you would with a putter
• Raise the shaft slightly
• Choke down on the grip
• Use your putting grip
• Keep your weight slightly left
• Make a small stroke with firm wrists

The hybrid won’t create much height — but it will give you more power through the fringe and allow the ball to release like a putt.

One warning: it comes off the face faster than you think.

So practice the feel before taking it to the course.

More options around the green = more ways to save strokes.

Add this one to your short game toolbox.

A good lesson shouldn’t leave you with ten things to think about.

For the first lesson with this new client, we found one priority:

Use the ground to move through impact.

The swing already had beautiful tempo, but the body was returning to impact too close to the address position — without enough force moving into the lead side.

So we simplified it:

• From the top, move the hips toward the lead side
• Stack the lead hip over the ankle
• Feel pressure move into the ground
• Then turn through

Two simple feels:

Bump. Turn.

And with the impact board:

Stomp. Let the club fall.

That’s it.

One priority.
Two ways to feel it.
Something clear to practice before the next lesson.

Want to try the impact board I’m using here? You can find it in my Amazon Storefront — linked in bio.

Golf instructors spend most of their time telling players to open the clubface in the bunker.

But there’s one exception…

The fried egg lie.

When the ball plugs into the sand, an open clubface won’t dig enough to free it.

Think about what each clubface does:

• Open = shallow divot
• Square = medium divot
• Closed = deepest divot

That’s why a buried lie calls for something completely different.

Close the clubface.

Move the handle in close to your lead leg.

Then forget about making a beautiful golf swing.

Your only goal is to dig a hole.

Move enough sand, and the ball will come out with it.

Sometimes the lie changes the rules.

This is one of those times.

Too many golfers make decisions based on fear.

Pine straw.
Trees overhead.
Bunker in front.

And immediately the mind says:

“Just chip it out.”

But sometimes… the aggressive play is the right play.

If you have:
✅ A clean window
✅ Enough carry distance
✅ A club you trust

Go for it.

For me, that club is a hybrid.

Hybrids are incredibly versatile and perform beautifully from awkward lies like pine straw because they help the ball launch without needing a perfect fairway lie.

My setup here is simple:
• Dig the feet in for stability
• Choke down if the ball is above your feet
• Aim the clubface first
• Then make the same confident swing you would from the fairway

The lie may change.

Your commitment shouldn’t.

Trust your preparation.
Pick your window.
Take the shot.

Steep uphill lie?

Most golfers grab their highest lofted wedge.

That’s usually the wrong play.

When the ball is sitting on a severe upslope, the hill is already adding loft for you.

If you add a lob wedge on top of that, the result is often a shot that goes:
⬆️ Up
⬇️ Down

And nowhere near your target.

Instead, try:
• A gap wedge
• A pitching wedge
• Let the slope create the height

The lower loft helps produce a more penetrating shot while still giving you plenty of stopping power.

Remember:

The slope adds loft.
The club adds loft.

You don’t always need both.

Trust the hill.
Take less loft.

Ever feel like you always find the bunker, water, or out of bounds?

It might not be your swing.

It might be your alignment.

One of the biggest mistakes golfers make is focusing on their feet before they aim the clubface.

Instead, try this simple process:

• Stand behind the ball and identify your target
• Pick an intermediate target a few feet in front of the ball
• Aim the clubface first at that intermediate target
• Then build your stance around the clubface

The clubface determines where the ball starts.

The feet simply support the setup.

Next time you’re standing on a tight tee shot with trouble on both sides, commit to a target, trust your alignment, and give yourself the best chance to find the fairway.

Aim small.
Commit fully.
Swing confidently.

Some lies are difficult because of the slope.

Others are difficult because the ground underneath you is unstable.

This shot had both.

Ball below the feet.
Loose leaves underneath.
No solid footing.

And when golfers get this combination wrong, the most common miss is hitting behind the ball.

Here’s the adjustment:

• Move the ball slightly back in your stance
• Start with your weight on your lead side
• Make a controlled three quarter backswing
• Then feel like you “punch” through the ground with force

The goal is to keep the club moving through the uneven surface instead of getting stuck behind it.

Stable setup.
Forward pressure.
Punch through impact.

Sometimes the lie tells you exactly how aggressive the strike needs to be.

You’ve probably heard the phrase:

“Let the club do the work.”

But what does that actually mean?

In short game shots, many golfers try to force the ball into the air by manipulating the clubface with their hands.

The problem?
The more the face closes, the harder it becomes to create loft and softness.

Instead:
• Keep the clubface feeling more open
• Let gravity help the club fall naturally
• Maintain connection between the arm and chest
• Allow the body to rotate through the shot

One great drill:
Practice with only your trail arm while keeping the arm connected to your body.

As the club moves:
• Thumb points upward
• Clubface stays more toward the sky
• Palm stays more open through impact

If the face rolls over toward the ground, you lose loft immediately.

Soft grip.
Connected motion.
Let the club release naturally.

Sometimes the best short game swings feel like the least amount of effort.