In his prime, Johnny Miller was one of the purest ball strikers the game of golf has ever seen.
He was often brash, and highly opinionated on the golf course.
As a commentator, you learn to either love him, or hate him. There is no middle ground. I, personally, think he is a great commentator. I appreciate his honesty, and he provides tremendous insight to the game.
Recently, I came across a list of 10 rules that Miller wrote for playing better golf. I think they are great, and I wanted to share them with you followed by thoughts of my own.
—Play more than you practice
I’ve always been a fan of this idea. When you play, you encounter shots that the practice range just can’t offer you. You become a better player by learning to adapt on the course.
— Don’t fall in love on demo day
This is a good one. As important as I feel demo days can be, they can also give you a false sense of security.
Often times, the clubs you have are as good as any you can buy.
— Listen to your shots
Nothing sounds more pure than a well hit shot. Practice trying to create that sound.— Distance is every bit as important as direction
Often times, I feel that distance control is more important than direction.
This is especially true with putting.
— Get down on impact
Most amateur golfers struggle with being too high at the moment of impact. Learn to stay down on the ball and you will become a much better player.
— Take one extra club and swing smoothly
Don’t let your ego convince you to hit less club than necessary.
— Don’t sweat every detail
Learn how to handle less than perfect results. Don’t beat yourself up so much.
— Photograph impact
Try to capture a picture of yourself at impact. Focus on your balance and the clubhead position.
— Brush the grass under the ball on all fairway shots
This is great advice. A great drill is to stick a tee low into the ground and practice striking it out of the ground.
— Speed kills
This also requires that you check your ego at the door. Slow down and relax.
Thank you, Miller.
Have a great week everyone.
