12 quick and helpful tips from a top PGA Tour coach

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Justin Parsons is a great follow on Instagram.

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Justin Parsons is part of the new class of GOLF Top 100 Teachers, and he teaches golfers of all different abilities: From Tour players like Louis Oosthuizen and Harris English, to recreational golfers in his instruction role at Sea Island.

Justin is also a fantastic follow on Instagram (you can follow him right here!) especially because every so often, he’ll do wide-ranging Q and As where he’ll share all sorts of handy pieces of advice with his question-asking audience. There are all sorts of good nuggets here, so let’s dive right in.

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1. How to stay under par

That’s the formula, according to Parsons. Easier than it sounds, but also helpful to see it broken down into component parts. Focus on doing the little things you can control, and the good scores will follow.

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2. Improving range practice

Parsons said on a recent “Off Course with Claude Harmon III” podcast that the driving range can be a dangerous place for golfers. The best way around it? To go through your full routine, and hit different shots.

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3. How to avoid getting steep

Don’t let the idea of fetting steep, which is a close relative of coming over the top, become an obsession. Lots of great players have been steep, Parsons says. But if you’re not one of those, throwing a frisbee with your lead hand is a good feeling to embrace in your golf swing.

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4. Improve your range sessions

Simple, write it down in advance!

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5. What is width?

Stretch your arms as far away from your body as you can on the backswing; what you’re feeling is width.

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6. How to conquer the chipping yips

First step: Don’t panic. Second step: Try lots of different grips.

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7. Connect your takeaway

Drop your trail hand (right hand for right-handed golfers) and practice making the first half of your backswing.

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8. One-handed putting

It’s great for tempo, Parsons says, and something you can practice mid-round.

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9. Fundamentals

Good alignment and good contact; you can do a lot worse than focusing on those two things.

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10. Short swings

Think of this as the Tommy Fleetwood drill.

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11. Step drills

A great way to improve sequencing on the downswing, which is one of the trickiest moves to master in golf. The crow hop drill is one example.

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12. Armpits over knees

Posture is another of fundamental that pros think about all the time, and can have big knock on effects later in your swing.

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Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees all the brand’s service journalism spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University and in 2017 was named News Media Alliance’s “Rising Star.” His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

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