Butch on Ego Mistakes

Butch Harmon has a new short article at golfdigest.com about "ego mistakes." You know, the shots you mess up because you wouldn't accept your limitations or because you're trying to prove something. Everybody makes them; even the pros do so at times.

Butch's article focuses on two especially common ones:

• not using enough club when you hit into the green and
• using too much loft when you chip and pitch around the green.

Although I'm oversimplifying here, to fix the first mistake Butch says you should take one more club and swing at something less than full speed. That will help you hit the ball more solidly.

And on the second one, he simply advises trying different clubs for shots around the green. Don't just grab your lob wedge. (Yeah, I know that's what Phil does -- he plays every shot with the same wedge. Butch knows that too. But you're not Phil yet, are you?)

He also reminds you to avoid flipping your hands at impact when pitching with a wedge. You can refer back to this post featuring a video with Paul Azinger's pitching technique if you need more help. (Butch's technical advice in this article is better for chipping than pitching, at least if your ball is sitting down a bit in the rough. Just think about all those guys stubbing pitches at the Hero World Challenge.)

I'm sure many of you will say, "This is basic stuff. I already know this." But spend any time watching players on the golf course and you'll realize that knowing what to do is different from actually doing it. Butch knows we all need reminders -- that's what makes him such a great teacher.