Q. What is some general advice for a pre-shot routine? Is it wise to take a practice swing? If so, how many?

A. A pre-shot routine is something I call an approach or an attitude for the shot. If you watch the great players, they will do the same thing on the first tee during a Tuesday morning practice round as they would on the 18th hole Sunday afternoon. I believe that this attitude and approach is one of the most important parts of the golf swing. For example, people who tend to stand too stiff over the ball likely will have no motion before they hit the ball. Everything in golf has to be a match. Your hands must match the clubface. Your swing motion on the way back must match the rotation of your body. And, the attitude of your approach to the ball has to match the rhythm of your backswing. I like to do a drill with players who don't have a consistent approach. Once they put their hands on the golf club, whether it be beside the ball, behind the ball or in front of the ball, I like for them to move their feet a little, waggle the club and look at the target. When the club hits the ground after they waggle, I like to see the club start in motion. That makes the takeaway of the club more of a swinging motion, which is what you want. I say to our students, "Look, waggle, when the club hits the ground, go." That can help your swing motion go back and through at the same speed, which is the definition of a good swing. You're not aware of how the club goes back. It just goes back by instinct. Like the way Davis Love putts or Freddie Couples hits his driver. The club isn't back in position for more than an instant before they start the motion. It's amazing how much the pre-shot routine is part of the golf swing. For all great players, the attitude of the pre-shot routine matches the motion of the backswing.

Q. Is it better to choke down on a club for short chips or should the alignment on the grip remain constant?

A. Yes, it is better to choke down on a club for shorter chips. But, it's important to do it with more feel rather than a mechanical equation like four inches down for 20 yards, five inches down for 30 yards and so on. You need some feel for this. Choking down on the club definitely gives you more feel, but you have to make sure that you still swing the club on these short shots rather than be too in control of the motion. Then you'll find out there will be certain times when you won't choke down on the club and other shots you will choke down. But that comes from really good feel. I suggest that when you practice these short chips and pitches that you swing with the club rotating from open to closed, just like you would on your long shots.

Q. I don't understand the logic in the rules of golf that prohibits players from fixing a spike mark on the green.

A. I think we're asking for trouble there. We all question some of the rules at times, but if you really study the rules and if you understand the rules, you'll see that they are there to help us not hurt us. Spike marks have been talked about for many years, but I think the problem with that is we would abuse it. I think players would try to find blemishes in the green that wouldn't be covered by a revised ruling. We as golfers can't change the rules and we should respect the USGA and the R&A, the governing bodies of the rules of golf. I think you should work harder on your putting and make sure you hit it solid every time. Most of the time spike marks won't hurt you.

Q. I'm getting older and noticing that I'm losing a lot of distance -- especially off the tee. Is there anything I can do to reverse this trend?

A. I'm 54 years old and I've been playing golf since I was 8. I certainly hit it a lot further when I was 30 than I do now even though we have different balls, different shafts and so on. I really don't get hung up on the distance because I think if you're not hitting it as far as your maximum potential you first need to find some clubs that have the right shaft. Then you need to work on the rhythm of your swing. I'm really big on swing rhythm and tempo. I think that will help you hit more solid, consistent shots. When we try to hit the ball further you're likely hitting at the ball not swinging the club. In that case, you're probably going to lose even more distance. My main suggestion is to work on your rhythm and tempo so you get the feeling that you're hitting the ball as solid as you can as a result off proper swing motion. Only then will you hit the ball to your maximum potential.

Q. I'm losing distance because I'm hitting a consistent fade. What is the best way to learn how to hit a draw?

A. When you fade the ball, it could be due to many different things. Work on your irons first and do a drill where you drop your right foot way behind your left foot, which makes you feel like youÍre getting more roundness in your backswing. Sometimes if you go up too soon you tend to come outside the plane on the downswing and cut across the ball. If you get more rounded, you'll get the face of the club swinging a little bit more rounded on the backswing, which means it's easier for the club to be closing on the downswing. So drop your right foot back, swing the club more around your body feeling your left arm more across your chest so that youÍre a little bit more level and with the face going open to close. Another good practice drill is if you can go to the side of a hill with the ball above your feet. Try to swing the club with the slope, more around and through. With the slope you'll feel more rounded in your backswing also. Anytime you can get a little more roundness in the backswing it feels like the club is going open to close.

Q. Should my hands be in the same position at address, at the top of the backswing, at impact and during the follow through?

A. This is something you really have to concentrate on, and it helps to hit a lot of wedges and 9-irons to get this feeling. I think great ballstrikers all hold the club a certain way when they set up to the ball. And I'm not saying tight, loose or light. When the hands get to waist high, they are in exactly the same position they were at address. At the top of the swing, hands are in the exact position they were at address. At impact, great players' hands are still in that same position. And the same on the follow through, which is probably the most important part of feel. When you follow through, you should be able to come back down and hit another ball with the same grip. That's one of the great keys I think in golf. If you can hit three balls with one grip, then your hands are staying the same throughout the swing. When you bring the club back down after you swing, it should be in line with your hands, matched up exactly the way it is at address. Again, try hitting 9-irons and wedges and feel your hands staying the same from start to finish. Another thing you'll feel if your hands remain in the same position is that your wrist will hinge naturally. The weight of the club will cock your wrist. And when you finish the swing, your hands will feel very free, independent of the wrists. If your hands and wrists feel the same, you're guiding the club too much.

Q. Is there a drill that will help me increase clubhead speed?

A. Conscious clubhead speed is hard to manufacture. And it's not a very good thing to try and do. Sometimes we have to live with certain speeds. But if we hit the ball more solid, we're going to hit the ball to our maximum potential, and that's what weÍre looking for. Sometimes we might play with someone who hits it 40 yards past us, and that's OK if we're hitting it as far as we're supposed to. If we get too wrapped up in clubhead speed, the tendency is to go back very slow and come down twice as fast, which is not a swing. Try to feel the swing going back and through at the same speed. Maybe sometimes a little more speed on the backswing will set up the motion of the downswing. You may never have heard that before, but if you focus too much on clubhead speed, most of the time you're going to go back too slow and come down too fast.

Q. I have trouble reading the grain on greens. Do you have any advice?

A. A good way to check the green is to go up to the cup and see which way the grass is growing around the hole. If you're playing on bermuda grass, there's a tendency for the grass to grow toward the setting sun. Green shades are very good to read, but that's tough on sunny days. My biggest advice to you is not to over read grain. When you over read grain, you'll tend to lose the feeling of the motion in your stroke and you'll try to make the putt rather than let the putt go in. If the grain is not obvious, forget about it. Also, try to imagine if it was raining what side the water would drain off. Most of the time the water, when it drains off the green, will make the grain go that way also.

Q. I have a dominant right eye and I think that's impeding my ability to read greens. I've tried plum-bobbing, but it doesn't work very well.

A. If you don't understand plum-bobbing, and you don't know how to do it, forget about it. Seriously, plum-bobbing requires you to hold the putter in your left hand and close your right eye and align the shaft of the putter with the hole. If the hole shows up in your vision more to the left or more to the right, that's the way it's going to break. Don't rely too much on plum-bobbing. I think it works somewhat, but at the same time I would rely more on hitting my putts solid and letting them go in the hole than over reading greens.

Q. I have a tendency to lift my left heel during the backswing. Should I try to stop?

A. I believe in natural motion, and I believe certain individuals lift their left heel during the backswing while others keep their left heel on the ground. Personally, I would not over think this, because I don't think it's that big of a deal. Sometimes, if you're left heel comes up when you're trying to keep it on the ground, you could get yourself into a reverse pivot. If your left heel comes up off the ground most of the time when you're swinging back to your right side I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Q. I consistently take very shallow divots with my irons. What can I do to take a deeper, more aggressive divot?

A. Actually, I think shallow divots are very good. If you try to get too deep with your divots, then you're going to hit the ball before the moment of truth. Shallow divots means that the angle of attack is shallow. Visualize this: when you set up to the ball with a 6-iron, there is a shaft from the ball parallel to your shaft. It's called the angle of attack. If we swing the club back, underneath the angle of attack and swing the club through underneath the angle of attack -- again with an imaginary shaft parallel to your shaft -- it will make you release the club better and help you take a more even divot. A shallow divot is good. Now, a skinny divot is not good. Whatever you do, don't try and hit down on the ball, because this is going to cause you to release your hands too early.

Q. I'm fairly decent with my woods, but am having a difficult time making solid contact with my irons. Why?

A. If you're having problems with your irons, but you're hitting your woods pretty well, it sounds to me like you're a lot freer with your woods than you are with your irons. A good golf swing feels out of control. For example, when you take a practice swing, there's no thought, just a feeling of motion. When you hit your irons, you need to try and feel the same thing -- as if the club is swinging back and through at the same speed. Notice how I say swinging. You never take the club back or put it back on the backswing. Swing the club back so the downswing will come as a result of the backswing. You have to have proper motion to hit solid shots. If your motion feels good, and you're still not hitting solid, there's a good chance the clubface is a little closed at the top of the backswing. Most of the time when the club's a little bit toward the open side, and you have god rhythm, you'll hit the ball much more solidly with your irons.

Q. What are some suggestions to make better contact from a downhill lie?

A. Sometimes we have to realize when we're playing and mother nature dictates a certain shot -- uphill or downhill -- we have to align ourselves with that situation. In other words, if you were going uphill, make sure you are balanced and that your shoulder line is even with the slope. This is going to have your club swinging with the slope. The same is true with a downhill lie. And going downhill, we're going to set up a little more on our left side, because our shoulder line will be a little bit more even with the slope on the downhill and that makes the club swing with the slope.

Q. I'm having trouble controlling distance and accuracy, particularly on shots inside 140 yards.

A. From 140 yards in, you must always use a swing. If you're having problems, it almost sounds like your speeds are changing on the back and down swings. You need to swing the club back and through at the same speed so you can feel your distance. Sometimes when the club goes back too slow and down fast, you seem to be a little bit more in control. Believe it or not, when you feel out of control your swing motion is going to feel more like a swing. This way ball flight and distance will be more consistent. For every drive you hit, you should hit six wedges. The 9-iron and wedge shots from inside 140 set up the rhythm for your whole golf swing. You might be practicing too much on your long game and not enough on feeling your distance on the shorter shots.

Q. What is an ideal ball position? Does it change as you change clubs?

A. I've always been a big believer that every normal shot should be played from the left heel whether it's a tee shot or a pitching wedge. When you're trying to maneuver the ball with a shorter club or mid irons and you're trying to keep it low or hit it higher, then I think ball position should be moved around. But for consistent shots -- especially with a driver -- I would definitely play it off my left heel.

Q. What is the proper balance between practicing and playing?

A. There has to be a balance, but a balance is not necessarily how much time you spend on the range and how much you spend on the golf course. It varies for each individual. There are great players who hit balls all day long and don't play too much until it's time to play competitively. There are other great players who hardly hit any balls other than warming up. As a young golfer, I would spend as much time as I could on the practice tee trying to develop rhythm and feel in my swing. Then when I go to the golf course I want to transfer that feel. You never want to spend too much time on mechanics so when you go to the golf course you're playing golf and not worrying about the swing. You want to concentrate on playing golf when you get to the first tee. Always try to balance your practice with your playing. A good theory of practicing is for every hour you spend working on the long game spend two on the short game -- chipping, putting, bunker shots, every phase of the short game -- because once you develop your swing, that's where you're going to save your strokes and that's where you're going to make a lot more birdies.

Q. I have a tendency to hit behind the ball. Is that a result of poor weight shift?

A. Without watching you actually hit balls, it sounds like you're having a bit of an anxiety attack on the downswing. What this means is when the club goes back too slow and doesn't have enough rhythm it's a natural reaction for the club to release too early. Therefore, the hands are getting too active on the downswing and the club releases at waist high so the point of impact is more behind the ball. I would try to get my swing rhythm on the backswing with a little more speed so I could try to even up my tempo. We call hitting behind the ball injecting a little too much with your hands. If you feel like your hands are doing nothing, and you're swinging the golf club, then your hands will work as a result of your swing. Too much hand action too early leads to hitting behind the ball.

Q. Are there any drills I can do in my house to become a better putter? I seem to push or pull a lot of putts.

A. If there is a carpet with some nice speed to it. But don't use a glass or anything like that. Just try and make some nice smooth strokes with the same speed back and through. Sometimes when we're practicing we focus too much on a target or a hole we try to make the ball go in. We want to make sure we're letting the putter swing and flow so we're hitting the ball solid. All great putters hit the ball solid every time. When you hit the ball solid, you have a pretty good chance of letting the ball go in the hole rather than making it go in the hole. I'd also suggest this exercise on the putting green. Spend a half hour just putting without a hole. Feel your stroke going back and through at the same speed.

Q. I recently found myself in a sand trap that was like concrete. How do you hit that shot?

A. This is a pretty difficult shot, and it depends on what type of sand wedge you have. A lot of bounce will sometimes bounce and hit the ball, but my suggestion to you is to try and practice this. You want to feel like you're swinging the club in bunkers, not hitting the ball. There's a little game we play sometimes. After you dig in and you open the clubface, you need to look two or three inches behind the ball. Look at the spot. Do not look at the ball. Then say a little saying to yourself, "Up, hit the spot and finish." That does three things. Up means the wrists cock fairly soon away from the ball. Hitting the spot means you're not focusing on hitting the ball. The explosion from the club hitting the sand gets the ball out of the bunker. Always finish. You can say those rhythmically to yourself. That will transfer to your motion and your swing. But hardpan sometimes takes a little more upright swing, so you're really hitting down on the spot not the ball.

Q. How do I become a better fairway wood player? I'm decent with the driver, but can't hit anything with a wood without a tee.

A. Ever since I was 8-years-old I've been a pretty good fairway wood player because I was working with a good player who told me if you try and take a practice swing and brush the grass with the practice swing and transfer that to actually hitting the fairway wood you're going to let the loft of the club get the ball up in the air. Most of the time when you're hitting bad fairway woods it's because you're trying to help the ball up, which is the opposite of what we want to do. When you try to help the ball up, your body is going to come up and hit the top half of the ball. Just take a few practice swings trying to feel like you're making a noise that's sweeping the grass every time. Then try and transfer that when the ball's down there. You'll actually feel like you're taking a practice swing with the ball.

Q. I chili-dip my chip shots when I have a tight lie. Do you have a swing thought or practice routine that might help me break this terrible habit?

A. The short game is so important. You want to feel like the swings with the short game are the same as your swings with the long game. In other words, a little chip or pitch shot is still a golf swing. If you can practice by just trying to feel like you're doing nothing with your hands and letting the club sweep the grass every time, you're going to get a feeling of more swing motion. Don't ever be afraid to use your motion with a little shot. Anytime we get too much in control with our chip and pitch shots, we tend to hit the ball, or hit down on it, and that's when you chili-dip it or hit behind it. You've got to feel like the golf swing on your little shots is going back and through at the same speed, just like you would with any other club.

Q. Does loft of a driver play a role in slicing off tee? If so, does it make sense to play with more or less loft?

A. It's better to use more loft. If I were you, I'd try to find a driver of about 10 degrees because it will help you get the ball up in the air better. Also, I would certainly look for a driver that was slightly hooked. You can get a driver with two degrees hook and 10 degrees loft that is going to help your launch angle a lot. Just because you have less loft doesn't mean you're going to hit the ball further. You want to use as much loft as you possibly can so you can carry the ball further.

Q. I have trouble with my driver. Should I stop using it until I become more comfortable? Just use it on the range?

A. I think you should practice as much as possible with your driver. Driving the ball sets up your attitude for the hole and your attitude for the whole round. All great players are great drivers. If you rely too much on your 3-wood, I think you're fooling yourself down the road. I think you should practice more with the driver and find one that is easy to hit. All tour players look for a driver that is an easy club to use. And you start with the shaft. Make sure you have the right stiffness in your shaft and the right torque if you're using graphite. And make sure the flex point is right for you. Then you're going to see results on the practice tee. If you hit it good on the practice tee, you should go right to the course and be able to use your driver.

Q. I seem to push the ball right consistently or just hit a big slice with my driver. I can hit my 1- and 2-irons pretty well, but I lose too much distance. Should I stick with the irons on longer holes?

A. No. In this case, if you're hitting your long irons well, I would definitely find a golf professional that can help you with the driver because you have to be a good driver to play the game. If you're pushing the ball to the right, it could be many things, but the main thing is if you're hitting long irons well, you're making a good golf swing with a good motion. You should try and transfer that feeling to the driver. You almost have to play a game with yourself and pretend you have a 2-iron in your hand and make the same swing with your driver. But I definitely wouldn't compensate and I wouldn't use too many 3-woods or irons off the tee, because you really need to be a good driver to play the game.