At the 17th annual Character Media Pro-Am tournament in April, professional and amateur golfers were met with an exciting new twist at the opening golf clinic. After getting in a couple real practice shots, a few lucky players were asked to swap their precision clubs for tiny toy putters. As they tried their best to drive with the plastic clubs, the golfers shared some of their favorite tips and tricks to improve their golf game.
From LPGA pros Savannah Grewal and Mo Martin to brother-podcast-duo Daniel and Ryan Omoto, here is their advice on how to master the deceptively challenging game of golf:
Daniel Omoto, “Just the Nobodys” Host: Always tee up your tee shots. Par three, par four, par five — tee it up.
Savannah Grewal, LPGA Golfer: Stay patient. It’s a really hard sport, and when you’re not practicing every day, it’s really hard to stay super consistent. So just be patient with yourself and give yourself some grace.
Vicky Hurst, LPGA Golfer: A good tip for amateurs starting out, I would say, [is] having nice and slow tempo. I see a lot of amateurs grabbing the club and swinging it as hard as they can, but good tempo is going to help smooth a lot of things out.
Jenny Coleman, LPGA Golfer: Try to sprinkle it around. Do 15 to 20 minutes [of] chipping, putting and range. Being more well-rounded is a lot more fun for the game when you get on the course.
Mo Martin, LPGA Golfer: Some fundamentals are really important, [like] a grip that looks pretty neutral. There are three different kinds of grips: there’s a baseball grip (which I actually use), there’s interlock and there’s overlap. … I know a lot of people starting the game are scared to hit the ground. Make sure to make contact and create a little bit of a divot — that’s okay, and that’s exactly what you want to do.
Robyn Choi, LPGA Golfer: Focus on grip and posture and alignment. … Golf takes a long time to get good at, [so] just enjoy it and have fun.
Chan Ho Park, Former L.A. Dodger: Keep looking [at] the ball, and swing hard. That’s it. Hit it like a homerun.
Ryan Omoto, “Just the Nobodys” Host: Just having fun; not taking it too seriously.
Min-G Kim, LPGA Golfer: Don’t feel like you have to play well right away because you’re not going to. Just enjoy your time outside and take baby steps; you’re already winning by being outside and learning to love the game.
Watch the full video above to see the golfers (and toy putters) in action, and read all about this year’s Pro-Am in our official recap!
