Hold your left hand in front of you and make a fist. Now give a thumb’s-up
gesture, making as pronounced a curve in your thumb as possible. If your thumb has a big curve like mine does, you’ll have an advantage playing golf, because the thumb will
support the club better throughout the swing. So many great players – Player, Hogan, Snead, Watson and Jones – had this thumb curve. Arnold
Palmer’s thumb doesn’t curve much, and I’ve teased him unmercifully
about it. He’s an exception to the rule.

Swing the long irons as though they all have the No. 7 stamped on the sole. If you swing the 3-iron like you
do the 7-iron, you won’t swing too hard or try to help the ball in the air – which is the tendency with long irons.

PLAYING THE GAME

At my best, I hit three or four perfect shots a round. Can you do better than
that? Probably not. So take an extra club for your second shot.

If you’re in between clubs, take the longer club, choke down a little and make a full, aggressive swing. That’s better than not choking down and swinging easier, which may cause you
to decelerate.

On par-threes, tee the ball just high enough so the bottom of the ball is above the top of the grass.

“If there’s a sport
that’s bad for golf, I can’t identify it. On balance, I think you should play as many sports as you can.
The better overall athlete
you are, the better chance
you’ll have succeeding
at golf.”