Teach Me To Golf by Renee O’Higgins

Teach Me To Golf by Renee O’Higgins Golf Golf instructor based in Naples, Florida. PGA and LPGA Class A professional who loves to teach the game to anyone and everyone that wants to improve.

Men, Women, and Junior from scratch handicaps to those just beginning will enjoy lessons with Renee. A golf lesson will be tailored to the needs of each individual student.

06/17/2026

Too many golfers make decisions based on fear.

Pine straw.
Trees overhead.
Bunker in front.

And immediately the mind says:

“Just chip it out.”

But sometimes… the aggressive play is the right play.

If you have:
✅ A clean window
✅ Enough carry distance
✅ A club you trust

Go for it.

For me, that club is a hybrid.

Hybrids are incredibly versatile and perform beautifully from awkward lies like pine straw because they help the ball launch without needing a perfect fairway lie.

My setup here is simple:
• Dig the feet in for stability
• Choke down if the ball is above your feet
• Aim the clubface first
• Then make the same confident swing you would from the fairway

The lie may change.

Your commitment shouldn’t.

Trust your preparation.
Pick your window.
Take the shot.

06/10/2026

Steep uphill lie?

Most golfers grab their highest lofted wedge.

That’s usually the wrong play.

When the ball is sitting on a severe upslope, the hill is already adding loft for you.

If you add a lob wedge on top of that, the result is often a shot that goes:
⬆️ Up
⬇️ Down

And nowhere near your target.

Instead, try:
• A gap wedge
• A pitching wedge
• Let the slope create the height

The lower loft helps produce a more penetrating shot while still giving you plenty of stopping power.

Remember:

The slope adds loft.
The club adds loft.

You don’t always need both.

Trust the hill.
Take less loft.

05/31/2026

Ever feel like you always find the bunker, water, or out of bounds?

It might not be your swing.

It might be your alignment.

One of the biggest mistakes golfers make is focusing on their feet before they aim the clubface.

Instead, try this simple process:

• Stand behind the ball and identify your target
• Pick an intermediate target a few feet in front of the ball
• Aim the clubface first at that intermediate target
• Then build your stance around the clubface

The clubface determines where the ball starts.

The feet simply support the setup.

Next time you’re standing on a tight tee shot with trouble on both sides, commit to a target, trust your alignment, and give yourself the best chance to find the fairway.

Aim small.
Commit fully.
Swing confidently.

05/29/2026

Some lies are difficult because of the slope.

Others are difficult because the ground underneath you is unstable.

This shot had both.

Ball below the feet.
Loose leaves underneath.
No solid footing.

And when golfers get this combination wrong, the most common miss is hitting behind the ball.

Here’s the adjustment:

• Move the ball slightly back in your stance
• Start with your weight on your lead side
• Make a controlled three quarter backswing
• Then feel like you “punch” through the ground with force

The goal is to keep the club moving through the uneven surface instead of getting stuck behind it.

Stable setup.
Forward pressure.
Punch through impact.

Sometimes the lie tells you exactly how aggressive the strike needs to be.

05/25/2026

You’ve probably heard the phrase:

“Let the club do the work.”

But what does that actually mean?

In short game shots, many golfers try to force the ball into the air by manipulating the clubface with their hands.

The problem?
The more the face closes, the harder it becomes to create loft and softness.

Instead:
• Keep the clubface feeling more open
• Let gravity help the club fall naturally
• Maintain connection between the arm and chest
• Allow the body to rotate through the shot

One great drill:
Practice with only your trail arm while keeping the arm connected to your body.

As the club moves:
• Thumb points upward
• Clubface stays more toward the sky
• Palm stays more open through impact

If the face rolls over toward the ground, you lose loft immediately.

Soft grip.
Connected motion.
Let the club release naturally.

Sometimes the best short game swings feel like the least amount of effort.

05/21/2026

This is one of the most useful short game shots most golfers never practice.

Perfect for:
• Grain into you
• Slight elevation to the green
• Plenty of room for the ball to release

Here’s how it works:

Instead of setting the club flat, raise the shaft so the club sits much more upright — almost like a putter.

Now the toe is the only part touching the ground.

From there:
• Stand closer to the ball
• Choke down significantly
• Let the club anchor into your lead arm
• Make a putting style stroke

Because you’re striking it off the toe, the ball comes out softer and with less energy.

That means:
More control.
Less grab from the grain.
More predictable rollout.

One important note:
This shot takes roughly 25% off the total distance, so make sure you’ve got room to let it release.

Simple setup.
Elite short game feel.

05/11/2026

Filmed on the 17th at Quail West — and this is a shot most golfers never practice.

Fairway bunker.
Long approach.
Limited room for error.

The biggest mistake?

Too much lateral movement.

When your body sways side to side, your low point shifts… and that’s when you catch it thin or heavy.

Here’s a simple way to train it:

Use a resistance band around your legs.

This creates feedback and helps you:
• Stay centered
• Reduce excessive sway
• Improve contact

You still shift pressure — but without sliding.

Stable base.
Controlled motion.
Clean strike.

And if you have the chance…
Use moments like this on the course to practice.

Because this is one of those shots you don’t get to rehearse often.

05/08/2026

Want to hit it farther without swinging harder?

Let’s talk about lag.

Lag is the angle created between your lead arm and the shaft at the top of the backswing. When that angle is maintained in transition, you store energy — and release it at impact.

No lag?
You lose speed and distance.

Create lag?
You store energy.
You increase clubhead speed.
You gain distance.

This week on the range, focus on setting your wrists, maintaining that angle, and swinging through in balance.

More lag.
More speed.
More distance.

05/03/2026

Three foot putts shouldn’t be stressful… but they are.

High expectation.
Small margin for error.

Here’s a drill to clean up your stroke and build confidence:

Grab any iron.

Your goal is to strike the ball with the leading edge — right at the equator.

Why this works:

The leading edge is small.
If your hands flip or the face moves, you’ll miss immediately.

This forces:
• A square clubface
• Quiet hands
• No wrist hinge
• A stable, controlled stroke

If the ball starts right → face is open
If it starts left → face is closed

Once you can control this, switch back to your putter.

Now the face feels bigger.
The stroke feels easier.

Small drill.
Big confidence boost.

04/28/2026

Struggling with pitch shots?

Start with the clubface.

Too many golfers set the club down slightly tilted without realizing it. When that leading edge isn’t square to the target, you’re not using the loft the club was designed to give you.

Step one:
Set the leading edge perpendicular to your target line.

Step two:
Slightly tilt your body left.

Step three:
Let the clubface feel like it works up toward the sky through impact.

Square face.
Use the loft.
Let the club do the work.

If you want higher, softer pitch shots, it starts before you ever swing.

Address

5950 Burnham Road
Naples, FL
34119

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