Get A Major Boost From Tee To Green With This Masters Champion's 5 Timeless Tips
The 2003 Masters Champion shares five timeless tips that will help you improve your golf from tee to green...


As we edge closer to the first major of the season, many amateur golfers will be dusting off their clubs and getting prepped for a big season of golf. In the pursuit of improvement, most of us will be scouring the internet for the best golf tips, but who better to learn from someone who has actually won The Masters?
In this article, 2003 Masters Champion Mike Weir talks us through his five timeless tee to green tips that can help you improve your all around game...
Mike Weir's Tee To Green Tips: Driving
I would say load into your left side if you’re a left-hander or more into your right side if you’re a right-hander. I see a lot of people who have a false turn; they don’t get wound up enough. This could mean letting your lead foot come off the ground so you can get truly wound up.
As you get older, you start to lose a little of your mobility. Let that foot come off the ground to allow yourself to give a big and full turn – that’s the key thing for driving.
Iron Play
Make sure you swing within yourself. It’s not about distance and how far you hit a 6-iron and how far you hit a 9-iron. It’s trying to control those distances, so just remember to swing within yourself. Take a little more club and swing with some confident tempo and rhythm as that will help your distance control.
Ultimately, the thing with good iron players is that they control their distances very well. Playing with Vijay Singh over the years, that’s the one thing I’ve always marvelled at with him.
He is pin high so often. If you’re pin high a lot then you’re going to be close to the hole. So if you can be pin high a lot, that’s a good sign for you as an iron player.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Reading Greens
I’d say use your feet. You want to use your eyes but also feel the putt in your feet. When you’re paying close attention, you’ll get a lot of sensory perception from your feet and you can feel whether you’re uphill, downhill or sidehill.
So when you’re walking on the green, try to get a feel for whether you’re walking uphill to the hole. If you’re above the hole, it’s likely you’re going to have a downhill putt. So remember to feel it with your feet and not only with your eyes. Definitely use those other senses that you have.
Short Putts
I think you want to tell yourself to have a nice, smooth acceleration into the ball. Keep a steady head and a steady lower body. It helps to have an image of Arnold Palmer in your mind, with his knees knocked in and really bracing himself on these short putts.
Also, think of Gary Player. There was no movement at all in their lower body and I think that’s a really good mindset for short putting.
Bunker Shots
There are a lot of thoughts you could have over a bunker shot. I would say get anchored well. Get your feet dug in deep. Don’t be afraid to hit the sand. I think most people try to scoop it out. Make sure you really spank that sand, hit it an inch or two behind the ball and really be aggressive.
Without getting too technical, try to use the bounce of the club and really bounce it into the ball. When Gary Player hit them, it was like he was striking a match. You want that club to get in and out of the sand quickly and you’re striking a match to light the flame. You don’t want to slow down or that match won’t light.
Barry joined Golf Monthly in January 2024, and now leads the instruction section across all platforms including print and digital. Working closely with Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches, he aims to curate and share useful tips on every aspect of the game - helping amateurs of all abilities to play better golf. A member at Sand Moor Golf Club in Leeds, he looks forward to getting out on the course at least once a week in the pursuit of a respectable handicap.
Barry is currently playing:
Driver: Benross Delta XT Driver
Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 4 Hybrid
Irons: Benross Delta XT 5-PW
Wedges: TaylorMade RAC 60, Callaway Jaws MD5 54
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
-
How To Watch The Players Championship: Live Streams, TV Channels, Schedule
This year will be the sixth running of the event, with 23 nationalities competing and with the final round played around Augusta National's iconic course.
By Roderick Easdale Published
-
Sun Day Red Launches Azalea Gold Collection, And It Might Be The Best 'Augusta-Themed' Range We Have Seen
Tiger Woods' brand has just released the new collection and we are big fans already...
By Sam Tremlett Published
-
Do You Struggle With Distance Off The Tee? Try This Quick Fix To Make 2025 Your Biggest Golf Season Yet
Struggling with distance off the tee could be a major reason why your handicap isn't coming down or your scores aren't improving, but our quick fix can help...
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Seve's 'Lost' Bunker Lesson: Master Slopes And Transform Your Short Game Today
Seve's forgotten bunker lesson, from Golf Monthly's August 1983 issue, could hold the secret to better bunker play and supercharging your short game this season
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Is Your Golf Swing Failing You? This All-Encompassing Drill Can Instantly Save It
Are you struggling with your golf swing? Discover the all-encompassing drill that can fix common swing faults and restore your game. Get back on track today!
By Tom Motley Published
-
I Attended An Exclusive Tee To Green Masterclass With A Top Golf Coach... Now I'm Sharing His 6 Transformative Tips With You
Few golfers get the chance to spend an entire day with a top golf coach, which is why I can't keep his six expert tips to myself. Get ready to play better golf!
By Barry Plummer Published
-
5 Things The Biggest Hitters Do To Generate Power In Their Golf Swing (And How You Can Copy Them)
Generating more power is a great way to improve your handicap and shoot lower scores. So, we analysed the biggest hitters in golf to help you hit it further...
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Vijay Singh's Secret To Playing Better Golf Has Been In Our Archive Since 1992... And 33 Years Later It Could Still Radically Improve Your Swing
I scoured through the Golf Monthly archives to find expert golf swing tips from the best players in the world. This gem from Vijay Singh did not disappoint...
By Barry Plummer Published
-
I'm Confident These 5 Tips Will Transform Your Golf Game In Time For The 2025 Season... Because They Come Straight From The French Open Champion!
Golf tips from a two-time DP World tour winner don't come around everyday, but Dan Bradbury's expert advice will help you to shoot better scores in 2025...
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Short Putts... Dead-Weight Or Firm? Our Experts Debate This Common Conundrum
Standing over a short putt with the match on the line is enough to make even the best putter feel a little uneasy. But, is it best to hit dead-weight or firm?
By Barry Plummer Published