Adrian Otaegui showed great promise during his amateur career, racking up a total of 11 titles, including the 2010 British Boys Amateur Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club in Scotland.
The man from San Sebastian, Spain, who recently switched allegiance from the country of his birth, now has five DP World Tour titles.
When we speak, it’s clear that he has a good understanding of where amateur golfers typically tend to struggle – and here, in his own words, he offers 10 of his top tee-to-green tips to help you tidy up your game and shoot lower scores.
MY TOP TIPS FOR AMATEUR GOLFERS
Adrian Otaegui
Adrian was mentored by Spanish legend Jose Maria Olazabal. After a successful amateur career, he joined the Challenge Tour. He played in the inaugural LIV Golf season in 2022, and he now has five DP World Tour titles to his name.
1 Beating a slice
A slice occurs when the clubface arrives at the ball open to the path – it almost arrives too early. So if you turn your upper body a little more in the driver backswing, you’ll release the club better and give yourself more time for the clubface to rotate back to square.
2 Reading greens
Once you’ve assessed the slope, choose a point halfway between your ball and the hole and stay focused on that. Putting is easy, it’s just line and speed – once you have your spot, don’t start second guessing yourself. Commit to it and your putting will improve.
3 Winning in match play
In match play you have to play your own game. Yes, there are situations where you need to react to what your opponent is doing, but don’t get sucked into that too much. Ultimately, if you stay focused on your own game and don’t make too many mistakes, your opponent will struggle to beat you.
4 Next shot after a shank
Accept it and forget it. Get into the next shot the best way you can. Focus on what you want to do, not what you don’t want to do.
“Pick a small point between your ball and the hole and roll your ball over that point”
5 Holing out from three feet
You need to simplify your putting. It’s just line and speed, but from short range your focus should mostly be on the line. So pick a small point between your ball and the hole and roll your ball over that point. Don’t think about the outcome, just think about getting your ball over that point.
6 Bunker play
Forget about the ball. Focus on the sand a couple of centimeters behind the ball, have it slightly ahead of center in your stance and use the bounce of the wedge by opening the face.
7 Increasing power
You need to use the big muscles – the abs, quads, glutes and the back. At the start of the downswing, use your abs and core to be solid at impact, creating a stable platform for the rest of your body to generate power.
The key to generating power is to use the big muscles
(Image credit: Getty Images)
8 Better ball-striking
Firstly, it’s important to get your clubface square at impact. I try and focus on a good strike, especially on a difficult shot, rather than swinging harder. Rhythm is important, too. I make sure to complete my backswing fully and then accelerate powerfully through the downswing.
9 More wedge spin
Spin is created by the friction between the ball and the face of the wedge. If you want to create more spin, you need an attack angle that is down but with a clubface that is open or lofted. You also need to accelerate the clubhead through impact.
10 How to practice
Know what you want to practice before you get to the range. When you’re there, always pick a target, ideally a small one, as golf is a target sport. Make yourself objectives in short bursts, so hit three balls to one target, five to another and so on.
