Now that golf season is swinging into action, it’s a good time to boost your golf IQ and learn some tips to lower your handicap.

Greg Smith, Westbrook Country Club head golf professional and Lexington boys golf coach; and Brad Ruminski, PGA pro at Oak Tree and the Shelby girls golf coach, share their expertise on the subject.

1. Focus on PGA

No, not Professional Golfers’ Association, but posture, grip and alignment. These three areas represent the foundation to hitting the ball effectively, Smith said.

Posture: Tilt your torso at approximately a 55-degree angle toward the ground. Most beginners want to bend their knees instead of their back, but squatting only makes you shorter, Smith said.

Grip: Place the club in your fingertips, not your palm. Smith said this may feel awkward at first, “but it’s going to make you successful later.”

Ruminski suggests relaxing your hands and forearms.

“If the hands and arms are too tight, they wind up doing the work and it takes away from what the body does,” he said.

Alignment: Make sure the ball is in line with the center of your body, Smith said. Use your bellybutton as a guide if you want.

There are differing opinions on ball position: some insist it should change depending on which club you use, while others say you should change the width of your stance, not ball position. 

Another thing to keep in mind is proper shoulder alignment.

“I think making sure that your shoulders are square is going to have the biggest effect on ball flight as far as the direction in which your ball is going to start,” Ruminski said. “You want to make that little extra effort to get those shoulders pointing down your target line, or even a little across your target line. It’s hard to be too closed. In most peoples’ cases they are always open in their shoulders.”

2. Control your pace from the top of the swing

“I think the No. 1 tendency in golf is that we start the down swing too quickly because we all want to generate power and speed from the top,” Ruminski said. “When we do that, our body jerks and our head tends to lunge forward or move and it causes us to hit unsolid or topped shots.

“That’s probably one of the most common mistakes made in golf is the topped shot (striking the ball above its equator).”

And remember to swing the club around your body, Smith said. 

Read more: These four simple exercises can improve your golf swing 

3. Familiarize yourself with golf lingo and rules

Understanding the rules of the game will give you a competitive edge over your opponents who don’t know much about golf.

Ruminski said he’s run into people over the years who take mulligans and fluff the ball here and there, fooling themselves into thinking they’re playing at a particular level.

“But then they get out there for an event and they have to play the ball down and they’re not able to touch it, not able to take their mulligans. It’s a rude awakening,” he said.

4. Don’t neglect your short game

Unlike the advice given by Chubbs Peterson in the movie “Happy Gilmore,” who says, “It’s all in the hips,” use your shoulders and core to move the club back and forth when putting.

Ruminski recommends keeping your hands and wrists quiet with your head and weight stable.

“You’ll want to develop a stroke that is on plane,” he said. “That’s something that takes a little work to determine whether you have a slight arc, a heavy arc or a straight back, straight through putting technique.”

5. Stay hydrated, do some stretches

Bring a water bottle with you and make sure you get plenty of fluids, especially when it’s hot out.

Warming up with a few simple stretches can help prevent injuries. Ruminski said some of the most common golf injuries affect the shoulders, chest muscles and elbows.

“Those are the areas that you want to stretch as best you can,” he said.