Last night I helped my mom put our family Christmas tree up in the house. We did a nice job getting it trimmed properly and set up nice and straight. As it is always unavoidable, needles were everywhere on the floor from the trip from garage to family room.

Being the good son that I am, I quickly grabbed a broom and helped tidy up. It reminded me of one of my favorite golf images that helps build good impact angles.

When we use a broom or paintbrush properly, we press down and forward, and the shaft or handle leads the bristles in the direction that we are sweeping. There is no flipping or flopping at any point, otherwise the Fir tree needles would fly everywhere!

Keep this in mind when you work on your chips and pitches. I like to hit lots of short shots in the basement, where I just chip into a camp chair. The feeling is that the handle of the golf club pulls the head end through the impact area, fairly slowly and deliberately, as though I were sweeping. I'll even attach a medium-sized paintbrush to the bottom of the club to really get the image.

I hope this is a good way to enjoy the busy holiday season and still get some practice in!! Grab a broom after family dinner and work on your game!!