For those of you wondering why I haven't updated the World Rankings in the sidebar, it's because I can't. For some reason, Blogger won't let me save changes I make in those gadgets.
For the record, there weren't any changes in any of the Rankings this past week.
Hopefully they'll get that fixed soon.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Limerick Summary: 2013 Web.com Tour Championship
Winner: Chesson Hadley
Around the wider world of golf: At the time of this writing, the Symetra Tour Championship hasn't finished so we won't know until later today who won and who got their LPGA Tour cards; Azahara Munoz won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France on the LET; Kirk Triplett defended at the Nature Valley First Tee Open on the Champions Tour (as well as winning the Pro-Jr Pro-Am with his partner Michelle Xie); David Howell won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the ET, his first win in 7 years; and Na Ri Lee won the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies on the JLPGA. (Although the Constructivist will have a post of his own sometime today, I got this info from a post on Bangkok Bobby's site.)
We finally know who "The 50" will be -- those 50 lucky pros to gain their PGA Tour cards for 2014. (You can see that list right here at this link. It shows everybody from the #1 seed to the #128 seed.) John Peterson won the Finals money list and therefore shares the #1 ranking with Michael Putnam, winner of "The 25," the Web.com Tour's regular season card winners.
But just because you don't get the #1 seed doesn't mean you don't get a trophy. Chesson Hadley got the win this week, and all the bling that goes with it. (He also got the #3 seed, in case you're interested, and won a total of $229,433.33 for his trouble.) For all the drama we saw during Sunday's final round, Hadley wasn't really part of it. He pretty much waltzed through it all -- he was already the #3 seed from "The 25" and he led by several strokes most of the day, so nothing much really changed for him.
Except for getting that trophy. The trophy's a nice thing to have. If you missed any of the details about the final round, you can read a summary from the Web.com Tour's site here.
Of course, the debates will now begin over whether the Web.com Finals need to be tweaked. I think they do, and tomorrow I'll share my own plan for the new and improved PGA Tour Q-School replacement. (We all know how the Web.com Tour is waiting breathlessly to implement my suggestions, right?)
But for now I'll just offer up this week's Limerick Summary, along with a good luck wish to Chesson and his wife as they await their first child:
Around the wider world of golf: At the time of this writing, the Symetra Tour Championship hasn't finished so we won't know until later today who won and who got their LPGA Tour cards; Azahara Munoz won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France on the LET; Kirk Triplett defended at the Nature Valley First Tee Open on the Champions Tour (as well as winning the Pro-Jr Pro-Am with his partner Michelle Xie); David Howell won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the ET, his first win in 7 years; and Na Ri Lee won the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies on the JLPGA. (Although the Constructivist will have a post of his own sometime today, I got this info from a post on Bangkok Bobby's site.)
We finally know who "The 50" will be -- those 50 lucky pros to gain their PGA Tour cards for 2014. (You can see that list right here at this link. It shows everybody from the #1 seed to the #128 seed.) John Peterson won the Finals money list and therefore shares the #1 ranking with Michael Putnam, winner of "The 25," the Web.com Tour's regular season card winners.
But just because you don't get the #1 seed doesn't mean you don't get a trophy. Chesson Hadley got the win this week, and all the bling that goes with it. (He also got the #3 seed, in case you're interested, and won a total of $229,433.33 for his trouble.) For all the drama we saw during Sunday's final round, Hadley wasn't really part of it. He pretty much waltzed through it all -- he was already the #3 seed from "The 25" and he led by several strokes most of the day, so nothing much really changed for him.
Except for getting that trophy. The trophy's a nice thing to have. If you missed any of the details about the final round, you can read a summary from the Web.com Tour's site here.
Of course, the debates will now begin over whether the Web.com Finals need to be tweaked. I think they do, and tomorrow I'll share my own plan for the new and improved PGA Tour Q-School replacement. (We all know how the Web.com Tour is waiting breathlessly to implement my suggestions, right?)
But for now I'll just offer up this week's Limerick Summary, along with a good luck wish to Chesson and his wife as they await their first child:
The first Finals didn’t go badly—The photo came from the summary at the Web.com Tour's site.
At least, if you ask Chesson Hadley!
They filled up his coffers
With all the win offered;
He took all the Tour swag quite gladly.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Playing a Sidehill Downhill Lie
I found this neat video over at golftipsmag.com. PGA teaching pro Jeff Johnson left this video with a very simple tip to improve your shots from a sidehill lie.
This is really simple, folks; it's all about posture. While this lie requires you to bend your knees a bit more -- so you can get down closer to the ball -- you have to make sure that you don't "sit back" into the hill too much. If you do, you'll end up swinging too flat, too much along the line of the slope, and that will make it hard to get the ball up in the air. If you don't get it up in the air, you aren't going to hit it very far!
On the other hand, you don't have to lean toward the ball so much that you lose your balance. Just make sure that you lean forward enough to get an upright swing. That's how you dig down and make solid contact with the ball.
Don't forget that the ball is going to curve down along the side of the slope. (That's a slice, no matter whether you're a leftie or a rightie. They included a trace of the ball's flight near the end of the video. See how much it curved?) You'll probably need to aim more uphill so the ball doesn't curve into even worse trouble.
This is really simple, folks; it's all about posture. While this lie requires you to bend your knees a bit more -- so you can get down closer to the ball -- you have to make sure that you don't "sit back" into the hill too much. If you do, you'll end up swinging too flat, too much along the line of the slope, and that will make it hard to get the ball up in the air. If you don't get it up in the air, you aren't going to hit it very far!
On the other hand, you don't have to lean toward the ball so much that you lose your balance. Just make sure that you lean forward enough to get an upright swing. That's how you dig down and make solid contact with the ball.
Don't forget that the ball is going to curve down along the side of the slope. (That's a slice, no matter whether you're a leftie or a rightie. They included a trace of the ball's flight near the end of the video. See how much it curved?) You'll probably need to aim more uphill so the ball doesn't curve into even worse trouble.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
The OF THE YEARs Are Announced
Friday our three OF THE YEARs were finally made official. (Three? Did I say three? Yes I did!)
Our Player OF THE YEAR, no big surprise, was Tiger Woods. While there was a lot of talk about Phil and Adam and even Henrik (was anybody really talking about Kuch?), Tiger was the clear winner here. Five PGA Tour wins including the TPC was far and away the best performance of any player. (Don't forget 2 Top6s in majors and the scoring trophy.)
All the debates over Tiger not winning a major clearly didn't hold water among the players. The World Golf Hall of Fame says a TPC carries equal weight to a major, and even the players agree that the TPC has a tougher field than any major -- only the PGA comes close. I understand the arguments for both Phil and Adam -- Phil won a major he never expected to win, and Adam won the major no Australian has ever won -- but Tiger has had trouble with the TPC even when he was winning majors at a serious clip. Winning it again (over a decade later) was clearly a huge accomplishment. Mike McAllister at PGATOUR.com made that point in this article (from which the photo also comes).
Our Rookie OF THE YEAR, again no surprise, was Jordan Spieth. That whole journey from no status anywhere to #7 in the FedExCup pretty much speaks for itself. It'll be interesting to see where Jordan goes from here, since most young overachievers on Tour (or in any sport, for that matter) seem to hit a sophomore slump.
And our third OF THE YEAR was the Low European Tour Round OF THE YEAR, posted by none other than Peter Uihlein on the Kingsbarn course at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. (They also play Carnoustie and St. Andrews.) Uihlein almost shot the first-ever 59 on the ET -- and since Kingsbarns is a par-72, he would have had to shoot 13-under to do it. He had an eagle putt on his final hole for the 59 (it would have been his third eagle of the round!) and made a great putt that barely missed. His 60 -- note that he did birdie the final hole to get his score -- is the lowest ET round this season.
You can read about Uihlein's accomplishment at this link. And Peter -- who won earlier this year -- is at -13 overall, just a couple of shots off Tom Lewis's lead.
So there they are, Friday's three OF THE YEAR moments. Only Uihlein's really counts as a surprise, but they're all pretty cool.
Our Player OF THE YEAR, no big surprise, was Tiger Woods. While there was a lot of talk about Phil and Adam and even Henrik (was anybody really talking about Kuch?), Tiger was the clear winner here. Five PGA Tour wins including the TPC was far and away the best performance of any player. (Don't forget 2 Top6s in majors and the scoring trophy.)
All the debates over Tiger not winning a major clearly didn't hold water among the players. The World Golf Hall of Fame says a TPC carries equal weight to a major, and even the players agree that the TPC has a tougher field than any major -- only the PGA comes close. I understand the arguments for both Phil and Adam -- Phil won a major he never expected to win, and Adam won the major no Australian has ever won -- but Tiger has had trouble with the TPC even when he was winning majors at a serious clip. Winning it again (over a decade later) was clearly a huge accomplishment. Mike McAllister at PGATOUR.com made that point in this article (from which the photo also comes).
Our Rookie OF THE YEAR, again no surprise, was Jordan Spieth. That whole journey from no status anywhere to #7 in the FedExCup pretty much speaks for itself. It'll be interesting to see where Jordan goes from here, since most young overachievers on Tour (or in any sport, for that matter) seem to hit a sophomore slump.
And our third OF THE YEAR was the Low European Tour Round OF THE YEAR, posted by none other than Peter Uihlein on the Kingsbarn course at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. (They also play Carnoustie and St. Andrews.) Uihlein almost shot the first-ever 59 on the ET -- and since Kingsbarns is a par-72, he would have had to shoot 13-under to do it. He had an eagle putt on his final hole for the 59 (it would have been his third eagle of the round!) and made a great putt that barely missed. His 60 -- note that he did birdie the final hole to get his score -- is the lowest ET round this season.
You can read about Uihlein's accomplishment at this link. And Peter -- who won earlier this year -- is at -13 overall, just a couple of shots off Tom Lewis's lead.
So there they are, Friday's three OF THE YEAR moments. Only Uihlein's really counts as a surprise, but they're all pretty cool.
Friday, September 27, 2013
What's Wrong with Paddy H?
Thursday gave us two examples of how strange the game of golf can be.
At CordeValle in San Martin CA, they played the USGA Senior Women's Am. The 2014 Curtis Cup captain, Ellen Port, successfully defended her title. This gives her 6 USGA titles, which puts her in some rare company. She's tied with Glenna Collett Vare and Hollis Stacy on the all-time USGA women's list. Here are the only players -- both male and female -- with more USGA titles than her:
At the other end of the spectrum we had Padraig Harrington, who shot 76 (+4) Thursday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This tied him for 154th place... and there were only 168 pros in the field. (Before Michael Campbell withdrew, that is.) We talk about how badly Rory has played, but Paddy has dropped to 95th on the OWGR and has earned only half the points Rory has. On the bright side, he lost a lot fewer points from his OWGR total than Rory... but that's because he has played so badly for the last 2 or 3 years that he hadn't made that many points to begin with.
That's a sad state of affairs for a 3-time major champion, don't you think? What's happened to Paddy?
The short answer is that he's tinkered with his swing until it doesn't work the way it used to. He's got a long way to go before he hits the depths to which Lee Westwood or Henrik Stenson dropped before they came back, but he's clearly on a trajectory that hasn't reached bottom yet. His decision to make those changes -- some say they were drastic, Paddy says they weren't -- has been constantly criticized.
He'll get it figured out eventually if he doesn't get frustrated and give up. He's too talented not to. There are the moments of brilliance -- according to the ET website, he's had 8 rounds in the 60s this year and another 10 rounds of 70 or 71, which were basically par rounds. In addition, he's had a 4th and a T6 finish. Still, he's missed 6 of 13 cuts -- not what we expect from Paddy.
Yeah, he'll get it figured out eventually. But the big question is when he'll figure it out, and that's an answer we're not likely to get anytime soon. In that sense, even a major winner like Padraig Harrington is no different from a weekend golfer. No matter how hard he works, no matter what instructor or trainers he surrounds himself with, the game still refuses to bow to him.
If there's anything we can learn from Paddy -- or Tiger, or Lee, or Henrik for that matter -- it's that we shouldn't give up on ourselves. I often say that it's not hard to play golf, it's just hard to play like Tiger or Phil or some other pro. All sports are much tougher at the very top than they are for the rest of us. (Note that Paddy's "horrible" scores would make most of us very happy!) If they don't give up when they have it so much harder than we do, we shouldn't throw in the towel either.
But just the same, I'd add that it's a good idea not to make drastic changes to your swing if you don't need them. That might be a good lesson too. ;-)
At CordeValle in San Martin CA, they played the USGA Senior Women's Am. The 2014 Curtis Cup captain, Ellen Port, successfully defended her title. This gives her 6 USGA titles, which puts her in some rare company. She's tied with Glenna Collett Vare and Hollis Stacy on the all-time USGA women's list. Here are the only players -- both male and female -- with more USGA titles than her:
- Tiger Woods & Bobby Jones, 9
- Jack Nicklaus & Joanne Carner, 8
- Carol Semple Thompson & Anne Quast Sander, 7
At the other end of the spectrum we had Padraig Harrington, who shot 76 (+4) Thursday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This tied him for 154th place... and there were only 168 pros in the field. (Before Michael Campbell withdrew, that is.) We talk about how badly Rory has played, but Paddy has dropped to 95th on the OWGR and has earned only half the points Rory has. On the bright side, he lost a lot fewer points from his OWGR total than Rory... but that's because he has played so badly for the last 2 or 3 years that he hadn't made that many points to begin with.
That's a sad state of affairs for a 3-time major champion, don't you think? What's happened to Paddy?
The short answer is that he's tinkered with his swing until it doesn't work the way it used to. He's got a long way to go before he hits the depths to which Lee Westwood or Henrik Stenson dropped before they came back, but he's clearly on a trajectory that hasn't reached bottom yet. His decision to make those changes -- some say they were drastic, Paddy says they weren't -- has been constantly criticized.
He'll get it figured out eventually if he doesn't get frustrated and give up. He's too talented not to. There are the moments of brilliance -- according to the ET website, he's had 8 rounds in the 60s this year and another 10 rounds of 70 or 71, which were basically par rounds. In addition, he's had a 4th and a T6 finish. Still, he's missed 6 of 13 cuts -- not what we expect from Paddy.
Yeah, he'll get it figured out eventually. But the big question is when he'll figure it out, and that's an answer we're not likely to get anytime soon. In that sense, even a major winner like Padraig Harrington is no different from a weekend golfer. No matter how hard he works, no matter what instructor or trainers he surrounds himself with, the game still refuses to bow to him.
If there's anything we can learn from Paddy -- or Tiger, or Lee, or Henrik for that matter -- it's that we shouldn't give up on ourselves. I often say that it's not hard to play golf, it's just hard to play like Tiger or Phil or some other pro. All sports are much tougher at the very top than they are for the rest of us. (Note that Paddy's "horrible" scores would make most of us very happy!) If they don't give up when they have it so much harder than we do, we shouldn't throw in the towel either.
But just the same, I'd add that it's a good idea not to make drastic changes to your swing if you don't need them. That might be a good lesson too. ;-)
Thursday, September 26, 2013
A Drill from Henrik Stenson
In case you didn't see Morning Drive on Wednesday, Henrik Stenson was on the show for maybe 90 minutes. While he was there, he did several teaching spots. There was one I really wanted to highlight.
In the following video Billy Harmon and Damon Hack get some tips on how to hit solid iron shots:
This clip reiterates several things I mention frequently on this blog. I want to point out that Henrik's instructor Pete Cowen teaches a classic swing move, which focuses on the upper body's role in the swing more than the lower body's. (The modern swing focuses on the lower body.) However, many of the fundamentals are the same and Henrik had a great drill that works well with either swing. I'll get to that in a moment.
First let's look at a few of the things I've mentioned before that Henrik keyed on.
Henrik talks about beginning his downswing with a downward move, not a leg push toward the target. The hips move toward the target later in the swing as a consequence of the proper downward move. This is necessary for the stability that allows him to hit the ball consistently. He describes the way he feels this move as his right (trailing) shoulder beginning his downswing.
He also talks about feeling as if the upper and lower body start down almost together. (In fact, Billy Harmon makes a point of stressing this idea.) The lower body braces against the ground so the shoulder coil can begin to unwind from the top of the downswing. The lower body HAS to start first -- as I've said repeatedly, it's physically impossible to start a properly-coiled downswing any other way -- but the two are working together so closely that it can be hard to detect the difference at first.
Note also that Henrik demonstrates two wrong ways to do it -- one involves the lower body turning toward the target too quickly (which causes him to lean backward), the other involves the upper body moving too much toward the target (again causing an unwanted lean). These leans ruin your ability to hit the ball solidly.
A quick note: There's a strange comment about the muscles turning the skeleton rather than the skeleton turning the muscles. What he means is that the muscles can contract and make you move without causing a lot of excess body movement, but you have to make large body movements to get the skeleton moving. Henrik's swing doesn't use a lot of big movements in the downswing.
The drill I mentioned starts around the 4:00 mark. It doesn't require a club so you can do it while you watch TV. Henrik simply takes his address position and places his hands palms down in front of him as if they were on a tabletop. He then swings them up to about shoulder height on his trailing side, as if he was placing his palms against a wall. Finally he swings them back down to his address position.
Study this section of the video. You'll see that he keeps his legs and hips pretty quiet on the way back; he can do that because he's only coiling his shoulders partway, just as I had you do in the practice drill for hitting a draw last week. Then as he turns back to address, he braces his trailing knee and it does move his body slightly forward as he moves down. See how his left leg flexes as his weight shifts to it?
This drill will help you learn to make a solid downward move on the ball and get a good weight shift WITHOUT a lot of excess lower body movement. If Henrik says something this simple helps him, don't you think it's worth a try?
In case you can't get the video to run, you can click this link to get the original at GC's website.
In the following video Billy Harmon and Damon Hack get some tips on how to hit solid iron shots:
This clip reiterates several things I mention frequently on this blog. I want to point out that Henrik's instructor Pete Cowen teaches a classic swing move, which focuses on the upper body's role in the swing more than the lower body's. (The modern swing focuses on the lower body.) However, many of the fundamentals are the same and Henrik had a great drill that works well with either swing. I'll get to that in a moment.
First let's look at a few of the things I've mentioned before that Henrik keyed on.
Henrik talks about beginning his downswing with a downward move, not a leg push toward the target. The hips move toward the target later in the swing as a consequence of the proper downward move. This is necessary for the stability that allows him to hit the ball consistently. He describes the way he feels this move as his right (trailing) shoulder beginning his downswing.
He also talks about feeling as if the upper and lower body start down almost together. (In fact, Billy Harmon makes a point of stressing this idea.) The lower body braces against the ground so the shoulder coil can begin to unwind from the top of the downswing. The lower body HAS to start first -- as I've said repeatedly, it's physically impossible to start a properly-coiled downswing any other way -- but the two are working together so closely that it can be hard to detect the difference at first.
Note also that Henrik demonstrates two wrong ways to do it -- one involves the lower body turning toward the target too quickly (which causes him to lean backward), the other involves the upper body moving too much toward the target (again causing an unwanted lean). These leans ruin your ability to hit the ball solidly.
A quick note: There's a strange comment about the muscles turning the skeleton rather than the skeleton turning the muscles. What he means is that the muscles can contract and make you move without causing a lot of excess body movement, but you have to make large body movements to get the skeleton moving. Henrik's swing doesn't use a lot of big movements in the downswing.
The drill I mentioned starts around the 4:00 mark. It doesn't require a club so you can do it while you watch TV. Henrik simply takes his address position and places his hands palms down in front of him as if they were on a tabletop. He then swings them up to about shoulder height on his trailing side, as if he was placing his palms against a wall. Finally he swings them back down to his address position.
Study this section of the video. You'll see that he keeps his legs and hips pretty quiet on the way back; he can do that because he's only coiling his shoulders partway, just as I had you do in the practice drill for hitting a draw last week. Then as he turns back to address, he braces his trailing knee and it does move his body slightly forward as he moves down. See how his left leg flexes as his weight shifts to it?
This drill will help you learn to make a solid downward move on the ball and get a good weight shift WITHOUT a lot of excess lower body movement. If Henrik says something this simple helps him, don't you think it's worth a try?
In case you can't get the video to run, you can click this link to get the original at GC's website.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Why the Korean Women Play So Well
There's been a lot of debate about why the Korean women have become such a dominant force on the LPGA. The general conclusion has been that they work harder than anyone else -- and I don't doubt that they work hard -- but I'm pretty sure that's NOT the reason.
I don't have any experience with Korean golf instruction but I DO have some experience with Korean martial arts... and if my experience is any indication, the reason for Korean excellence is really simple: Fundamentals. (BTW, we had more than a few instructors at the school who were golfers, including one who played the Web.com Tour at the time. My instructors explained things to me more than once by using golf analogies. So I'm pretty sure I'm on target with this.)
I took two years of Tae Kwon Do when I was 46 and 47, back around 2003-2005. I finally had to quit because of a foot injury (not received in TKD class) and a job change that interfered with my classes. During that time I got where I could do hard workouts with the 20-somethings without undue stress -- although I was sore for nearly a year until I reached that point -- but once I got there it was amazing. I would have never believed I could have done it if I hadn't been there to see it. ;-) And I did well enough to receive two "Most Improved" awards at my belt level while I was there.
How did my instructors get me to that point? Was it just hard work? Well, classes lasted around 50 minutes and Master Kim usually recommended no more than 5 classes a week. He was very happy if we showed up 3 times a week. So it wasn't just how much we worked.
But although we each had belt-specific curriculum that we were learning, each class began with everybody working out together. And I mean everybody -- from the newest white belt to the most senior black belt, which basically covered everybody from 1 month of training to 15 years or more. And what did we do? Fundamentals. Everybody worked out together as a class, doing the same things -- black belts teaching the white belts proper technique, and white belts helping the black belts become better because (as every teacher knows) you always learn more when you're teaching. In fact, we used to say that when you got a black belt, you'd finally learned enough that Master Kim could teach you to do it right.
Those fundamentals workouts usually ran 20-30 minutes, but I remember several classes where we spent 45 minutes working together on fundamentals. That left only 5 minutes to divide into our belt-specific groups and get a little quick instruction. But our TKD school consistently placed well in competitions (at all belt levels). In fact, Master Kim was one of the US TKD Olympic coaches in London, so I feel it's safe to say he knew what he was doing.
And what he focused on was fundamentals. I have no doubt that the Korean golf instructors are also focused on teaching their students fundamentals. Just look at their swings! How often do you hear the TV commentators talk about the rhythm, the tempo, the balance of their swings?
In my experience, US players (and instructors) focus on shotmaking. The Koreans may not have as many shots in their repertoires as the US players, but then they're in the fairway and on the greens more often and don't need as many recovery shots. They play more consistently and so they put themselves in position to win more often.
I'm not saying that US players should pay less attention to shotmaking, just that they need to put more emphasis on their fundamentals. On days when you aren't at your best, it's fundamentals that keep you in contention. And that's why I spend most of the instructional posts on this blog talking about fundamentals -- when you don't have a lot of time to practice, it's more important than ever that you focus on your fundamentals.
That's the big Korean golf secret. I'll let you have it for free.
I don't have any experience with Korean golf instruction but I DO have some experience with Korean martial arts... and if my experience is any indication, the reason for Korean excellence is really simple: Fundamentals. (BTW, we had more than a few instructors at the school who were golfers, including one who played the Web.com Tour at the time. My instructors explained things to me more than once by using golf analogies. So I'm pretty sure I'm on target with this.)
I took two years of Tae Kwon Do when I was 46 and 47, back around 2003-2005. I finally had to quit because of a foot injury (not received in TKD class) and a job change that interfered with my classes. During that time I got where I could do hard workouts with the 20-somethings without undue stress -- although I was sore for nearly a year until I reached that point -- but once I got there it was amazing. I would have never believed I could have done it if I hadn't been there to see it. ;-) And I did well enough to receive two "Most Improved" awards at my belt level while I was there.
How did my instructors get me to that point? Was it just hard work? Well, classes lasted around 50 minutes and Master Kim usually recommended no more than 5 classes a week. He was very happy if we showed up 3 times a week. So it wasn't just how much we worked.
But although we each had belt-specific curriculum that we were learning, each class began with everybody working out together. And I mean everybody -- from the newest white belt to the most senior black belt, which basically covered everybody from 1 month of training to 15 years or more. And what did we do? Fundamentals. Everybody worked out together as a class, doing the same things -- black belts teaching the white belts proper technique, and white belts helping the black belts become better because (as every teacher knows) you always learn more when you're teaching. In fact, we used to say that when you got a black belt, you'd finally learned enough that Master Kim could teach you to do it right.
Those fundamentals workouts usually ran 20-30 minutes, but I remember several classes where we spent 45 minutes working together on fundamentals. That left only 5 minutes to divide into our belt-specific groups and get a little quick instruction. But our TKD school consistently placed well in competitions (at all belt levels). In fact, Master Kim was one of the US TKD Olympic coaches in London, so I feel it's safe to say he knew what he was doing.
And what he focused on was fundamentals. I have no doubt that the Korean golf instructors are also focused on teaching their students fundamentals. Just look at their swings! How often do you hear the TV commentators talk about the rhythm, the tempo, the balance of their swings?
In my experience, US players (and instructors) focus on shotmaking. The Koreans may not have as many shots in their repertoires as the US players, but then they're in the fairway and on the greens more often and don't need as many recovery shots. They play more consistently and so they put themselves in position to win more often.
I'm not saying that US players should pay less attention to shotmaking, just that they need to put more emphasis on their fundamentals. On days when you aren't at your best, it's fundamentals that keep you in contention. And that's why I spend most of the instructional posts on this blog talking about fundamentals -- when you don't have a lot of time to practice, it's more important than ever that you focus on your fundamentals.
That's the big Korean golf secret. I'll let you have it for free.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
And Now the Web.com Tour Championship
Since I still don't have my new RGWR database set up (now I'm just hoping to have it up and running for next month's rankings) I'm going to look ahead to that other Tour Championship this week.
The Web.com Tour Championship determines the other 50 PGA Tour cards to be awarded for next year. (Well, 25 were already determined at the end of the Web.com Tour season... but now the seedings are up for grabs.) Here is the list of the current money list positions for the players, and I have to say that I find this list very interesting. Bear in mind that the winner this week gets $180,000.
Sitting at the top of the list is Seung-Yul Noh with $210,125. Guess what? He's not playing this week! Seung-Yul had been away from his home in Korea for months and they said during the tournament he won that he was getting homesick. (For example, he was going to the same Korean restaurant every night and it wasn't for superstitious reasons.) He's locked up his card and he decided that's good enough.
According to the Web.com Tour Championship preview, anybody down to #29 could take first place from him. Why is first place such a big deal? Because the top finisher gets full Tour privileges (no priority reshuffle during next season) and a trip to the TPC. Michael Putnam, who sits at #10, already has full Tour privileges since he won the regular Web.com Tour season.
Patrick Cantlay at #7 (his card locked up as well) is also sitting the week out with back problems.
Several players will get Tour cards no matter what happens. Andrew Svoboda and Trevor Immelman (who won the other two events in these playoffs), Ryo Ishikawa, and Will Mackenzie are in that group. Bud Cauley will probably get his also, although some good play this week will assure it.
But good play isn't assured for anybody. This final event will be played at TPC Sawgrass -- the Dye’s Valley course -- which is a 6,864 yards, par 70 layout... and the word is that this sucker may be even tougher than the Stadium Course where the TPC is played.
This could be REALLY fun... for us fans, anyway. GC coverage begins at 3pm ET Thursday. I think I heard that the pregame show starts at 2pm.
The Web.com Tour Championship determines the other 50 PGA Tour cards to be awarded for next year. (Well, 25 were already determined at the end of the Web.com Tour season... but now the seedings are up for grabs.) Here is the list of the current money list positions for the players, and I have to say that I find this list very interesting. Bear in mind that the winner this week gets $180,000.
Sitting at the top of the list is Seung-Yul Noh with $210,125. Guess what? He's not playing this week! Seung-Yul had been away from his home in Korea for months and they said during the tournament he won that he was getting homesick. (For example, he was going to the same Korean restaurant every night and it wasn't for superstitious reasons.) He's locked up his card and he decided that's good enough.
According to the Web.com Tour Championship preview, anybody down to #29 could take first place from him. Why is first place such a big deal? Because the top finisher gets full Tour privileges (no priority reshuffle during next season) and a trip to the TPC. Michael Putnam, who sits at #10, already has full Tour privileges since he won the regular Web.com Tour season.
Patrick Cantlay at #7 (his card locked up as well) is also sitting the week out with back problems.
Several players will get Tour cards no matter what happens. Andrew Svoboda and Trevor Immelman (who won the other two events in these playoffs), Ryo Ishikawa, and Will Mackenzie are in that group. Bud Cauley will probably get his also, although some good play this week will assure it.
But good play isn't assured for anybody. This final event will be played at TPC Sawgrass -- the Dye’s Valley course -- which is a 6,864 yards, par 70 layout... and the word is that this sucker may be even tougher than the Stadium Course where the TPC is played.
This could be REALLY fun... for us fans, anyway. GC coverage begins at 3pm ET Thursday. I think I heard that the pregame show starts at 2pm.
Monday, September 23, 2013
The Limerick Summary: 2013 Tour Championship
Winner: Henrik Stenson
Around the wider world of golf: The American team retained the PGA Cup, although the GB&I team put on a blistering performance Sunday to end the matches in a tie; Andre Stolz won the South Pacific Open Championship on the Australasian Tour; Mark Wiebe got his second win of the season at the Champions Tour's Pacific Links Hawai'i Championship; Julien Quesne won the 70° Open D'Italia Lindt on the ET; Do-Yeon Kim won the Taiwan LPGA CTBC Open on the Ladies Asian Tour; Hannah Yun won the Volvik Championship on the Symetra Tour; and Sakura Yokomine won the Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic on the JLPGA. (Click the links on those last two for details from the Constructivist.)
It was one of those things that can only happen in America -- the Ice Man heating things up in Hotlanta. (For those of you outside the US, "Hotlanta" is one of those crazy nicknames we Americans give our cities -- in this case, Atlanta, Georgia.)
Granted, Henrik Stenson wasn't the only guy generating some heat in the final round of the Tour Championship... but he was certainly creating the most heat. He had been doing it all week.
Jordan Spieth worked up a good little blaze on his own. My pick to win the FedExCup didn't quite pull it off but he did manage to make things exciting and he finished in 7th place, easily the best finish ever by a rookie making it to the Tour Championship (and finishing T2 in the main event). He put an exclamation point on his Rookie of the Year campaign and will probably make it up near 20 in the OWGR.
The other T2-er, Steve Stricker, put on another big show as well, grabbing 3rd in the FedExCup race. Stricker's Savages will certainly be celebrating this one... and dreaming about next year's majors.
But it was Stenson who made the biggest statement of them all. The first Swede -- hell, the first non-American -- to win the Tour Championship and the FedExCup seemed quite comfortable with his position on top of the heap. His dominant play on both the PGA and Euro Tours over the last few months has just been mind-blowing in its consistency. If anybody can claim a right to this monster victory, it's Henrik.
So this week's Limerick Summary salutes the game's coolest player... and sends its condolences to the European Tour. After all, he's coming after YOUR money title now!
Around the wider world of golf: The American team retained the PGA Cup, although the GB&I team put on a blistering performance Sunday to end the matches in a tie; Andre Stolz won the South Pacific Open Championship on the Australasian Tour; Mark Wiebe got his second win of the season at the Champions Tour's Pacific Links Hawai'i Championship; Julien Quesne won the 70° Open D'Italia Lindt on the ET; Do-Yeon Kim won the Taiwan LPGA CTBC Open on the Ladies Asian Tour; Hannah Yun won the Volvik Championship on the Symetra Tour; and Sakura Yokomine won the Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic on the JLPGA. (Click the links on those last two for details from the Constructivist.)
It was one of those things that can only happen in America -- the Ice Man heating things up in Hotlanta. (For those of you outside the US, "Hotlanta" is one of those crazy nicknames we Americans give our cities -- in this case, Atlanta, Georgia.)
Granted, Henrik Stenson wasn't the only guy generating some heat in the final round of the Tour Championship... but he was certainly creating the most heat. He had been doing it all week.
Jordan Spieth worked up a good little blaze on his own. My pick to win the FedExCup didn't quite pull it off but he did manage to make things exciting and he finished in 7th place, easily the best finish ever by a rookie making it to the Tour Championship (and finishing T2 in the main event). He put an exclamation point on his Rookie of the Year campaign and will probably make it up near 20 in the OWGR.
The other T2-er, Steve Stricker, put on another big show as well, grabbing 3rd in the FedExCup race. Stricker's Savages will certainly be celebrating this one... and dreaming about next year's majors.
But it was Stenson who made the biggest statement of them all. The first Swede -- hell, the first non-American -- to win the Tour Championship and the FedExCup seemed quite comfortable with his position on top of the heap. His dominant play on both the PGA and Euro Tours over the last few months has just been mind-blowing in its consistency. If anybody can claim a right to this monster victory, it's Henrik.
So this week's Limerick Summary salutes the game's coolest player... and sends its condolences to the European Tour. After all, he's coming after YOUR money title now!
Calling Henrik “The Ice Man” sounds quaint…The photo came from the Tour Championship homepage at PGATOUR.com.
But unnerved by the moment he ain’t.
He beat the whole field up
To win the FedEx Cup—
Now Dubai’s in line to get spanked!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
How to Hit a Draw for Lefties 5
This is the last day of "drawing class," folks. There's just a few loose ends left to tie up. One last reminder...
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties --which are identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
If you've followed the previous posts in the series, you should have a good handle on how to get a consistent draw on your shots. The aiming method we've used -- simply aiming the club face down our aim line and closing our stance to create the necessary sidespin -- will give you a simple method to consistently aim your shot where you want it to go. It's true that, if you aim the ball directly at the flag, the ball will tend to land on a line with the flag and scoot past it, giving you a slightly bigger draw than you intended. The simplest fix for this is to just aim a bit to the left side of the flag; then the ball will land to the left side of the flag and scoot toward it.
The reason the "new ball flight laws" seem so strange is that they try to take this aiming problem into account. In the drawing above, your club face is aimed along the dotted line while your body -- and therefore your swing path -- is aligned on a path to the left of the ball flight.
You can use either method you choose to hit your draw -- the one we've been using or the altered one Mayo explains in the video -- and get good results. I do think my way is simpler, and that's why I taught it to you.
But if there is something between you and your target (like a tree), THE ONE THING YOU SIMPLY MUST REMEMBER TO DO regardless of which method you choose is to make sure the face of your club is aimed around the tree (or whatever) so you don't hit it. I guess that should be obvious -- you're all intelligent people -- but that's really the big change the "new ball flight laws" have shown us. (Under the old understanding of ball flight, we all thought you could aim at the tree and the ball would curve around it as long as your swing path was aimed around it. It won't. Science marches on...)
Now, to answer the last of the questions Peter left on the video post:
There's a certain amount of trial and error here, and there's no way around that. You'll figure out how much you need for your normal shots pretty quickly because it's just a matter of comfort; how do I need to set up to be sure I'll get a draw? For trouble shots, you'll have to experiment a little. But if you start trying to reduce it to a formula ("10 degree face, 15 degree path" for example) you'll just drive yourself nuts because there's no way to be that accurate with your swing.
And I think that pretty much covers everything. You now have a method to help you learn how to hit a consistent draw, and you know how to aim it. If you guys have any more questions, just leave them in the comments and I'll answer them.
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties --which are identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
If you've followed the previous posts in the series, you should have a good handle on how to get a consistent draw on your shots. The aiming method we've used -- simply aiming the club face down our aim line and closing our stance to create the necessary sidespin -- will give you a simple method to consistently aim your shot where you want it to go. It's true that, if you aim the ball directly at the flag, the ball will tend to land on a line with the flag and scoot past it, giving you a slightly bigger draw than you intended. The simplest fix for this is to just aim a bit to the left side of the flag; then the ball will land to the left side of the flag and scoot toward it.
The reason the "new ball flight laws" seem so strange is that they try to take this aiming problem into account. In the drawing above, your club face is aimed along the dotted line while your body -- and therefore your swing path -- is aligned on a path to the left of the ball flight.
One of the quirks of the "new ball flight laws" is that we now know the ball starts out on a flight path much closer to where the club face points than to where the swing path is aimed. The draw you're actually hitting with our setup doesn't make as big a curve as I've shown in the diagram above, but I needed to make it big enough for you to see it clearly.What the "new ball flight laws" suggest -- and what instructor Joseph Mayo was explaining in the video that started this whole series of posts -- is that you can take this whole scenario into account without changing your setup from what we've been doing by making one simple change. If you set up the way we've been doing in this series BUT turn the club in your hands so the face is aimed slightly to the left of your aim line (but not enough to aim it farther left than the flight path), the ball should start out farther to the left and draw back to the pin. With this method you can still set up directly at your target BUT the ball shouldn't draw past the pin.
You can use either method you choose to hit your draw -- the one we've been using or the altered one Mayo explains in the video -- and get good results. I do think my way is simpler, and that's why I taught it to you.
But if there is something between you and your target (like a tree), THE ONE THING YOU SIMPLY MUST REMEMBER TO DO regardless of which method you choose is to make sure the face of your club is aimed around the tree (or whatever) so you don't hit it. I guess that should be obvious -- you're all intelligent people -- but that's really the big change the "new ball flight laws" have shown us. (Under the old understanding of ball flight, we all thought you could aim at the tree and the ball would curve around it as long as your swing path was aimed around it. It won't. Science marches on...)
Now, to answer the last of the questions Peter left on the video post:
- How much further right is the swing path ?
- If club face is 10 degree, swing path 15 degree ?
There's a certain amount of trial and error here, and there's no way around that. You'll figure out how much you need for your normal shots pretty quickly because it's just a matter of comfort; how do I need to set up to be sure I'll get a draw? For trouble shots, you'll have to experiment a little. But if you start trying to reduce it to a formula ("10 degree face, 15 degree path" for example) you'll just drive yourself nuts because there's no way to be that accurate with your swing.
And I think that pretty much covers everything. You now have a method to help you learn how to hit a consistent draw, and you know how to aim it. If you guys have any more questions, just leave them in the comments and I'll answer them.
How to Hit a Draw for Righties 5
This is the last day of "drawing class," folks. There's just a few loose ends left to tie up. One last reminder...
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties --which are identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
If you've followed the previous posts in the series, you should have a good handle on how to get a consistent draw on your shots. The aiming method we've used -- simply aiming the club face down our aim line and closing our stance to create the necessary sidespin -- will give you a simple method to consistently aim your shot where you want it to go. It's true that, if you aim the ball directly at the flag, the ball will tend to land on a line with the flag and scoot past it, giving you a slightly bigger draw than you intended. The simplest fix for this is to just aim a bit to the right side of the flag; then the ball will land to the right side of the flag and scoot toward it.
The reason the "new ball flight laws" seem so strange is that they try to take this aiming problem into account. In the drawing above, your club face is aimed along the dotted line while your body -- and therefore your swing path -- is aligned on a path to the right of the ball flight.
You can use either method you choose to hit your draw -- the one we've been using or the altered one Mayo explains in the video -- and get good results. I do think my way is simpler, and that's why I taught it to you.
But if there is something between you and your target (like a tree), THE ONE THING YOU SIMPLY MUST REMEMBER TO DO regardless of which method you choose is to make sure the face of your club is aimed around the tree (or whatever) so you don't hit it. I guess that should be obvious -- you're all intelligent people -- but that's really the big change the "new ball flight laws" have shown us. (Under the old understanding of ball flight, we all thought you could aim at the tree and the ball would curve around it as long as your swing path was aimed around it. It won't. Science marches on...)
Now, to answer the last of the questions Peter left on the video post:
There's a certain amount of trial and error here, and there's no way around that. You'll figure out how much you need for your normal shots pretty quickly because it's just a matter of comfort; how do I need to set up to be sure I'll get a draw? For trouble shots, you'll have to experiment a little. But if you start trying to reduce it to a formula ("10 degree face, 15 degree path" for example) you'll just drive yourself nuts because there's no way to be that accurate with your swing.
And I think that pretty much covers everything. You now have a method to help you learn how to hit a consistent draw, and you know how to aim it. If you guys have any more questions, just leave them in the comments and I'll answer them.
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties --which are identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
If you've followed the previous posts in the series, you should have a good handle on how to get a consistent draw on your shots. The aiming method we've used -- simply aiming the club face down our aim line and closing our stance to create the necessary sidespin -- will give you a simple method to consistently aim your shot where you want it to go. It's true that, if you aim the ball directly at the flag, the ball will tend to land on a line with the flag and scoot past it, giving you a slightly bigger draw than you intended. The simplest fix for this is to just aim a bit to the right side of the flag; then the ball will land to the right side of the flag and scoot toward it.
The reason the "new ball flight laws" seem so strange is that they try to take this aiming problem into account. In the drawing above, your club face is aimed along the dotted line while your body -- and therefore your swing path -- is aligned on a path to the right of the ball flight.
One of the quirks of the "new ball flight laws" is that we now know the ball starts out on a flight path much closer to where the club face points than to where the swing path is aimed. The draw you're actually hitting with our setup doesn't make as big a curve as I've shown in the diagram above, but I needed to make it big enough for you to see it clearly.What the "new ball flight laws" suggest -- and what instructor Joseph Mayo was explaining in the video that started this whole series of posts -- is that you can take this whole scenario into account without changing your setup from what we've been doing by making one simple change. If you set up the way we've been doing in this series BUT turn the club in your hands so the face is aimed slightly to the right of your aim line (but not enough to aim it farther right than the flight path), the ball should start out farther to the right and draw back to the pin. With this method you can still set up directly at your target BUT the ball shouldn't draw past the pin.
You can use either method you choose to hit your draw -- the one we've been using or the altered one Mayo explains in the video -- and get good results. I do think my way is simpler, and that's why I taught it to you.
But if there is something between you and your target (like a tree), THE ONE THING YOU SIMPLY MUST REMEMBER TO DO regardless of which method you choose is to make sure the face of your club is aimed around the tree (or whatever) so you don't hit it. I guess that should be obvious -- you're all intelligent people -- but that's really the big change the "new ball flight laws" have shown us. (Under the old understanding of ball flight, we all thought you could aim at the tree and the ball would curve around it as long as your swing path was aimed around it. It won't. Science marches on...)
Now, to answer the last of the questions Peter left on the video post:
- How much further right is the swing path ?
- If club face is 10 degree, swing path 15 degree ?
There's a certain amount of trial and error here, and there's no way around that. You'll figure out how much you need for your normal shots pretty quickly because it's just a matter of comfort; how do I need to set up to be sure I'll get a draw? For trouble shots, you'll have to experiment a little. But if you start trying to reduce it to a formula ("10 degree face, 15 degree path" for example) you'll just drive yourself nuts because there's no way to be that accurate with your swing.
And I think that pretty much covers everything. You now have a method to help you learn how to hit a consistent draw, and you know how to aim it. If you guys have any more questions, just leave them in the comments and I'll answer them.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
How to Hit a Draw for Lefties 4
Welcome back, class! I take it that you had plenty of time to practice that not-quite-full draw swing we created earlier in the week. Let me remind you...
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
Today let's see if we can't take that partial swing and turn it into a full swing -- a draw, of course. Our setup will be the same:
As you'll recall, we kept the swing short enough that both of our upper arms could stay in contact with the sides of our chest all the way back and through, and that our lead shoulder didn't turn enough to move under our chin. But now I'll tell you why we kept the original practice swing so short.
When we make a full backswing, our trailing arm has to lose contact with the side of our chest unless we keep our swing extremely flat. (And even as flat as Hogan kept his swing, he said his arm had to separate from his side when he made a full swing.) It takes a bit of time for that trailing arm to swing back down and re-establish contact with the side of your chest.. and during that time, your shoulders will turn slightly back toward your setup position.
In fact, they will turn to about the same position as our practice swing. So our practice swing has taught us the proper arm position at the point where we reconnect during the downswing.
All you need now is an understanding of how to make this downward-move-to-reconnect... and the way that move feels depends a bit on whether you have a modern swing or a classic swing.
The modern swing is the hip-driven swing, most often associated with Hogan. It developed as an attempt to maximize the power of the steel shaft, and it's the method I focused on in my books Stop Coming Over-the-Top, HIT IT HARD, and More Golf Swing Speed. It's the most commonly taught swing method these days -- though certainly not the only one -- and it's based on the idea that you focus on driving your hips around, which pulls your hands and arms down to impact.
In the classic swing -- as in the modern swing -- your hips also provide drive for your swing. The difference is that they aren't the focus of the swing motion. A classic swinger uses his or her arms and hands much more to create club head speed. (And yes, that's why you sometimes hear instructors tell you to "ring the bell" to start your downswing. It's a classic swing thought, as opposed to the dropping motion of the modern swing.)
For this post I'm going to assume you'll be happy just using one at a time in order to get a consistent draw!
I suspect you already know whether you focus on upper body or lower body power for your swing, simply because most instructors teach either "dropping your arms" or "swinging your arms." ("Swinging your arms" seems to be most instructors' preferred method of describing what I've called "pulling your arms down." The teachers I mentioned earlier all use that terminology.)
To stretch your practice swing out to a full swing, you really only need to remember one thing: PRACTICE SLOWLY. It won't take long for you to get a consistent full motion as long as you practice slowly enough to make sure you consistently move from the top of your backswing down to the connected position of your practice swing. Make a few slow swings, then gradually speed up to a normal speed. Do this several times during your time on the range -- slow swing to faster swing, slow swing to faster swing -- and do it each day while you're learning the full motion. It won't take long for you to get where you can draw the ball with your full swing.
Tomorrow we'll tie up all the loose ends.
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
Today let's see if we can't take that partial swing and turn it into a full swing -- a draw, of course. Our setup will be the same:
As you'll recall, we kept the swing short enough that both of our upper arms could stay in contact with the sides of our chest all the way back and through, and that our lead shoulder didn't turn enough to move under our chin. But now I'll tell you why we kept the original practice swing so short.
When we make a full backswing, our trailing arm has to lose contact with the side of our chest unless we keep our swing extremely flat. (And even as flat as Hogan kept his swing, he said his arm had to separate from his side when he made a full swing.) It takes a bit of time for that trailing arm to swing back down and re-establish contact with the side of your chest.. and during that time, your shoulders will turn slightly back toward your setup position.
In fact, they will turn to about the same position as our practice swing. So our practice swing has taught us the proper arm position at the point where we reconnect during the downswing.
All you need now is an understanding of how to make this downward-move-to-reconnect... and the way that move feels depends a bit on whether you have a modern swing or a classic swing.
The modern swing is the hip-driven swing, most often associated with Hogan. It developed as an attempt to maximize the power of the steel shaft, and it's the method I focused on in my books Stop Coming Over-the-Top, HIT IT HARD, and More Golf Swing Speed. It's the most commonly taught swing method these days -- though certainly not the only one -- and it's based on the idea that you focus on driving your hips around, which pulls your hands and arms down to impact.
For those of you using the modern swing, it will feel as if your arms DROP from the top of your backswing -- after all, they're being pulled around by your hips -- and they will drop until the upper part of your trailing arm touches the side of your chest in the position you learned with the practice swing. It will feel as if your arms are dropping straight down but, in actuality, your shoulders are turning as your arms drop so everything happens on plane.The classic swing, on the other hand, is taught by a large number of teachers like Manuel de la Torre, Bob Toski, and the late Jim Flick. It's the original swing that developed during the days of hickory shafts, and it's the method virtually EVERYBODY uses for the short game because it offers the most control and feel there. My Accurate Iron Play book is based on classic methodology but works for everybody -- just look at Steve Stricker.
In the classic swing -- as in the modern swing -- your hips also provide drive for your swing. The difference is that they aren't the focus of the swing motion. A classic swinger uses his or her arms and hands much more to create club head speed. (And yes, that's why you sometimes hear instructors tell you to "ring the bell" to start your downswing. It's a classic swing thought, as opposed to the dropping motion of the modern swing.)
For those of you with a classic swing, it will feel as if you PULL your arms down from the top of your backswing and you will pull until the upper part of your trailing arm touches the side of your chest in the position you learned with the practice swing. And again, it will feel as if you're pulling your arms straight down but, in actuality, your shoulders are turning as you pull so everything happens on plane.I'm sure you're wondering if it's possible to combine the two... and yes it is. I suspect a huge number of pros do just that but, based on what I've heard from them and their instructors, I'm pretty sure Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson both combine the techniques -- pulling down with their hands and arms as they drive their hips and legs forward. It can create a tremendous amount of club head speed -- hell, Henrik swings so hard that the face of his 4-wood caved in during warmup on Friday! The tradeoffs are that timing becomes more critical and back problems become more likely... but it can be done if you're so inclined.
For this post I'm going to assume you'll be happy just using one at a time in order to get a consistent draw!
I suspect you already know whether you focus on upper body or lower body power for your swing, simply because most instructors teach either "dropping your arms" or "swinging your arms." ("Swinging your arms" seems to be most instructors' preferred method of describing what I've called "pulling your arms down." The teachers I mentioned earlier all use that terminology.)
To stretch your practice swing out to a full swing, you really only need to remember one thing: PRACTICE SLOWLY. It won't take long for you to get a consistent full motion as long as you practice slowly enough to make sure you consistently move from the top of your backswing down to the connected position of your practice swing. Make a few slow swings, then gradually speed up to a normal speed. Do this several times during your time on the range -- slow swing to faster swing, slow swing to faster swing -- and do it each day while you're learning the full motion. It won't take long for you to get where you can draw the ball with your full swing.
Tomorrow we'll tie up all the loose ends.
How to Hit a Draw for Righties 4
Welcome back, class! I take it that you had plenty of time to practice that not-quite-full draw swing we created earlier in the week. Let me remind you...
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
Today let's see if we can't take that partial swing and turn it into a full swing -- a draw, of course. Our setup will be the same:
As you'll recall, we kept the swing short enough that both of our upper arms could stay in contact with the sides of our chest all the way back and through, and that our lead shoulder didn't turn enough to move under our chin. But now I'll tell you why we kept the original practice swing so short.
When we make a full backswing, our trailing arm has to lose contact with the side of our chest unless we keep our swing extremely flat. (And even as flat as Hogan kept his swing, he said his arm had to separate from his side when he made a full swing.) It takes a bit of time for that trailing arm to swing back down and re-establish contact with the side of your chest.. and during that time, your shoulders will turn slightly back toward your setup position.
In fact, they will turn to about the same position as our practice swing. So our practice swing has taught us the proper arm position at the point where we reconnect during the downswing.
All you need now is an understanding of how to make this downward-move-to-reconnect... and the way that move feels depends a bit on whether you have a modern swing or a classic swing.
The modern swing is the hip-driven swing, most often associated with Hogan. It developed as an attempt to maximize the power of the steel shaft, and it's the method I focused on in my books Stop Coming Over-the-Top, HIT IT HARD, and More Golf Swing Speed. It's the most commonly taught swing method these days -- though certainly not the only one -- and it's based on the idea that you focus on driving your hips around, which pulls your hands and arms down to impact.
In the classic swing -- as in the modern swing -- your hips also provide drive for your swing. The difference is that they aren't the focus of the swing motion. A classic swinger uses his or her arms and hands much more to create club head speed. (And yes, that's why you sometimes hear instructors tell you to "ring the bell" to start your downswing. It's a classic swing thought, as opposed to the dropping motion of the modern swing.)
For this post I'm going to assume you'll be happy just using one at a time in order to get a consistent draw!
I suspect you already know whether you focus on upper body or lower body power for your swing, simply because most instructors teach either "dropping your arms" or "swinging your arms." ("Swinging your arms" seems to be most instructors' preferred method of describing what I've called "pulling your arms down." The teachers I mentioned earlier all use that terminology.)
To stretch your practice swing out to a full swing, you really only need to remember one thing: PRACTICE SLOWLY. It won't take long for you to get a consistent full motion as long as you practice slowly enough to make sure you consistently move from the top of your backswing down to the connected position of your practice swing. Make a few slow swings, then gradually speed up to a normal speed. Do this several times during your time on the range -- slow swing to faster swing, slow swing to faster swing -- and do it each day while you're learning the full motion. It won't take long for you to get where you can draw the ball with your full swing.
Tomorrow we'll tie up all the loose ends.
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
Today let's see if we can't take that partial swing and turn it into a full swing -- a draw, of course. Our setup will be the same:
As you'll recall, we kept the swing short enough that both of our upper arms could stay in contact with the sides of our chest all the way back and through, and that our lead shoulder didn't turn enough to move under our chin. But now I'll tell you why we kept the original practice swing so short.
When we make a full backswing, our trailing arm has to lose contact with the side of our chest unless we keep our swing extremely flat. (And even as flat as Hogan kept his swing, he said his arm had to separate from his side when he made a full swing.) It takes a bit of time for that trailing arm to swing back down and re-establish contact with the side of your chest.. and during that time, your shoulders will turn slightly back toward your setup position.
In fact, they will turn to about the same position as our practice swing. So our practice swing has taught us the proper arm position at the point where we reconnect during the downswing.
All you need now is an understanding of how to make this downward-move-to-reconnect... and the way that move feels depends a bit on whether you have a modern swing or a classic swing.
The modern swing is the hip-driven swing, most often associated with Hogan. It developed as an attempt to maximize the power of the steel shaft, and it's the method I focused on in my books Stop Coming Over-the-Top, HIT IT HARD, and More Golf Swing Speed. It's the most commonly taught swing method these days -- though certainly not the only one -- and it's based on the idea that you focus on driving your hips around, which pulls your hands and arms down to impact.
For those of you using the modern swing, it will feel as if your arms DROP from the top of your backswing -- after all, they're being pulled around by your hips -- and they will drop until the upper part of your trailing arm touches the side of your chest in the position you learned with the practice swing. It will feel as if your arms are dropping straight down but, in actuality, your shoulders are turning as your arms drop so everything happens on plane.The classic swing, on the other hand, is taught by a large number of teachers like Manuel de la Torre, Bob Toski, and the late Jim Flick. It's the original swing that developed during the days of hickory shafts, and it's the method virtually EVERYBODY uses for the short game because it offers the most control and feel there. My Accurate Iron Play book is based on classic methodology but works for everybody -- just look at Steve Stricker.
In the classic swing -- as in the modern swing -- your hips also provide drive for your swing. The difference is that they aren't the focus of the swing motion. A classic swinger uses his or her arms and hands much more to create club head speed. (And yes, that's why you sometimes hear instructors tell you to "ring the bell" to start your downswing. It's a classic swing thought, as opposed to the dropping motion of the modern swing.)
For those of you with a classic swing, it will feel as if you PULL your arms down from the top of your backswing and you will pull until the upper part of your trailing arm touches the side of your chest in the position you learned with the practice swing. And again, it will feel as if you're pulling your arms straight down but, in actuality, your shoulders are turning as you pull so everything happens on plane.I'm sure you're wondering if it's possible to combine the two... and yes it is. I suspect a huge number of pros do just that but, based on what I've heard from them and their instructors, I'm pretty sure Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson both combine the techniques -- pulling down with their hands and arms as they drive their hips and legs forward. It can create a tremendous amount of club head speed -- hell, Henrik swings so hard that the face of his 4-wood caved in during warmup on Friday! The tradeoffs are that timing becomes more critical and back problems become more likely... but it can be done if you're so inclined.
For this post I'm going to assume you'll be happy just using one at a time in order to get a consistent draw!
I suspect you already know whether you focus on upper body or lower body power for your swing, simply because most instructors teach either "dropping your arms" or "swinging your arms." ("Swinging your arms" seems to be most instructors' preferred method of describing what I've called "pulling your arms down." The teachers I mentioned earlier all use that terminology.)
To stretch your practice swing out to a full swing, you really only need to remember one thing: PRACTICE SLOWLY. It won't take long for you to get a consistent full motion as long as you practice slowly enough to make sure you consistently move from the top of your backswing down to the connected position of your practice swing. Make a few slow swings, then gradually speed up to a normal speed. Do this several times during your time on the range -- slow swing to faster swing, slow swing to faster swing -- and do it each day while you're learning the full motion. It won't take long for you to get where you can draw the ball with your full swing.
Tomorrow we'll tie up all the loose ends.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Top 5 Golf Fashion Tips for Men in the Fall
As the season starts to change and the air begins to turn a bit chilly, it's time to put away the heat resistant light clothing of summer and break out the kind of golf wear that can stand-up to the very different demands of playing in the fall. Let's take a look at some of the best bets for meeting the demands of the new season in a fashionable and practical way.
Golfing jumper: If there is one key to fall golf wear, it's layering. Golfing jumpers are perfect for this as they provide the warmth of a sweater, and the styling that allows you to fit right in with traditional golfing fashion. Jumpers come in many varieties, from v-neck, crew and zipper models, to straight pullovers.
Seasonal head gear: Not only is the sun still a factor during the fall, but keeping your head warm can be a key to not losing concentration at the wrong moment. Driving caps, bucket hats, and fedoras are quite popular this year, providing a nice range of styling options for the fashion conscious.
Long-sleeved polo shirt: Few pieces of clothing are more ubiquitous on the course than a stylish polo shirt. Long-sleeve polo shirts are multi-functional in giving you freedom of movement, stylish looks, and the little bit of extra protection from the chill that fall play demands.
Rain-ready outwear: A little wet weather won't stop the average golfer, but getting soaked to the bone might. Light jackets, pullovers, and windbreakers now come in a variety of breathable waterproof, water-resistant, and windproof materials that can meet any wet weather challenge.
Monochrome styling is back: Remember Gary Player – the Black Knight? Well sporting a uniform color look is not only back in fashion, but it's a great strategy for meeting the demands of fall golfing since the all-dark look also works to absorb what few rays of the sun there are, and help keep you warm so you can keep your mind on your game.
By wearing the appropriate gear on the golf course, you can avoid stiff swings, shaky putts, and muscle tension. Ensuring you wear the proper attire for peak performance is crucial in the competitive arena. There are a variety of options for men to look good without sacrificing agility. Look around for your favorite apparel, and remember to layer accordingly. As the temperatures continue to plummet, you can be sure your golf game won’t follow.
Melinda Bailey's an avid golfer as well as the blog manager for 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel You can read her Women of Golf blog, or connect with her on Twitter through @9Dine.
Golfing jumper: If there is one key to fall golf wear, it's layering. Golfing jumpers are perfect for this as they provide the warmth of a sweater, and the styling that allows you to fit right in with traditional golfing fashion. Jumpers come in many varieties, from v-neck, crew and zipper models, to straight pullovers.Seasonal head gear: Not only is the sun still a factor during the fall, but keeping your head warm can be a key to not losing concentration at the wrong moment. Driving caps, bucket hats, and fedoras are quite popular this year, providing a nice range of styling options for the fashion conscious.
Long-sleeved polo shirt: Few pieces of clothing are more ubiquitous on the course than a stylish polo shirt. Long-sleeve polo shirts are multi-functional in giving you freedom of movement, stylish looks, and the little bit of extra protection from the chill that fall play demands.
Rain-ready outwear: A little wet weather won't stop the average golfer, but getting soaked to the bone might. Light jackets, pullovers, and windbreakers now come in a variety of breathable waterproof, water-resistant, and windproof materials that can meet any wet weather challenge.Monochrome styling is back: Remember Gary Player – the Black Knight? Well sporting a uniform color look is not only back in fashion, but it's a great strategy for meeting the demands of fall golfing since the all-dark look also works to absorb what few rays of the sun there are, and help keep you warm so you can keep your mind on your game.
By wearing the appropriate gear on the golf course, you can avoid stiff swings, shaky putts, and muscle tension. Ensuring you wear the proper attire for peak performance is crucial in the competitive arena. There are a variety of options for men to look good without sacrificing agility. Look around for your favorite apparel, and remember to layer accordingly. As the temperatures continue to plummet, you can be sure your golf game won’t follow.
Melinda Bailey's an avid golfer as well as the blog manager for 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel You can read her Women of Golf blog, or connect with her on Twitter through @9Dine.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
The Decision to Ko Pro or Not
Everybody is interested to know when Lydia Ko intends to turn pro. And as I mentioned Monday, Lydia indicated after Evian that she might be a pro next time we see her.
Well, here's the latest buzz... from Lydia herself. 3News in New Zealand talked to Lydia Wednesday and posted the full press conference here. Here's a screen grab of the video:
The network was running slow when I found this, so I haven't been able to watch it yet. (I'm still trying to stream it, even as I write this. I have managed to get it up enough to see that it's an 11-minute presser. UPDATE: I finally got to see the video. It's actually pretty funny! Lydia has a dry sense of humor.) At any rate, one thing is clear from the accompanying article... Lydia is getting tired of all the questions about when she's going to turn pro. Apparently she's more concerned about exams right now.
As it happens, the news media doesn't give a damn about exams.
Welcome to the world of pro sports, Lydia.
Well, here's the latest buzz... from Lydia herself. 3News in New Zealand talked to Lydia Wednesday and posted the full press conference here. Here's a screen grab of the video:
The network was running slow when I found this, so I haven't been able to watch it yet. (I'm still trying to stream it, even as I write this. I have managed to get it up enough to see that it's an 11-minute presser. UPDATE: I finally got to see the video. It's actually pretty funny! Lydia has a dry sense of humor.) At any rate, one thing is clear from the accompanying article... Lydia is getting tired of all the questions about when she's going to turn pro. Apparently she's more concerned about exams right now.
As it happens, the news media doesn't give a damn about exams.
Welcome to the world of pro sports, Lydia.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Finally... the Finals!
At long last we've arrived! It's time for the 30 top players in the FedExCup rankings to tee it up at East Lake. Let's take a few moments to see just what's on tap this week.
First, a brief comment... Tiger's penalty at the BMW is apparently still a topic of discussion this week. I'd just like to bring up one aspect of the debate which I have yet to hear mentioned. TV commentators frequently point out that CAMERA IRISES make a scene look much brighter than it really is... and Tiger's ball was in a very shaded area. Take a good look at the copy released by the PGA Tour:
Look at how dark this is, even with the camera! Just compare the skin on Tiger's hand against the background. There's mud on the ball. And when Tiger walks out of the bushes, you can tell the sun's behind the clouds.
When Tiger says he didn't see the ball move, I think that's entirely believable. In fact, even knowing the movement is there, I missed it some of the times I watched the video -- it happens so quickly that it's easy to miss, especially since it's in a dark area.
Enough said. Let's move on, shall we?
The Top5 in the rankings "control their own destiny" since, if they win the Tour Championship, they also win the Cup:
My original choice to win the Cup, Jordan Spieth, is a bit of a long shot now since he's dropped from #8 to #13. Still, he's playing well enough to have a shot at the Tour Championship; he'll just need some help to win the Cup. (Most problematically, he needs Tiger to finish T8 or worse.)
So who has the best chance to win the Tour Championship? (Let's face it, Tiger's the odds-on favorite to win the Cup because the #1 rank always is. If he just plays decently, there are probably only 6 or 7 guys with a realistic chance to beat him.) My picks, in no particular order, are:
First, a brief comment... Tiger's penalty at the BMW is apparently still a topic of discussion this week. I'd just like to bring up one aspect of the debate which I have yet to hear mentioned. TV commentators frequently point out that CAMERA IRISES make a scene look much brighter than it really is... and Tiger's ball was in a very shaded area. Take a good look at the copy released by the PGA Tour:
Look at how dark this is, even with the camera! Just compare the skin on Tiger's hand against the background. There's mud on the ball. And when Tiger walks out of the bushes, you can tell the sun's behind the clouds.
When Tiger says he didn't see the ball move, I think that's entirely believable. In fact, even knowing the movement is there, I missed it some of the times I watched the video -- it happens so quickly that it's easy to miss, especially since it's in a dark area.
Enough said. Let's move on, shall we?
The Top5 in the rankings "control their own destiny" since, if they win the Tour Championship, they also win the Cup:
- Tiger Woods
- Henrik Stenson
- Adam Scott
- Zach Johnson
- Matt Kuchar
My original choice to win the Cup, Jordan Spieth, is a bit of a long shot now since he's dropped from #8 to #13. Still, he's playing well enough to have a shot at the Tour Championship; he'll just need some help to win the Cup. (Most problematically, he needs Tiger to finish T8 or worse.)
So who has the best chance to win the Tour Championship? (Let's face it, Tiger's the odds-on favorite to win the Cup because the #1 rank always is. If he just plays decently, there are probably only 6 or 7 guys with a realistic chance to beat him.) My picks, in no particular order, are:
- Zach Johnson: Zach has been playing very well for several months now. He's one of the few players I think has enough juice in the tank to back up a win with another win.
- Nick Watney: Watney made a huge jump in the rankings last week, primarily because his putting was better. If he can just keep the flat stick working, he's striking it well enough to win.
- Jim Furyk: The closer Furyk gets, the more determined he gets. I think last week's 59 will give him enough good thoughts to get him into contention again.
- Steve Stricker: What can I say? He had a bad final 9 Monday... but I don't think he can bear the thought of missing a hunting trip without getting into the hunt at East Lake.
- Jason Day: I just have a feeling about Jason. He's played really well this year in big tournaments. This could be his week.
- The Power Rankings are how Rob Bolton, the fantasy league guy, is rating each player's chances. I was surprised to learn that Day, Johnson, Furyk, and Watney were 4-7 on his list. (Stricks is way down at 20.) It's rare for me to match the fantasy guys!
- The ever-confusing but vitally important Scenario page will tell you what each player needs to do -- and have happen for him -- in order for him to win. (In case you're interested, the main obstacle for Day-- like Spieth -- may be getting Tiger to finish T8 or worse.)
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
The Limerick Summary: 2013 BMW Championship
Winner: Zach Johnson
Around the wider world of golf: Suzann Pettersen snagged her second major at the LPGA/LET's Evian Championship; Joost Luiten won the KLM Open on the ET; Seung-Yul Noh punched his ticket back to the Big Tour at the Web.com Tour's Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship; Max Gilbert won the TOUR Championship of Canada on the PGA Tour Canada; and Bo-Mee Lee won the Konica Minolta Cup, one of the JLPGA's majors. (The Constructivist has two posts on this one -- Saturday's wrap-up and Sunday's rainout/playoff wrap-up.)
You need only look at their back 9s:
Zach took a lot of heat for missing the first playoff event to be best man in his brother's wedding. (He joked Monday that it was necessary in order to get along with his new sister-in-law.) Critics said his brother should have set a different date... and that Zach should have fought for it. Some say that you shouldn't be allowed to continue in the playoffs after you skip an event.
Zach calmly ignored them all, took the BMW Championship by the throat, and moved to #4 in FedExCup points. In other words, if he wins the Tour Championship next week, he wins the Cup. Take THAT, critics!
You know what I like about this? Zach says he's just playing golf. He wasn't trying to get into the Tour Championship next week; he was just trying to play good golf. He wasn't trying to win the BMW Championship this week; he was just trying to play good golf. He wasn't trying to get into the Top5 of the points race; he was just trying to play good golf
I think he succeeded. And he told reporters he was pretty sure his game plan next week will NOT be to win the Tour Championship or the FedExCup; he'll just try to play good golf. He smiled as he said it.
I'd smile too!
Don't think this isn't important to him. He nearly broke down in tears talking about the people supporting him through all this. (Shades of Steve Stricker! Is that contagious?) But it's clear that he's playing guilt-free golf -- not letting his game define him or his worth, but just enjoying his chosen sport. (I suspect it's much easier to enjoy it when you're winning. He's been playing pretty well over the last few weeks.)
As they love saying in FedExCupLand, he holds his future is in his own hands. I'm not awarding him the Cup yet -- that's the infamous Ruthless Golf Jinx, you know -- but I'm not betting against him either.
But this week I am awarding Zach the Limerick Summary. Let's get one thing straight -- Zach Johnson may have been a bridesmaid at John Deere, but he's the best man at BMW:
Around the wider world of golf: Suzann Pettersen snagged her second major at the LPGA/LET's Evian Championship; Joost Luiten won the KLM Open on the ET; Seung-Yul Noh punched his ticket back to the Big Tour at the Web.com Tour's Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship; Max Gilbert won the TOUR Championship of Canada on the PGA Tour Canada; and Bo-Mee Lee won the Konica Minolta Cup, one of the JLPGA's majors. (The Constructivist has two posts on this one -- Saturday's wrap-up and Sunday's rainout/playoff wrap-up.)
You need only look at their back 9s:
- Steve Stricker: +2
- Jim Furyk: +1
- Zach Johnson: -3
Zach took a lot of heat for missing the first playoff event to be best man in his brother's wedding. (He joked Monday that it was necessary in order to get along with his new sister-in-law.) Critics said his brother should have set a different date... and that Zach should have fought for it. Some say that you shouldn't be allowed to continue in the playoffs after you skip an event.
Zach calmly ignored them all, took the BMW Championship by the throat, and moved to #4 in FedExCup points. In other words, if he wins the Tour Championship next week, he wins the Cup. Take THAT, critics!
You know what I like about this? Zach says he's just playing golf. He wasn't trying to get into the Tour Championship next week; he was just trying to play good golf. He wasn't trying to win the BMW Championship this week; he was just trying to play good golf. He wasn't trying to get into the Top5 of the points race; he was just trying to play good golf
I think he succeeded. And he told reporters he was pretty sure his game plan next week will NOT be to win the Tour Championship or the FedExCup; he'll just try to play good golf. He smiled as he said it.
I'd smile too!
Don't think this isn't important to him. He nearly broke down in tears talking about the people supporting him through all this. (Shades of Steve Stricker! Is that contagious?) But it's clear that he's playing guilt-free golf -- not letting his game define him or his worth, but just enjoying his chosen sport. (I suspect it's much easier to enjoy it when you're winning. He's been playing pretty well over the last few weeks.)
As they love saying in FedExCupLand, he holds his future is in his own hands. I'm not awarding him the Cup yet -- that's the infamous Ruthless Golf Jinx, you know -- but I'm not betting against him either.
But this week I am awarding Zach the Limerick Summary. Let's get one thing straight -- Zach Johnson may have been a bridesmaid at John Deere, but he's the best man at BMW:
Zach proved that he’s not a pushover;The photo's from the main tournament page over at PGATOUR.com.
He IS the best man. And moreover
This weekend’s top player
Showed all the naysayers
The honeymoon STILL isn’t over!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Top 5 Golf Fashion Tips for Women in the Fall
So the Tour decided to postpone the Limerick Summary again. At least we get to watch golf today -- in case you missed it, GC will broadcast the entire final round starting at 10am ET. Also, in case you missed it, apparently Lydia Ko told one of the interviewers at Evian that she might not be an amateur next time we see her. (Maybe she's getting tired of the limited LPGA starts an amateur is allowed? It couldn't be the millions she can't accept...)
At any rate, that leaves room for one of those fashion posts I promised yesterday. Melinda Bailey over at 9&Dine, an American golf clothier (my other fashion posts have come from UK-based companies), has a neat fashion blog and offered to give me some fashion help as needed. A quick note about the links: The golfing jackets and cardigans are about halfway down the linked page.
The cold air and brisk winds on the golf course should never interfere with a woman’s ability to play. Then again, neither should bulky overlays to protect from the cold. As the weather continually drops in temperatures, women are finding it harder and harder to find comfort for agility to play on the greens. To keep yourself warm and play at peak performance, here are some of the top items for fall weather.
Golfing jackets: Dressing in layers is a great strategy for the ladies, and the wide selection of women’s golfing jackets now on the market make this an easy thing to do. Golfing jackets come with many different combinations of down and weather-proofing, and can be quickly shed if the temperature starts to rise. Many offer light weight, heat absorbing fabrics to keep you both warm and comfortable throughout the day.
Head gear: Wool and fleece headbands are a stylish golfing look during fall play, and provide that extra bit of ear and head protection cooler conditions usually call for. Rain resistant visors and more robust rainproof bucket hats also fit in on any course, allowing the game to keep going when conditions get wet. On a nicer day, a simple baseball style golf hat protects the skin from the sun, something golfers tend to overlook during the fall season.
Waterproof shoes: A pair of stylish leather golf shoes featuring waterproofing is a great choice for fall play. Today's waterproof golf shoes come in a wide range of colors and styles, and are guaranteed to keep your feet dry in wet grass, while providing eye catching fashion features.
Cardigans: No longer the bulky, unattractive pieces for the holiday season, women’s golf cardigans are the new hot fall item of 2013. Modern cardigans are now lightweight, trim fitting, and offer the protection needed from whatever the fall weather may throw your way.
Golf gloves: Here is a great way to bring practicality and style together on the course. Golf gloves offer finger warming protection for those cold early morning tee times, and the wide range of colors now available help bring a little pizzazz to the somewhat somber color schemes of fall clothing.
Melinda Bailey's an avid golfer as well as the blog manager for 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel. You can read her Women of Golf blog, or connect with her on Twitter through @9Dine.
At any rate, that leaves room for one of those fashion posts I promised yesterday. Melinda Bailey over at 9&Dine, an American golf clothier (my other fashion posts have come from UK-based companies), has a neat fashion blog and offered to give me some fashion help as needed. A quick note about the links: The golfing jackets and cardigans are about halfway down the linked page.
The cold air and brisk winds on the golf course should never interfere with a woman’s ability to play. Then again, neither should bulky overlays to protect from the cold. As the weather continually drops in temperatures, women are finding it harder and harder to find comfort for agility to play on the greens. To keep yourself warm and play at peak performance, here are some of the top items for fall weather.
Golfing jackets: Dressing in layers is a great strategy for the ladies, and the wide selection of women’s golfing jackets now on the market make this an easy thing to do. Golfing jackets come with many different combinations of down and weather-proofing, and can be quickly shed if the temperature starts to rise. Many offer light weight, heat absorbing fabrics to keep you both warm and comfortable throughout the day.
Head gear: Wool and fleece headbands are a stylish golfing look during fall play, and provide that extra bit of ear and head protection cooler conditions usually call for. Rain resistant visors and more robust rainproof bucket hats also fit in on any course, allowing the game to keep going when conditions get wet. On a nicer day, a simple baseball style golf hat protects the skin from the sun, something golfers tend to overlook during the fall season.
Waterproof shoes: A pair of stylish leather golf shoes featuring waterproofing is a great choice for fall play. Today's waterproof golf shoes come in a wide range of colors and styles, and are guaranteed to keep your feet dry in wet grass, while providing eye catching fashion features.
Cardigans: No longer the bulky, unattractive pieces for the holiday season, women’s golf cardigans are the new hot fall item of 2013. Modern cardigans are now lightweight, trim fitting, and offer the protection needed from whatever the fall weather may throw your way.Golf gloves: Here is a great way to bring practicality and style together on the course. Golf gloves offer finger warming protection for those cold early morning tee times, and the wide range of colors now available help bring a little pizzazz to the somewhat somber color schemes of fall clothing.
Melinda Bailey's an avid golfer as well as the blog manager for 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel. You can read her Women of Golf blog, or connect with her on Twitter through @9Dine.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
How to Hit a Draw for Lefties 3
Welcome to Lesson 3 on how to become a hooker, class! (Yes, I know. Live with it.) A reminder...
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
Today we take our practice swing out to the range and hit some balls. Remember, we're going to use our driver since this is the club most players want to draw. That also means I want you to tee the ball up. This post has a lot of info in it -- not because it's difficult but because I want you to understand what we're trying to do. I'm linking to a couple of older posts although I'm including the videos in the body of this one; it won't hurt you to go back and read the originals, but I'll try to get the main points here.
First, from this older post on drawing the ball, is a video by Jimmy Ballard on how to do the very thing we're working on today! (And again I apologize for the videos, but they're right-handed so I don't have a choice here.) I won't repeat all the info, but you'll hear him tell you how to aim the ball, etc. The main thing we're going to worry about is setup. Watch the video and then I'll fill in:
Now let's bring back the last diagram from yesterday's post.
For today, don't worry about most of the aiming info Jimmy gives you. If you just aim the butt end of the alignment club at the target -- if your range doesn't have flags you can aim at, find some other suitable target -- and do your setup the way we did it in practice. Only this time, we're going to place a ball down to hit it.
Note that Jimmy said you don't have to angle your shoulders to match your swing path or move the ball position. (You'll also note that Jimmy's trailing foot looks like it's 6 inches or so back from its square position. Like I said yesterday, there's no set amount.) Again, I chose to teach you this method because it is so simple to use.
If you're using my instructions on how to make a one-piece takeaway, you know I don't want you to twist your forearms during your swing. The same thing holds true on your swing here. Since we're finally hitting a ball, I need to make sure you understand why you don't need to twist your forearms to get this ball to draw. It will make it much easier to hit the ball where you want it to go.
Here's a link to another old post, one with K.J. Choi's teacher Steven Bann explaining arm motion during the swing. And here's the video:
Okay, I'm going to give you a little more insight into what's happening. There IS some arm rotation during your swing, but it doesn't happen down at the wrists and forearms. It happens up at the lead shoulder joint. Without going into great anatomical detail, the way your shoulder is designed means it has to rotate when it moves across your chest... and it does move across your chest. Although Bann doesn't show it in the face-on view, your hands actually move about halfway across your body, from roughly in front of your crotch at setup to just outside your trailing shoulder at the top of your backswing. (You can see that in his down-the-line view.)
In yesterday's post, remember how I stressed keeping your upper arms connected to your chest during the practice swing? That not only made your swing path more consistent, but it forces this lead shoulder roll to happen in a very consistent way! (In fact, as long as you remain connected, both shoulders will roll at the appropriate points in your swing.) As you make your practice swing, this motion will virtually force your hands to square up at impact. That's what we want.
That's about it except for one last reminder: Don't forget to tee the ball up for this session. And since you aren't changing the ball position you're going to hit the ball with a slightly flatter plane than normal, which should make it even easier to hit a draw.
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
Today we take our practice swing out to the range and hit some balls. Remember, we're going to use our driver since this is the club most players want to draw. That also means I want you to tee the ball up. This post has a lot of info in it -- not because it's difficult but because I want you to understand what we're trying to do. I'm linking to a couple of older posts although I'm including the videos in the body of this one; it won't hurt you to go back and read the originals, but I'll try to get the main points here.
First, from this older post on drawing the ball, is a video by Jimmy Ballard on how to do the very thing we're working on today! (And again I apologize for the videos, but they're right-handed so I don't have a choice here.) I won't repeat all the info, but you'll hear him tell you how to aim the ball, etc. The main thing we're going to worry about is setup. Watch the video and then I'll fill in:
Now let's bring back the last diagram from yesterday's post.
For today, don't worry about most of the aiming info Jimmy gives you. If you just aim the butt end of the alignment club at the target -- if your range doesn't have flags you can aim at, find some other suitable target -- and do your setup the way we did it in practice. Only this time, we're going to place a ball down to hit it.
Note that Jimmy said you don't have to angle your shoulders to match your swing path or move the ball position. (You'll also note that Jimmy's trailing foot looks like it's 6 inches or so back from its square position. Like I said yesterday, there's no set amount.) Again, I chose to teach you this method because it is so simple to use.
If you're using my instructions on how to make a one-piece takeaway, you know I don't want you to twist your forearms during your swing. The same thing holds true on your swing here. Since we're finally hitting a ball, I need to make sure you understand why you don't need to twist your forearms to get this ball to draw. It will make it much easier to hit the ball where you want it to go.
Here's a link to another old post, one with K.J. Choi's teacher Steven Bann explaining arm motion during the swing. And here's the video:
Okay, I'm going to give you a little more insight into what's happening. There IS some arm rotation during your swing, but it doesn't happen down at the wrists and forearms. It happens up at the lead shoulder joint. Without going into great anatomical detail, the way your shoulder is designed means it has to rotate when it moves across your chest... and it does move across your chest. Although Bann doesn't show it in the face-on view, your hands actually move about halfway across your body, from roughly in front of your crotch at setup to just outside your trailing shoulder at the top of your backswing. (You can see that in his down-the-line view.)
In yesterday's post, remember how I stressed keeping your upper arms connected to your chest during the practice swing? That not only made your swing path more consistent, but it forces this lead shoulder roll to happen in a very consistent way! (In fact, as long as you remain connected, both shoulders will roll at the appropriate points in your swing.) As you make your practice swing, this motion will virtually force your hands to square up at impact. That's what we want.
That's about it except for one last reminder: Don't forget to tee the ball up for this session. And since you aren't changing the ball position you're going to hit the ball with a slightly flatter plane than normal, which should make it even easier to hit a draw.
Mr. Phelps... your mission today, should you decide to accept it, is to start hitting draws at the range with your practice swing. This tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck, Jim. [sound of tape hissing as it bursts into flames]Since tomorrow is the Limerick Summary, and since I have a couple of new fashion posts and would like to post one of them, and since I haven't done this month's RGWR yet because I'm having to rebuild the database with a new program (which I'm having to learn), I'm not going to post the next lesson until later in the week. This is a good time because you guys need to do some work on the range BEFORE you move to Lesson 4... and this way you won't be tempted! Now go out there and make me proud!
How to Hit a Draw for Righties 3
Welcome to Lesson 3 on how to become a hooker, class! (Yes, I know. Live with it.) A reminder...
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
Today we take our practice swing out to the range and hit some balls. Remember, we're going to use our driver since this is the club most players want to draw. That also means I want you to tee the ball up. This post has a lot of info in it -- not because it's difficult but because I want you to understand what we're trying to do. I'm linking to a couple of older posts although I'm including the videos in the body of this one; it won't hurt you to go back and read the originals, but I'll try to get the main points here.
First, from this older post on drawing the ball, is a video by Jimmy Ballard on how to do the very thing we're working on today! I won't repeat all the info, but you'll hear him tell you how to aim the ball, etc. The main thing we're going to worry about is setup. Watch the video and then I'll fill in:
Now let's bring back the last diagram from yesterday's post.
For today, don't worry about most of the aiming info Jimmy gives you. If you just aim the butt end of the alignment club at the target -- if your range doesn't have flags you can aim at, find some other suitable target -- and do your setup the way we did it in practice. Only this time, we're going to place a ball down to hit it.
Note that Jimmy said you don't have to angle your shoulders to match your swing path or move the ball position. (You'll also note that Jimmy's trailing foot looks like it's 6 inches or so back from its square position. Like I said yesterday, there's no set amount.) Again, I chose to teach you this method because it is so simple to use.
If you're using my instructions on how to make a one-piece takeaway, you know I don't want you to twist your forearms during your swing. The same thing holds true on your swing here. Since we're finally hitting a ball, I need to make sure you understand why you don't need to twist your forearms to get this ball to draw. It will make it much easier to hit the ball where you want it to go.
Here's a link to another old post, one with K.J. Choi's teacher Steven Bann explaining arm motion during the swing. And here's the video:
Okay, I'm going to give you a little more insight into what's happening. There IS some arm rotation during your swing, but it doesn't happen down at the wrists and forearms. It happens up at the lead shoulder joint. Without going into great anatomical detail, the way your shoulder is designed means it has to rotate when it moves across your chest... and it does move across your chest. Although Bann doesn't show it in the face-on view, your hands actually move about halfway across your body, from roughly in front of your crotch at setup to just outside your trailing shoulder at the top of your backswing. (You can see that in his down-the-line view.)
In yesterday's post, remember how I stressed keeping your upper arms connected to your chest during the practice swing? That not only made your swing path more consistent, but it forces this lead shoulder roll to happen in a very consistent way! (In fact, as long as you remain connected, both shoulders will roll at the appropriate points in your swing.) As you make your practice swing, this motion will virtually force your hands to square up at impact. That's what we want.
That's about it except for one last reminder: Don't forget to tee the ball up for this session. And since you aren't changing the ball position you're going to hit the ball with a slightly flatter plane than normal, which should make it even easier to hit a draw.
Each day has 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that might be clearer if I write them specifically for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
Today we take our practice swing out to the range and hit some balls. Remember, we're going to use our driver since this is the club most players want to draw. That also means I want you to tee the ball up. This post has a lot of info in it -- not because it's difficult but because I want you to understand what we're trying to do. I'm linking to a couple of older posts although I'm including the videos in the body of this one; it won't hurt you to go back and read the originals, but I'll try to get the main points here.
First, from this older post on drawing the ball, is a video by Jimmy Ballard on how to do the very thing we're working on today! I won't repeat all the info, but you'll hear him tell you how to aim the ball, etc. The main thing we're going to worry about is setup. Watch the video and then I'll fill in:
Now let's bring back the last diagram from yesterday's post.
For today, don't worry about most of the aiming info Jimmy gives you. If you just aim the butt end of the alignment club at the target -- if your range doesn't have flags you can aim at, find some other suitable target -- and do your setup the way we did it in practice. Only this time, we're going to place a ball down to hit it.
Note that Jimmy said you don't have to angle your shoulders to match your swing path or move the ball position. (You'll also note that Jimmy's trailing foot looks like it's 6 inches or so back from its square position. Like I said yesterday, there's no set amount.) Again, I chose to teach you this method because it is so simple to use.
If you're using my instructions on how to make a one-piece takeaway, you know I don't want you to twist your forearms during your swing. The same thing holds true on your swing here. Since we're finally hitting a ball, I need to make sure you understand why you don't need to twist your forearms to get this ball to draw. It will make it much easier to hit the ball where you want it to go.
Here's a link to another old post, one with K.J. Choi's teacher Steven Bann explaining arm motion during the swing. And here's the video:
Okay, I'm going to give you a little more insight into what's happening. There IS some arm rotation during your swing, but it doesn't happen down at the wrists and forearms. It happens up at the lead shoulder joint. Without going into great anatomical detail, the way your shoulder is designed means it has to rotate when it moves across your chest... and it does move across your chest. Although Bann doesn't show it in the face-on view, your hands actually move about halfway across your body, from roughly in front of your crotch at setup to just outside your trailing shoulder at the top of your backswing. (You can see that in his down-the-line view.)
In yesterday's post, remember how I stressed keeping your upper arms connected to your chest during the practice swing? That not only made your swing path more consistent, but it forces this lead shoulder roll to happen in a very consistent way! (In fact, as long as you remain connected, both shoulders will roll at the appropriate points in your swing.) As you make your practice swing, this motion will virtually force your hands to square up at impact. That's what we want.
That's about it except for one last reminder: Don't forget to tee the ball up for this session. And since you aren't changing the ball position you're going to hit the ball with a slightly flatter plane than normal, which should make it even easier to hit a draw.
Mr. Phelps... your mission today, should you decide to accept it, is to start hitting draws at the range with your practice swing. This tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck, Jim. [sound of tape hissing as it bursts into flames]Since tomorrow is the Limerick Summary, and since I have a couple of new fashion posts and would like to post one of them, and since I haven't done this month's RGWR yet because I'm having to rebuild the database with a new program (which I'm having to learn), I'm not going to post the next lesson until later in the week. This is a good time because you guys need to do some work on the range BEFORE you move to Lesson 4... and this way you won't be tempted! Now go out there and make me proud!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
How to Hit a Draw for Lefties 2
Welcome back, class! Just to refresh your memory...
Each day will have 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that will be clearer if I specifically write them for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
Alright, today we'll learn the "practice" swing we're going to use for the next couple of lessons. You can learn this practice swing right there in your own backyard because you don't need to hit balls in this lesson. Learn this swing at home before heading out to the range; when you go to the range to practice, I don't want you wasting your time.
Yesterday I told you that it's based on a time-tested drill. That drill was developed by none other than Ben Hogan. Here's a short video of Hogan demonstrating his drill on the old Ed Sullivan Show, which was a very popular weekly variety show in the 1950s and 1960s. (Ironically, I remember the show primarily because of a little Italian mouse puppet named Topo Gigio. It was a regular on the show for nearly 9 years, and I loved it as a child. But I digress...) Here's the video -- sorry, my left-handed friends, but Hogan was a rightie:
We aren't going to use all of Hogan's drill. Hogan designed it specifically to teach his swing, while I want you to be able to use it no matter what your swing looks like. Here are the changes we're making, which actually make our practice swing easier to use:
To work on this practice swing, grab two clubs and head for the backyard. One should be your driver since that's the hardest one to hit a draw with. Once we get that down, drawing the other clubs will seem easy.
Lay the other club down on the ground. This is your aim line, and I want you to grab your driver and take your address position with it. Look at this first diagram to see what we're after:
Now just practice swinging your club back and forth like Hogan did. Remember, keep your upper arms in contact with the sides of your chest at all times and don't swing your hands above your shoulders.
See that arrow drawn on your trailing foot? It's there for comparison to the next diagram. If you normally stand with your trailing foot slightly open (like your lead foot) then feel free to do that. Ironically, Hogan is doing the same thing in the video even though he makes a big deal of the foot position shown in this drawing! The important thing is that whatever position your trailing foot is in, you want to move parallel to the swing path line when you drive forward during your downswing. You don't want to move out over the ball or stand up away from it.
After you've done this for a little while and feel comfortable with the practice swing -- connection may be a new sensation for you if you don't usually do it during your swing -- we need to adjust your foot position for a draw. Take a look at the next diagram.
There's no exact distance that the trailing foot should be moved back, but 3 or 4 inches is a fairly typical amount. And unless you had your toes right up against that aim line club, calculate that new foot position from the trailing foot's original toe position.
See how the arrow pointing from the trailing foot isn't pointing the same direction it was in the first diagram? THIS IS IMPORTANT! It should be in the same relation to the swing path (red line) that it was when you set up in the first diagram. You can get in this position by just lifting your trailing foot and turning your hip away from the club you laid on the ground. (And before you ask, the lead foot's position does NOT change. We still need to get turned toward the target after we hit the ball, and if we change the lead foot we'll make that much harder to do.)
This is one of the places where players trying to play a draw mess up. We want to drive off our trailing foot the same way we normally do... but if we leave our trailing foot pointing straight, the way it was in the first diagram, our trailing ankle, knee, and hip will act differently from normal. We want our move through the ball to feel as much like normal as possible; it's just at an angle now.
Try this version of the practice swing until you get comfortable with it. You shouldn't feel like you're wobbling forward or backward during the swing. In fact, if you angled your trailing foot properly, it should feel pretty much like your normal swing.
Okay, we've got one more thing to think about... your rhythm. If you start down too fast, you can mess up your draw. (Think about all those pros on Tour who try to hit the ball hard and, instead of getting a little draw, hit a big push or push-slice. We're going to stop that before it starts!) This problem is easily prevented by using a simple trick that 3-time major winner Tommy Armour, aka "The Silver Scot" and the pro who Harvey Penick said had a big influence on his own teaching, included in his own instructional book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time. (Before Hogan wrote Five Lessons, Armour's book was considered by many to be the most important instructional book around.)
To keep his students from changing direction too fast at the top, Armour simply had them count, "One, two, pause, three." It won't take much practice to figure out how fast or slow you need to count in order to swing at your own best speed.
If you take a little time to get this practice swing under your belt before you head out to the range to hit balls, you'll eliminate virtually all the problems that keep you from consistently hitting a draw...EXCEPT for squaring your hands at impact. That's what you have to learn in order to hit a nice little draw, and this practice swing will allow us to focus on that without a dozen swing thoughts in our heads. So even if it takes you a few days to get comfortable with this before you head out to the range to hit balls, it's time well spent. Using this swing will make it much easier to learn the first step -- how to hit a draw on the range.
Which is where we'll take this little practice swing in tomorrow's lesson.
Each day will have 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that will be clearer if I specifically write them for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for left-handers.
Alright, today we'll learn the "practice" swing we're going to use for the next couple of lessons. You can learn this practice swing right there in your own backyard because you don't need to hit balls in this lesson. Learn this swing at home before heading out to the range; when you go to the range to practice, I don't want you wasting your time.
Yesterday I told you that it's based on a time-tested drill. That drill was developed by none other than Ben Hogan. Here's a short video of Hogan demonstrating his drill on the old Ed Sullivan Show, which was a very popular weekly variety show in the 1950s and 1960s. (Ironically, I remember the show primarily because of a little Italian mouse puppet named Topo Gigio. It was a regular on the show for nearly 9 years, and I loved it as a child. But I digress...) Here's the video -- sorry, my left-handed friends, but Hogan was a rightie:
We aren't going to use all of Hogan's drill. Hogan designed it specifically to teach his swing, while I want you to be able to use it no matter what your swing looks like. Here are the changes we're making, which actually make our practice swing easier to use:
- First of all, we aren't making a full swing. I don't want your hands to go higher than your shoulders. This will shorten the swing so it's somewhere between a half- and a three-quarter swing. That means that your lead shoulder won't turn all the way under your chin, which will make it easier for you to stay stable over the ball.
- Hogan's arms separate from his upper body at the top of his swing. (They have to if you're making a full swing.) But I want your triceps -- the muscles on the backs of your upper arms -- to stay in contact with the side of your chest throughout the practice swing.
- While it's not required, I'd like for your lower body to stay quieter than Hogan's does in the video. Focusing on turning your upper body more will help improve your coil (giving you more power when you swing normally), and it shouldn't be a big strain since we aren't making a full shoulder turn with this practice swing.
To work on this practice swing, grab two clubs and head for the backyard. One should be your driver since that's the hardest one to hit a draw with. Once we get that down, drawing the other clubs will seem easy.
Lay the other club down on the ground. This is your aim line, and I want you to grab your driver and take your address position with it. Look at this first diagram to see what we're after:
Now just practice swinging your club back and forth like Hogan did. Remember, keep your upper arms in contact with the sides of your chest at all times and don't swing your hands above your shoulders.
See that arrow drawn on your trailing foot? It's there for comparison to the next diagram. If you normally stand with your trailing foot slightly open (like your lead foot) then feel free to do that. Ironically, Hogan is doing the same thing in the video even though he makes a big deal of the foot position shown in this drawing! The important thing is that whatever position your trailing foot is in, you want to move parallel to the swing path line when you drive forward during your downswing. You don't want to move out over the ball or stand up away from it.
After you've done this for a little while and feel comfortable with the practice swing -- connection may be a new sensation for you if you don't usually do it during your swing -- we need to adjust your foot position for a draw. Take a look at the next diagram.
There's no exact distance that the trailing foot should be moved back, but 3 or 4 inches is a fairly typical amount. And unless you had your toes right up against that aim line club, calculate that new foot position from the trailing foot's original toe position.
See how the arrow pointing from the trailing foot isn't pointing the same direction it was in the first diagram? THIS IS IMPORTANT! It should be in the same relation to the swing path (red line) that it was when you set up in the first diagram. You can get in this position by just lifting your trailing foot and turning your hip away from the club you laid on the ground. (And before you ask, the lead foot's position does NOT change. We still need to get turned toward the target after we hit the ball, and if we change the lead foot we'll make that much harder to do.)
This is one of the places where players trying to play a draw mess up. We want to drive off our trailing foot the same way we normally do... but if we leave our trailing foot pointing straight, the way it was in the first diagram, our trailing ankle, knee, and hip will act differently from normal. We want our move through the ball to feel as much like normal as possible; it's just at an angle now.
Try this version of the practice swing until you get comfortable with it. You shouldn't feel like you're wobbling forward or backward during the swing. In fact, if you angled your trailing foot properly, it should feel pretty much like your normal swing.
Okay, we've got one more thing to think about... your rhythm. If you start down too fast, you can mess up your draw. (Think about all those pros on Tour who try to hit the ball hard and, instead of getting a little draw, hit a big push or push-slice. We're going to stop that before it starts!) This problem is easily prevented by using a simple trick that 3-time major winner Tommy Armour, aka "The Silver Scot" and the pro who Harvey Penick said had a big influence on his own teaching, included in his own instructional book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time. (Before Hogan wrote Five Lessons, Armour's book was considered by many to be the most important instructional book around.)
To keep his students from changing direction too fast at the top, Armour simply had them count, "One, two, pause, three." It won't take much practice to figure out how fast or slow you need to count in order to swing at your own best speed.
If you take a little time to get this practice swing under your belt before you head out to the range to hit balls, you'll eliminate virtually all the problems that keep you from consistently hitting a draw...EXCEPT for squaring your hands at impact. That's what you have to learn in order to hit a nice little draw, and this practice swing will allow us to focus on that without a dozen swing thoughts in our heads. So even if it takes you a few days to get comfortable with this before you head out to the range to hit balls, it's time well spent. Using this swing will make it much easier to learn the first step -- how to hit a draw on the range.
Which is where we'll take this little practice swing in tomorrow's lesson.
How to Hit a Draw for Righties 2
Welcome back, class! Just to refresh your memory...
Each day will have 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that will be clearer if I specifically write them for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
Alright, today we'll learn the "practice" swing we're going to use for the next couple of lessons. You can learn this practice swing right there in your own backyard because you don't need to hit balls in this lesson. Learn this swing at home before heading out to the range; when you go to the range to practice, I don't want you wasting your time.
Yesterday I told you that it's based on a time-tested drill. That drill was developed by none other than Ben Hogan. Here's a short video of Hogan demonstrating his drill on the old Ed Sullivan Show, which was a very popular weekly variety show in the 1950s and 1960s. (Ironically, I remember the show primarily because of a little Italian mouse puppet named Topo Gigio. It was a regular on the show for nearly 9 years, and I loved it as a child. But I digress...) Here's the video:
We aren't going to use all of Hogan's drill. Hogan designed it specifically to teach his swing, while I want you to be able to use it no matter what your swing looks like. Here are the changes we're making, which actually make our practice swing easier to use:
To work on this practice swing, grab two clubs and head for the backyard. One should be your driver since that's the hardest one to hit a draw with. Once we get that down, drawing the other clubs will seem easy.
Lay the other club down on the ground. This is your aim line, and I want you to grab your driver and take your address position with it. Look at this first diagram to see what we're after:
Now just practice swinging your club back and forth like Hogan did. Remember, keep your upper arms in contact with the sides of your chest at all times and don't swing your hands above your shoulders.
See that arrow drawn on your trailing foot? It's there for comparison to the next diagram. If you normally stand with your trailing foot slightly open (like your lead foot) then feel free to do that. Ironically, Hogan is doing the same thing in the video even though he makes a big deal of the foot position shown in this drawing! The important thing is that whatever position your trailing foot is in, you want to move parallel to the swing path line when you drive forward during your downswing. You don't want to move out over the ball or stand up away from it.
After you've done this for a little while and feel comfortable with the practice swing -- connection may be a new sensation for you if you don't usually do it during your swing -- we need to adjust your foot position for a draw. Take a look at the next diagram.
There's no exact distance that the trailing foot should be moved back, but 3 or 4 inches is a fairly typical amount. And unless you had your toes right up against that aim line club, calculate that new foot position from the trailing foot's original toe position.
See how the arrow pointing from the trailing foot isn't pointing the same direction it was in the first diagram? THIS IS IMPORTANT! It should be in the same relation to the swing path (red line) that it was when you set up in the first diagram. You can get in this position by just lifting your trailing foot and turning your hip away from the club you laid on the ground. (And before you ask, the lead foot's position does NOT change. We still need to get turned toward the target after we hit the ball, and if we change the lead foot we'll make that much harder to do.)
This is one of the places where players trying to play a draw mess up. We want to drive off our trailing foot the same way we normally do... but if we leave our trailing foot pointing straight, the way it was in the first diagram, our trailing ankle, knee, and hip will act differently from normal. We want our move through the ball to feel as much like normal as possible; it's just at an angle now.
Try this version of the practice swing until you get comfortable with it. You shouldn't feel like you're wobbling forward or backward during the swing. In fact, if you angled your trailing foot properly, it should feel pretty much like your normal swing.
Okay, we've got one more thing to think about... your rhythm. If you start down too fast, you can mess up your draw. (Think about all those pros on Tour who try to hit the ball hard and, instead of getting a little draw, hit a big push or push-slice. We're going to stop that before it starts!) This problem is easily prevented by using a simple trick that 3-time major winner Tommy Armour, aka "The Silver Scot" and the pro who Harvey Penick said had a big influence on his own teaching, included in his own instructional book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time. (Before Hogan wrote Five Lessons, Armour's book was considered by many to be the most important instructional book around.)
To keep his students from changing direction too fast at the top, Armour simply had them count, "One, two, pause, three." It won't take much practice to figure out how fast or slow you need to count in order to swing at your own best speed.
If you take a little time to get this practice swing under your belt before you head out to the range to hit balls, you'll eliminate virtually all the problems that keep you from consistently hitting a draw...EXCEPT for squaring your hands at impact. That's what you have to learn in order to hit a nice little draw, and this practice swing will allow us to focus on that without a dozen swing thoughts in our heads. So even if it takes you a few days to get comfortable with this before you head out to the range to hit balls, it's time well spent. Using this swing will make it much easier to learn the first step -- how to hit a draw on the range.
Which is where we'll take this little practice swing in tomorrow's lesson.
Each day will have 2 posts -- one for righties and one for lefties -- and will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that will be clearer if I specifically write them for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. And yes, this is the post for right-handers.
Alright, today we'll learn the "practice" swing we're going to use for the next couple of lessons. You can learn this practice swing right there in your own backyard because you don't need to hit balls in this lesson. Learn this swing at home before heading out to the range; when you go to the range to practice, I don't want you wasting your time.
Yesterday I told you that it's based on a time-tested drill. That drill was developed by none other than Ben Hogan. Here's a short video of Hogan demonstrating his drill on the old Ed Sullivan Show, which was a very popular weekly variety show in the 1950s and 1960s. (Ironically, I remember the show primarily because of a little Italian mouse puppet named Topo Gigio. It was a regular on the show for nearly 9 years, and I loved it as a child. But I digress...) Here's the video:
We aren't going to use all of Hogan's drill. Hogan designed it specifically to teach his swing, while I want you to be able to use it no matter what your swing looks like. Here are the changes we're making, which actually make our practice swing easier to use:
- First of all, we aren't making a full swing. I don't want your hands to go higher than your shoulders. This will shorten the swing so it's somewhere between a half- and a three-quarter swing. That means that your lead shoulder won't turn all the way under your chin, which will make it easier for you to stay stable over the ball.
- Hogan's arms separate from his upper body at the top of his swing. (They have to if you're making a full swing.) But I want your triceps -- the muscles on the backs of your upper arms -- to stay in contact with the side of your chest throughout the practice swing.
- While it's not required, I'd like for your lower body to stay quieter than Hogan's does in the video. Focusing on turning your upper body more will help improve your coil (giving you more power when you swing normally), and it shouldn't be a big strain since we aren't making a full shoulder turn with this practice swing.
To work on this practice swing, grab two clubs and head for the backyard. One should be your driver since that's the hardest one to hit a draw with. Once we get that down, drawing the other clubs will seem easy.
Lay the other club down on the ground. This is your aim line, and I want you to grab your driver and take your address position with it. Look at this first diagram to see what we're after:
Now just practice swinging your club back and forth like Hogan did. Remember, keep your upper arms in contact with the sides of your chest at all times and don't swing your hands above your shoulders.
See that arrow drawn on your trailing foot? It's there for comparison to the next diagram. If you normally stand with your trailing foot slightly open (like your lead foot) then feel free to do that. Ironically, Hogan is doing the same thing in the video even though he makes a big deal of the foot position shown in this drawing! The important thing is that whatever position your trailing foot is in, you want to move parallel to the swing path line when you drive forward during your downswing. You don't want to move out over the ball or stand up away from it.
After you've done this for a little while and feel comfortable with the practice swing -- connection may be a new sensation for you if you don't usually do it during your swing -- we need to adjust your foot position for a draw. Take a look at the next diagram.
There's no exact distance that the trailing foot should be moved back, but 3 or 4 inches is a fairly typical amount. And unless you had your toes right up against that aim line club, calculate that new foot position from the trailing foot's original toe position.
See how the arrow pointing from the trailing foot isn't pointing the same direction it was in the first diagram? THIS IS IMPORTANT! It should be in the same relation to the swing path (red line) that it was when you set up in the first diagram. You can get in this position by just lifting your trailing foot and turning your hip away from the club you laid on the ground. (And before you ask, the lead foot's position does NOT change. We still need to get turned toward the target after we hit the ball, and if we change the lead foot we'll make that much harder to do.)
This is one of the places where players trying to play a draw mess up. We want to drive off our trailing foot the same way we normally do... but if we leave our trailing foot pointing straight, the way it was in the first diagram, our trailing ankle, knee, and hip will act differently from normal. We want our move through the ball to feel as much like normal as possible; it's just at an angle now.
Try this version of the practice swing until you get comfortable with it. You shouldn't feel like you're wobbling forward or backward during the swing. In fact, if you angled your trailing foot properly, it should feel pretty much like your normal swing.
Okay, we've got one more thing to think about... your rhythm. If you start down too fast, you can mess up your draw. (Think about all those pros on Tour who try to hit the ball hard and, instead of getting a little draw, hit a big push or push-slice. We're going to stop that before it starts!) This problem is easily prevented by using a simple trick that 3-time major winner Tommy Armour, aka "The Silver Scot" and the pro who Harvey Penick said had a big influence on his own teaching, included in his own instructional book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time. (Before Hogan wrote Five Lessons, Armour's book was considered by many to be the most important instructional book around.)
To keep his students from changing direction too fast at the top, Armour simply had them count, "One, two, pause, three." It won't take much practice to figure out how fast or slow you need to count in order to swing at your own best speed.
If you take a little time to get this practice swing under your belt before you head out to the range to hit balls, you'll eliminate virtually all the problems that keep you from consistently hitting a draw...EXCEPT for squaring your hands at impact. That's what you have to learn in order to hit a nice little draw, and this practice swing will allow us to focus on that without a dozen swing thoughts in our heads. So even if it takes you a few days to get comfortable with this before you head out to the range to hit balls, it's time well spent. Using this swing will make it much easier to learn the first step -- how to hit a draw on the range.
Which is where we'll take this little practice swing in tomorrow's lesson.
Friday, September 13, 2013
How to Hit a Draw for Lefties 1
A few days back I did a post about shaping shots and Peter left a few questions in the comments. They were good questions -- good enough that I couldn't do them justice with quick replies. Therefore today I begin an instructional series on how to hit draws.
Today's post is an orientation class. I'm going to let you know what to expect and answer a few questions about what we're doing and why I'm approaching the subject the way I'm going to.
First of all, each day will have 2 posts, one for righties and one for lefties. These posts will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that will be clearer if I specifically write them for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. This one, in case you missed it, is the one for left-handers. Are you with me so far?
Great. Let's get on with our orientation!
Peter's original question concerned how you set up to hit a draw. There are actually THREE possible ways to set up for a draw, but I feel that one of them offers more advantages than the other two to weekend players. To kick off this "class," I want you to understand what those 3 options are and why I've chosen to use the one I'm using. Use the following diagrams to help you follow what I'm saying.
The first option is the one Peter mentions: Open the club face slightly, align your body to the aim line, and swing from in to out. Although this one makes sense, based on what was in the video, it's actually the worst choice of the three. Why? Because if you want to hit the ball straight, your arms have to swing straight down the line; and if you want to fade the ball, you have to swing out to in. Since your body would logically be aligned to the aim line in all 3 cases, you have to learn 3 different arm swings! (I've noted these swing paths in the first diagram using different colors for each path.) This is not only harder to do well, it's just plain more work than necessary. Scratch Option 1.
The second option is to close your club face, align your body to the aim line, and swing along your body line. This option is much simpler because all you have to do is change the aim of the club face for each shot -- open it to hit a fade, square it to hit the ball straight, and close it to hit a draw. (Bear in mind that, in order to hit a draw, the face is ALWAYS closed relative to the swing path -- even when we aim the face slightly right of the aim line as mentioned in that video from the other post.)
This option is certainly workable and it's often taught as the easiest way to hit a draw... but there's a mental problem with this option. You see, your setup is based on the swing path and your swing path is never aimed at either your target or your aim point! In the case of a draw, the face is actually aimed at a point that's slightly behind you if you use this setup. Not the most natural way to aim, is it? Scratch Option 2.
Which leaves us with the third option: Since the ball will start out on essentially the same line the club face is aimed along, we'll aim the club face first then adjust our body line so our swing path is closed to that aim line. This is probably the least natural way to think about hitting a draw, but it's the easiest way to aim! (If you want to hit the ball straight, you line up so your body line matches your aim line; and if you want to hit a fade, you set up so your body line is open to your aim line. You'll be able to swing along your body line in each case, making this physically easier as well.) Since getting the ball to land where we want it is at least as important as getting the draw in the first place, it's the way I've chosen to teach you. Option 3 is the way to go!
So how do we learn this in the easiest possible way? Here's the plan for the rest of the posts in this series:
Today's post is an orientation class. I'm going to let you know what to expect and answer a few questions about what we're doing and why I'm approaching the subject the way I'm going to.
First of all, each day will have 2 posts, one for righties and one for lefties. These posts will be identical except for the diagrams and some instructions that will be clearer if I specifically write them for each type of player. The posts will be scheduled one minute apart so both posts will show up at almost the same time. Any of you who have questions can leave them in the comments of the appropriate "handedness post," which should eliminate a lot of confusion. This one, in case you missed it, is the one for left-handers. Are you with me so far?
Great. Let's get on with our orientation!
Peter's original question concerned how you set up to hit a draw. There are actually THREE possible ways to set up for a draw, but I feel that one of them offers more advantages than the other two to weekend players. To kick off this "class," I want you to understand what those 3 options are and why I've chosen to use the one I'm using. Use the following diagrams to help you follow what I'm saying.
The first option is the one Peter mentions: Open the club face slightly, align your body to the aim line, and swing from in to out. Although this one makes sense, based on what was in the video, it's actually the worst choice of the three. Why? Because if you want to hit the ball straight, your arms have to swing straight down the line; and if you want to fade the ball, you have to swing out to in. Since your body would logically be aligned to the aim line in all 3 cases, you have to learn 3 different arm swings! (I've noted these swing paths in the first diagram using different colors for each path.) This is not only harder to do well, it's just plain more work than necessary. Scratch Option 1.
The second option is to close your club face, align your body to the aim line, and swing along your body line. This option is much simpler because all you have to do is change the aim of the club face for each shot -- open it to hit a fade, square it to hit the ball straight, and close it to hit a draw. (Bear in mind that, in order to hit a draw, the face is ALWAYS closed relative to the swing path -- even when we aim the face slightly right of the aim line as mentioned in that video from the other post.)
This option is certainly workable and it's often taught as the easiest way to hit a draw... but there's a mental problem with this option. You see, your setup is based on the swing path and your swing path is never aimed at either your target or your aim point! In the case of a draw, the face is actually aimed at a point that's slightly behind you if you use this setup. Not the most natural way to aim, is it? Scratch Option 2.
Which leaves us with the third option: Since the ball will start out on essentially the same line the club face is aimed along, we'll aim the club face first then adjust our body line so our swing path is closed to that aim line. This is probably the least natural way to think about hitting a draw, but it's the easiest way to aim! (If you want to hit the ball straight, you line up so your body line matches your aim line; and if you want to hit a fade, you set up so your body line is open to your aim line. You'll be able to swing along your body line in each case, making this physically easier as well.) Since getting the ball to land where we want it is at least as important as getting the draw in the first place, it's the way I've chosen to teach you. Option 3 is the way to go!
So how do we learn this in the easiest possible way? Here's the plan for the rest of the posts in this series:
- In Post 2 I'll teach you what I'm going to call a "practice swing" although it's much more than that. Peter asked about drills. This practice swing is based on a time-tested drill that will eliminate some of the extra thoughts that often complicate the process of learning to shape shots. You can learn this drill in your backyard without hitting any balls... but it will make learning to hit a draw much easier.
- In Post 3 we'll take the practice swing to the range and learn to hit a draw with it. Some of Peter's questions concerned the finer points of aiming a draw... but you've got to be able to hit a draw before you can aim it! This post will teach you how to hit a consistent and predictable draw. Once you've mastered the lesson in this post, you'll KNOW you can draw that ball when you stand over it!
- In Post 4 we'll take the draw you can now hit with your practice swing and turn it into a draw you can hit with your full swing. When you've mastered the lessons in this post, you'll be able to hit a draw and know pretty much where it's going to land.
- And in Post 5 (I suspect we'll need the fifth one) we'll finetune the aiming process a little. For many of you, Post 4 will give you all you need to play well. But this post will help you understand exactly what was going on in that video in the post I mentioned earlier. If you really want to understand "the new ball flight laws," this is the post that will show you how to use them.
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