Put in the Practice Time to Make More Clutch Putts

Thursday, October 31, 2013

      Ryan Moore captured his first win of the 2013-14 PGA Tour season at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia by putting together the magical formula of finishing in the top 10 in greens hit in regulation while also tying for second in putts per green in regulation.

     Despite the dominant stats, the victory didn’t come easy for Moore, who knocked down a 5-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to secure the win in sudden death over Gary Woodland in a Monday (local time) finish. Statistically, Moore had about a 75-percent chance to make that putt based on the PGA Tour average of putts made from that length.

    Most amateur golfers, however, cringe at the thought of having to make a 5-footer, especially under pressure. While we all know that putting is the key to lower scores, many players simply aren’t willing or don’t have the time to put in the hours of practice that helped Moore sink his winning putt.

Here are a few keys to make sure your next putting practice session is productive:  

 

• Eyeline Golf has identified what they call “4 Putting Elements” that I believe are a great way to prioritize your practice. The elements are setup, path, impact and speed control. For example, you want to set up with consistent posture and alignment to make it much easier to have proper path, impact and speed control. If you can learn these elements in order, you can become a really good putter with minimum time invested..

 • Have feedback available when you practice. This could come in the form of a friend, video or training aids. If you are working on the element of impact, using impact chalk or any training aid that lets you know where the ball is hitting the putter face is very valuable. The key is to make sure you’re doing what you think you’re doing and feedback is the only way to know for sure.

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Improve Your Short Game by Utilizing a System

      For a low running shot (bump-and-run or chip shot), play the ball off your back foot with your club shaft and hands angled substantially forward.The best way to learn is to process new information by using a system or routine.

      We all learn differently, and because there is so much information available to us it can be a challenge to simplify information. Here is a short-game system that is very simple and based upon two basic fundamentals, trajectory and roll. Ball position directly impacts trajectory while hand position/shaft angle affects roll.

Here are some examples:

      This will produce a low shot (ball position back) with forward roll when it lands (hands and club shaft forward). When you desire a medium height shot with some forward roll (high chip or pitch shot), play the golf ball in the center of your stance (for extra height) but have your hands slightly forward (for some forward roll). Lastly, for a high shot with minimal roll (lob shot), place the ball more forward in your stance (for extra height) and hands over the ball (for less roll). The next time you’re on the course or at the short game practice area, implement this simple system and you’ll get the ball close to the hole more often.

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Fix Your Slice In Two Words

Monday, October 28, 2013

'Roll' and 'Reach' through impact

 

It's no big mystery why you're slicing your driver. The clubface is open to your swing path at impact. And that slice can get worse if you pull in your arms on the downswing to try to steer the ball into the fairway. Here's my easy fix: Remember to roll and reach as you swing through. Let your forearms roll over to square the clubface and then reach your arms toward the target.

    You can get a feel for this full release by hitting some "bunt" shots with your driver. Tee up a ball and take your driver back until the shaft is parallel to the ground and the toe of the club points straight up (see photo). From there, focus on extending the shaft toward the target so it mirrors that halfway-back position, with the toe up again. Bunt some balls down the range, and don't worry about distance.

    The bunt drive teaches you to rotate your forearms and maintain good arm extension. Fail to do either of those in your normal swing, and you won't hit the ball solid or straight.

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Learn To Coil For Power

Use my Opposing-Forces Drill to Add Energy to your Swing

 

        Winding your upper torso during the backswing is essential for power and solid ball-striking. You don't need to make a huge turn off the ball or swing back until the shaft is parallel to the ground. The feel to strive for is that your upper body is loading up energy as you take the club back—just like medieval armies cranking a catapult into firing position. Your goal should be to build and store this energy on the backswing so you can unleash it toward the target as you start down.

 

         Here's a good exercise to feel this loading-up process. Stand in your address position without a club. Let your arms hang, then cross your left wrist over your right so the backs of your hands are touching. Now, keeping your lower body stable, rotate your right side away from the target while trying to resist with your left arm (see photo). These opposing forces will help you feel a coiling action in your core and back muscles.

         A second benefit to this drill is that it teaches you to keep your left arm extended. Many amateurs let the lead arm collapse during the backswing, and that makes it tough to hit the ball solidly. This combination of left-arm extension and upper-body coil will put you in position to hit the ball flush and with power.

SWING THOUGHT GET YOUR HIPS INTO IT

         Once you learn to make a fully loaded backswing, you're ready to tackle the first move down. Do the winding drill above and hold it for a few seconds. Really feel your back muscles stretching. Now, while holding this stretched position, start rotating your lower body toward the target. You'll feel your weight move onto your left side. In a real swing, your hips should be turning forward before you release that top-of-backswing position. Get a feel for this, then hit some shots trying to re-create it.

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Simple Solid Strikes

What really matters when you hit the ball?

      Two main factors determine the starting point and curve of your ball. Swing path and the relationship of the clubface to that path. Let's assume you have a fairly neutral grip. If you get to impact and the back of your lead hand is aimed at your target, your ball will start out in that direction. If your ball curves to the right or the left from there, you know the path of your swing was off.
    Trouble starts when you roll your hands over to try to actively release the club and square the face. That could help a serious slicer, but it mostly makes you too reliant on perfect timing. Instead, focus on getting that logo on the top of your glove to face the target at impact. Your shots will start on line more consistently.

HOW I SEE IT?

      The traditional thinking when captains make their picks for the Presidents Cup (or Ryder Cup) is to favor players with experience. But I like the idea of giving the younger guys a chance. I was happy to see Fred Couples choose rookie Jordan Spieth for this year's Matches (Oct. 4-6).
      The top young players have already proved they can perform under pressure, and they have a way of bringing out the best in veteran players. Besides, golf needs more stars, and playing on the biggest stages helps create them. Look how Keegan Bradley's Q rating took off when he won the PGA Championship in 2011 and then played great at the Ryder Cup last year. Teams need that kind of energy—not another veteran who might have played well in a team event a decade ago.

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Don't Fall For The Flyer

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Beware of those fluffy lies in the first cut of rough

By: Butch Harmon

Photos by: J.D Cuban

November 2013

       It's not often that average golfers hit a good shot that ends up over the green. That's because they almost never take too much club on approach shots—and usually take too little. So when they do hit one long, it probably means they skulled it.But one solidly-struck shot that sometimes goes over is the short iron from the first cut of rough—that fluffy strip of grass that borders the fairway. Most golfers love this lie, because they get a little cushion under the ball.

      The trouble is, the ball tends to jump out of the short rough—hence the name "flyer lie." What makes it jump? Grass gets trapped between the clubface and the ball at impact, so the face can't grip the ball like it normally does. As a result, the shot flies like a knuckle ball and runs hard after it lands.To minimize the effects of the flyer, make a few adjustments to help you catch as much of the ball as possible. First, play it farther back in your stance, about middle for a short iron. This will lean the shaft more toward the target. Then, hinge your wrists abruptly on the backswing, which sets up a steeper angle into impact (see photo).

      Finally, as you swing through, keep the back of your top hand going toward the target for as long as you can. This will guard against the face twisting if it catches the grass first.Drop a few balls and practice this technique. It's OK to love the flyer when you're hitting a hybrid or fairway metal, but when you need to stop an iron on the green, try to catch the ball as cleanly as you can.BUTCH'S BASICSSometimes you miss a green and find your ball perched high in the grass. Lucky you, right? Well, only if you know how to play the shot. The standard chipping or pitching technique, where you hit down on the ball, can cause the clubhead to slide right under it and produce a weak shot. The trick when the ball is sitting up is to make more of a sweeping motion, like a long putting stroke. Set up with the ball off your back foot (see photo), and keep your lower body still and your wrists firm as you make a level sweep back and through. You'll pick the ball off the top of the grass for solid contact.

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Don't Let Rainy, Wet Conditions Ruin Your Rounds

 

         The United States Presidents Cup team overcame sloppy conditions at Muirfield Village over the weekend to claim victory against the International Team, 18 1/2 to 15 1/2. Players from both teams were able to remain unaffected by the rain and take advantage of the soft conditions to make plenty of birdies on what is normally a very difficult golf course. Some players will likely forgo a round of golf at the first possibility of rain in the forecast. Other, more dedicated players would never let a little rain spoil the opportunity to go play.
 

For whatever reason, if you find yourself dealing with wet weather on the golf course you need to be aware of how it can affect your game, and the following advice will help:

 

• Grips. You obviously want to make every attempt to keep your grips dry when playing in the rain. But I’m more concerned about what type of grips you have on your clubs. Not all grips are created equal. Some grips will perform better than others if they get moisture on them. If you know that playing in the rain is something that may happen, make sure you have grips on your clubs that can withstand getting wet.

 

• Your swing. There is no need for your swing to change when playing in poor weather. I often hear from my players that they play better in the rain. One reason for this is that those same players are worried about the golf club slipping out of their hands. To prevent this they make easier swings and focus on a constant grip pressure throughout the swing, resulting in better golf shots. And don’t wait for the rain. If ball-striking is a problem for you, make easier swings and focus on constant grip pressure all the time.

 

• You’ll need more carry from the tee. The ball travels farther in the air than it does on the ground anyway, but this is especially true when the ground is soft from rain and the ball has no roll. Having a driver that has been fit to your swing to give you optimal launch conditions will be a big asset when the ball’s not rolling because the ground is soft. So make sure your driver is fit for you.

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Maximize Speed at the Right Time for More Distance

 

Power. Everyone wants more of it in their golf game, but most don’t understand how to make that happen. Most players try to make all the power in the swing happen at the ball. This, however, slows the club down after impact and causes the overall swing speed to be maximized at the wrong time. The best way to create speed at the correct time in the swing is to think of a race car going into a curve. The driver pours on the gas and accelerates out of the turn, not into it. If he put his foot on the gas into the apex of the turn he would lose control of the car. So the next time you want to build speed into your swing think about accelerating into the finish instead of into impact. If you do this you’ll maximize speed at the right time and add valuable yards to your game.

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Improve Your Rhythm Like Walker for Better Results

  
  Jimmy Walker got the new PGA Tour season off to a great start by claiming victory Sunday in the Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club. His final round 66 (-5) would help him claim a two shot victory over Vijay Singh. Walker dominated the field in the always important statistic of strokes gained putting and finished in the top 10 in greens hit in regulation. The steadiness he displayed down the stretch can be contributed to his ability to make consistent and repeatable golf swings. Two things you need to have when it comes to developing a repeatable golf swing are rhythm and balance. Yet many players struggle mightily with these critical areas of the swing. Whether it’s putting, short game or full swing, you must swing the golf club with rhythm and balance.
 

Rhythm and balance are closely related because it’s difficult to have one and not the other.

Here are a few tips to help you get in rhythm and maintain balance in your golf game:
 

• Manage your tempo. If your tempo is too fast or slow, keeping rhythm and balance gets very tricky. I use a metronome to help my students get a feel for the proper tempo in a swing. Tempo will vary player to player, but as a guide try setting the metronome somewhere between 70 and 80 beats per minute. Begin with small swings like a putting or chipping stroke to match the feel of your swing to the beat.
 

• Hold your finish. This is one of the first things I’ll teach a beginning golfer when working on the full swing, but yet I see several experienced golfers forget the simple detail. If you can hold your finish at the end of the swing for at least three seconds, chances are you did something right to get there. And always remember that the smaller swings like putting and chipping require you to hold your finish as well!

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