The post Jack Nicklaus’s timeless keys to playing amazing golf as you age appeared first on Golf.

The post Jack Nicklaus’s timeless keys to playing amazing golf as you age appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s series, “Timeless Tips,“ we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our March 1995 issue for some advice from Jack Nicklaus on great golf as you age.

Father time may be undefeated, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to preserve your golf game as you age.

Ask Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear won a majority of his major titles during his prime, but in 1986, he was able to turn back the clock at Augusta one last time for green jacket No. 6.

Nine years later, Nicklaus joined GOLF Magazine to share some of his secrets. Read below for his best tips for playing great golf as you age.

Jack’s secrets to great golf

Some senior tour candidates possibly excluded, I imagine not a whole lot of golfers look forward to becoming 50-plus players. But, as they say about every aspect of growing older, it’s better than the alternative. 

The editors at GOLF Magazine asked me to talk about what has changed in my life and golf game between my peak playing years and early 50s, with particular reference to how other new or soon-to-be seniors might benefit from my experiences. I hope something in the following inspires and helps you to be a healthy person and a fine golfer for many years to come. 

Power

As with most people as they age, the greatest change in my game as I advanced into seniorhood was a loss of power with the longer clubs. Although I’ve had spells where my distance has been acceptable, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve consistently driven the ball as far as I feel I need to, or hit my long-irons — the 1-, 2-, and 3- — as long as or, equally important, as high as in my prime.

In scoring terms, and particularly on PGA Tour courses (as opposed to the shorter ones used for the Senior Tour), this has produced fewer eagle or two-putt birdie opportunities on par fives, given me a harder time with long par fours, set up fewer birdie chances on shorter ones, and made muscling the ball out of the rough a much tougher proposition.

Mentally, the biggest downer has been knowing that, over four tournament rounds on the “junior” Tour, I just wasn’t going to get as close to the hole with 4- and 5-irons as the younger guys who were hitting 8s and 9s. That pressured my short game in general and my putting in particular.

Loss of power doesn’t happen to all players as they grow older. Dave Stockton and Bob Charles, both more successful as seniors than in their younger days, claim to be hitting the ball as far as or even farther than when they played the regular Tour. I’m pretty sure Jim Dent hasn’t lost much yardage, nor Lee Trevino when he really needs it. And I know for sure that Raymond Floyd is as long as he ever was.

What’s caused my power leakage? It’s possible that very long-hitting golfers, as I was in my prime, just naturally lose a greater percentage of yardage as they age than players who never hit the ball big distances even in their younger days. 

Instruction

Insiders Only Jack Nicklaus' 4 simple secrets for solid ball striking

By: Zephyr Melton

From a technique standpoint, the problem lies mostly in my legs. Power in golf is the product of clubhead speed squarely applied. My swing still delivers the club squarely most of the time, but not as speedily due to slower or inferior leg action. At my peak, I created tremendous leverage with my feet, legs, and hips that got the clubhead moving extremely fast through impact. As my strength diminished with the years, my swing mechanics had to be perfect for me to come close to generating that much leverage and thus that much clubhead speed.

Injuries also have been a factor. Occasionally, when I’ve been free from pain, my leg speed and lowerbody timing have both come back and I’ve hit the ball plenty long. This happened when I won last year’s seniors’ Mercedes Championship playing La Costa at the same yardage as the young guys in their event. But such spells have not been frequent enough. Most of the time since I became a senior in 1990, some part of me — hips, back, shoulders — has troubled me just sufficiently to force holding back that critical little bit.

At the time, people remarked on how well I hit the long shots in winning the Senior Open at Cherry Hills in 1993, but they were probably overlooking the elevation factor. The course was set up at around 6,900 yards, but, at more than 5,000 feet above sea level, it actually played about 300 yards shorter than that. I can usually still handle a 6,600-yard golf course just fine—in fact, I only used the driver 15 times during that championship. It’s on those sea-level 7,000-yard-plus layouts, where the young guys were routinely tearing apart the course, that my power-leakage hurts the most.

Power clubs

Ever since my power leakage began, I’ve done everything I could think of to stop it, or at least minimize and delay it. You may not care to take your quest as far as I have in terms of lifestyle and exercise (although we’ll get to those later), but you should certainly give the third area your best shot. That’s the equipment you use. 

The technology of clubs and balls has improved so dramatically over the last decade that, although you still can’t “buy a good golf game,” playing with the right equipment will definitely help you get the most out of the game you’ve got. 

I began experimenting with drivers about six years ago, not in terms of makes or cosmetics, but with shaft and head materials, shaft flexes, head configurations, and the relationship of shaft weight to head weight. As a result, although I now know for sure that no driver will fully restore my power loss, I also know and play the specifications that allow me to most easily produce my present maximum yardage. 

I’m fortunate to be able to obtain and continually update this knowledge with the help of the experts at my own equipment company. Unless you’re ready to undertake the daunting task of tracking, sifting, and comprehending the huge range of options Open to you in club technology, you should find and work with a golf professional who is also an expert clubfitter.

Instruction

Jack Nicklaus: How to hit draws and fades with the same swing

By: Zephyr Melton

Here to assist him and you both is the bottom line of my discoveries. 

If you suffer from skeletal, muscular, or arthritic-type difficulties, graphite shafts will help by reducing the shock of impact. If you want your tee balls and longest fairway shots to “penetrate” and roll, with minimum curvature, deliberate or otherwise, go for metal wood heads. If you want those shots to “carry” and land softly, and to be “‘workable” in terms of drawing and fading, go for wooden wood heads. 

I’ve played much of my tournament golf in recent years with a graphite-shafted metal-headed driver and a steel-shafted wooden-headed 3-wood that I’ve used since I was 18 years old. For accomplished senior amateur players, this could be the ideal combination.

Accuracy clubs

Because my approach-shot capabilities with the medium-irons haven’t changed much, and my short-iron play has actually improved, I’m still using essentially the same iron-club specs that I have for most of my career. However, I’m sure the day will come when I might want to go to slightly softer or longer shafts, or to graphite instead of steel, or to a little lighter swing weight. Those are factors you and your clubfitting expert need to consider, using the specs you’ve settled on for the driver and fairway woods as a guide. 

I never would have believed even 20 years ago that there would come a time when I would leave out a long iron in favor of a fairway wood, but I’ve done that with a 5- or a 7-wood a number of times since becoming a senior. Accordingly, when I see almost as many woods as irons in an over-50 amateur’s bag, I don’t assume, as I once might have, that he isn’t too good a player, but simply that he’s got a lot of sense. Take a peek in the bags on the Senior Tour if you still feel shamed by forsaking long-irons for well-lofted woods and extra wedges.

Offsetting power leaks

As the years inevitably cost a recreational golfer distance, it seems to me that he has two options. One is to accept an even higher handicap along with higher and higher levels of frustration. The other is to wholly or partially make up for the loss through improvement in some other area of the game.

I haven’t been as competitive as I would like these past few seasons, but I would have been even less so without the improvement in my short game that was forced on me by the power leakage. 

The truth is that, at my best, I never really needed much of a short game. By hitting the ball very long and pretty straight off the tee, I needed relatively short clubs for most approach shots. That helped me hit a high proportion of greens in regulation or, thanks to my long-iron skills, better than regulation on par fives. I was also strong enough to be able to get the ball somewhere on the green from most of the rough I encountered. 

As shorter tee shots led to missing more greens, simply being called upon to play more pitches, chips, and bunker shots produced an improvement in those areas. Then, the longer I lived with the probability that 300- yard drives were the exception rather than the rule, the harder I had to discipline myself to include the full range of recovery techniques in my practice sessions.

Like most golfers, I’d always found banging out big shots more fun than working on the little ones. A couple of years ago it became clear that I either had to sharpen my short game or quit tournament play entirely. The upshot was that I’m better around the greens today than any other time in my career. That’s particularly true of my pitching from about 90 yards in with the wedges, my biggest weakness during my peak years.

If you’re leaking yards but fighting to stay competitive at your own level of the game, there’s definitely a lesson for you here.

Exercise

The biggest change in my life since my peak years is the amount of exercising I do. Until I began to jog occasionally in my early 40s, I did no exercise at all from my high school days on, other than that involved in playing and practicing golf.

By my late 40s, it was clear that muscular problems in my back, hips, and legs would end my golf career entirely without radical action to alleviate them — on top of which I was looking at back surgery for disc deformities. Over the Thanksgiving holiday of 1988, this led me to an anatomical functionalist by the name of Pete Egoscue, since when hardly a day has passed without me doing the workouts he prescribes. Since the middle of last year, ve supplemented that regimen with regular strengthening and limbering routines under the supervision of Pete Draovitch, a personal trainer recommended to me by Greg Norman.

Fitness

I followed a PGA Tour trainer's strength routine. The results shocked me

By: Zephyr Melton

The Egoscue exercises are mainly of a stretching nature. Sometimes I do them for as little as 10 minutes, and sometimes for an hour or. more. Adding in the Draovitch routines raises my workout time to upwards of two hours. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would have had to quit tournament golf some years ago without Pete Egoscue’s regimens and my dedication to them. I also believe the program I’m now enjoying with Pete Draovitch is critical to me becoming competitive again.

In addition to these formalized workouts, I always walk the golf course, facilitating that when forced to put the clubs on a cart by asking a playing companion to do the driving.

As with my improved eating habits, exercising heavily has become as much a part of feeling good about myself as a contributor to my golf game. Everyone’s metabolic rate decreases with age, which I’m told by people who should know is why so many older folks don’t feel as good as they’d like. If only because exercise fights off and slows down that process, I don’t see myself cutting back on it very much, even if I quit playing tournament golf.

Will exercise help your game? Well, good golf demands strength and elasticity in many parts of the body, but it’s particularly important in the legs. I don’t know any way a senior can keep his legs in shape without using them a lot.

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The post Arnold Palmer once said this was the key for more power off the tee appeared first on Golf.

The post Arnold Palmer once said this was the key for more power off the tee appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. This week, we look back at our June 1978 issue where Arnold Palmer shared the key for generating maximum power off the tee.

Hitting the ball long off the tee isn’t just useful for impressing your playing partners. When you have a long ball off the tee that you can control, golf becomes a heck of a lot easier.

So, what’s the key for developing the long ball? According to the legendary Arnold Palmer, it’s imperative that you understand how to make a “hook” swing.

Back in the June 1978 issue of GOLF Magazine, Palmer shared with our audience how to develop this hook swing — and how to utilize it to hit longer tee shots. Check it out below.

Palmer’s key for easy power

Some years ago, Jimmy Demaret was answering a question from a reader in Champs’ Clinic. The golfer asked: ‘‘How do I stop slicing the ball?’’ Jimmie’s reply was: “Hook it!’’ Now that’s a funny story, but it makes a most important point and it also answers the question that golfers most often ask me, namely: “Arnie, how do I get more power?’’ 

To get maximum distance, you’ve got to learn to hook the ball. There is no other way. 

You can’t fight city hall. Just about every fine golfer I’ve ever known has started out as a hooker of the ball and later learned to control it. Hogan did it, Snead did it and, I may add, I did it, just to name three, but the full list would be endless. 

In contrast, most average golfers start out as slicers of the ball. Some remain slicers all their lives, and some fight the slice successfully enough to hit the ball reasonably straight, but in neither case do they become long, straight hitters. 

We’ll now compare the slice and hook swings, and what makes them tick. When we’re through, I know you’ll agree with me that you’ll never learn to hit a long, straight ball unless at some point you’ve hooked the ball as your predominant pattern. 

Slice and hook patterns

The slicer’s swing pattern (below, top )is a very weak way to hit the ball. The typical slicer swings back outside the intended flight line. Theirs is a right-sided effort that is more of a lift than a swing. At the top, the club usually points to the left of a line parallel to the target line. Their alignment also blocks a full windup. On the downswing, they return to the ball from outside in, and often more outside in than the backswing swing path; this is the worst move you can make if you want power. As the club is pulled across the ball with an open clubface, a weak glancing blow is imparted to the ball. 

The hooker’s swing pattern (above, bottom) is a strong one. His swing starts to the inside and his left side leads the swing. The windup of the body is tremendous, with the club crossing a line parallel with the target line at the top. On the downswing, they stay under very well and as a result the downswing line is even more inside to out than the backswing path, a move that leads to a strong release and maximum force. 

Slice and hook grips

The slicer’s problems stem from their grip. Both hands are turned too far left on the club, with the V’s pointing to his chin. This “weak” grip encourages closing the clubface going back and opening it coming through the ball. Often, they hold the club too much in the palm of the left hand. As a result, the butt of the hand is not on the grip (lower left). This leads to looseness in the swing, allowing the right side to dominate. 

To learn to hook the ball, you must start with a very ‘‘strong’’ grip — both hands are turned right so the V’s point to your right shoulder (upper right). This grip encourages you to open the clubface going back and, on the downswing your forearms and hands will whip the clubface from open to closed through the ball, a very powerful move. The correct left-hand grip is a palm-finger hold with the handle running from under the butt of the hand to the first joint of the index finger. This grip allows total use of the body. The right-hand grip should be in the fingers. If correct, you will feel more pressure in the last three fingers of the left hand and middle two of the right. 

Slice and hook setups

The “weak” grip induces what I call a “weak” setup (below, left). It forces the right arm away from the body and in turn forces the shoulders and hips into an open alignment, aligned to the left of a line parallel to the target line. The left arm is bent and often the ball is played too far forward. This leaves the hands behind the ball and the shaft tilted back away from the target. All these factors mean a right-sided, outside-in, slice swing. 

The “‘strong’’ grip gives a strong setup, because it forces you to make, even exaggerate slightly, all the power points (right). The ‘‘strong’’ grip puts the left side in command, in position to give the swing a wide radius. The left arm is extended firmly and the right made to bend in toward the body. At the same time, the right shoulder is set lower than the left. There’s one long line from the left shoulder down the left arm and shaft to the clubhead. The shaft is tilted slightly forward with the hands over the ball. Your stance will be square or slightly closed. 

Slice and hook backswings

In the slice backswing, the right side dominates. It’s more of a pick-up and lift from the right side than a swing. The right hand and arm tend to work independently of the rest of the body and so the legs, hips and shoulders move too little and too late. The open alignment also blocks a full windup. The result is a stiff, incomplete top-of-the swing position with the clubface closed. The weak grip gives you a weak setup and results in a weak backswing. 

The strong grip and setup encourage a one-piece backswing, where the hands and whole left side start together. The legs, shoulders and arms all move powerfully taking the club to the inside. The square, or slightly closed, stance and alignment also contribute to your ability to make a full hip turn, shoulder turn, arm swing and wrist cock. The strong grip also causes you to open the clubface a little by the top of the swing. You’re poised for a powerful inside move and release through the ball. 

Slice and hook downswings

The weak backswing has led to a weak downswing. Because the clubface was closed going back, there was a premature right-hand throwing action from the top, working the clubface from closed to open. Because of the incomplete windup, the right shoulder tried to compensate with a heaving action bringing it over the top of the ball, and bringing the club even more from outside to in through the ball. The result is a stiff-armed, stiff-legged pull across the ball with an open clubface. Very little clubhead speed is generated, and the slice spin prevents much roll on the ball. 

This is the payoff of the strong grip. Because the clubface was opened going back, there is a tremendously strong reaction through the ball — the right forearm has crossed over the left, closing the clubface powerfully through impact. Note how the right shoulder is moving under the chin, producing the inside-to-out swing path. There’s maximum use of the body, maximum clubhead speed and maximum distance. 

Modifying the slice and grip patterns

If you start with a weak grip and a slice swing pattern, modifying it will prove fruitless. You can square-up your setup, but what you won’t be able to do is change your swing pattern. You try to swing back to the inside, but due to the swing habits you’ve formed, you still come over the top; your downswing path will still be outside your backswing path. The ball will still tend to fade and your swing will lack the full windup and strong body movement essential for power. 

When you adopt the “strong” grip and hook swing pattern, you must stay with them until the power points — strong setup, inside take-away, full windup, staying under and the strong release — are a habit. This could take a matter of months up to a full season. Then you can modify the pattern by squaring your setup and weakening your grip to the point where you hit the ball straight. However, the power points will still be built in, and you’ll find yourself hitting farther than ever. 

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The post Easily hit more fairways with these driving tips from Ben Crenshaw appeared first on Golf.

The post Easily hit more fairways with these driving tips from Ben Crenshaw appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our September 1981 issue for driving accuracy tips from Ben Crenshaw.

Hitting the ball in the fairway is a skill that has lost a bit of its luster over the years, but it remains incredibly important. While it’s true that distance is a more premium skill than accuracy when it comes to the driver, that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. As legendary instructor Harvey Penick once said, “The woods are full of long hitters.”

Ben Crenshaw was a Penick disciple, and he took this advice of accuracy to heart. Although he was known for his putting prowess, his ability to keep the ball in the fairway cannot be overlooked.

Back in a 1981 issue of GOLF Magazine, Crenshaw shared some of his best advice for finding more fairways, which you can check out below.

Crenshaw’s driving accuracy tips

During the last four years or so, I have learned to drive the ball better. I had to do that to survive on the Tour. It was clear to me that had I continued driving the ball in the old way, my future was more than a little uncertain. As late as 1976, I was likely to miss as many as 10 fairways during a single round. This forced me to take a hard look at my driving and to analyze what I could do to improve it.

In comparing myself to the great drivers of the ball, it was immediately apparent that, unlike me, they hit the ball on a lower trajectory. My ball was flying out very high, and as a result, I had a lot of trouble playing in the wind.

There were technical reasons why I hit the ball too high and had a tendency to spray it. I’ll get into those on the next page, but here I should mention that my equipment was also hurting me. My stiff (S) shafted driver was much too flexible for me. By switching to a tipped extra-stiff (X) shaft, I not only got a lower trajectory but also more accurate drives. I’ve given up about 15 yards in making this change, but if I had to choose between my old 280 yards in the rough and my new 265 yards on the fairway, I’ll take the short grass any day, and so should you.

So, even though your first item of study should be the trajectory of your drives, if you’re hitting the ball too high or low or are inaccurate, you must also look at your equipment. You have to find a playable driver, one with which you can mishit the ball and still get it into the fairway. Your professional can help you find the driver with the right shaft and other specifications to suit your game.

I am also going to suggest what to key on when driving the ball, give some technical tricks and explain the art of targeting. So let’s go.

My swing problems and yours

I used to set up with the ball very forward in my stance, approximately off my left instep and my head way behind the ball. I also had a gigantic turn, as well as too much lateral sway off the ball. As a result, I hit the ball too high, even though I could hit it a mile. I now play the ball off my left heel and set up more over the ball, with my right knee set slightly inward. I control my right leg better, as you can see above. This has also cut down the length of my backswing and the amount of my lateral sway. Everyone needs a little sideward motion with a tee shot, but not nearly as much as I had.

I found in my own game that the most important principle of good driving is to trust your swing. A fuller, freer swing enables you to release the club correctly and hit straight. If you’re hitting wildly, you’re probably trying to steer the ball. The club is not traveling at its maximum through impact, and that upsets your timing. That’s when you hit off target.

Another good rule is to avoid giving yourself technical advice when you’re actually on the course; reminders such as “Keep the left arm straight” only add to your problems. Key on simple concepts, on clubhead feel or tempo. If you find a swing key when warming up that seems to help, use it, but don’t use two or three keys at once. One is enough.

About the only technical point that can help you at times is grip pressure. When you’re driving badly and getting tense as a result, lighten the pressure to the point at which you can feel the clubhead. Then go ahead and swing it.

Technical tricks

The teeing ground is defined by the outside edges of the tee markers and is two club-lengths deep. That’s important to remember. Normally, you tee up from a flat spot, because then you can put your best swing on the ball. Some tees, however, have slight slopes. If you’re forced to tee up on a ball-above-feet slope, you’ll tend to draw the ball, and fade when the ball is below your feet. So allow for these when aiming. You can use these slopes creatively. Say you need a draw or fade to work the ball around a dogleg. Try to find the appropriate slope. If you want to guard against a hook or slice, pick the slope that will have the opposite effect.

The height of the tee also affects ball flight. Tee the ball lower on tight holes. You will get a lower-trajectory ball that gets on the ground faster and stays out of trouble better than a high ball. A lower tee also encourages a fade, which will bring the ball quickly to a stop. The converse of this is also true: Generally, a higher tee than normal encourages a high draw.

You should also realize that choking down on the driver stiffens the shaft a little, as well as reducing the size of your arc. This is a useful technique to have on tight holes. On long holes, grip more at the end of the grip. It gives you a bigger arc, and you can truly feel the clubhead.

In addition, the golf course architect usually has a few tricks up his sleeve. The sneakiest is the misaligned tee. For example, on the sixth tee at Merion, if you align yourself parallel to the sides of the tee, you’ll hit straight out-of-bounds. Don’t fall for this one.

Targeting

There are two basic steps to targeting. First, analyze how wide or tight the target area is and where the trouble is. Second, picture in your mind the ideal drive for you on that hole — see yourself setting up, swinging, and see the ball landing in your target area. The mind directs the body, and without good thinking and visualizing, the drive can go anywhere.

When targeting, it’s important that you recognize and compensate for the way you’re hitting the ball. I’ve played golf with amateurs who are slicing, and all day they target at the middle of the fairway and wind up in the right rough. Had they targeted more to the left, they could have played their second shots from the fairway.

It’s also vital to pick a target that you can realistically reach. If you’re a 220-yard hitter, target at a spot 220 yards out. Target farther out than that, and you’ll tend to swing too hard and ruin the shot.

When there’s trouble on one side of the hole, people say you should tee up on the same side as the trouble and hit away from it. This is excellent advice for the high handicapper. For the more skillful player, there is a second option. My teacher, Harvey Penick, used to tell me to line up at the trouble and then draw or fade the ball away from it. It still works for me.

On open holes, you have to work hard on your targeting. It’s very easy not to pick a target, and then you’ll often hit your wildest drives. Force yourself to find a focal point, even if it’s the difference in color between the edge of the fairway and the rough. In lining up, work off that point. With no focal point in the landing area or with a blind tee shot, find some distant object, such as a distinctively colored tree or a rock, a chimney or a church spire and line up on that. I should add that on wide holes there’s a great temptation to swing too hard. Resist it. Pick your spot and swing smoothly.

Tight holes, on the other hand, literally force you to target correctly and concentrate better. The temptation here is to steer. You have to make an effort to swing freely.

Last, never be too proud to drive with a 3-wood on tight holes. Think of it as the amateur’s one-iron.

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The post Which holes make Shinnecock Hills such a hard U.S. Open test? appeared first on Golf.

The post Which holes make Shinnecock Hills such a hard U.S. Open test? appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. This week, we look back at our June 2018 issue in which Dave Pelz gave a breakdown of the hardest holes at Shinnecock Hills.

This week, the best golfers in the world will head out to the eastern end of Long Island for the toughest test in golf — the U.S. Open.

Any time the USGA is hosting a championship, you can expect a stern test. And no tournament lives up to that more than the U.S. Open.

Among all the historic courses the USGA has taken the national championship, perhaps no host is as feared as Shinnecock Hills. In the four previous U.S. Opens contested at Shinnecock, just three players total have finished the week under par. There may be no course better suited to present a U.S. Open test than Shinnecock.

So, what is it that makes the William Flynn design so challenging? Ahead of the 2018 U.S. Open, legendary instructor Dave Pelz joined GOLF Magazine to break down some of the toughest holes on property.

The unique challenge of Shinnecock

When I think of Shinnecock Hills, two words come to mind: “national treasure.” As a researcher and golfer who has dedicated nearly four decades of his life to developing swing- and course-management strategies to help players shoot better scores, it remains the ultimate test if you can outthink this place, you can out think anyplace. I paid a visit to the William Flynn masterpiece last fall, walking the fairways with my son, Eddie, and even playing a few shots. It was as vexing as ever. The goal of my visit was to paint a picture of the challenges that await the best players in the world so you can better appreciate the drama sure to unfold before your eyes during the playing of the 118th U.S. Open, whether you’re there in person or catching it on TV.

Even among its major-venue brethren, Shinnecock stands alone in its ability to squeeze every ounce of shotmaking savvy and heart from players’ games — a test hardwired into the course’s layout, the slope and contour of the greens and the ever-present wind. When these elements combine — and you can bet they will — watch out.

It’s not all purgatory. Many of Shinnecock’s greens are downright friendly, with raised edges that funnel shots toward the center of the putting surface. Most, however, are shaped to repel shots away from the flagstick and, in some cases, off the green entirely. Be advised: every green features serious undulation. A few are so sloped that it’s impossible to imagine the ball stopping on its own

Adding to the difficulty is the fact that Shinnecock’s greens run faster than Flynn originally intended. Shortly after he redesigned the course in 1931 (Shinnecock dates back to 1891), the USGA began measuring how fast and far balls rolled on level putting surfaces, calling the measurement “green speed.” At that time, Shinnecock’s greens measured in the 4- to 5-foot range, and even then they were considered outrageously sloped, severely undulating and very difficult to putt. Come this June 14, these same greens will roll at 12-foot green-speeds, requiring the most deft green reading and putting touches on earth. 

Good luck, fellas.

Here is a breakdown of some of the hardest holes on property.

No. 2, Par-3

Shinnecock opens with a wide and fairly benign 399-yard par 4 (it played as the fourth-easiest hole during the 2004 U.S. Open). Then it slaps you in the face. Hard. No. 2 is a 250-yard-plus par 3 with sand on both sides of the green and serious rough in play off the left. The green is the second-largest on the course, with a consistent elevation drop of four feet from back to front (though mild undulations help channel shots toward the center of the green). Depending on the wind direction, don’t be surprised to see some players swing driver here. It’s an absolute beast.

For fun, | walked to where PGA Tour ShotLink data says is the average miss distance on a shot taken by a Tour player from 260 yards of the target — about the yardage players will face in the Open on No. 2. This miss pattern puts the ball in the deep rough next to the bunker left of the green. This is not where you want to be, especially during a major.

I was able to lash the ball onto the green (and it eventually rolled off the back). That’s right — I pulled an “o-fer.” I left three of the six shots in the rough and dribbled one into the bunker. The remaining ball? I assume it’s still burrowed somewhere deep in the fescue. I never found it. The tall grass at Shinnecock — here and all over the course — can be so severe that I’ve discussed with some players heading into this year’s Open the usually unthinkable option of taking an unplayable-lie penalty and dropping within two club-lengths if and when they find such a nasty patch of grass. As absurd as this idea may sound, my experience proves it a viable, shot-saving strategy.

No. 7, Par-3

I must warn you: The seventh hole features one of the most wicked green complexes you’ll ever find. It’ll play anywhere from 175 to 205 yards, and to the largest green on the course. It’s a classic Redan— the putting surface slopes away from the tee box, from a high point in the front-right section of the green to seven feet lower in the back-left. Bunkers left and right of the green are there to punish inaccuracy. Heaven help the player who finds the sand on the right he’ll face a huge change in elevation to a green running straight downhill from his line of flight.

The flag hovering above the crest of the hill? My son all 6’5″ of him is holding it as high as he can so I can see it. It’s a ridiculously difficult shot. As I said, Shinnecock is beauty and beast.

No. 10, Par-4

Can you believe that a relatively short, downhill 415-yard par-4 — with no water, out-of-bounds or obviously penal hazards — can play as the most-over-par hole in U.S. Open history? It looks so innocuous. You simply lay up 220 yards off the tee to the crest of the hill or roll a 5-wood or hybrid all the way down to the bottom, and then either play a 190-yard 7-iron or 75-yard wedge shot to a nicely sized green. Two-putt for par. It looks — and seems — so simple.

And it can be — under normal circumstances. It’s not too difficult if the course is playing soft and slow, despite the fact that the green is seriously sloped, elevated in relation to its surroundings and crowned at two-thirds of the way from the front. Its reputation as a monster stems from the fact that, in 2004, the winds completely dried out the green and made it play extremely firm and fast.

If you decide to push your shot up near the green, most approach shots are taken from 20 feet below the putting surface. That means that a normal-trajectory wedge that reaches a peak altitude of 35 feet comes into this green more like a 15-foot shot, or what you’d get from a slightly thinned wedge. When the green is firm and fast, these effectively lower-trajectory wedge shots bounce hard, run over the green and then down the eight-foot slope behind the green.

It gets worse.

From behind the green, the odds of stopping a return pitch close to the hole are long. In fact, many attempts roll down the front side of the crown, off the green, down the fairway and all the way to the bottom of the hill, 75 yards short of the green — right where the player started from. Madness! More than any other hole, No. 10 rolls all of Shinnecock’s mysteries into one: elevation, slope, contour, wind and firm and fast greens.

No. 13, Par-4

This hole looks easy but plays downright nasty if the wind is up. From the fairway, the green appears tame, What’s difficult to pick up is the severe, extended false front, the substantial runoffs to the right and left (into bunkers, no less); a steep fall-off ear the back, and a gentle crown in the middle. Add it all up and players are left with a minuscule effective landing area to stop shots near the flagstick In 2004, No.13 — the shortest par on the course — surrendered only 54 birdies in442 attempts.

Missing the green left or right will demand hitting a flop shot for your third — other short-game shots just won’t hold the green. And hitting in a gusting wind is no picnic. You can sail long or come up short without notice.

No 16, Par-5

The 16th green is the third-smallest at Shinnecock and falls nearly five feet as it slopes continuously from back to front. Its gentle contouring will yield birdies, and you can expect many of the bigger hitters to go for the green in two. 

The danger is hitting your approach past the hole. Make this mistake and you’ll face one of the most challenging putts you can imagine. 

From the back-left to a front-right pin, it’s a roller-coaster ride. Even with my TrueRoller device, it took me six tries to aim this putt correctly and roll it with reasonable speed. (| missed 12 feet left on my first attempt and ran it 15 feet too long.) Can you imagine getting down in two putts from here? It was difficult for my finely tuned TrueRoller. Expect a lot of three-putts.

No. 18, Par-4

Standing on the 18th tee at Shinnecock — with the fairway disappearing beautifully into the distance and the stately clubhouse on the horizon — is one of the singular thrills in golf. As I gazed upon this grand finale, I though of the players who will be taking in the same view come June 17, a possible United States Open Championship within their grasp. What a moment.

Then it hits you: “Wow, what a tough hole!”

At 484 yards, it demands an accurate drive in the fairway and another 200-yard-plus shot uphill to an elevated green. Corey Pavin needed 4-wood to get home in two on No. 18 during the final round in 1995 en route to victory. Today’s players are a lot longer than Corey, but so is the hole, and there’s only so much you can bite off with your tee shot. The approach remains a bonafide killer.

Even if a player hits two good shots, there’s still the matter of sticking your approach in the right spot. Players better hope they’re not past or above the hole, or that the ball hasn’t rolled into the back fringe or over the green, because it’s darn near impossible to stop any pitch shot or putt in the opposite direction.

I attempted this shot during my fall visit to Shinnecock. I softly slipped a wide-open 64-degree wedge under the ball, landing the shot just three feet in front of my lie. I played this shot as well as I could’ve played it. Then, for the next 25 seconds, I watched the ball slowly amble away from me, down the green and past the hole. It eventually rolled off the front of the green, stopping only after it had traveled 10 yards back down the fairway. Unfair? Maybe. Difficult? Absolutely! But this is the U.S. Open.

This is Shinnecock.

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The post Greg Norman’s 3 best power tips for golfers who hit it short and straight appeared first on Golf.

The post Greg Norman’s 3 best power tips for golfers who hit it short and straight appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. This week, we look back at our February 1989 issue for three power tips from Greg Norman.

During his prime, Greg Norman could belt the golf ball. In the late 80s and into the 90s, the Shark routinely ranked as one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, giving him a distinct distance advantage over his competitors.

Over 30 years later, the premium on distance is no different. When you’re able to hit it further than your competitors, you put yourself in a hugely advantageous position.

For some golfers, though, distance is not so easy to come by (myself included). So, in order to be competitive, it’s important to squeeze every last bit of distance out of your drives.

Back in the February 1989 issue of GOLF Magazine, Norman shared some tips for just that type of golfer. Read below for his three power keys that are perfect for short-hitting players.

Greg Norman’s power tips

1. Pre-swing brainwashing

You’ll never increase your driving distance without a positive mental attitude. Confidence is vital to making an uninhibited, powerful pass through the ball. It explains why a cocky player with a mediocre swing often hits the ball farther than a top-notch player who lets even one negative thought enter his mind.

To swing with power, you’ve got to think power. As soon as you pull the driver from your bag, begin seeing yourself making a big wind-up and exploding through the ball. As you settle in at address, flex your knees and wiggle your feet until you feel a tension — a springiness — in your legs. Adjust your grip until your fingers feel supple while holding the club securely. Finally, focus hard on the back of the ball, directing all your mental energy into impact.

2. Widen your arc

Don’t think you can tear the cover off the ball simply by thinking about it. Even the most positive outlook needs the support of a good swing, and that begins with a wide arc. 

Widening your swing arc means the club actually travels a longer distance, giving it more time to build up speed. The size of the arc is determined in the first few feet of the backswing: If you cock your wrists early, the radius of the arc — formed by the left arm and clubshaft — shortens, so the swing shortens. But if you keep the wrists firm so the left arm and club shaft form a straight line parallel to the ground at the halfway-back position, your arc is as wide as possible. Maintain the wide arc by swinging the club up to the top (the wrists will hinge naturally), with your shoulders turned about 120 degrees past their starting point, your hips 60 degrees, and your hands set well above your head.

3. Organize the downswing

Many short hitters reach the top and instinctively tighten their grip and pull the club down because they think that’s the way to create power. In fact, these actions ruin the timing vital to releasing your hands, cutting, rather than adding to, your distance.

The downswing must begin by driving the legs toward the target. If you can start that way, the rest of the downswing will follow naturally: Your weight will transfer to the left foot, and your left hip will clear, opening a passage for your arms as the club comes down. Then the right side will get into the act, bringing maximum power with it.

A final suggestion: In kicking off the downswing with the legs, you want to feel as if you are staying behind the ball and hitting against a firm left side. (Picture a board running up along your left leg and side, keeping you from sliding too far forward as the club comes down.) To stay behind this way, keep your eyes on the back of the ball as long as possible through impact.

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The post Ben Crenshaw shares 8 keys for a smooth swing tempo appeared first on Golf.

The post Ben Crenshaw shares 8 keys for a smooth swing tempo appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s Timeless Tips, we highlight some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. This week, we look back at our October 1978 issue where Ben Crenshaw shared eight keys for a smooth swing.

There’s no greater compliment your playing partners can give you than saying you have a “smooth swing.” A silky smooth move — a la Fred Couples or Ernie Els — is not only aesthetically pleasing, but quite effective, too.

But while these smooth swings may look effortless, they are anything but. A smooth tempo is crafted over years of practice, and honing it takes time to achieve.

Ben Crenshaw is a prime example of this. And back in the October 1978 issue of GOLF Magazine, the two-time Masters champ shared eight keys for developing a smooth swing tempo. Check it out below.

Crenshaw’s keys for smooth tempo

Every golfer has done it. You rush one shot, then another, before you can recover, you’ve made a bogey, a double bogey or worse. How can you recover your tempo? The first adjustment is a mental one.

To slow down, say to yourself, ‘‘Golf is a leisurely game. What’s the point of rushing? The ball is not going anywhere — only I can move it.’’ Second, remind yourself of the good shots you’ve hit; you didn’t rush them, did you? Decide you will swing the same way on your next shot.

Now that you’re in the right frame of mind, here are some other techniques, not all of which will apply every time you have a spell of swinging too quickly. But they make a handy checklist, and I’ll bet that, at any one point in time, a couple of them will do the trick for you.

1. Don’t rush your pattern

The first place to look when you’re rushing your shots is before you set up to the ball. You can fall into the habit of walking faster than normal between shots, and then of setting up too quickly. To slow yourself down, take a couple of deep breaths. Breathe in deeply. As you breathe out, imagine the tension draining out of your body. Try it; it works for me.

Another point: Go through each step of your regular pattern of taking address. Don’t cut your pattern short; you can speed up without noticing it. A practice swing also can help. I particularly like a ‘‘half practice swing.’’ You swing slowly half way back, then half way through. This does wonders for your tempo.

2. Take it easy at address

Once you’re over the ball, check the speed of your waggle. If it’s too fast, your backswing will be too fast. Also check your grip pressure. A fast backswing often results from too tight a grip, especially with the right hand.

Another must for a smooth backswing is a slight forward press with the right knee — normally an instinctive move. If you’re rushing, though, you’re apt to leave it out; you may have to think consciously of a forward press before it becomes a habit again.

A fourth common fault at address is pushing the club into the ground behind the ball. Invariably you will compensate by jerking the club back too quickly. Let the club “hang” from your shoulders in the grass behind the ball, but up slightly off the ground. It makes a slow, smooth start to the swing much easier. I do it and Jack Nicklaus does it, so you’ll be in good company.

3. Go back low and slow

One of the best ways I know of slowing down the backswing is to think ‘‘low and slow.” If you think ‘‘low,’’ the left shoulder has to move back with the arms and clubs as one piece. Think ‘‘slow’’ and it’s natural for your left leg to move early in the backswing to coordinate with the upper body movement. Starting the larger muscles of the shoulders and legs as soon as the backswing gets underway automatically makes you swing back with good tempo, because these muscles cannot move quickly.

In contrast, when you swing back too fast, it’s usually the result of the smaller muscles in the hands and wrists working independently. They pick up the club quickly, and the larger muscles contribute too little too late. You never achieve a full windup in the hips, shoulders, arms, hands and club. As a result, you throw from the top, come over the top of the ball and soon.

4. Finish the backswing

Whichever way you cut it, you’ll never get a good downswing from an incomplete backswing. However, that’s exactly the problem when you swing back too fast — you do start down before you ever get wound up. This is the reason I like the thought: Swing the club all the way back. The word “‘all’’ is the key. Each of us has an optimum windup — an optimum hip turn, optimum shoulder turn, optimum length of arm swing and optimum wrist cock. You’ve got to give yourself time to let these things happen.

Wait until you feel that your hands and the club have reached that good “‘slot’’ behind you. The chances are good that you will have swung back with good tempo and that your hips, shoulders, arms and wrists have worked properly. You feel you have all the time in the world to swing back. That’s the correct feeling to have.

5. Wait for the ‘pull’

Bobby Jones has said that you should start down in a leisurely fashion toward the ball. I agree. The only area in the swing where the club has to fly is from hip high in the downswing to hip high in the followthrough. Start down too quickly and you can still hit too early and dissipate your power long before you reach the ball.

That’s why it’s a good idea to wait for the “pull.” You feel this pulling down action in the left arm, which results from allowing the left heel to return to the ground and the left knee to move to the left, the first moves in a correct downswing. Once you’ve given yourself time to make these essential lower body moves first, you can safely let it go and, in Jones’ word, “free-wheel” through the ball and on into a full finish.

6. Set your key

If you have a favorite tempo key, write it down where you can see it. One Tour player I knew stuck a label with the word “Tempo” across the decal of his driver. If I were to do something like that, I would use the words “one-two” — a small ‘‘one’’ to represent low and slow back, and a big ‘‘two’’ for the acceleration through impact. Other places to put keys on would be the back of your glove or stamped directly on your golf ball.

7. Pick the right club

One reason you’re rushing your shots may be that you’re not taking enough club. If you’re habitually selecting the club you have to hit hard and solid to get the ball to the hole, then you are putting unnecessary pressure on your swing; you risk rushing the shot every time. Try taking one more club than usual; you’ll swing more slowly and easily knowing you can get the ball up to the stick. You may be on the back of a couple of greens, but most times you’ll hit the ball the right distance.

8. Kick off your shoes

If you’re rushing the swing and nothing you’ve tried works, here’s a cure I use that’s infallible. Go to the practice tee, kick off your shoes and hit some shots in your stocking feet. Without spikes to hold you firm, you’ll lose your balance if you swing too fast. But stay with it. After a few more shots, you will begin cutting back on the speed of your swing and meeting the ball solidly. Put your shoes back on and continue swinging at the same tempo. I think you’II like the results.

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The post The ‘single best tip’ for hitting pure irons, according to Johnny Miller appeared first on Golf.

The post The ‘single best tip’ for hitting pure irons, according to Johnny Miller appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our September 2013 issue for Johnny Miller’s “single best tip” for improving ball striking.

There are few golfers in the history of the game who struck the ball as well as Johnny Miller — and that ball-striking prowess earned him plenty of accolades.

Over the course of his career, Miller won 25 times on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory at Oakmont that featured a final-round 63. Although younger golf fans may remember him only for his work in the booth, it was his golf game that made him a household name.

Back in 2013, the World Golf Hall of Famer contributed an article to GOLF Magazine outlining his “single best tip” about ball striking.

Miller’s best ball-striking tip

Even today, I still get nervous on the first tee or if I’m playing with people I don’t know that well. When I first came up on Tour, I was nervous all the time, especially when faced with a tough shot, such as hitting a half wedge over water or a long iron off a tight lie. So I came up with a drill — maybe my single best tip! — to help me feel the most important parts of my swing and instantly build the confidence needed to pull off the shot. I call it the “brush-brush” drill, and I’m certain that if you try it, you’ll hit better shots.

On the range, use the toe of your club to make a line in the grass, then set up centered over the line. Make a half swing and try to brush the grasss on the target side of the line — not a huge divot, just a slight brush — then repeat. I do it twice in a row, because it instills good rhythm: “brush-brush.”

Driving

Insiders Only Johnny Miller's brilliant advice for never hitting a tee shot out of bounds

By: Zephyr Melton

It sounds simple, but you actually have to do so many things right to brush the grass in the right place that, when you do, you’re grooving good mechanics. Plus, success in this drill will prevent you from catching the ground behind the ball, which is the fastest way to hit a really bad shot.

The trick is to get the butt of the grip even or ahead of the line before unhinging your wrists and brushing the grass with the clubhead. Most amateurs make the mistake of unhinging their wrists when the butt end of the grip is still behind the line, and some players release the hinge when the butt is still behind their right leg. But if you lead the clubhead with the handle and delay the unhinging until the last possible moment, you get that crisp, Tour-style impact with the shaft leaning slightly toward the target with any iron or wedge. 

Not only does this drill get you into a better impact position, it gives you ball-first contact regardless of your lie. Anyone can make decent contact on a flat range, but on the course you’ll encounter uphill lies, downhill lies and lies where the ball is either above or below your feet. Slopes like these tend to exacerbate impact problems, and if you have the type of swing that brushes the grass behind the ball, you’ll have no chance on anything but a perfect lie. Lead with the handle, then brush. I’ve been around golf for 60 years, and this drill beats them all.

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The post 6 things you can (actually!) copy from Rory McIlroy’s swing appeared first on Golf.

The post 6 things you can (actually!) copy from Rory McIlroy’s swing appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look at 6 things you can copy from Rory McIlroy’s swing from our December 2012 issue.

Rory McIlroy‘s 2026 major season started about as well as he could’ve hoped. After racing out to the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history, he did just enough over the weekend to slip on the green jacket for the second straight year. In doing so, McIlroy became just the fourth man to win at Augusta National in back-to-back years and pushed his major total to six.

The Northern Irishman has evolved over the years from a straight bomber to a more complete and nuanced player. But while he may wedge and putt it better than ever before, his long game is still among the game’s best.

Back in 2012, the team at GOLF Magazine, with the help of Peter Kostis, highlighted some of the attributes that made McIlroy’s swing so elite at an early age; yes, that was a while ago but the takeaways still hold up! Read below for a breakdown on 6 things you should steal for your own swing.

Steal Rory’s key moves

Rory McIlroy’s swing is one of the most impressive the PGA Tour has ever seen, and to emulate his motion perfectly you’d need an incredible amount of flexibility, athleticism and balance. However, as unlikely as it seems, there are a number of things Rory does that you can use to improve your own technique.

If you crave more power and distance, copy the way he stores energy and “cracks the whip” as he delivers the clubhead through the impact zone. If you’re in need of better balance, then swinging in the proper sequence like he does will make a positive difference almost immediately. And if you’re a slicer, mimicking Rory’s closed shoulders/open hips position in the downswing, as well as his full release, will work wonders.

Take a close look at McIlroy’s various positions and techniques with an eye toward improving your weaknesses, and be sure to try the drills I’ve provided. With just a little bit of work, you can get your game an inch closer to that of the best player in the world.

1. Relaxed setup and strong grip

Rory’s setup position has several noteworthy characteristics, but the number-one thing to copy is his relaxed and tension-free stance. Tightening your arms, shoulders and hands at address makes it very difficult to swing in sequence and generate maximum clubhead speed. Feel relaxed-not tight-before and during your swing.

The second thing to take from Rory’s address is his relatively strong left-hand grip position. From a face-on view of his setup, the logo on his glove is clearly visible, meaning his left hand is rotated clockwise on the handle. This is critical for players like Rory who prefer to draw the ball from right to left with the driver. It’s also a good technique for those who struggle with slicing. If this is you, I suggest erring on the side of too strong with your left hand, rather than too weak.

2. Don’t fear the ‘cup’

Although modern teaching standards call for a flat left wrist at the top, Rory actually cups his wrist a bit, which allows him to maintain a square clubface despite his strong left-hand grip. He also exhibits a full wrist hinge, evidenced by the fact that the shaft is near parallel to the ground. This is impossible to do if you tense up at address. The secret is to make as full an upper body turn as possible while keeping your arms, wrists and hands loose and free to hinge the club up.

Moreover, allowing your left wrist to cup instead of forcing it perfectly flat makes it easier to keep your left arm relaxed and to hinge your wrists to their maximum capacity. A flat left wrist sounds nice, but it can potentially lead to undue tension in your lead arm.

3. Crack the whip

Did you know that the first man-made object to break the sound barrier was a bullwhip? Yes, that sound you hear when a whip is cracked is caused by the incredible speed of the whip’s end as it unleashes all of its built-up energy. This phenomenon is very similar to the way an extremely powerful player like McIlroy unleashes the power of his swing into the ball.

If you’ve noticed, Rory isn’t a huge guy, but he winds up his body on the way back and then swings in sequence on the way down with his hips rotating at full blast, and then — just like the handle of a bullwhip — stopping for a split second just before impact. This move unloads all of the power he has built up in his arms and hands to the clubhead and, ultimately, the ball.

4. Maintain balance

One of Rory’s hallmarks is an incredibly balanced swing and finish position. Unlike a lot of amateurs, you never see him fall over or to the side after he hits a shot, even when it’s a 350-yard smash to a tight fairway. The reason he can do this, in addition to his incredible flexibility and athleticism, is that he swings in the proper sequence and uses his body to properly support his dynamic movement.

If you try to create power by swinging the club from the top with nothing but your arms, or thrust excessively with your legs with the club trailing too far behind, you’ll always be off balance, and your delivery of power will be inefficient and weak.

Instruction

The swing key that helped Rory McIlroy win a second green jacket

By: Maddi MacClurg

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “swing within yourself,” and this is what I’m referring to. Rory may swing incredibly fast, but his near-perfect balance shows that he’s swinging comfortably within his capabilities and from the “ground up.” Regardless of how far you hit it now, if you improve your balance you’ll swing with much more power and control.

5. Swing the clubhead

Another thing that Rory does incredibly well that most amateurs don’t is control the clubhead. When he swings, you can clearly see how much awareness he has of the clubhead and the clubface, and because of this, he’s able to sling both of them past his body with natural speed and power. This is impossible to do if you grip the club so tightly that you can’t feel the clubhead when you swing. When he gets post-impact, he has completely let the clubhead go — there’s absolutely no steering or holding on. That’s a mistake that most amateurs make.

6. Keep the shoulders closed

Another signature Rory move is the way he keeps his shoulders closed for so long on his downswing. Although he starts rapidly turning his hips counterclockwise as soon as he reaches the top, he keeps his shoulders point- ing right of the target until he just about reaches impact. This is his key for getting the club swinging on the perfect plane and the clubhead moving on the desired inside path to the ball.

Important: The shoulders control the path of the club to impact while the hips control the path of the club past impact. If you want to hit the ball longer, straighter and with a slight draw, mimic Rory’s open hips and closed shoulders as you swing down and through the hitting zone. If you move your shoulders too early, you’ll hit the ball on an outside path.

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The post What should move first to start your downswing? We explain appeared first on Golf.

The post What should move first to start your downswing? We explain appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today, we look back at our December 1979 issue for a deep dive into how your body should move to initiate your downswing.

The backswing gets everything organized, but the downswing is where the magic happens. From the top of the backswing to impact, what the club is doing is incredibly important. If something gets out of whack in this section of the swing, there is little hope for squaring the club at impact.

The order in which you move each part of the body has a huge impact on how this happens. This sequencing helps with efficiency and consistency, which ultimately makes the game much easier.

But while there are some rules that need to be followed for maximum efficiency, that doesn’t mean every swing is exactly the same. Every golfer’s body moves in unique ways, which has an impact on how they can best swing the club.

One such impact area is the initial downswing move, which GOLF Magazine explored in a 1979 issue by then-instruction editor Ernie Vossler. Check it out below to learn more about how you should initiate your own downswing.

How to initiate the downswing

You’ve completed your backswing. You have paused for a fraction of a second to change directions. Now you’re going to make your first move down. What should that first move feel like? What should it actually be?

Put these questions to top Tour stars, teaching professionals or amateurs and you’re likely to get as many different keys, tips or feel descriptions as the number of golfers polled. What works for some golfers doesn’t work for others.

The fact is that the proper first move down depends entirely on the type of swing you have.

Broadly speaking, there are two categories of golfer. One type is the “hitter,” who has a square or open clubface at the top of the swing. On the forward swing, all he has to do is “hit” or release so that he works the club back from that open position to a square position at impact and then to a closed position in the follow-through. To be more precise, the “hitter’s” club will be in a “toe up” position halfway into the forward swing. From there he begins to roll his right forearm over his left so that waist-high in the follow-through the toe of the club again points straight up. That’s releasing.

The second type is the “puller.” At the top of the swing, this golfer has the clubface to some degree closed. On the forward swing, this golfer has to pull from the left side in order to work the clubface from a closed position back to square before he can release the club.

Now let’s examine these two swing types in more detail. Then we’ll discuss the first moves down for each. 

Hitters and pullers

Because the fine line between “hitters” and “pullers” depends on clubface position at the top, let me clarify the terms “open” and “closed.”

If you extend the fingers of your left hand so that the back of the left hand is in line with the left forearm, then make a fist, as though you were going to hold a club, you will notice a small angle between the back of the hand and the forearm. Your hand is now in the “square” position. Now, with your hand still in a fist, move the back of your hand toward the top of your forearm as far as you can; you have gone from square to a fully “open” position. Then, continuing to hold the fist, move the back of the left hand from square to where the left wrist is in line with the forearm. Although this straight line position is commonly accepted as square, it is actually slightly “closed.” The completely closed position finds the left wrist in as convex a position relative to the forearm as you can achieve.

If you’re square to open at the top of your swing, you’re a “hitter;” if closed to any degree, you’re a “puller.” You can determine which type of swing you have by checking yourself in a mirror or by asking a friend to check you at the top of your swing.

The “hitter” has a big shoulder turn going back. He has some or no forearm rotation to the right, depending on whether he’s to some degree open or perfectly square at the top. (In other words, the forearm rotation or lack of it is the direct cause of the clubface position at the top.) However, his most important backswing characteristic, in regard to the first move down, is his big hip turn. Study any of the “hitters” on Tour, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin and Gil Morgan. You’ll see that the “hitter” turns his hips so far in the backswing that he must move the lower body laterally to the left to start the downswing. This allows him to hit from inside, to square at impact, and back to the inside. Without this initial, lateral move, the “hitter” would clear the hips too early in the forward swing. He would pull the club across the line from out to in and slice or pull.

The “puller” also has a big shoulder turn going back. He has a little forearm rotation to the left, if his left wrist is in line with his left forearm at the top, and has more of this type of rotation if his wrist position at the top is convex. (Again, the forearm rotation directly causes the ultimate top-of-the-swing position.) However, as with the “hitter,” the important point is hip action. The “puller” — Lee Trevino, Larry Nelson, Bruce Lietzke and David Graham are examples — has very little hip turn going back. He turns his shoulders, but holds his hips and closes the clubface. On the forward swing, the only reaction his hips can make is to rotate to the left or “clear” very rapidly.

This clearing motion is mandatory for the “puller.” Because he has closed the clubface going back, he has to reverse that position in the forward swing, and the only way to do that is to subordinate the right side and “pull” with the left side by a clearing motion of the hips. For the first two-thirds of the downswing, the “puller” reverses the clubface back to square, then goes ahead and releases normally. However, this late release does require much more strength and more precise timing than the action of the “hitter,” who can start releasing the moment he begins his forward swing.

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The post 4 Masters champs explain how to hit their most epic Augusta National shots appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. This week, we look back to our April 1985 issue when four former Masters champs provided breakdowns of their most epic shots at Augusta National.

The first major of the year is here — and the hype is palpable. With a green jacket on the line in northeast Georgia, it’s hard not to be excited.

Will Scottie Scheffler join the illustrious list of golfers with three Masters titles? Can Bryson DeChambeau finally break through at Augusta National? Does Rory McIlroy have a chance to go back-to-back? The storylines are seemingly endless.

As a primer for one of the greatest weeks on golf’s calendar, we are looking back to our April 1985 Masters preview issue of GOLF Magazine. In those pages, four previous Masters champs broke down the shots that helped them claim their green jackets — and provided some tips on how to hit them.

Claude Harmon, 1948

Situation: Final round. On the par-5 8th, Harmon faces a blind, uphill second shot from 260 yards.

Shot: Uphill 4-wood. “I was trying to lay up, so I selected a 4-wood and put a smooth, controlled swing on the ball. Next thing I heard was a roar from the crowd.” No wonder. Harmon’s clout finished two feet from the hole.

Technique: Because taking your stance for an uphill lie forces you to keep more weight on your right side, the tendency is to be lazy with the left side on the downswing. The right side takes over, and the result is a pull hook. You must offset the pull by putting a fade action into the swing. 

Stand open. With the ball back in your stance, start the swing normally, but through impact keep the left hand driving toward the target to ensure square clubface-to-ball contact. Striving for a high finish — encourages you to accelerate the clubhead. 

Arnold Palmer, 1958

Situation: Palmer needs to hit the par-5 13th in two and make birdie. A perfect drive leaves him 215 yards to the green. His lie is good, but he has to contend with a 10 mph headwind. With the pin cut on the top tier, Palmer must carry the water hazard guarding the front of the putting surface and land the ball on the green with enough juice to roll it up to the hole. 

Shot: Drilled 1-iron. “I was afraid that a wood shot would get caught up in the wind or land on the green’s bottom tier and back up,”’ remarks Palmer. “I needed to hit the running wind cheater, so the 1-iron was the club.” 

It sure was. Palmer made birdie and went on to win. He won again in ’60, ’62 and ’64. 

Technique: With the ball played back slightly, stand square and keep the feet shoulder width apart. In the backswing, make a full pivot, shifting your weight from even balance to the right side. Remember to move your left shoulder under your chin. In the downswing, make a pronounced shift to the left side and drive your right shoulder under your chin. Hit down and through the ball, making no effort to help lift it in the air with the club.

Billy Casper, 1970

Situation: Generally regarded as one of the greatest putters in the game, Casper also gets the nod from his fellows for his expertise in sand. Good thing, because he needs birdie at the par-5 15th if he’s to catch the leader, Gene Littler. He goes for the green in two and misses. Although his lie is good and the lip low, he faces a diabolical shot from sand. He must shoot downhill to a flag cut 60 feet away on a fast-running surface. 

Shot: Floating wedge. “Going downhill, I had to loft the ball high and judge the roll exactly right. To help me land the ball just on the green, I pretended the flag was cut 10 feet from the edge. Otherwise, it was all over for me.” 

Casper’s strategy worked. The ball finished close to the hole. An easy birdie putt helped him tie Littler at the end of 72 holes. In the playoff the next day, Casper won by five strokes. 

Technique: Stand open and open the clubface. With the ball played off your left heel, pick the club up quickly and swing back outside the target line using your hands and arms. Pull the club down with your left hand, hit two inches behind the ball, drive the clubface at the target and finish high.

Fuzzy Zoeller, 1979

Situation: Zoeller is the long-shot choice to win a playoff with Tom Watson and Ed Sneed. All three tie the first extra hole, the 10th. After a perfect drive up the 11th fairway, Fuzzy is 164 yards from the pin. He knows he must hit his second shot close because long putts are especially tricky on Augusta’s slick surfaces. 

Shot: Soft 8-iron. “I usually hit a 7-iron from this distance, but with the adrenaline flowing, I chose my favorite club, the 8-iron.” Zoeller visualized the ball flying high and landing softly — close to the pin. His dream came true. His shot finished eight feet from the flag. A birdie conversion earned him victory. 

Technique: Zoeller believes the game is almost 100-percent mental. He doesn’t preach any standard setup or swing to play the short irons. For him, comfort is the key, which is why he starts his swing with a push of the clubhead away from his body. For you, experiment with various stances, ball positions and swings. If one ball position makes you uncomfortable or if your practice swing feels awkward, go to an alternative technique. As Zoeller says: “If you’re not confident at address, it’s unlikely you’ll hit the shot you want to hit — especially under pressure.”

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