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.

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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The post Justin Rose has 4 tips to help you make more birdies 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. Today we look back to our June 2014 issue for some tips from Justin Rose on playing under pressure.

Justin Rose may be an elder statesman on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t mean he can’t compete with the young guns. Since he turned 40, five years ago, the Englishman has three wins and six top-10 major finishes — including a runner-up at the Masters. Not too shabby for an “old” guy.

Rose’s secret? A game that was built to age gracefully, headlined by a swing that every golfer should be envious of.

Recreational golfers may never be able to swing quite as smooth as Rosey does, but that doesn’t mean they can’t emulate his game. About 12 years ago, he showed us how.

Check out below for a reproduction of a 2014 GOLF Magazine story where Rose explained four in-depth tips for making more birdies.

Rose’s tips for making birdies

I’ve birdied 3,025 holes in my PGA Tour career (through the 2014 Masters), including a career-high 384 in 2006. And my 15 birdies at the U.S. Open last year paced the field — and helped me bag my first major. The talent level on Tour is so high that you need a ton of birdies just to survive, let alone win majors. Circles on the scorecard are necessary to my day job, but for recreational golfers, birdies are like gold. I get it — most of my friends are mid-handicappers, and I see what birdies do for their games. Birdies erase mistakes, build confidence and, let’s face it — they make the game a lot more fun. 

I know how to birdie holes, so I’ll let you in on a little secret You can’t even attempt to make birdie if you don’t hit greens. And it’s difficult to hit greens if you don’t hit fairways. That’s why my scoring plan favors accuracy over all else. Follow my simple driving, iron- and wedge-swing secrets and you’ll be staring at more birdie putts than ever. And just to make sure you don’t waste a golden opportunity, I offer my best putting tip ever. Get ready to start seeing red — on your card.

1. How to hit more fairways

I was No. 1 in total driving (a combination of distance and accuracy) heading into the U.S. Open at Merion last summer, and I ended the season fourth. I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym in recent years to increase my power, and I even took a page from Jack Nicklaus’s book and started lifting my front heel during my backswing to get more hip turn. The five or 10 yards I’ve added is great, but really, distance is secondary to accuracy when it comes to setting up birdie opportunities.

My best driving tip: Drives fly straight when you swing with good rhythm. Take the club back so slowly that you can feel the segments of your backswing unfolding in succession. I even count them off sometimes “Shoulder turn, right elbow fold, wrist hinge, arm lift,” and so on. Swinging slowly allows your body and the club to reach the top of your backswing at the same time, which makes your transition extra-smooth. I believe that if you’re smooth and solid at the top, you’ll probably be smooth and solid at the bottom — which is where it counts. 

When you start back down, make sure to swing all the way through the ball. A lot of weekend players slow down at or just after impact with a kind of chopping motion; they think this will help square the clubface. It doesn’t. In fact, you’ll probably hit a slice! I picture a second ball a few inches in front of the real one, and try to “hit” both. This technique ensures that I swing beyond the impact point so that the face continues to square. For extra distance, reach top speed at the second ball. This way you’re always accelerating through the hitting zone.

2. How to hit more greens

One thing that’s helped me become a good iron player is learning to feel impact. Before I started working with Sean Foley, I’d strike the ball with the shaft standing almost straight up and down. It worked, but my shots didn’t sizzle. Sean has helped me add more shaft lean at impact. This compresses the ball more (my new feel for impact), and it stabilizes the club through the hitting zone, which helps the ball fly straight.

My best iron tip: Getting the shaft leaning forward at impact, with your hands ahead of the clubhead and the clubface stable, isn’t as simple as just “lean the shaft forward.” It’s really a whole-body event.

The key is to shift the vast majority of your weight to your front foot on your downswing — I’m talking 90 percent of your weight. Think of it this way: If you shift everything forward, then your hands shift forward — and stay ahead of the clubhead. Getting your weight forward also stops you from “hanging back” on your right side, where you’re forced to flip the clubhead with your wrists just to make contact with the ball. Flippers are usually slicers.

3. How to hit better wedges

When you’re swinging your woods and irons, it’s all about creating power from the ground up: You drive with your legs, then your hips, then your arms and finally your hands. That’s the ideal downswing chain of events. When you get to your wedges, however, it’s the opposite; your upper body does more of the heavy lifting, so to speak, while your lower half stays very quiet.

I’ve learned this just recently, and it has made all the difference in the world. Now when I want to hit a soft wedge shot, I turn all my focus to my upper body and make sure I rotate it first and fastest on my downswing. I even set up to encourage more upper-body turn, addressing the ball with my chest open and my hips square. My goal? To re-create this arrangement at impact. Do it right and it’ll feel like your hands are traveling to the left of the target after impact, rather than straight down the line.

My best wedge tip: I feel like the most accurate wedge players are the ones who can control trajectory, so it’s vital to develop more than one stock short-game swing. To hit a low shot (good for back pins), finish your swing with your hands and the clubhead in line with your forearms. This sharply reduces the launch angle. To hit a high shot, line up your hands and forearms in the finish, but release the club up and to the left.

4. How to make more putts

Over the years I’ve tried to be perfect with my putting stroke. That’s not the way to make birdies, because there were times when my stroke was perfect and I couldn’t buy a putt. You’re better off working on improving your green reading than overthinking your stroke.

The way I read greens now is to walk behind the ball in a semicircle. Using my feet, I’ll try to feel the point on the green where I go from walking downhill to walking uphill (or vice versa). Finding this “inflection point” (it’s not hard to do with practice and added awareness) gives you important clues about how the putt will break: If your ball sits left of the inflection point, it breaks right; if it sits to the right, it breaks left. And the farther the ball is from the inflection point, the more it will curve.

My best putting tip: I’ve tried a lot of putting tips over the years, but the one I keep going back to is “keep your eyes still.” As soon as you start peeking, you’re toast. If your eyes move, then so will your body, and this will ruin any chance you might have for centered contact. I challenge myself to watch every inch of my putting stroke — if I keep my eyes still, I won’t miss a moment of action. Even on long strokes I’ll use my peripheral vision to track the putterhead back and through. Listen for the ball to drop, don’t watch it.

Divot Board

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The post How Fred Couples swings fast while looking so smooth appeared first on Golf.

The post How Fred Couples swings fast while looking so smooth 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. Today we look at an article breaking down Fred Couples’ smooth — and powerful — swing from our October 1991 issue.

Fred Couples is quintessential cool — and he has the swing to match it. His languid back-and-through action has long been the standard for aspirational tempo. But don’t mistake his smooth tempo for a lack of power. Back in his heyday, Boom Boom was one of the longest hitters in the game.

Perhaps that’s why his swing has captivated so many golfers over the years. With the perfect mix of languidity and explosiveness, there are few moves that can match up with those of Couples.

Back in a 1991 issue of GOLF Magazine, teaching editor Dick Harmon broke down the secrets to Couples’ move — and explained how such a smooth swing could generate so much power. Check it out below.

The secrets to Couples’ swing

Everybody knows that Fred Couples hits the ball a mile. They’re just not sure exactly how. How can someone who looks like he’s swinging easy hit the ball so far? Television announcers, desperate for an explanation, have even been heard to say he must be double-jointed.

Trust me when I tell you it’s not true. I have worked with Couples since he joined the Tour in 1981. He gets his awesome distance from a huge shoulder turn, perfect leg action and a syrupy tempo that makes it all appear effortless.

It’s a package that has most amateurs scratching their heads. They try to swing slowly like Couples, but are so anxious to hit the ball hard that they fail to complete their shoulder turn and jerk the club down with their hands. That’s no way to generate clubhead speed. You have to have patience to hit the ball far. “Boom Boom” never tries to kill the ball the way that the average amateur does. He simply makes a big, easy turn, rotating as much as he can, then lets his body unwind powerfully into the ball. It looks like he’s swinging easy because his arms and hands are relaxed, but this coiling action unleashes clubhead speeds of more than 120 mph with a driver.

Be warned, though: Don’t try to “copy” Fred’s clubhead speed. He’s not double-jointed, but he is gifted, and the chances of an amateur reproducing his enormous shoulder turn are slim to none.

You can add yards to your drives, however, by emulating Couples’ power-packed fundamentals.

Start with address. From a balanced and comfortable stance, reach for the ball slightly so your arms swing freely. Stabilize yourself with your legs, then concentrate on turning away from the ball. No matter how flexible or inflexible you are, your turn is the power producer. So make it as big as you can. Then stay balanced and unwind. Don’t try to “hit” the ball. You have to trust your turn to produce distance and let your arms and club follow along instead of forcing it. That’s how Boom Boom does it, and so should you.

Check out below for a detailed look at all the key positions in Couples’ swing.

1. Address

Fred’s athletic setup prepares him to hit the ball long. His feet are slightly wider than shoulder width for stability and his knees are flexed. He stands about an inch farther away from the ball than normal, so he can extend his arms and make a huge turn.

2. Takeaway

Although he’s a long hitter, Boom Boom’s natural ball flight is a fade, so his first move away from the ball is noticeably outside the target line. At this point, he hasn’t turned his shoulders much, although he has begun his weight shift to the right side.

3. Three-quarters

Most amateurs would have finished the backswing at this point, but not Freddy. His wrists are fully cocked and his shoulders have turned 90 degrees — an ideal position for his iron shots — but for the driver, he strives for even more turn.

4. Top

Most amateurs would have finished the backswing at this point, but not Freddy. His wrists are fully cocked and his shoulders have turned 90 degrees — an ideal position for his iron shots — but for the driver, he strives for even more turn.

5. Start of downswing

As he starts the downswing, Couples pushes off with the right foot to shift his weight back to the left side and clear the hips while his back is facing the target in a “torqued” position. The right elbow has dropped toward the right hip, an ideal move for any swing.

6. Downswing

Look at this power move! Couples’ left leg remains flexed and rock solid as it supports his weight shift. His upper body is unwinding as his hands and arms stay loose, dropping the club to the inside and producing an extreme cock of the wrists.

7. Impact

The moment of truth. Couples’ powerful leg drive doesn’t carry him ahead of the ball. His weight has moved smoothly to the left side, and the hips are clearing beautifully. His head is behind the ball, and his arms are extended in a powerful position at impact. 

8. Follow-through

Couples’ spine angle remains constant throughout the swing, one reason he looks smooth, and a must for consistently square contact. As he extends into the follow-through, the club points slightly to the left of the target, consistent with his desire to play the fade.

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The post Bobby Jones explains the simple secret to his smooth swing appeared first on Golf.

The post Bobby Jones explains the simple secret to his smooth swing appeared first on Golf.

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we have an article originally published in the September 1980 issue featuring the teachings of Bobby Jones.

It’s impossible to build a Mount Rushmore of golf without including Bobby Jones. During his playing career, Jones amassed the most impressive resume assembled to that point, with four U.S. Open wins and three Open Championship wins, five U.S. Amateur titles and a British Amateur title as well. Even in the near 100 years since, few have come close to matching his CV.

Simply put: when Bobby Jones talks about the golf swing, you’d be wise to listen.

Back in the September 1980 issue of GOLF Magazine, our readers got a chance to do just that when an excerpt of Jones’ “Bobby Jones on Golf” was published in its pages, which you can read below.

Bobby Jones’ bests swing advice

Two of golf’s most eminent instructors, Macdonald Smith and Ernest Jones, built all their teaching around the one conception, “Swing the clubhead.” There are other details to be thought of, of course, in developing anything like a sound swing, but in the end it will be found that this is the prime necessity. Those who are able to sense what it means to “swing the clubhead” will find that they can thus cover up a multitude of sins, and those who sense it not will find that no amount of striving for perfection in positioning will take its place.

In order to make easier the discovery of this sense of swinging, the club must be swung back far enough so that there will be no need for hurry or quickened effort coming down. This is the one point I have tried to stress more than anything else — the necessity for an ample backswing if one is truly to swing the clubhead. The man who allows himself only a short backswing can never be a swinger, because his abbreviated length does not allow space for a smooth acceleration to get him up to speed by the time the club reaches the ball.

Rhythm and timing we all must have, yet no one knows how to teach either. The nearest approach to an appreciation of what they are is in this conception of swinging. The man who hits at the ball, rather than through it, has no sense of rhythm; similarly, the man who, after a short backswing, attempts to make up for lost space by a convulsive effort initiating the downstroke has no sense of rhythm.

The only one who has a chance to achieve a rhythmic, well-timed stroke is the man who, in spite of all else, swings his clubhead, and the crucial area is where the swing changes direction at the top. If the backswing can be made to flow back leisurely, and to an ample length, from where the start downward can be made without the feeling that there may not be enough time left, there is good chance of success. But a hurried backswing induces a hurried start downward, and a short backswing makes some sort of rescue measures imperative. A good golfer will not like to be guilty of either.

Two of the important points in the swinging machinery are the wrists and hips; if the wrists do not flex easily, or if the trunk does not turn readily, a true swing cannot be accomplished. Stiff or wooden wrists shorten the backswing and otherwise destroy the feel of the clubhead. Without the supple connection of relaxed and active wrist joints, and a delicate, sensitive grip, the golf club might just as well be a broom handle with nothing on the end. The clubhead cannot be swung unless it can be felt on the end of the shaft.

So swing, swing, swing, if you want to play better golf; fight down any tautness wherever it may make its appearance; strive for relaxed muscles throughout, and encourage a feeling of laziness in the backswing and the start downward. Go back far enough, trust your swing, and then — swing the clubhead through.

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The post Anthony Kim’s 3 tips for hitting your driver straighter than ever appeared first on Golf.

The post Anthony Kim’s 3 tips for hitting your driver straighter than ever 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 December 2008 issue when Anthony Kim shared his keys for hitting straighter drives.

In case you haven’t heard, Anthony Kim is back.

The man who once set the golf world ablaze with his birdies barrages and gaudy belt buckles is back in the winner’s circle. Sixteen years after his last victory, Kim once again hoisted a trophy high over his head, besting a field that included Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to complete a stunning comeback tale.

Since that victory at LIV Adelaide, the golf world has been pontificating about what it all means — but we aren’t going to do that here. Instead, we are looking back to AK’s prime, when he graced the cover of GOLF Magazine and gave our readers his best tips for splitting the fairways.

Here’s Kim, in his own words:

AK’s driving accuracy tips

As you can guess, the Ryder Cup was a breakthrough event for me, but I really didn’t do anything special. Regardless of whom I was playing against or the format of the match, I focused on making the same swing that got me to Valhalla in the first place — moves I beat into my muscle memory at an early age on the ranges of Southern California. 

I’ve always been a bit smaller than my competitors, so my swing emphasizes squeezing as many yards out of my driver as possible. But that’s just half the story: my primary concern is accuracy — it’s not very often you make birdie from the rough. 

Copy my accuracy keys below (and heed the advice provided by my coach, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Adam Schriber) and you’ll hit drives that consistently find the fairway.

Tip No. 1: Choke up

The most obvious quirk in my technique is that I choke way up on the grip — about two full inches. And I choke up with every club in the bag. I started doing this out of necessity: I have a short torso and long arms, and if I took a “normal” grip I’d be too far away from the ball. Over the years, however, I noticed that the choke gave me more control — especially with the driver — and I’ve never looked back.

Since the choke automatically makes the club shorter, | sacrifice some distance. But it’s less than you think — 10 yards at the most (and I still average 300 yards off the tee). So I have to hit 7-iron into the green instead of an 8-iron. Big deal. I’d take a longer iron from the fairway than a shorter one from the rough any day. You saw the benefits of this strategy during the Ryder Cup. The guys who consistently hit fairways and greens were ones who won points for their side. When you’re accurate, your opponent feels it.

Schriber’s take

“When I first started working with Anthony, he had already worked the choke into his grip. And I’ve seen no reason to change it. His smash factor is excellent. You can try using it for more control on tight driving holes, but it’s also a good way to hit in-between shots. Take three clubs onto a par-3 and adjust for distance by choking down, not by changing clubs. It’s a great way to increase your imagination and add shots to your arsenal.”

Tip No. 2: Shorten the backswing

Whenever I’m playing in a pro-am, I’m amazed at the length of most amateurs’ swings — it’s like they’ve spent three months at the John Daly School of Driving. Over-swinging is a death move for me. I can get away with swinging the club to parallel and beyond from time to time, but on Tour, time to time means a string of missed cuts.

I’m more comfortable making a three-quarter backswing, with my hand stopping at shoulder height and my club way short of parallel. I knew from an early age that I wouldn’t be able to generate power with my arms alone on account of my size, so I don’t swing them back as far. Instead, I focus on turning my upper body as much as possible and keeping my legs stable, like I’m holding my hips back. So even though my arm swing is short, I’ve built up resistance between my upper and lower body, and that’s where my swing power comes from.

Schriber’s take

“The best backswing for you is the one that sets up your best downswing. Anthony has incredible torsional flexibility, and he takes advantage of it by resisting with his legs and turning his shoulders more than his hips. This stretches his torso muscles, a move that can be a big power spruce for anyone’s swing.”

Tip No. 3: Squat down

When you swing down from the top using only your arms, it’s easy to get off plane. The secret to swinging on plane and with power is in your legs. I start my downswing with my lower body, which pulls my arms into action. I feel like I’m pushing my body into the ground, making a strong connection between my feet and the turf. As I do this, my arms fall naturally, with my left arm hanging close to my chest.

After sitting down, I turn as fast as I can through impact, using the ground as leverage and getting my weight over my left foot. It’s a burst of energy at the bottom of my swing, which is why when I lift weights I only do “explosion” exercises, not high-repetition sets. You only need to be fast through impact.

Schriber’s take

“Anthony does an excellent  job of ‘using the deck,’ or interacting with the ground, to create leverage in his downswing. It’s a difficult concept to teach, but a good way to feel it is to make your backswing and downswing while standing on an unstable surface, like two balance discs. You’ll learn pretty quickly how to train your lower body to use the ground for leverage, stability and power like Anthony does.”

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