1. Think target
A basketball player isn't thinking mechanics when he his launching the basketball toward the net. A baseball pitcher is not thinking mechanics when he hurls the baseball into his catcher's mitt. If they were thinking mechanics they would greatly reduce the chance of hitting their target. As humans, we are blessed with the brain power to simply look at our target and toss, launch or chuck an object at it without having to think about the bio-mechanics involved. Yet, stick a putter in someone's hand and all they can think about is "keep your head down", "take the putter straight back", "don't decelerate", "don't pull it", "don't push it", etc. etc. etc.
That thought process is not a great path to success. Rather, you've gotta free your mind to simply let it happen. A great drill for this is to practice hitting putts while looking at the target. Setup a 5 footer, setup to the ball, and hit ten shots where at impact you are looking at the target. It is an amazingly freeing experience and I am sure you will be surprised by just how well you do. Now hit 5 putts while looking at the ball and try to mimic the stroke you made when you were looking at the target. Then repeat! This will get you back to the basics of putting, which is to have a point-and-shoot mentality.
2. Practice putting with your right hand (for right handed golfers)
The right wrist determines a lot in the putting stroke - direction, speed, loft, face angle - and there are many great players who struggle with keeping that right wrist quiet. I don't believe that it is that necessary, for more information read my article "The best putting of your life". The right wrist should remain loose, relaxed and natural. If you practice putting with just your right hand, thinking only about target, you will feel how the right wrist acts and releases the putter face through impact. Hit putts with just your right hand and feel the amazing natural release of the putter head rotating during and after impact.
3. Gain confidence - it's hammer time!
Confidence is king when putting. An office or living room is a great place to instill confidence in your putting stroke. To do this, simply setup a cup (preferably a plastic one) three feet away, and practice hammering putts into it. Again, and again, and again repeat this drill. You'll notice that you miss very few and that, because you are hitting it hard, there is a natural confidence in your stroke. Confidence that you can take to the course knowing that you hammered thousands putts into the heart of your cup in your office all winter and almost never missed!
Try these drills and I am sure you will be a better putter when you bring your stroke out to the golf course!
Lee Tamburano
]]>A the top of Sergio's athletic golf swing, he is in a slightly laid-off position, reminiscent of another golfer who was also slight in stature, but hit the golf ball a long distance - Ben Hogan. The benefit of a laid off position at the top is that it allows the club to drop into a shallow path as you start your downswing IF you have patience. Most average players don't wait for the club to drop into the slot and instead cast the golf club and swing from the top. Sergio, Hogan, Fowler, Player and Trevino all have a tremendous amount of patience in that they allow the club to drop significantly from the top of their backswing into the slot.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Sergio Garcia's unique and powerful swing[/caption]
The danger of creating that much lag and that much drop is that it might be difficult to time the release of the golf club as it is a little stuck behind. Sergio solves this problem by unwinding his entire body through the impact area, creating a body controlled release rather than a handsy or wristy release. A body controlled action is a repeatable action and allows Sergio to deliver the club consistently to the back of the ball in the same way almost ever time with maximum speed.
So be patient and allow the club to drop into the slot - you will hit the ball farther!
Lee Tamburano
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And... he has a really good golfswing.
What's unique about Rickie's swing vs. the numerous golfswings you see on tour is that it is very much a classic golfswing, circa 1950. Rickie's load and his transition move from the top - while not something you would likely teach today - is reminiscent of one of the best players in the history of the game, Ben Hogan.
Like Hogan, Rickie loads his right side completely at the top of the swing then initiates the downswing with a slight lateral bump of his left hip toward the target. This causes his hands to drop onto a shallow plane without losing any load - in fact it increases his load. From this position he continues to rotate his body around a central pivot point accelerating the club and getting maximum compression at impact. The advantage of this move is that there is very little pressure on the left knee through and after impact, speed is generated by maximizing shaft load and lag. As such, Rickie's swing is a lot friendlier on his body, specifically his left knee. This will allow him to maximize distance for many decades and minimize injury - two keys to a long and successful career.
It's Rickie's first win - but the first of many, and I anticipate he will be a factor in many tournaments, majors and Ryder Cups for decades to come!
Lee Tamburano
]]>As discussed in previous posts, the over-the-top move in the golf swing is just about the worst move you can make. It kills power, destroys accuracy and murders the quality of the strike. Whereas an inside move increases power, improves accuracy and delivers quality strikes. So you should really do whatever you can to prevent the over-the-top move!
One simple way to understand what the over-the-top move looks like and how to quickly fix it, is to study hand action as the club moves to the top of the swing.
Below is a picture of Tiger Woods at the top of his swing.
The best players move their hands in a clockwise motion (from their perspective) as they transition from the top of the golf swing into the downswing.
Most amateur players move their hands in a counter-clockwise motion as they transition the club. That's not good.
Here is a great drill to get a proper feel for how the hands should move in the golfswing:
Setup to the ball and take the club to the top of your golfswing and pause. Now, without releasing your wrists, rotate your hands and the grip repeatedly in a clockwise manner. That's great! Now repeat this move many times until you feel comfortable enough to hit a ball. Then, setup to a ball, try to mimic the clockwise rotation of the hands and hit some shots!
It'll take some time to get this move, but once you do, it will completely transform your swing for the better. Good luck!
Lee Tamburano
]]>You are standing in the fairway, have only a 9 iron in and are desperate to hit the ball close to the hole. The pin is tucked behind a bunker on the front corner of the green, and you take dead aim. You hit a good shot, but pull it a little and the wind pushes the ball off the green. You miss the bunker, but are left with a shot where you now have to hit the ball up in the air to carry the bunker, and there is no room behind the bunker to land the ball and get it to stop near the pin. You are stuck and are going to struggle to get up and down to save par.
It is the perfect time to hit an amazing flop shot. But how?
Here are the keys to hitting an amazing flop shot everytime.
Learn the flop shot and you will love the flop shot. It is a fun shot to hit and will save you some strokes on your scorecard!
Lee Tamburano
]]>Fact - if you initiate the downswing with your shoulders, you are going to hit a poor shot.
Fact - if your shoulders spin early on the downswing, it's going to get ugly.
Your shoulders have a big impact on whether you are going to hit the ball solidly and where the ball is going to go. Jack Nicklaus understood just how important it is to limit early shoulder rotation in the downswing, and writes about it in his book "Golf My Way". To paraphrase the Golden Bear -
I had two downswing thoughts in my career... downswing thought number 1, left shoulder up. And if that wasn't working, downswing thought number 2, right shoulder down
- and Jack was most definitely correct. Arguably the worst move in the golfswing is the right shoulder moving toward the target line to start the downswing. It's the death move, and there is very little you can do to save the swing once you have started spinning the shoulders.
Here is a simple way to think of the role of the shoulders at impact...
Most golfers have opened their shoulders on the downswing well before impact!
The ideal movement into impact in the golfswing is the same as throwing a ball, or executing a punch. You lead with your lower body, accelerate your arm, then your hand. Your shoulders provide stability and the final acceleration.
To hit the ball solidly everytime and to design a swing where the ball goes straighter and farther more often, make your focus a square or slightly closed shoulder position at impact.
Here's a great drill...
Take a pitching wedge and address the ball as if you are going to hit the ball 50 yards. Now spin your shoulders slightly closed. Hit the ball and try to keep your shoulders closed to the target line at impact. And repeat. Groove this move until you feel confident that your shoulders are in fact slightly closed at impact. Then gradually start hitting some full pitching wedges, then move on to short irons, mid-irons and your driver. Square shoulders at impact will help you hit every club more consistently.
Continue to groove that move until you understand how your shoulder position at impact affects ball flight.
Keep it up and you will hit the ball farther, straighter and more solidly - just like a tour pro!
Lee Tamburano
]]>You hear or read about it all the time, the importance of the fundamentals, focus on the fundamentals, get back to the fundamentals.
Well I tend to agree, a great golf swing starts with great fundamentals. We can't all swing like Tiger or Annika, but there is absolutely no reason we can't setup like them! It is the one position in golf where regardless of age or skill type, you can setup exactly like a tour pro.
But let me simplify the fundamentals of setup so it is clear and easy to understand...
Why focus on setup fundamentals? It's very simple, the more faults you have at address, the more faults you will have in your golf swing. Faults in your golf swing kill distance, consistency and in some cases, cause injury. It just makes sense to give yourself the best chance of having a decent swing by setting up properly.
Understanding the grip. There are many ways to hold the golf club, and many right ways to hold the golf club. Very simply, get your hands on the club so that you can grip it both lightly and firmly at the right time. Imagine the golf club is a whip and you want to be able to crack it at maximum speed. Hold it like you would a whip, mostly in your fingers supported by the meaty pad at the base of your hand. Then visit a local pro to make sure you've got it right!
Alignment. Even Jack Nicklaus couldn't hit the ball well and at his intended target if he was aligned incorrectly. In fact, if you make the best swing that you can, but are misaligned, the ball will not go where you want it to. Not only will the direction be off, but the quality of the strike will be negatively affected, you'll mishit the shot, toe it, heel it etc. because the club path and plane will not be right.
To align properly I would follow the example of Tiger and Jack - pick an intermediary target between your ball and the target. It can be a tuft of grass, a broken tee - whatever - about 5 feet in front of your ball, and align yourself to it. You'll be amazed at how much we misalign when picking a target in the distance.
Alignment dramatically impacts ball flight. Your feet, hips and shoulders at address dictate where the ball is going to go. If you want to fade or cut the ball, align left of the target line. If you are trying to hit it straight, align parallel to the target line. And if you want to hook or draw it, align right of the target line.
Posture. Golf is an athletic motion and you must have an athletic posture at address. I like to refer to it as a ready position, you have got to be ready to pivot right and pivot left. I advise my students to think of a tennis player getting ready to return a serve, or a baseball player getting ready to field a ball. Or a weightlifter getting ready to clean-and-jerk a few hundred pounds.
Simply stated - you want to stand as tall as possible but with as much athletic readiness as possible. That usually means a little knee flex, which activates your quads and creates tension in your buttocks. You should be able to jump to the right or jump the left, and you should be in balance. It is the ready to jump position that prepares you physically and mentally to make an athletic swing motion.
Stance and ball position. There are two schools of thought on stance and ball position. One being that the ball position should change as you change your club. The other is that the ball should always be in the same position regardless of the club.
I advocate a combination of the two. Because you are driving your weight to your front foot prior to and at impact, the ball needs to be forward in your stance. I like to see the ball an inch in front of your belt buckle with every club except the driver. The ball should be two inches ahead of your belt buckle with the driver because you are hitting it on the upswing whereas you are hitting it on the downswing with every other club.
Stance width depends on your athletic suppleness, but a great rule of thumb is your feet should be shoulder width apart with every club, except the driver. A couple inches wider than shoulder width with the driver will help you make a dedicated weight transfer throughout the golf swing on a solid base.
Remember - the setup is the only static position in the golf swing, and there is no reason not to get it exactly right!
Lee Tamburano
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In a nutshell, here is why. What's worse than striping a shot, hitting the sweet spot, swinging in balance - and watching the ball veer off target and end up in a bunker or water hazard? It's frustrating, and if your clubs aren't custom fitted to you, it could be happening often. What's worse, clubs that don't fit your swing could force you to develop poor swing habits as you manipulate your body, your setup and your swing in order to get the ball to go roughly where you want it. And yet it happens everyday to the majority of golfers! Although buying off the rack can work for some, and in certain cases, a standard set of golf clubs could actually fit someone's swing - for the most part clubs need to be tweaked in order to maximize performance and enhance instead of hinder your golf.
Understanding lie
Simply stated, the lie of the golf club is the difference in the angle of the grooves vs. the horizon at impact. If the grooves of the golf club are parallel to horizontal, the lie is ideal. If the grooves are not, then a lie adjustment is necessary. If the toe of the golf club is up in the air vs. the heel at impact, the club is too upright and the grooves will produce hook spin. The opposite is true if the heel is up vs. the toe at impact, the grooves will produce cut spin.
So, if you make a perfect swing and the club is too upright, you will pull it or hook it. If the club is too flat, you will fade it or push it, regardless of how well you strike it.
Understanding length
Obviously there are challenges to hitting the ball well if the clubs are too long or too short for you. Firstly, it can cause some poor swing habits as your contort your body to make decent contact. Secondly, a shaft that is too long will push you away from the ball making the club dynamically too upright, a short shaft making the club too flat. As mentioned above, a lie that is wrong produces poor results.
Understanding flex
Flex is important because it affects both ball flight, launch and feel. If your club shafts are too stick, the face can't square and it will lead to low, blocked shots, and will limit your feel. A shaft that is too soft will often cause a pull as the flex of the club shuts the face at impact. It'll also impart significant spin that will cause the ball to up-shoot and die in the air, especially when playing in windy conditions.
With the driver specifically, you really want to control your spin, because poor spin characteristics are a big distance and accuracy killer. Shaft flex, as well as launch and load are extremely important in maximizing distance, both carry and roll.
Understanding size
For the most part the rule on grip size is... if it's too big, your hands won't release properly so you'll push shots and lose distance. If it's too small it can lead to a re-gripping of the club at the top leading to a shut face at impact and shots that miss to the left of the target.
The above points cover merely the basics of club fitting. The takeaway from this post is that if your clubs were not custom fitted to you, there is a very strong chance you are hitting shots that are going sideways and are not the fault of your swing, but the fault of your equipment. And worse, there is a good chance you are developing poor swing habits as you try to compensate for poorly fitted equipment.
Any golf club can be fitted, and all of the major vendors, like Callaway, Taylor Made, Ping and others can produce a custom set of clubs that exactly fit you.
Want more information? Leave some comments and I'll point you in the right direction!
Lee Tamburano
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Chipping can be difficult. There are a lot variables to hitting a good chip - Is the ball sitting up - sitting down? How much loft do I need? How thick is the rough? How far do I carry it, how far do I roll it? Do I hit down on it? Should my hands be ahead of the ball at impact? Should I use a 9 iron - PW - SW? What if it checks up - what if it doesn't?
Well there is a simple solution to solve your chipping woes - scull your chips. That's right, thin 'em. Take out a 7 irons and hit the most beautiful sculled shots you've ever seen! The benefits of sculling your chips are huge...
Now, this technique works on any shot around the green excluding sand or flop shots. Don't scull those or you'll be chasing your ball through the parking lot!
Lee Tamburano
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I look forward to watching Sam Snead bomb the ball down the centre of the fairway, barefoot. I expect I'll see Hogan hitting 5 irons on the range, each ball landing within a couple of feet of the others. Byron will be there too, modestly knocking wedge after wedge to within a few inches of the cup, shooting a sly smile as the odd shot falls into the hole. And Bobby Jones, immaculately dressed, sits on the porch enjoying lemonade and watching the action around him.
And then, as the morning dew melts away, we all head to the first tee - at the most heavenly course of them all, Augusta National. As we each step up and fire our balls down the centre of the first hole, "Tea Olive", a crowd begins to gather to watch us play. And as we five walk among the rolling hills and majestic pines of the most storied course in golf - fivesomes are allowed in heaven - the crowd swells around us and cheers as we hit high draws into tight pins, and roll in 40 footers from the fringe.
But until I shake loose from this mortal coil, I'll have to be content to watch the best players of today march around the 7,400 yards that is heaven-on-earth, the crown jewel of golf, Augusta National. And content I will be, there is nothing quite like the back nine on Master's Sunday to get a real glimpse of just how good the game of golf can be!
Lee Tamburano
]]>There are only two ways to hit the ball farther...
That's it - we're done - head out there and give it a go!
Well, not quite, but we are almost there. Let's break it down...
To swing the club faster it is important to understand that all of us have more than enough natural power to hit the ball farther, it's just hidden under layers of fear and swing mechanic fallacies. The first way to swing the club faster is to change the way you think about the golf swing and speed. If you can smash a pumpkin with a baseball bat, or whack an area rug with a broom, or knock the head off a dandelion with a stick - then you can hit a golf ball hard with your natural, god-given physical assets. Our maximum speed is within us, we need to set it free!
How? The best method to developing maximum swing speed - and developing the proper timing and release of a natural swinging action, is to pick-up a broom. No, don't start cleaning your house, instead give yourself some room and take some long, smooth, repetitive golf swings with the broom. Feel the broom as it flows as you take it back, loads as you transition into your downswing, and naturally accelerates and "whooshes" through and after impact. Keep swinging in continuous rhythmic motions and gradually use your body, your torso, your major muscle groups to accelerate the broom. Keep this swing free and liquid. This is your perfect, power-maximizing golf swing. This is the model for the swing you must emulate with a golf club in your hand. The closer you get to swinging the club like you swing the broom, the closer you will get to attaining your maximum distance!
You must hit the sweet spot to maximize ball speed and therefore gain distance. In order to hit the sweet spot, the club must attack the ball from inside the target line. What does that mean? Your divots should point just right of the intended target line. You'll find this happens automatically when you swing the broom, but here's a drill that will help you develop the proper inside move with a golf club.
Place your ball on the grass and pick your target. Stick a tee in the ground directly in front of the ball. Stick a tee an inch to the right of the first tee. Now practice making a fluid swing action where you hit the ball followed by the tee on the right. This will force the club to come from the inside which is the most crucial part of hitting the ball solidly.
So to maximize your distance...
Let me know how this works - I look forward to hearing the results!
Lee Tamburano
]]>Surely, in a game where so much depends on honour, and so many rules are common sense - a hole in the fairway caused by someone playing before you, that can negatively impact your game, your score and your position - should be free relief.
I can't think of a reason not to make this change. C'mon R&A and USGA, let's get this silly rule fixed!
Lee Tamburano
]]>1. Get the ball out on the first swing
2. Put the ball on the green
3. Get the ball close to the hole
4. Leave yourself with an uphill putt
5. Hole the bunker shot
... the variables being your skill level and the difficulty of the bunker shot.
I am going to provide a few secrets to playing great bunker shots that will help you attain the best possible scenario on the priority list.
Secret 1. Do not allow the face to turn over at and after impact
What does that mean? The face of the club needs to point at or even slightly right of the target at impact. If your face is square and closing at impact the club is going to slow and shut as it enters the sand leading to two potential results - the ball won't leave the bunker - or - the ball will come out left, low and fast leaving you with a long putt - if the ball should stay on the green. And obviously you will have no chance of holing it.
How do you keep the face square or open at impact? Either grip the club tightly with your right hand throughout the swing which will create a blocking action perfect for bunker shots, or feel like the face of the club points at the sky following impact. This will keep the ball starting on line which is a big part of getting the ball on the green, close to the hole, with a chance to go in.
Secret 2. Accelerate the club into the sand
You always want to accelerate the club into the sand, even on short bunker shots. Control the distance you want the ball to go by the length of the backswing, and always hammer that club into the sand under the ball to pop it up and out with some spin. So very simply... short bunker shot = short backswing and hammer the club into the sand - long bunker shot = long backswing and hammer the club into the sand.
Secret 3. Try to hole an inch of sand
Your goal should always be to hole your shot and an inch of sand with it. If you always take an inch of sand then it eliminates the chance of both a thin shot and a fat shot, as well as giving you consistency with regard to your feel. Control the distance not by altering how much sand you take, but rather by controlling the length of your backswing.
Secret 4. No surprise - practice
Find an hour, visit a facility with a bunker practice area, or drop some balls in the bunker of your home course an hour before dark one night and practice the previous 3 secrets. The best players in the world would rather have a bunker shot than almost any other lie around the green, because they know how to play it, and have a good chance of holing it. Just like you will if you follow my secrets.
Lee Tamburano
]]>And I'm going to keep it simple! I'm going to tell you how to hook the ball. So here it goes...
1. You slice the ball because your shoulders are open to the target line address. What does that mean? Well, stand up straight arms at your side, then spin your shoulders 30% to the left keeping your feet where they are. This is how you address the ball with a club in your hand, and this is the primary reason why you slice it!
So... let's set you up to hook it. Instead of setting up to the ball with your shoulders 30% open, set up to the ball with your shoulders 20% closed - that right -your back is slightly facing the target! This is the default set up position if you want to hook the ball.
2. You slice the ball because your shoulders are open to the target line even before you make contact with the ball. They open up early because they are set open at address.
Now... because you are setting your shoulders closed to the target line at address, you have a much better chance of having your shoulders square - or if all goes well slightly closed to the target line at impact.
TRUTH - it is impossible to slice the ball if your shoulders are square or slightly closed to the target line at impact!!!
3. You slice the ball because the face is open at impact. You are keeping it open instinctively because your subconscious knows that if you release the club from an over the top attack position the ball is going to go dead left and kill somebody.
So... if your shoulders are slightly closed to the target line at impact - the more you release your hands, the more you'll hook it!
3 simple keys to hooking the ball and eliminating the slice
1. Address the ball with your shoulders CLOSED to the target line
2. It is impossible to slice the ball if your shoulders are square or slightly closed to the target line at impact.
3. Release your hands. If your shoulders are closed to the target at impact, release those hands, generate maximum speed and watch that ball hook!
I told you I could fix it! Good golfing!
Lee Tamburano
]]>But what about the putter? Certainly there have been some improvements in technology, softer inserts, a higher MOI, more stability, less backspin. And yet you still have a better chance of hitting a fairway with a driver, than making a 20 footer.
Here is why. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Sam Snead and someone you may not have heard of... Bobby Locke, were all amazing putters. You couldn't rack up as many wins as they did (248 PGA Tour wins), on the greens they played on, if you couldn't putt really well.
And yet, the putting stroke that you see most amateurs and professionals adhering to now is quite different than the stroke used by the old guard. Now, the new guard, use very little wrist, the hands stay ahead of the shaft at and after impact, the putter arc is small and the body stays dead still.
This modern putting stroke works in many cases, some of the time - despite the fact it is unnatural. Perhaps that is why so many young golfers are needing to go with belly or long putters in order to compete and/or save their careers.
Compare the modern stroke to the stroke of the old guard - ignore the idiosyncratic nature of their setup, and study the putter path. In every case, the putter head moves past the hands at and after impact. It's just natural.
Try this: grab your putter and a ball, hold your putter in only your right hand, and try and hit the ball into the hole - or a coffee mug - without letting the putter head pass your hands. It's hard, it's unnatural, and it just doesn't work.
Now, hold the putter in your right hand, let the momentum of the stroke pull the putter head past your hands at im
Like in the golf swing, you never want to sacrifice a natural athletic move for a band-aid fix. Swing natural, putt natural, and score better!pact and watch what happens. You hit your target, the ball rolls better and it is definitely natural! Now try it with both hands on the club - it still works!
Lee Tamburano
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