Golf Digest April '06 Instruction Commentary

This month's articles:

LESSON TEE – Fred Funk. Jerry King’s commentary is typical for instructors—body, body, body. Interestingly, when you read Fred’s own words you’ll find that he is focused on the club. “I try to take the club back and through on the same plane every time…”. Regarding his body, Fred’s only attention is on a good setup and staying balance (classic de la Torre approach). You’ll notice that Fred does play the ball forward in his stance and that this requires that he slide forward so he can get the club square at the ball. This sliding makes for a high maintenance swing—the kind you need to practice almost daily.

TIGER TIPS – KEEP YOUR CHIPPING SIMPLE. Ok. The setup changes are unnecessary complications. How much is “slightly back” and how much weight on the forward foot? Lower lofted clubs for chipping-good. Setup changes-unnecessary.

BUTCH’S BASICS – HYBRIDS OUT OF THE SAND. Ok. The only setup change you need is to play the ball one ball forward of normal. This way you catch the ball on your upswing and eliminate the possibility of catching the sand. Use enough loft to clear the front of the bunker.

ERNIE’S EASY TIPS – RELEASE THE PUTTER. If you read this carefully, you’ll notice that there is no explanation of “release.” The bottom line is that Cameron suggested a long enough putter that allowed Ernie’s setup to change so he could “swing” the putter. It’s not about release its about swing. In fact at the end of the article he says, “…my putting stroke started feeling like a small version of a full swing.”

WATSON’S SHORTCUTS – A WINNING MASTERS TIP. Manuel would describe the “turn your back on the target” as being the result of letting the body respond to the club as it swings around you. Don’t turn—allow the body to turn in response to the club so the turn will be at the right time and to the right extent.

FLICKS MASTER TIPS – IRONS VS. WOODS. Do you think the club manufacturers do something to the irons that requires them to be swung differently than the woods? Aren’t a 3 iron and a 7 wood a lot more similar than a 3 iron and a sand wedge. Just because it’s called a wood doesn’t mean you have to swing it differently. One swing, same swing for all clubs.

HANK HANEY – HEAD DOWN? NOT QUITE… Ok.

BUILD A TEE GATE TO FIX OFF-CENTER HITS. Ok.

ASK HANK – BODY OR MIND. The body does nothing without instructions from the brain. Every move you make is the results of thoughts you process in your brain.

MCLEAN’S SWING FIXES. No. No. No! The sandwedge can do the job quite well without making swing changes.

LEADBETTER’S LESSONS. SETUP IS EVERYTHING. Why doesn’t Calloway build their drivers with enough loft to “launch” the ball? They do. David is re-processing old wive’s tales about setup. Regarding the irons, doesn’t pinching mean squeezing the ball between the club and the turf? This is physically not possible. Take a club and in slow motion try to squeeze the ball against the turf (or your carpet). You’ll find its not at all how you in fact hit a shot.

FITNESS. You can see this is all about building arm strength and thereby arm speed.

HOW TO SAVE 5 SOTS WITH YOUR SHORT GAME.
Putting. Which is more important path or putter face? Both. One without the other is useless. Swinging the putter with a neutral grip and a correct setup will produce a consistent path and putter face.
Chipping. Once again, unnecessary changes. A chip is just a smaller swing.
Reading. Phil is right about under-reading. But there’s a catch. When Phil is with amateurs its during a Pro-Am preceding a tournament. The greens are faster than those amateurs have ever experienced. The break they have to play is much greater. When you are playing a new course, spend some time on the practice green to get used to the speed and reading breaks.
Understand the Power of Numbers. Huh? The lesson here is that its better to get your long putts closer than not.
Putting Practice. The best reason to use the putting clock is that it will keep your putting practice organized and you are less likely to short your putting practice time.

Breaking 100|90|80
PAY ATTENTION TO THE BALL’S FLIGHT. Paying attention is useful only if you also know the exact cause of that ball flight.

BREAKING 100. Shelby’s first suggestion is ok. He tells us how to change the motion of the club. However, he couldn’t go two-for-two. In his second instruction it’s back to the body stuff. Let me assure you, you can close your shoulders radically and still produce the looping slice by using the club wrong.

BREAKING 90. This is such an abomination of instruction I cringe to think of readers who try to follow it.
“If you’re in the habit of aiming left to make room for that slice, you probably didn’t realize what that it is doing to your ball position.” The direction you “aim” (i.e. setup) has nothing to do with ball placement.
“..play the ball forward in your stance, but not that forward.” The more forward it’s played the more compensations you have to make.
“If you align your shoulder to the target…” If your shoulders are aligned with the target, the ball is not.
FIX YOUR DIVOTS. The divot on the right is not “good” (it’s not even possible). The club is in contact with the ground for such a short period of time that no short iron divot will appear curved.

BREAKING 80. Blocked shots--Ok. Pushing—use the fix for blocked shots.

HITTING OVER WATER. Ok.