Experiment

Experiment in your back yard and reclaim the art of shotmaking.

A week ago I spent some time in my back yard with my 60° wedge hitting shots all over the place and from every kind of lie. I discovered that if I play my ball outside of my right heel, open stance 45°, and swing inside out I can make great contact and send a lot skittering shot tremendous distances. I discovered that I can hit the ball with nothing but wrist movement quite far… but that every other body part has to remain absolutely still or I don’t get perfect contact, and wrists aren’t strong enough to fight through grass alone. I discovered that I could hit a lob wedge straight up into the air, but that it only went a foot forward and ten feet up – not a particularly useful shot.

The point is this: experiment in your back yard with your wedges. Use some practice (short flight) balls if you have to. Experimentation is the key to shotmaking – see what kinds of shots you can come up with. I highly doubt that I’ll ever see “stand 45° open, play the ball three inches behind you, and swing perpendicular to your stance to send a low chip cleanly out of even bad lies,” but I’ve got that shot in my bag now.

Why in the Hal?

Why in the Hal did the US team lose the Ryder Cup… again?

hal_sutton.jpgLet’s get all of the second guessing out of the way in one fell swoop so that we can just move on. We’ll play a game called “Why in the Hal?” as in “Why in the Hal did he do that?”

Why in the Hal were Tiger and Phil paired? Twice!? And then Tiger was paired with Davis Love III, who’d sucked it up earlier the previous day. The only player Woods won with: his friend Chris Riley.

Why in the Hal did Phil switch clubs and balls just before the Ryder Cup? Why in the Hal didn’t Phil practice with the team? Why in the Hal did the captain let him?

Why in the Hal didn’t the US team play mock matches against each other in its three days? Strategy in a team game is important and a little more complex than “I’ll hit one safe so you can really go at it, pardner.”

Why in the Hal did Sutton choose to walk on Saturday, admitting later that it prevented him from getting to every group that needed information?

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Woods Backs out of 84 Lumber Classic

Tiger Woods withdraws from 84 Lumber Classic. “I’m tired” he says.

Tiger WoodsCiting exhaustion, Tiger Woods has pulled out of the second 84 Lumber Classic (of Pennsylvania). Says The Golf Channel:

Upon the announcement that Woods would be playing in this week’s 84 Lumber Classic, the second-tier tournament instantly became one of the top attractions on the late-season schedule – and an instant sell-out.

Joe Hardy – the man John Daly calls “dad” – must have drunk too much wood grain alcohol before saying “We’re certainly moving this up to a higher level. I can’t say we’ll be one of the majors, but we’ll certainly give them a run for their money.” It’s no wonder he gets along with JD so well. <grin>

In addition to the American Express Championship and the Tour Championship, six full-field events remain on the 2004 PGA Tour schedule.

Stretch

Stretching is a good thing.

Stretch. Loosening your muscles before engaging in an athletic activity – one that requires timing, speed, and accuracy – is essential. Basketball players don’t just start playing – they gather around a hoop with a few balls and warm up. Stretch before you hit the range, before you putt, and certainly before you step onto the first tee. Get a swing weight and swing that before you hit balls as well.

Awesome Annika

Annika Sorenstam wins her fifth LPGA tournament this year.

The Golf Blog points out that Annika won yet another tournament: her 5th LPGA victory and her 7th overall this year. What’s more incredible is that Annika’s won at least five events in each of the last five years. Sorenstam’s 53rd victory moves her to within two wins of Betsy Rawls, who sits in fourth place on the all-time wins list.

Get Back to Safety

Stay down and power through recovery shots to ensure escape.

When you miss the fairway and find yourself in some trouble, concentrate on getting out and back into safety. The hard bump and run sideways out of deep rough is a difficult shot – stay down on the ball and power through the shot. Often, looking up to see where the ball is going before you’ve hit the shot result in a thin shot that gets caught up in the rough, going nowhere. Stay down, watch your club pass powerfully through the rough, to get out safely.

The Heritage

A new tournament, The Heritage, takes place on the European Tour this week.

woburn_dukes_2nd.jpgA new tournament, The Heritage, takes place on the European Tour this week. The event, though probably created to fill an awkward gap in the schedule (i.e. the week after the Ryder Cup), has been established to honour the European Tour’s Executive Director, Ken Schofield. Schofield has been the driving force behind European golf for the last 30 years and is set to retire at the end of the year.

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Love Your 3W

Make friends with your 3-wood.

Learn to love your 3-wood. Many people’s drivers are hit or miss, but the 3W is a far more consistent club. If your driver is misbehaving, your 3W may consistently get you in the fairway 235 yards from the tee. The higher loft on a 3W decreases sidespin, and the 3W can be hit from light rough as well as the fairway. The 3W will hit the ball over trees, letting you cut corners on shorter doglegs. Practice power draws and fades, and the 3W may become your favorite club.

Grip in the Fingers

Grip the club in your fingers – and lightly – for power and accuracy.

Gripping the club in the fingers – not the palm – frees up tension in the hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders. It allows for a smoother motion and a faster uncocking of the wrists, adding power and accuracy. Sam Snead once said that you should grip the club as if it was a baby bird: tight enough to keep the bird safe, but light enough that you don’t crush it. Keep the club light and in your fingers for better shots.