Although the competition takes place over just 4 days, there are so many logistical considerations that it usually takes 5 or 6 years of planning to make sure that all the necessary arrangements are in place.
A smooth golf ball would have reduced lift; basically dipping abruptly in flight.
A player hitting a driver would carry the ball approximately 150y less with a smooth ball compared with a dimpled one.
Square-headed drivers are a 21st-century innovation. It seems bizarre, but the reasoning can be summed up with one phrase — moment of inertia, or MOI.
In layman’s terms, this means “resistance to twisting”; the significance for golf clubs being that the less a club twists when it strikes the ball, the straighter the shot flies.
The characteristics of MOI are designed to promote stability of the clubface and maximum efficiency of energy transfer from club to ball. The advantages this brings may be acutely evident with off-center hits.
Aerodynamic design contributes to faster clubhead speed.
Do not be in a hurry to get to the top; just keep your rhythm and tempo nice and smooth.
Think “shoulders over toes, hands under the chin.” That should help get your posture in great shape every time you set up to hit a drive.
However, position, not power, is the most important factor off the tee. A shot of 250y that finds the middle of the fairway is always preferable to a shot of 300y that ends up in heavy rough.
Most professional players hit their drives at 70-80% capacity. Less is often more when it comes to the golf swing; smooth rhythm is preferable to brute force.
You should feel that the club is almost free-wheeling as it approaches the “hitting zone.” It has little to do with brute force.
The trouble is, an overly aggressive approach tends to rob the swing of coordination and timing, which leads to poor distance and a loss of accuracy.
He advocates and old Bobby Jones adage that you “start your downswing at the same speed as you took the club back.”
It helps make smooth that crucial split-second transition from completing the backswing to starting the downswing. It gives you the time to coordinate the various moving parts in your swing so that everything arrives at impact working in harmony.
Fairway metals are the distance clubs that do not bite. Like the driver, they have a relatively long shaft that helps generate distance. Unlike a driver, however, which has a relatively straight face, a fairway metal has a greater degree of loft on the clubface. This helps generate height and more backspin, which in turn counteracts sidespin. This means that a fairway metal is easier to hit straight than a driver. It is more forgiving, too.
Its performance advantage can be attributed to clubhead design and weight distribution. With a long iron, the capacity to distribute weight around the clubhead is limited. The rounded and slightly chunkier hybrid design, however, offers greater potential for redistributing the mass of the clubhead; this boosts the size of the sweet spot on the face and lowers the center of gravity, the dual effects of which make it more forgiving. It also increases the launch angle, enabling golfers to get the ball airborne far more easily. High-flying long shots — not a realistic proposition with a long iron in the hands of the majority of amateur golfers — are very much back on the agenda.
Before the invention of the rescue club, it was hard to gain good distance from the rough. The clubheads of long irons get tangled by the grass, then the resulting shot is dragged off line. However, the larger clubhead and round sole of utility clubs scythe through the grass. This makes a long, straight shot much more achievable for the club golfer.
Waggle the club back and forth as you prime yourself to start the swing; this helps banish tension from the hands, arms, and shoulders.
As you swing your hands and arms through, the body needs to continue to unwind. The momentum of your swing will carry you through impact to a finish, but it helps if you think of completing your swing with your chest facing the target. This will get you “through the ball” better than ever.
When hitting a hybrid from the rough, move the ball a little farther back in your stance than you would for a shot from the fairway or off the tee. Somewhere around 2 balls’ width inside the left heel is perfect. Also, make sure that your hands are slightly in front of the golf ball. Combined, these 2 measures will help promote the slightly descending angle of attack, which is necessary to generate good contact and a strong ball flight.
While attempting to hit a long iron out of rough can lead to disaster, a hybrid is relatively easy to hit and, therefore, constitutes a smarter club selection. Do not be too ambitious, though. If you feel you would struggle to hit a 7i from a particular lie, then you should not contemplate a hybrid, either.
The hybrid is much more than the default option from the fairway or rough from 150-200y. It is also an excellent chipping club, frequently used by professionals.
If the ball is nestling in a tricky lie, the hybrid is the best choice since there is no risk of the dreaded mishit.
The fairway metal is a different animal to the driver, but it needs very similar treatment to bring out its best qualities. The ball needs to be struck with a sweeping, shallow angle of attack.
Neither hand should become dominant at any point of the swing — otherwise, a loss of clubhead control will result.
The fairway metal off the tee is a smart play; it gives you respectable distance and the extra loft on the face offers a greater level of accuracy than a driver. You can hit more fairways, which is a positive thing.
The key is making sure you do not try to make up the distance that in the back of your mind you know you are losing through not hitting a driver.
Relaxed hands, arms, and shoulders at address is a crucial starting point. Tension is a total killer.
The design of the cavity-back iron is concerned with redistributing the weight of the clubhead around the edge, leaving a cavity in the center. This weight transference means the clubhead is less likely to twist at impact with off-center strikes.
Use your time on the practice ground to establish how far you hit each club by hitting 20 balls and discarding the longest 5 and shortest 5. That middle cluster of 10 balls represents your average distance with that club.
Most top players swing at about 80-85% of full power. It is the only way you can achieve the necessary consistency of strike and distance control.
One of Monty’s great strengths is the way his swing maintains its rhythm no matter which club he is using, specifically the way he maintains the same rhythms in that crucial transition from finishing his backswing to starting his downswing. He does not snatch the club down; he gives himself time. Therein lies a lesson for every golfer. Keep that first move down silky-smooth.
In the rough, the main problem is grass getting trapped between the clubface and ball. This drains the power out of the shot and loses your distance. The key is to train a steeper angle of attack into impact, as this gives you the best possible contact with the golf ball, which leads to a more “normal” iron shot.
Put the ball back in the middle of your stance, with your hands ahead of the ball. Hinge the wrists a little sooner in the backswing.
Hit down into the back of the ball, with your hands leading the clubhead through impact, and make sure you make a full follow-through.
There is no place for ego in the world of pitch shots. It is not about how far you can hit your pitching wedge; it is about how close the ball finishes to the flag.
The ideal pitch shot is one where the ball rises steeply to the top of its flight and then lands softly with little or no run. With this in mind, on the downswing, you should encourage a slightly descending angle of attack. The goal is crisp, ball-turf contact and lots of backspin. However, you must not quit on the shot at impact, this will result in too large a divot and a loss of distance. Instead stay focused on making a positive swing through the ball to a neat finish.
Remember, pitch shots are all about control. It is not a contest of how far you can hit it. So think in terms of making a “shoulder-to-shoulder swing.”
Your only other focus should be on maintaining a smooth rhythm in your downswing and a sense of “natural acceleration” into and through impact. This encourages a sweet and consistent strike, making it easier for you to judge line, length, and spin.
In order for you to utilize the bounce effect of the sand wedge, you must adhere to a couple of rules:
- The stance must be open — that is, the feet aligned to the left of the target.
- The clubface must be open — that is, aimed to the right of the target.
It is hugely important that you open the clubface and then form your grip. If you do it the other way around, the clubface will tend to return to square at impact, completely ruining the shot.
A soft hold on the club effectively spreads into the arms and shoulders as well. It helps endow your swing with an “oily” rhythm back and through. Only by swinging in this fashion can you develop the wonderful sense of touch and feel that is characteristic of all great bunker players.
The key factor with a lot of these radical, deep-faced designs is MOI. The center of gravity is moved way back from the face, deep behind the ball, which promotes a high MOI and therefore improves the putter-head’s built-in resistance to twisting at impact.
Your eyes should ideally be directly over the ball, as this gives you the best perspective of the line from the ball to the hole.
Any head movement before the ball is struck knocks the shoulders — and therefore the putter — out of its natural path.
No movement: From the waist down, everything stays still during the stroke. Imagine your legs are set in concrete.
The professional game is all about making birdies, and that means making putts. The best players in the world typically single putt probably 7 or 8 greens per round.
Woods uses the reverse overlap putting grip. It is thought to be the best way to control the putter.
With a short shot that requires a lofted club, it is easier to hook or draw the ball than it is to fade or slice the ball.
With a longer shot that requires a less lofted club, it is much easier to fade or slice the ball than it is to hook or draw the ball.
Keep these factors in mind when considering which shape shot best gives you a route to the target. One option may be considerably easier than the other.
However many warm-up exercises and practice swings you make before a round, you will probably still be nervous on the 1st tee. Follow these rules:
- Choose a club you are confident with; do not feel compelled to hit a driver.
- Take a few deep breaths to lower your heartbeat.
- Grip the club lightly.
- Make a smooth swing.
Do not try to punch the ball through the tiny gaps in the trees or go for broke. Just play the simplest shot available to you. That way, your mistakes only ever cost you 1 shot.
You hear stories about me beating my brains out practicing, but the truth is, I was enjoying myself. I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning, so I could hit balls.
Thomson believed that careful planning, calm and clear thinking, and common sense were the most important facets of golf.