Indulge | golf
1. Stance: Set up with a slightly open stance with your forward foot (left foot for a right-handed golfer) a few inches farther away from the target line than your rear foot. This allows you to see the target line more clearly and gets your lower body out of the way, while also minimizing the amount of lower body action needed to allow your arms to swing freely through to the target. 2. Ball PoSition: Set up with the ball just inside your rear foot (or your right foot for a right-handed golfer). This automatically helps place your hands, arms and club in the correct position, with the shaft of the club leaning slightly forward toward your target and your hands off of your forward leg. 3. Weight: Set up with more of your weight placed on your forward foot—about 90 percent of it. This will help automatically minimize the lower body action needed and encourage the correct descending stroke onto the ball. To execute the swing, you want to have a slight wrist cock on the backswing and then accelerate down and through the ball, holding off your follow through with a firm-wristed finish. You can clearly see this action in the photograph. One of the biggest swing mistakes we see a beginner or highhandicap golfer make is thinking they need to somehow get the club underneath the ball and help the ball up into the air. This results in a scooping action and a cupped left wrist, and causes both fat and thin shots. Mize shared with me that his key swing thought when chipping was he felt he was brushing the grass, similar to how it would feel if he had a broom and was simply brushing leaves toward the target. I’m sure Mize also was set up correctly!
TIP 2 - The Answer, My FrIend, Is BlowIng In The wInd I’m not sure if Bob Dylan has ever played golf, but if he has, he certainly would have wanted to know the answer to playing into an especially strong headwind. Golfers have been looking for the same answer ever since the early Scots invented this wonderfully challenging game. Playing successfully in the wind starts with having a positive attitude, yet also requires good technique and proper course management. If you dread playing in the wind or curse your luck every time your hair gets tousled, forget about it—no amount of technique will help you.
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The very best players learn to lower their expectations when playing in a strong wind. They understand that the wind presents an added challenge and it’s going to cause them to hit some shots worse than normal, their scores hedging higher as a result. They learn to laugh off their bad shots and indeed, almost relish the experience, as they know the tough conditions will separate them from their competition— especially from those with negative attitudes. I was fortunate to attend the 1992 U.S. Open played at Pebble Beach, one of America’s most famous linksstyle courses. The wind came up on the last day and only two players were able to shoot under par, diminutive Jeff Sluman with 70, and Colin Montgomerie (a Scot, by the way) with a 71. But the winner was Tom Kite, who grew up in windy Texas and was able to manage an even par 72. Notable major champions such as Scott Simpson, Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia, Craig Stadler and Payne Stewart didn’t break 80. Good technique starts with understanding that the best shot in the wind is a solid, well-struck drive. Solid shots are produced by swinging with good tempo and most importantly, staying in balance. So, you really don’t need to do anything that much different from a technique standpoint than playing on a calm day. A strong head wind causes a player to feel the need to swing faster or harder, which produces wild, out-of-balance swings and weak, miss-hit shots. The timeless adage is, “In the breeze, swing with ease!” Good course management involves making the wind your friend. That means not trying to fight the wind, but instead respecting the power of the wind and allowing for it in planning your shots. On full swings into the wind, you should take extra club to encourage a smooth, rhythmic and balanced swing. If the yardage calls for a 9-iron, select a 7-iron or even a 6-iron instead. A great tip prior to playing a shot into the wind is to take a practice swing in the opposite direction, with the wind at your back. That will encourage the feeling of the correct, effortless swing you need to make when you have to turn back into the wind to play the shot. On the little approach shots around the green, try to keep the ball out of the wind as much as possible by putting or chipping whenever possible. In putting, adopt a wider stance than normal, which will help brace you and keep you balanced. This will allow you to hit the ball more solidly, which should be your primary goal in managing the wind. u
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