Nick Faldo

6 Swing Thoughts that Work Whether driving, chipping or putting, you can play your best golf with one of these keys in mind

BY NICK FALDO

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN one of those golfers who needs a swing key to play well. I don’t like to rely on feel. To my mind, good feel is the result of sound mechanics and, later, confi dence. Think about it; if all you have to consider when you’re over the ball is one simple swing key, you can block out negative images. You can forget the water in front of the green or the big bunker on the right. When you get to that stage, every shot becomes the same, at least in your mind. And isn’t that what the swing is all about: the reduction of variables so that you can focus on just one key thought. Remember, the less complicated anything is, the easier it is to repeat. On the following pages, I’ve outlined some of the swing keys that have worked for me over the years. They helped me, so there’s no reason they shouldn’t do the same for you. one of those golfers who needs a swing key to play well. I don’t like to rely on feel. To my mind, good feel is the result of sound mechanics and, later, confi dence. Think about it; if all you have to consider when you’re over the ball is one simple swing key, you can block out negative images. You can forget the water in front of the green or the big bunker on the right. When you get to that stage, every shot becomes the same, at least in your mind. And isn’t that what the swing is all about: the reduction of variables so that you can focus on just one key thought. Remember, the less complicated anything is, the easier it is to repeat. On the following pages, I’ve outlined some of the swing keys that have worked for me over the years. They helped me, so there’s no reason they shouldn’t do the same for you.

“Width is important in a swing, but not if it’s getting you out of sync.”

◀ swing thought SET YOUR WRISTS, THEN TURN TO THE TOP

David Leadbetter, my teacher, has always stressed setting the wrists early in the backswing. The theory is that you want the hands and wrists to fi nish their work early, so the bigger muscles in your body can complete the backswing.

As you can see here (le ), by the time my le
arm is close to horizontal, my wrists are fully hinged. From there, all I basically have to do is turn my shoulders and I’ll be in perfect position at the top of the backswing.

Contrast that with this position (right). I see this a lot in amateurs. In a misguided attempt to create width on the backswing, they restrain any setting of the wrists. The result is that there is no harmony between the arms and body. They’re working independently.

Here’s a drill (below) that will help get your swing off to a good start. When I won the Open Championship at Muirfi eld in 1992, I used it a lot and hit some of the best shots of my life to that point.

▶ Rigid wrists in the backswing can get your swing out of sync.

TAKE YOUR NORMAL SETUP drill

SWING THE CLUB PARALLEL COMPLETE THE BACKSWING

swing thought WIDEN THE GAP STARTING DOWN

The part of my swing where things tend to go wrong is the transition from backswing to downswing. It’s just a tough thing to time day in and day out. I’m sure you’ve sometimes had the same feeling. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t fi nd the sensation of fl owing from back to down. Sometimes you’re too fast; sometimes too slow. Either way, you end up making a steep, narrow downswing (right) and hitting a poor shot.

Here’s how to fi nd that elusive feel. Focus on your right hand and right shoulder and swing to the top (above, le ). Then try to increase the distance between your right hand and shoulder (above, right). Don’t overdo it, just let your right arm stretch and straighten naturally. There’s no need to get tight or tense; just let it fl ow. You’ll be surprised to fi nd this relaxed feeling helps you time your shots better.

▶ Try to prevent the arms from folding on the way down.

drill

WITH RIGHT HAND, CLIP THE TEE ▶ I use this drill to isolate the feeling of my right arm straightening from the top of the backswing. Put a tee in the ground. Set it at about the height you would to hit a middle-iron shot. Now grip your club in your right hand only. Put your le hand in your pocket, out of the way.

Swing back, feeling how your right arm folds naturally (far le ). Then swing down and through, trying to clip the tee from the ground (near le ). Focus on your tempo. If you rush anything, you won’t be able to do it. Missing the tee is the result of poor timing, which in turn will prevent you from properly straightening your right arm.

“The putterhead should only rise after impact.”

putting thought ‘BRUSH’ FOR SOLID STRIKE

Whenever I’m leaving putts short, I think of brushing. (I also used this key when I won the ‘92 Open.) It’s especially good under pressure, when any tendency to get tentative is greatest. You can only brush your putts into the cup if you’re in good position at address. Set up with your hands ahead of the ball. You want to make an accelerating down-andthrough motion, so your hands must lead the clubhead at all times. And don’t stand too tall. Move a little farther away from the ball and lower your hands. Again, those adjustments will help you make the brushing motion you want through impact.

▶ When you putt, your hands must lead the clubhead at all times.

SWING BACK drill

▶ The great thing about this stroke is the backswing is not contrived in any way. Just focus on keeping the clubhead moving smoothly. The best putting strokes have good rhythm, so establish it early.

BRUSH THE GRASS

▶ Through impact, your aim is to brush the top of the grass as you strike the ball. Practice without a ball at first. Once you can produce that distinctive sound every time, hit some putts.

FINISH HIGH

▶ This is very much a down-and-through type of stroke, the clubhead accelerating through impact, then rising slightly into the follow-through. It should feel as if it’s almost brushing the ball up and toward the cup.

“You want to drive the ball forward, not scoop it up.”

chipping thought ‘SKID AND RUN’ FOR CONSISTENT RESULTS

Idevised this little chip to combat the combination of relatively slow fringes and ultrafast greens at Augusta. But it works well on greens of any speed—just better on faster surfaces. The idea was to produce greater consistency of bounce and roll. I was having trouble putting from just off the greens at the Masters because of the enormous change in speed from fringe to green. Too o en I’d run the ball yards past the hole. I needed something I could see in my mind’s eye, then produce regularly.

1. Using a sand wedge, I start by leaning toward the target, into my le foot. That shi s my weight and hands well ahead of the ball and takes some lo off the club. The ball should be opposite the big toe on your right foot.

2. My backswing is short and fi rm. You don’t want a lot of wrist break.

3. At impact, you want to be as close to your address position as possible. It’s a great swing thought to have when you hit these chips. See how my le arm and the sha form a straight line? That’s perfect. You want to drive the ball forward, not scoop it up, so the le wrist cannot break. Remember, the clubface is what gets the ball up, not your wrists.

4. Even into the follow-through, keep your hands ahead of the clubface as long as you can. The result is a relatively low shot (right) that lands, skids, checks slightly, then rolls—not bounces—toward the cup. The great thing is, it does that every time. You’ll fi nd that your judgment of distance—and your up-and-down percentage—will improve greatly.

swing thought MOVE OVER, POINT FORWARD

When I’m playing my best golf, my swing is reduced—in my mind, at least—to turning back and turning through. There is no sliding or swaying. Although there is a little lateral movement involved, all my focus is on making my swing as much of a rotary move as possible.

The key is your right hip. I like to think of it pointing straight ahead at address, then staying that way to the top. In other words, there’s a little lateral shi

to the right as I turn around my right side, but no change in the angle of my right leg.

Another way of keying on this is to think of your knees. Stability in your knees is automatically transferred to your hips. If you can maintain as much as possible the gap between your knees established at address, then there is no way that your right hip can get too far out of whack. It just won’t be able to turn too much.

drill

RIGHT HIP FOLLOWS SHAFT ▶ This drill will give you a feel for how your right hip should hold its position.

1. Stand with your arms across your chest and a club running over your upper arms.

2. Now turn as if making a backswing. The sha —and therefore your right hip—should be pointing as close to straight ahead as possible.

▶ Here I’ve made a reverse pivot (below), my weight moving le rather than right, and the club is pointing to the le . I’m in a really poor position to start a downswing that’s in sync.

swing thought FINISH STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN

You might think that once you’ve hit the ball, the rest of your swing doesn’t matter, but it certainly does. Finishing in balance is important. It shows that you have made a good swing and that your fundamentals are sound. Finishing off balance is a sign you missed the shot.

The most common of these poor fi nishes is the “reverse C”. This happens when the legs out-race the body on the way down, leaving the hands to square the clubface through impact. That puts unnecessary stress on your back, and it’s no way to be consistent.

Instead, try to fi nish straight up and down. A line from your le foot to your right shoulder should be basically straight (below). Focus on shi ing and rotating your weight from your right side at the top of the backswing all the way to your le heel at the end of your followthrough. You’ll fi nish in balance, and it’s easier on the back, too.