The 18th Tee at TPC Sawgrass

The article below is an one I wrote two years ago expressing my concerns about the golf course at TPC Sawgrass and how worthy it is of hosting a “major championship“.  My sentiments have not changed….

When was the last time the top 10 players in a major were a combined 55 under par after one round?  When in a major have 57 players shot under par on any day?  The PGA Tour is trying to buy their way into a major championship by touting The Players as the “5th Major“.

Not many people are aware that the PGA Tour does not operate or run a single major championship. The Masters is run by Augusta National, The US Open by the USGA, the British Open by the Royal and Ancient and the PGA by the PGA of America.  With the Players Championship the PGA Tour is making a vain (in my opinion of course) attempt to get into the mix.  From the monstrous clubhouse, to the monstrous purse, to the monstrous public relations spin they put on the event – they are eagerly attempting to join a closed club.

My primary reason for voting out the Players is the golf course!  Sure the holes we see all look frightening, with tremendous risk and reward, but what about the rest of the course.  Ever notice how much the Tour focuses on the closing holes?  Please don’t get me wrong – you must be a ball striker to do well here, but this is simply Harbourtown where rough has replaced trees.  Distance does not make a great course , but give the best in the world ten opportunities from inside 140 yards and look out.  There are 10 short, legit birdie opportunities on the course (holes 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17).  Holes where every player in the field, from the longest to the shortest, should be thinking birdie or par at worst.

I have taken the rounds of two players, the longest and the shortest, namely Bubba and Fred Funk and broken them down for your perusal.  Let’s start with Fred Funk who played earlier this morning.  When it comes to driving distance Fred Funk is currently 62nd on the Champions Tour with an average drive of 265.9yds.  That would leave him at 183 out of 185 on the PGA Tour ahead of only Faxon and Pavin.  His driving distance was 260 today and he scored a +1 /73.  The following numbers indicate the yardage he had into each of the 10 selected holes in regulation:(They include all four par fives and a par three)

Fred Funk

1-156yds, 2-82yds, 4-115yds, 6-115yds, 9-87yds, 10-146yds, 11-101yds, 12-81yds, 16-4yds, 17-137yds for an average of 102.4 yards.

The shortest player in the field averaged just over 100 yds into 10 holes on a major championship course?

Now let’s check in with Bubba Watson who played nicely and shot -5 /67.  He is currently the longest hitter on the PGA Tour at 313.8 yards per poke.  Today he averaged 318 yards off the tee.  His yardages into each of the ten selected holes were:

Bubba Watson

1-90yds, 2-53yds, 4-91 yds, 6-104 yds, 9-76 yds, 10-139 yds, 11-29 yds, 12-92 yds, 16-3 yds, 17-137 yds for an average distance in of 81.4 yards.  I wonder how many drivers Bubba used on these holes?

The facts indicate that every player in the field is faced with 10 holes on a supposed “major championship” course where the longest shot they are required to hit is approximately 140 yards.  And this is with a rainy night before the tournament got under way.  What major course has a four hole stretch (9-12) where no approach shot of over 125 yards is required?

In 2008 the greens had just been reshaped and surfaced and as a result were rock hard.  The wind blew between 15 and 25mph each day starting at 10 am.  In other words conditions were as tough and challenging as they could get and yet, the playoff number was -5.  Can you imagine conditions being brutal at Winged Foot or Carnoustie and -5 playing off…?

Grow all the rough you want, make the greens rock hard and roll at 13 on the stimp, but my belief is this – if they have soft conditions and windless days the winning score will be lower than -15.  You heard it here first – this is no major, just an over-sized, over-hyped attempt by Tim Finchem to create a PGA Tour major.  Sorry Tim, I vote NO!

That being said it should be a fun-filled event with a fantastic field – enjoy!

Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan once said that he despised any ball flight that curved from right to left (a draw!). Having been a chronic hooker of the ball in the early part of his career he knew what it was like to lose shots to the left.  It wasn’t until he found a way to overcome the dreaded flip through impact that the legend that is now Ben Hogan was created.

If you too struggle with untimely hooks and occasional blocks, you fully comprehend what Mr. Hogan had to overcome.  Flippers have to rely on timing to make their shots go straight – the timing of the hand action through impact determines the outcome of each shot.  And when impact between ball and face lasts for approximately 1/2000 of a second it’s not that easy to be consistent – especially under pressure!  The better you play, the greater your anxiety level, the less you control the timing of the flip – not a good recipe for low scores when it counts.

Having studied the swings of Hogan and Snead I found that when viewed from down the line it appears that the clubhead and ball seem to disperse aggressively post-impact.  The clubhead moves quickly back inside the target line, while the ball launches straight.  It almost appears as if they are trying to hit slices, yet the ball flight is very straight.

Watch the following video to get a sense of what to feel while doing the Anti-Flip Drill:

To practice the drill you will need the following:

• Two alignment rods – one on the ground just outside the ball and another in the ground just inside the target line and 18-24 inches forward of the ball.  Be sure that the one in the ground is leaning away from you (towards the target).
• A 7 iron with the ball teed up so you can make sure it is in the same location relative to the rod in the ground each time.
• Start small and slow, making sure you swing inside the rod with the clubhead and keep the face square to open thus launching the ball to the right of the rod.
• Patience! Give it a few goes and you’ll start to get the feel.  Feel the clubhead and ball dispersing – one goes left and the other goes right. Remember that you have not been doing this “naturally” and that’s why it feels so strange and “incorrect”.

Here is the drill demonstrated in slow motion:

Here’s another good drill to help you overcome the flips:

How to Stop Flipping – Bucket Drill » John Graham Golf

We are all capable of hitting amazing golf shots, yet it is those mind-numbingly bad shots that ruin our day and erode any measure of confidence that we may have been hanging on to.  The question we all would like to know the answer to is – why? Why was that shot so far offline when I’ve been hitting the ball straight just about all day? What is the primary cause of my inaccuracy?

My experience is that most golfers tend to look in the same place to find answers to their problems.  Just like husbands tell their wives on every bad shot she might hit – “You lifted up!” Well, so to do we tend look towards the same area as a cause for our bad shots.  Talking with my students it appears that far too many golfers are of the belief that bad shots are caused by a swing that was suddenly over the top or under plane – in other words the clubpath was different and thats what led to the offline shot.  This is even a favorite for the golf commentators on Sunday afternoons – if a golfer hits a shot left coming down the stretch you are very likely to hear Nick or Johnny chime in with, “Well, he came over that one…”

Teaching with TrackMan has taught me that most golfers’ inaccurate shots are caused by one of two factors:

• An open or closed face at impact
• Or an off center strike (heel or toe)

Golfers tend to be fairly consistent with their clubpath.  Keep in mind that this is a general statement and not all golfers are consistent, but my experience has shown that golfers that work at their game tend to have a good measure of consistency when it comes to the direction their clubhead is travelling at impact – clubpath. It may not be an ideal path or what they are looking for, but consistent it is!

Consistency to your shot pattern comes from quiet/passive hands through impact and a predictable point of contact on the face (even if it’s not in the center!)

If you would like to find out what’s causing your shots to veer offline contact me at andrew(at)andrewricegolf.com to set up a TrackMan lesson or to discuss an online lesson.

As with anything in life you get what you pay for and if price is no object, then the ball for you is the Titleist ProV1 or ProV1x.   For every man, woman and child this is the best ball out there!  Just check the PGA Tour ball count each week.  A dozen will run you in the range of $48 – so no, they are not “giving them away”.  If your swing speed is under 105mph with the driver then you should more than likely be using the ProV1 – if above, then the ProV1x. The balls have a slightly different dimple pattern with the ProV1x encouraging a higher and later peak trajectory and the ProV1 pattern being for a more penetrating trajectory in the wind.

To learn more go to titleist.com

If price is a concern, then you could do a whole lot worse than the Bridgestone E6. A dozen of these beauties cost in the range of $27.  This is a Surlyn covered, three-piece ball with a dimple pattern that’s designed to generate high initial velocity and a shallow landing angle. The soft mantle works to reduce spin, particularly on driver shots, and thus is often described as the softest multilayer ball on the market.  This is an inexpensive multilayer distance ball that has good feel on and around the greens.

To learn more go to bridgestone.com

I have seen so many drivers that look like the one in this article that I had to write about it and share what your driver is attempting to tell you!

The first place to look for answers as to what might be going on is to check the face….

The face...

Notice here how the black paint is being worn off the bottom of the face and there are numerous impact marks on the upper portion of the face  from sand getting caught between the ball and the face.

Secondly, inspect where the crown of the club meets the face….

The top edge...

Here, the wear pattern indicates numerous pop-ups.  A few balls must have almost been missed to get them that far up onto the crown.  Keep in mind that the only way to hit a pop-up is to have a descending blow where the top edge descends below the equator of the ball.

Finally, take a look at the sole of the club….

The bottom line...

It is apparent here that the club is making contact with the ground on almost every shot.  The attack angle is very much down – to such a degree that both the paint and lettering are being buffed off the sole of this club.

The golfer who owns this club hit down on the ball with an attack angle of -9 degrees.  Keep in mind that optimally we would like to hit up on the ball for maximum efficiency.  I am pleased to report that he is working hard at his new attack angle and he is fairly comfortable in the -3 degree range – not perfect but better. Oh, and he just might extend this poor clubs lifespan at the same time.

Clearly I have selected an extreme example to show you here, but take a minute and inspect these three key areas on your driver.  I believe you will learn a fair deal about your angle of attack and why your golf ball is doing what it does.  Keep in mind that the only time a driver should ever contact the ground is when you are addressing the ball.  It should never contact the ground after the first foot or two of the swing. The only marks on it should be tee marks running along the sole and perhaps a ball mark or two in the center of the face!

Here are a few resources to help you hit more up on the ball:

Getting More Out of Your Driver

Bubba Watson and his Pink Driver

Two days after Watson won the Masters, Ping said it would sell 5,000 limited-edition G20 drivers with the pink shaft and head. The drivers sell for $430, and Ping said it would donate 5 percent to a fundraising campaign called, “Bubba Long in Pink. Driven by Ping.”

As part of the campaign, Ping donated $10,000, along with $300 for every drive Watson hits over 300 yards this year.

Watson, meanwhile, launched “Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million” in January with hopes of raising $1 million for charities this year.

The club is a pink Ping G20 (7.5°) with a tipped extra stiff Grafalloy Bi-Matrix shaft. The grip is a jumbo Ping with a reminder that is set 20 degrees open!

I handled a replica of Bubba’s driver at the PGA Show earlier this year I had never held a golf club that was this “big”!  Even if it was rightie I would never have been able to hit this behemoth of a club – particularly with the grip set so open.

The Most Important (and 3rd Best) Shot of the Week

View my article on the Proper Putting Set-Up here.

The King, the Bear and the Knight

Here are a few newsworthy items to help you get prepared for the week that lies ahead:

Here are the Pairings

I’m looking forward to tracking the following groups:

Immelman/Fowler/Rose – a few guy who might do something…

Kuchar/Ogilvy/Yang – a real “sleeper” group here

Toms/Choi/Garcia – one of these guys will be in the mix

Cabrera/McIlroy/B. Watson – the winner perhaps…

This is what Charl Schwartzel had the Augusta National serve at the Champion’s Dinner:

The menu...

A few real traditional South African menu items! Biltong is akin to American beef jerky and “Monkey Gland Sauce” is primarily tomatoes and onions and you’ll be pleased to know has nothing to do with primates or their glands.

A salvaged ticket...

Heard the story about the guy whose dog ate his Masters tickets? Well it’s true – read on…

The weather seems to be as much of the story this week as any particular topic. Each of the last two nights have seen strong thunderstorms move through the area and the par 3 Event has just been cancelled due to another storm moving into the area.

Based on that information the Sub-Air System installed under all the greens will be working overtime to create optimal air/water ratios in the turf. The vacuum system can actually remove excess moisture from the putting surface through the soil profile to quickly firm and speed up the greens.

How many can you count...?

As far as I can tell this might be the best way to get a golf course in major championship condition after an overnight storm – quickly! Most of the people in this picture are volunteer superintendents and are not employees of the club.

Enjoy the golf and be sure to follow me on Twitter or Facebook for late breaking news and notes from Augusta! Enjoy the golf….

Iconic Magnolia Drive

The cream of the crop always rises in golf’s major championships and nowhere is this more true than at Augusta National for the Masters.  Here are a few interesting notes to help get you prepared for the event:

If you, like me, are filling out a Masters pool keep the following in mind:

• Phil Mickelson has only finished outside the top 10 in twice in the last 13 years
• Graeme McDowell, outside his tie for 17th in 2009, has missed the cut in his other three Masters starts
• Martin Kaymer is 0-for-4 in getting to the weekend at the Masters (despite his Monday hole in one) and Louis Oosthuizen is 0-3 in cuts made
• Geoff Ogilvy has six Masters starts, has never missed a cut, and counts three top-16 finishes, including a T4 last year
• Ian Poulter’s T27 in 2011 was his worst showing in the last five years. He tied for 10th in 2010
• Justin Rose has never missed the cut in six starts at Augusta. He tied for fifth in 2007, was T11 a year ago, and rolls in with a good dose of confidence
• David Toms has bounced back with three top-24 finishes in his last four starts
• Lee Westwood has three top-11 finishes in his last four Masters starts, his best showing being a solo runner-up two years ago
• Remember what Rory McIlroy did through the first 63 holes last year…and how he recovered from that final nine at Congressional
• Tiger Woods has won one green jacket in the last 10 years. Yet, dating to his last Masters victory in 2005, he has not finished worse than T6.

If I could pick any three golfers I’d have to go with (in this order) Rory, Phil and Tiger (yes, I know I’m going way out on a limb here)! My sleepers would be Cabrera, Ogilvy and KJ…

The Slender 18th

I am surprised and disappointed that the Augusta powers have failed to extend an invitation to Ernie Els. Ernie is currently playing beautifully, having finished outside the top 20 only once in his last 5 events. He is 34th in the Fedex Cup and ranked 58th in the world. Not to mention that he has often (albeit, not often enough) contended for the green jacket.  Is Ryo Ishikawa really better than the Big Easy? Or does he just command a greater Japanese television audience?

That being said here is the FIELD and how they qualified.

The Stunning 16th

As always the premium at Augusta is on the shortgame. Here is Geoff Ogilvy talking about the two toughest chips that almost all golfers will face during the week:

One of the toughest chips you can face on the course is from right of the 11th green, a spot where it seems at least one player in every group is playing from during the tournament. Bailing out away from the water is very tempting but no bargain. It is almost impossible to land a chip short on that green with any confidence; you just don’t know what the ball is going to do after it pitches. Then when it does get on the green it invariably races away. It’s such a subtle test, but one that gives the course much of its character.

The same is true behind the 15th green. It is so difficult to judge how much forward momentum the ball will have after it bounces and how fast it needs to be moving once it gets onto the sloping putting surface. And again, it is a shot that tends to come up a lot over the course of the tournament. Go for that green in two every day and you are likely to finish over the back at least twice.

Having had the opportunity to play both of these chip shots I can second his thoughts. I would almost always go for the front portion of the green at 11 rather than bail out right – water or not. Very tough approach from the right side there.

Here are a few sites that do a fantastic job covering the event:

GolfDigest.com

GeoffShackelford.com

Golf.com

Golfweek.com

To see unique photographs from a few of my previous visits to Augusta National click HERE and HERE

Have a fantastic week and enjoy the golf!

I was informed earlier this week that I have been nominated as a TrackMan Master. There are only nine Masters in the world and only five in the US – needless to say I am very excited to be a part of this elite group.  Other Masters include Jim McLean, Brian Manzella and James Leitz.

Thank you so much to all of my supporters and students – without your interest and passion what I do would be pointless.

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