Interview with Ernie Els
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Jeff Rude from Golfweek gives a candid video interview to Ernie Els. Interesting to hear Els' commentary about his '94 US Open win and the significance that Nelson Mandela and Arnold Palmer had for him that year.
Ben Hogan's Secret....
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Ben Hogan
Many people have claimed that they know Hogan's secret, but I have never heard one that I have bought in to. Something viable that would separate Mr. Hogan from the crowd; something unique only to him. Thanks to my friend Bobby MacWhinnie for pointing this fantastic quote out to me from the book "Ben Hogan - An American Life" by James Dodson:
His real secret, as it were - lay not in the technical jargon as (he) would have you believe, but rather in the rarest combination of an extraordinarily disciplined brain and an undeniable will power fueled by a fierce survivor instinct to prevail against any odds.
Work those characteristics into your game and you may have a secret of your own!
Read more on Ben Hogan's Secret HERE
Golf in Orlando, Florida
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Look, we both know it's been a long cold winter and that you are ready to feel the sun on your skin and get out and play some enjoyable golf. Why not head south and experience some great golf in Orlando.
Early spring is a fantastic time of year in O-town - no major summer crowds yet, the NBA's Orlando Magic are playing and the heat (80's just about every day) and humidity are perfect.
Orlando has two of the finest golf resorts in the entire USA; namely Grand Cypress and Champion's Gate. Both resorts have multiple courses and are located on the Disney(west) side of the city.
Grand Cypress has three separate Jack Nicklaus nines along with the highly recommended Nicklaus designed New Course - which is based after the Old Course at St. Andrews. It even has a "burn" running through the course.
Champion's Gate sports two Greg Norman designed courses - one a links themed International course and the other a more traditional National course. While the linksy International can be great fun on a calm day, beware when the winds pick up as it can certainly be quite formidable.
Whether it be with the family or a golf specific trip, there are few locations that can match the fun you will have in Orlando. Give it a try!
Bounce - Book Review
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While not a book written specifically for or about golf, I found the information and evidence in this book invaluable as a coach. It certainly is a book that all golf coaches and aspiring golfers should read. With the book, author Matthew Syed challenges the idea that sports stars are "born with it" and provides evidence that they all achieved there success through hard work and dedication. From Mozart to Federer to Woods; the evidence suggests that their success has been attained the hard way - they earned it.
The book blows up the idea that talent gets people to the top. Instead it shows that through a combination of opportunities (in the right place at the right time), hard work and dedication anybody can achieve their dreams. I liked the idea of the “ten thousand hour rule” — the minimum time necessary for expertise in any complex task or sport. Syed also gave a great analogy about the "tip of the iceberg" - whereby people who see a great young athlete and attribute their success to purely God-given talent (the tip of the iceberg) versus looking at the body of work and dedication (the iceberg below the water) that has gone into supporting their performance.
A few quotes from the book:
There is an innate capacity for our bodies to bring into being, to the best of their ability, the optimistic scenarios in which we fervently believe.
Anne Harrington, Harvard University
...in order to become the greatest player of all time you have to embrace failure.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Samuel Beckett, Worstword Ho
...the path to excellence is inordinately lenghty, requiring a minimum of ten thousand hours of lung busting effort to get to the summit.
The talent myth robs individuals of the incentive to transform themselves through effort....
...purposeful practice can enable countless individuals to realize untapped potential.
A highly recommended read. So good in fact that I am paying my sons to read portions of it. Now get to work!
Chicken Wing at Impact?
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Lee Westwood is an exceptional ball striker and a contender in almost every major championship.
The interesting part about Lee's swing, which I regard as somewhat unique, is his impact position. Is that a chicken wing? Surely that cannot be good? Remember that the only factor that matters is the physics (forces and angles) that the golf club imparts on the ball.
Retief Goosen is the another premier golfer who gets into this impact position, although to a much lesser degree. In looking at the top picture notice that the handle of the club is positioned in line with the lead thigh. This is the key element. With the driver, the shaft should be vertical or leaning slightly forward, as in the Westwood image, but with irons there should be a few degrees of shaft lean. As a result the hands should once again be aligned with the lead thigh.
The moral of the story - get the club in a great position, relative to the ball, at impact and good things will happen - chicken wing and all.
Should your chicken wing not be quite as functional as the two players above here is a little help:
Weight Transfer and Positioning
/Having the use of the Swing Catalyst system has almost been like being able to look behind the curtain to see what truly happens to a golfers' weight when they swing the club. Guesswork and perception are taken out of the equation and the information you read in the following post is based purely on fact.
Weight shift is a poor term. Similar to the term "takeaway" it does not convey the appropriate sensation. My research has shown that the term "weight transfer" would be far better. And here's why: When I think of shifting my weight I make a conscious move to get my body over to my back foot for example. Not good! The weight transfers in the swing purely due to the motion in the arms hands and club as they travel away from the target. Think of it this way - if I swing my arms, which each weigh 15 lbs, and a club in my backswing you can be sure that I am transferring weight onto my back foot. There is however no conscious shifting or body move that gets the weight over there. This is exactly why the 84 degree rule (as illustrated below) holds true.
There should be no lateral body move in the backswing, yet many players often wrote or spoke about a sense of weight transfer. The body stays centered while the weight is transferred by the motion in the arms and the club. Video HERE
I found that very good golfers (college and touring professionals) had a maximum percentage of 80% of their weight on their back foot slightly beyond halfway back. This was achieved with almost no lateral movement in the upper body.
Click to Enlarge
In the screen shot above notice how the center of gravity indicator between my feet (top right) is almost as far to the right as it goes. This should be the furthest point to the right the weight moves and from here it starts moving back to the front foot.
I did find that a reverse weight shift (reverse pivot) was almost impossible for me to achieve. With the arms and club swinging to the right it made it very difficult to get the weight to favor the front foot in the backswing.
In the screen shot below I have positioned my weight 70/30 on the front foot (with the 84 line as a reference) at the top of my swing as advocated by some teachers. While the numbers may be difficult to achieve I did find that for many people the idea of keeping their body left and sensing the weight being 70/30 in favor of the front foot proved to be very helpful. This helped me to seperate the difference between what a student felt and what was real. Many times it was better for a student to work towards a feeling than the actual reality.
Click to Enlarge
At the start of the downswing, when the left arm (for right handers) gets parallel to the ground the majority of top tour professionals displayed a weight distribution of 50/50. Sam Snead illustrated this beautifully!
I did notice that with single figure handicap golfers there seemed to be a tendency to get their weight too far forward (75/25) at this point. This led to a situation where, when they got to the delivery point (shaft parallel to the ground), they very often had more than 90% of their weight on their front foot and had to back up through impact. This seemed to be a contributing factor to hooks and blocks - the better golfers most common malady!
All the best ball strikers studied displayed a tendency to transfer the weight to the front foot in a smooth and continuous flow with no backing up or slowing of the transfer. The more straight and direct the CoG trace moved the better. This meant that they arrived at impact with an 80/20 split favoring the front foot and the weight continued to move smoothly over to the front side beyond impact.
Click to Enlarge
Notice the continuous and smooth CoG trace into the front foot here by Billy Hurley. His weight was more than likely 85% on the front foot at impact.
The tendency with higher handicap golfers (above 18) was for the weight to get too far back and then remain there all the way through impact. It was not unusual to see one of these golfers have a split of 70/30 favoring the back foot at impact.
In summary:
- The weight should start at 50/50
- Somewhere between halfway back and the top of the backswing the player should max out weight on the back foot at 80/20
- At halfway down (arm parallel to the ground) the weight should once again be 50/50
- The weight should make a continuous tranfer to the front foot in the downswing with an 80/20 split occuring at impact.
A few more screen shots:
Geoff Ogilvy passing through impact (shaft bend is due to camera lens)
Click to Enlarge
Peter Uihlein at impact
Click to Enlarge
Please keep two things in mind as you process the above information: due to the relative newness of this technology there is not a huge sample group of golfers to study and that all percentages are a mean or "ballpark" number.
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The Weight Shift
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The photo of Sam Snead above perfectly illustrates where the weight should be positioned at these three key points in the golf swing:
- Just prior to the top of the backswing the weight is almost always in the vicinity of 80/20 favoring the back side.
- At the half way down point top players always seem to position their weight equally here (50/50).
- At impact the weight is always in the vicinity of 20/80 favoring the front side.
The amazing technology from Swing Catalyst has been instrumental in educating me further on this important information. If you'd like to learn more about your weight shift please give me a call to book your session at some point within the next two weeks.
I will be posting at great detail on this topic later in the week so stand by. The evidence is clear!
2011 Orlando PGA Golf Show
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I have recently returned from the 2011 Orlando PGA Golf Show and I wanted to share a few of my impressions with you. Firstly, if you are an avid golfer, you simply must make a plan to attend this show - it is literally the Disney World of golf! Talk to your golf professional, a friend in the biz, beg, steal, but find a way to get there. Plan on two full days (preferably Thursday and Friday) to soak it all up.
This year there seemed to be a positive vibe at the Show. All the major club companies were represented with Taylormade commanding a huge portion of the floor. My four high points of the Show were:
Once again I have nominated this product as one of my highlights. It might be costly, but this machine dispenses invaluable information for any golf coach. It shows where a golfers weight is positioned throughout the swing, how much rotational force is being generated, all while synchronizing with video and either Trackman or Flightscope. Talk about an all in one package! This is the G5 of golf instruction technology.
The new and improved Flightscope X2 portable launch monitors do not offer anything groundbreaking relative to what Trackman has always offered, but where they crush the competition is price point - $11,000 vs $30,000+! The accuracy of the Flightscope has always been brought into question, however after meeting with them and seeing the new X2 in action I am sold. Not new technology, but definitely a new price point at which to consider the technology.
Nuun tablets are optimal hydration and I believe the future of hydration in sports. The taste is light and refreshing and I really like the "green" aspect of this product - you carry your own Nuun waterbottle, fill it with water and add a tablet without loading up the landfills with plastic bottles from everything you drink on the golf course. The speed of absorbtion, electrolyte content and lack of carbohydrates (sugar!) is what sets this product apart. It tastes really good too.
In an almost unnoticed about face by Momentus (which has always promoted heavy clubs) they are now promoting the Speed Woosh to increase your clubhead speed. Well what about all those heavy clubs I bought that are lying in my garage? Sorry, no good - at least if you want more speed! This device is great fun to swing and as an added bonus it works. It gets the fast twitch muscle fibers to fire and that can only help you add distance to your tee balls. I like it!
In additon to these four highlights I saw a little bit of everything - from six different types of golf tee designs to a device to keep your head still in the swing (it actually worked!) There were also the usual cast of golf celebs from Greg Norman to Hank Haney (hi Hank!) to Natalie and Paula. I also attended a few excellent seminars by AMF and noted golf instructor Jeff Ritter. Jeff gave an inspirational talk on marketing golf instruction in the modern society.
After leaving the show I felt excited and enthusiastic about the future of our game. We seem to be turning the corner and I am really looking forward to 2011.
Thanks for reading and feel free to post your questions and comments.
Berkeley Hall Practice Facility
/If you have never had the opportunity to visit Berkeley Hall in the South Carolina Lowcountry take a look at this fantastic new footage of the practice facility.
Not a bad office! Give me a call (843-247-4688) to set up a lesson and give it a try.
Augusta National 2011
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Today I had the privilege of playing every golfer's dream course - Augusta National. While I did not play as well as I would have liked as you can tell from the pictures it was a beautiful day and who can complain when you're on God's gift to golf!
The course seems to be weathering the cold winter well and there are a few new, yet subtle changes. In addition to the new practice grounds from last year, the 11th and 17th greens have been resurfaced.
Take a look at the ALBUM I created and enjoy. As you well know it is a special place!
Here are pictures of Augusta under a blanket of snow in 2010 and here are my pictures from earlier in 2010.
Rickie vs. Rory
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Rory McIlroy (Getty)
As you may have heard by now the PGA Tour players have voted Rickie Fowler the Rookie of the Year for 2010. I was shocked to see that Rory McIlroy had not received the award, but after a little extra digging I can see how a strong case can be made for Rickie! I would have a hard time placing a bet against either of these two fine young players but who had the better year?
Rickie Fowler (Getty)
Rickie Fowler had no wins on the PGA Tour this year, but he did have 7 top 10's. Rory McIlroy had one win (Quail Hollow) on the PGA Tour and 5 top 10's - two of which were third place finishes in major championships.
Fowler finished 32nd on the money listwhile McIlroy was 36th; they both played on their respective Ryder Cup teams - McIlroy on the winning side; Rickie had a 70.35 stroke average, while Rory's was 70.94; Rickie played 28 events while Rory only played 16.
In fact in their eleven head to head meetings (in official PGA Tour events) Rory bested Rickie on seven occasions!
A close call....?
On the surface I can commiserate with Lee Westwood in his rant on Twitter against the selection:
Sorry 140 letters is not going to be enough for this rant! Just seen Rickie Fowler has been given rookie of the year! Yes he's had a good year but Rory McIlroy third in two majors and an absolute demolition of the field at Quail Hollow! Oh yes and on the winning Ryder cup team! Please! Is this yet another case of protectionism by the PGA Tour or are they so desperate to win something! Wouldn't have something to do with Rory not joining the tour next year?"
However if you look at the body of work Rickie Fowler put forth he has a strong case. You must also consider the fact that Rickie came straight to the tour from Oklahoma Statewhereas Rory turned professional in 2007 and came to the US tour after two years on the European Tour.
All that being said - isn't this a great argument to be have? Here are two of the finest young gunsthe PGA Tour has seen in a long while and we cannot decide who had the better year - fantastic! As someone once said to me, "These are high grade problems!"
The 2011 season is shaping up to be a beauty (even without Rory being an official member of the PGA Tour). Dustin, G-Mac, even Tiger! It's gonna be good....
Your thoughts?
How to Play Fairway Bunker Shots
/Fairway bunker shots are different than those played in close proximity to the green. They are actually played in the same fashion as the rest of the shots in the game: ball first, ground second.
Play fairway bunker shots in the same manner in which you would play a shot from the fairway with a few subtle adjustments. Two checkpoints to determine: First, do you have a lie that allows for the clubface to get cleanly onto the back of the ball? Second, do you have enough loft on the clubface to get up and over the lip in front of you? If the answer to each of these questions is yes, go ahead and swing away as you normally would. If not, the shot must be played in the same fashion that you would play the above mentioned greenside bunker shot: with a lofted club and impacting the sand before the ball. Do not be greedy when you have either a poor lie or a high lip in a fairway bunker. Take your punishment and move on.
Technique:
Once you have met the above criteria, key on these few simple points to play successful fairway bunker shots:
- Favor a ball position that is centered and grip down slightly, regardless of what club you have selected. It is far better to strike the ball first than sand first.
- Shuffle your feet in lightly. Keep in mind that for every inch you descend into the sand the ball elevates, thus increasing the potential to hit a ‘fat’ shot.
- Keep your lower body very quiet and work towards maintaining your elevation throughout the swing – any change in altitude could lead to a mishit - stay level.
- When it comes to club selection make sure you allow for ample clearance over the lip in front of you (get it out) and plan on your shot travelling a half club shorter (due to gripping down) than what it normally does.
Hopefully this information will help you overcome a case of the fairway bunker blues!
View the video lesson here:
Additonal information for better fairway bunker shots:
Crisp Holiday Bargains for Every Golfer
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Here are a few offers that are sure to please either yourself or the avid linkster on your Christmas list.
I received my copy of "It's all about Impact" yesterday. What a great book! You have verified what I have thought for years but was unable to put into words. This book is well worth the money because not only do you explain the 84 degree "secret", You also get into basic shot skills needed by most amateurs, myself included.
Thanks for a well put together book that is easy to read & understand, has great photos and again, is a super value.
Best regards,
JH
- The eBook and hardcover version will both be 20% off from today through Christmas
- All hardcover books will be autographed by yours truly - bonus!
- Purchase either version and receive a certificate for a one hour golf lesson from Andrew for $80 (valid for 3 months from date of purchase)
- There is also free shipping for anybody residing in the state of South Carolina
- If you would like to place a bulk (5+) order please contact me at (843)247-4688 or andrew (at) andrewricegolf.com for special pricing
Purchase your copy HERE
This is what BH had to say after reading the book and working with the drills:
What an unbelievable difference! Balls are jumping off the club and my confidence has soared. Thanks for studying these world class golfers and sharing their success with your readers.
While I did not play particularly well this weekend, I am very excited about my ball striking.
I have picked up at least 20 yards on my drive and a good club with my irons. I hit 15 quality iron shots, and drove it very straight most of the time.
Thank you, I now feel like I can play golf again!
JL
Golf Lessons
From today through Christmas I will be offering the following packages on lessons at Berkeley Hall:
- Purchase six thirty minute lessons for $300 - thats $50 each and the regular price is $75!
- Purchase six one hour lessons for $600 - thats $100 each and the regular price is $150!
- All lessons packages include high speed video analysis and a V1 video lesson emailed to your inbox
- These lesson packages are perfect for the crazed golfer in your family and are all available as Gift Certificates (valid for one year from original date of purchase)
- If you would like to purchase or discuss a package please contact me at (843)247-4688 or andrew (at) andrewricegolf.com
Group Lessons
During the spring season I will be offering a limited number of group sessions at Berkeley Hall:
- Group sessions are limited to three golfers (minimum of two required) and will run from 3PM to 5PM on Wednesdays
- The sessions include high speed video analysis and a V1 video lesson emailed to your inbox along with 30 minutes spent on the shortgame
- I will be offering a total of six sessions on the following dates: Feb. 2 and 16, March 9 and 23 and April 6 and 20
- The cost is $120 per session and the session package (all six) is available for $600 - a savings of $120! Also available as a Gift Certificate
- Should you wish to purchase a package or sign up for any lessons please contact me at (843)247-4688 or at andrew (at) andrewricegolf.com
Thank you all so much for your support this year - I could not do what I do without you. Merry Christmas!
Sean Foley Q&A
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Read the transcript from this insightful interview between Brian Wacker of PGATour.com and Tiger Woods' new swing coach, Sean Foley - HERE
Top Ten Shots of 2010
/The PGATour season came to an end after the Children’s Miracle Network Classic this weekend and PGATour.com has compiled a video of the 10 best shots of 2010. What were your favorites?
I must say I am surprised that Phil's shot on 13 at Augusta wasn't there, but the shots they have selected are more than adequate. Enjoy!
2010 PGATour Season Notes
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Well - that's a wrap! The season finished with a whimper in Orlando today and I turned my thoughts to the year that was 2010. Tiger, Dustin, Rickie and players from Britain seemed to dominate the headlines this year and here are a few of my selections from the year with a handful of stats and predictions that should be of interest to you.
Player of the Year: Dustin Johnson
Player of the Future: Rory McIlroy
Money Leader: Matt Kuchar $4.9 big ones
Best Day (in golf) of the Year: Phil's win at Augusta (closely followed by Ryder Cup Monday!)
Most Dominant Performance (in an event that matters): Louis Oosthuizen
Feel Good Win of the Year: Robert Garrigus at Disney after giving up 3 shots on the 72nd hole at Memphis.
Sneakiest Player/s of the Year: Retief Goosen (3rd in stroke average and 2nd in top 10's) and Bo van Pelt (13th Money)
Biggest Faders (player/s who started strong and vanished by mid year): Geoff Ogilvy, Phil Mickelson and Camillo Villegas.
Best Finishers (player/s who finished the year on a good note): Matt Kuchar
Biggest Flops of the Year: Tiger, Sergio, Padraig, Baddeley, Mike Weir and Boo
Biggest Surprise of the Year: Matt Kuchar, David Duval (106 Money) and Jeff Overton (12 Money)
Best Hitter of the Year: Joe Durant by a mile (1st in GIR and 2nd in FIR) Interestingly enough Joe also produced the most spin off the driver on tour...
Best Golf Course of the Year: St. Andrews (The wind was a nice cherry on the top!)
Longest Yardage for Putts Made in any Round: 190' Fredrik Jacobson (Think about that...!)
Best Putter: Brandt Snedeker (None of the top five putters were in the top 130 in GIR rank)
Consecutive Sand Saves: Luke Donald 18
Holes Without a Three Putt: Padraig Harrington 227 and counting...
Consecutive Fairways Hit: Nick O'Hern 34
In a ten week span from April 29 - July 4 only two US golfers won on the Tour!
Player I would most like to be: Rickie Fowler
Player I would least like to be: Tiger Woods
Major Winners in 2011: Retief Goosen (Augusta), Lee Westwood (Congressional), Rory McIlroy (Royal St. Georges) and Dustin Johnson(Atlanta)
Brightest Stars of the Future: Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Matteo Manassero
Players to Watch in 2011: Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Ricky Barnes
Here are the Top 10 Shots of the Year according to PGATour.com
Thanks so much for your readership and support - I recently had my 100,000th hit here! Oh, and feel free to call me out on any of my selections or predictions for 2011....
Shaft Angle at Impact II
/Read the original post HERE After more research and some great input from several excellent instructors I have quite a bit to add to the previous post. There are even a few additional golfers I have found to add to the "zero" club (no change in handle position from address to impact) - there has been so much fantastic input that I just had to share it.
Jonathan Yarwood makes a great point in identifying the difference between irons and the driver:
I think that there has to be a raise of the shaft with a driver due to the nature of the sweeping hit off a tee. However, if you look at players like Pricey, the driver became their nemesis, as they got the plane too low to get it flying with the new equipment. Sergio struggles to flight the driver too. Trevino too at times. With a driver, some ’swing and freewheeling’ is required through the hit allowing the club to raise somewhat.
Mark Costaregni, my fellow teacher at Atlantic Golf Club in NY, and senior teacher with Jim McLean at Doral says:
I think you are spot on with this, we have studied shaft plane at address vs. impact and only a few return the handle on plane!!! Fulton Allem also returns it on plane. I remember some footage of Sergio actually UNDER with the handle!!! I believe this is a benchmark for pure greatness in striking. Also it seems the real power hitters tend to get the handle up at impact because of the leverage factor.
Thanks for the addition of Fulton Allem to the list Mark. Fulty has always been a fantastic ball striker and was a prolific winner in South Africa. At Doral they have a fantastic resource in that the best players in the world come to them every year and that leads to a superb bank of swings to analyze and evaluate. I would have to agree with you when you say "pure greatness in striking".
There were multiple questions regarding shaft droop or bowing and even some skepticism about whether any golfer could achieve the "zero" impact position - however the pictures don't lie. Here is what I have noticed:
- The average shaft angle with a 7 iron at address is around 54 degrees; the average lie angle of a 7 iron is 63 degrees. That allows for 9 degrees of droop/bow in the shaft at impact even with the handle returning to the exact same position at impact - as a result golfers DO NOT need to lift/raise the handle in order to account for the curvature of the shaft.
- I have found that the golfers who get the handle in the "zero" position (zero degrees of change from address to impact) through the hit tend to have what appears to be less droop/bow in their shaft. This is due to the fact that their hands/arms swing into the ball on a lower (more shallow) plane that more closely matches the plane the clubhead travels on. The lower the arm plane coming into impact, the less difference there is between the arm and clubhead plane and thus less droop/bow in the shaft.
- Thus, the higher the hands are positioned through impact the more the shaft tends to curve downward.
- That being said, if you can return the handle to its address position, you should not need to flatten your irons (unless they are too upright already!) due to the fact that the shaft will droop less.
The next time you are playing a "well worn" golf course take a look at the divot patterns on the range or a shortish par three. Keeping in mind that most golfers are right handers, you'll see most of the divots are in the shape of a trapezoid. This is due to high hands and excessive droop in the shaft getting the toe further into the ground than the heel.
Here is an excellent drill to illustrate how any golfer can work towards achieving this ultimate impact position. If there ever was a drill that would make you hit it like Hogan, this is it.
Reed Howard, an fine young golfer illustrates how to perfectly execute this drill. Does this look like Ben Hogan or what?
A point to note: the line drawn on the photos of Moe Norman is not the original shaft plane line. The shaft plane line is drawn along the shaft at address. I am not sure what the yellow line in the photos represents, but it does act as a good reference point.
The select list of golfers who belong to the zero club are:
- Moe Norman
- Ben Hogan
- Nick Price
- Lee Trevino
- Vijay Singh
- Joe Durant
- Carl Pettersson
- Sergio Garcia
The golfers who are very close (within two degrees), but not quite there:
- Trevor Immelman
- Lucas Glover
- DJ Trahan
- Boo Weekley
- Paula Creamer
- Sean O'Hair
All very good ball strikers in their own right!
I have only ever personally witnessed two golfers "naturally" return the handle to its original position. They are - Lindsay Renolds and Michael Koulianos. Both superb ball strikers!
Try the drill - strive for zero - and know that if you get close to it you can only get better!
I really believe that if any golfer can work towards getting into a better position (zero!) at impact they can only improve their ball striking and increase the enjoyment they get from the game.
Keep working!
Shaft Angle at Impact
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All I can say after doing the research for this post is WOW! This is something that is really interesting and I've never really delved into it before. In looking at the illustrations above and the photos below you will see what I am referring to - it is very rare for any golfer to return the shaft/club at impact to the same position it occupied at address (when viewed from down the line).
In fact so rare, that I have only found four golfers who do it more often than not. The amazing thing is that this group of golfers is a collection of some of the finest ball strikers that ever played the game. They are Lee Trevino, who Jack Nicklaus claims is the best hitter he ever saw, Ben Hogan, Nick Price and Sergio Garcia.
I have included the picture of Tiger Woods from 2000 below to illustrate where most PGA Tour caliber players return the shaft to at impact. Notice how his handle is above where it started (on the red line) at address.
Out of the four golfers I have found to get the shaft completely back to the line it appears that Sergio might be the least consistent at always returning the shaft back to the line, but as noted above, he does so more often than not.
Another interesting point to note is the golfers who are very close to returning the club to the line: Vijay Singh and Joe Durant (who has led the Tour in GIR stats 4 times and finished in the top 12 for the last dozen years!). In fact looking at the stats Joe Durant is a much better hitter than Tiger Woods - and consistently so!
Two additional golfers who may get the club onto the line but I was not able to find enough quality footage on were Sam Snead and Moe Norman (I found these images on Moe HERE and it looks pretty close). Certainly no slouches in the ball striking department either!
So, the next time you are reviewing your swing, pay particular attention to your impact position, but more specifically where your shaft is at impact relative to where you had it at address. There's a good chance you'll be above the line (and zero chance you'll be below it!) but do what you can to lower the shaft angle at impact in order to dramatically improve your ball striking and accuracy. Plase check back soon as I will be filming a few drills soon to help you get closer to a truly great impact.
Read Part II of this article HERE
Any thoughts? Any other golfers who you think might get the club to the line? Evidence? Please chime in.
To learn more about better ball striking check out THIS
Sean Foley Golfer Stats
/Here are some interesting stats gathered from PGATour.com regarding Sean Foley's top students. The moral of the story appears to be - it's not easy to make great golfers better! It'll be interesting to see how Tiger's statistics change over the next few years.
(Please note, this information has been compiled by a golf professional other than myself)
| PARKER MCLACHLIN | |||||||||||||||
| In 2008 McLachlin won on tour and did not work with Foley, 2009-2010 with Foley | |||||||||||||||
| 2008 Tour Rank | 2009 Tour Rank | 2010 Tour Rank | |||||||||||||
| Driving Distance | 286yds | 105th | 279yds | 157th | 269yds | 191st | |||||||||
| Driving Accuracy | 58% | 157th | 54% | 173rd | 54% | 180th | |||||||||
| Greens in Regulation | 62.50% | 159th | 58% | 182nd | 53% | 194th | |||||||||
| Total Driving | 176th | 176th | 184th | 184th | 193rd | 193rd | |||||||||
| Ball Striking | 178th | 178th | 183rd | 183rd | 193rd | 193rd | |||||||||
| Proximity to Hole | 36ft | 154th | 39ft | 182nd | 41ft | 194th | |||||||||
| HUNTER MAHAN | |||||||||||||||
| Mahan did not work with Foley in 2008 during the PGA Tour season; started in the 2009 season | |||||||||||||||
| 2008 Tour Rank | 2009 Tour Rank | 2010 Tour Rank | |||||||||||||
| Driving Distance | 290yds | 75th | 297yds | 28th | 291yds | 56th | |||||||||
| Driving Accuracy | 66% | 62nd | 65% | 74th | 68% | 34th | |||||||||
| Greens in Regulation | 69% | 7th | 68% | 19th | 68% | 33rd | |||||||||
| Total Driving | 23rd | 23rd | 7th | 7th | 2nd | 2nd | |||||||||
| Ball Striking | 8th | 8th | 4th | 4th | 11th | 11th | |||||||||
| Proximity to Hole | 34ft | 48th | 34ft | 55th | 36ft | 142nd | |||||||||
| SEAN O'HAIR | |||||||||||||||
| Sean began working with Foley at the Canadian Open in 2008. | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 Tour Rank | 2008 Tour Rank | 2009 Tour Rank | 2010 Tour Rank | ||||||||||||
| Driving Distance | 296yds | 34th | 291yds | 69th | 293yds | 46th | 288yds | 84th | |||||||
| Driving Accuracy | 64% | 79th | 60% | 138th | 61% | 123rd | 64% | 74th | |||||||
| Greens in Regulation | 67% | 23rd | 64.40% | 113th | 67% | 27th | 67% | 59th | |||||||
| Total Driving | 8th | 8th | 112th | 112th | 66th | 66th | 51st | 51st | |||||||
| Ball Striking | 9th | 9th | 111th | 111th | 42nd | 42nd | 48th | 48th | |||||||
| Proximity to Hole | 35ft | 68th | 34ft | 48th | 34ft | 55th | 35ft | 109th | |||||||
| JUSTIN ROSE | |||||||||||||||
| Justin began working with Foley mid 2009 | |||||||||||||||
| He currently ranks 6th in total putting 2010; 2009 ranked 143rd and 2008 ranked 186th. He works with Dave Stockton on putting, | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 Tour Rank | 2008 Tour Rank | 2009 Tour Rank | 2010 Tour Rank | ||||||||||||
| Driving Distance | 288yds | 96th | 286yds | 103rd | 288yds | 90th | 286yds | 104th | |||||||
| Driving Accuracy | 63.90% | 95th | 64% | 90th | 64.8 | 79th | 66% | 57th | |||||||
| Greens in Regulation | 65.70% | 58th | 61% | 170th | 66% | 83rd | 66% | 88th | |||||||
| Total Driving | 89th | 89th | 197th | 197th | 66th | 66th | 58th | 58th | |||||||
| Ball Striking | 63rd | 63rd | 197th | 197th | 71st | 71st | 70th | 70th | |||||||
| Proximity to Hole | 34ft | 33rd | 34ft | 60th | 35ft | 92nd | 33ft | 26th | |||||||
| STEPHEN AMES | |||||||||||||||
| Began with Foley in November 2006 | |||||||||||||||
| 2003 Tour Rank | 2006 Tour Rank | 2007 Tour Rank | 2008 Tour Rank | ||||||||||||
| Driving Distance | 285yds | 99th | 289yds | 88th | 282yds | 154th | 283yds | 133rd | |||||||
| Driving Accuracy | 66% | 109th | 62% | 101st | 67% | 47th | 62.70% | 103rd | |||||||
| Greens in Regulation | 68% | 34th | 66% | 58th | 64% | 86th | 65% | 96th | |||||||
| Total Driving | 125th | 125th | 87th | 87th | 107th | 107th | 160th | 160th | |||||||
| Ball Striking | 82nd | 82nd | 68th | 68th | 94th | 94th | 134th | 134th | |||||||
| Proximity to Hole | 33ft | 21st | 34ft | 44th | 34ft | 49th | 32ft | 6th | |||||||
| 2009 Tour Rank | 2010 Tour Rank | ||||||||||||||
| 287yds | 94th | 282yds | 138th | ||||||||||||
| 65% | 73rd | 66% | 57th | ||||||||||||
| 67% | 30th | 67% | 66th | ||||||||||||
| 62nd | 62nd | 107th | 107th | ||||||||||||
| 40th | 40th | 84th | 84th | ||||||||||||
| 35ft | 77th | 35ft | 100th | ||||||||||||
To read more on Sean Foley and Tiger Woods click HERE
Ryder Cup Rain
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I have always wanted to play golf in Wales in October.....? To bad, because the golf world was so ready for this event. Looking forward to it getting going. (Pics compliments of @paulazinger)
This is how Paddy deals with a little pressure combined with a little precipitation - this guy must have nerves of steel to be napping now! (Pics compliments of @ianjamespoulter)
And there is golf being played in Wales today......
Euros looking good so far. No signs of any fear factor!
