viernes, 20 de abril de 2012
Can you really buy the same clubs as used by Tour pros?
Posted by Tom Stites | 30 November 2010
As the creator of golf clubs for Nike, my answer is an emphatic yes. One of the confusing and persistent myths floating around our business is the difference in clubs used by contract touring professionals and the clubs that are offered to the public. I tell you this as fact and to set the environment for how we are doing things here at Nike Golf.
The whole Nike philosophy in every sport it touches is to FIRST get it right with the athlete. Then we use athlete insights to drive the design and performance. This is a formula that goes back to the very first track shoe Coach Bill Bowerman made for his athletes at the University of Oregon. And it is the same formula used by every product category within Nike. This fact is very easy to square up with how I, and we, have been working for 25 years, and how we have worked since Nike Golf started making golf clubs just eight years ago.
The professional player should drive the club design for the products they use on Tour, and the club team must develop and support that player with product that he or she can use. After that is complete, we can then offer it for sale. We simply work with these guys and gals until the product works, and then we offer it to the public. We do not have any reason to make one club for Tiger Woods and then offer something else to the public. It is just not done. Some speculate that we make special clubs for Tiger and our other athletes that no one else can buy. This is just not true. We do sometimes test early prototypes with our Tour athletes and sometimes they want to keep these same clubs for competitive play. Many times these prototypes become the clubs that we introduce to the public in the next product cycle. We may dress up the graphics but the clubs are fundamentally the same. That said, almost all of the clubs in their bags are from our current product line. The forgings played by Tiger are the same that we sell to the public. Tiger's clubs have always been, are, and will always be Nike forgings from Nike tools. In fact the profiles and physics of his clubs are the same thing that defines our flagship blade line. When some other Nike Tour athlete decides to use the same blades, we sometimes give their own preference for "grind". We sometimes make a slight change to the toe polish or the leading edge, but this work is always done on top of the main line production iron forging as defined by our work with Tiger.
The same thing goes for our metal golf woods. We test prototypes with all the pros all year long, then decide and put into production our next offerings. The players out on Tour use our exact production heads. On occasion, to match a specific shaft we might weight-adjust the head, but it is the same head that comes right out of our production tooling and facility. There is no real difference.
So...at Nike, we do whatever it takes to help our athletes win. In doing so, we are helping amateurs be better golfers, because we sell and offer to the public the clubs we develop for our athletes. I assure you now that over 90% of the clubs played by Nike athletes on Tour are the exact same products as offered to the public. The other 10% in our athletes' hands - but not available to the public - is what we are testing for next year's models and most, or all of these, will be offered for sale soon.
Until next time,
Tom
jueves, 19 de abril de 2012
viernes, 13 de abril de 2012
Lessons from Bubba Watson's Masters win
SwingFix.com Editor’s Note: Like most golfers last Sunday, we at SwingFix.com sat transfixed as we marveled over and over again each time Bubba Watson manufactured one artful, often miraculous, shot after another, culminating in that recovery shot from the woods on the final play-off hole. Who in the world can hook a laid-open gap wedge off pine straw that far and that high? Bubba, that's who.
We asked GolfFix.com instructor Tyrus York what mere mortals like us can learn from Bubba's approach to the game. Is there anything in Bubba's freakishly powerful, home-grown swing (or in his admittedly manic mind) that we can emulate?
...
Winning a major is the highest accomplishment an individual can achieve in the game of golf. Just ask Luke Donald or Lee Westwood, two guys that have spent time as the No. 1 player in the world, but lack that major win next to their names.
Now, Bubba Watson has "Masters Champion" forever etched underneath his name, thanks to his dramatic win at Augusta National on Sunday. His hard work and determination earned him that victory. However, much is being said about his golf swing and his “unconventional” approach to the game, along with his declaration that he has never taken a lesson.
Whether you believe that to be 100 percent true isn’t the point. The point is what do Bubba Watson and his golf swing mean to you? What can be learned from Bubba and his Masters victory?
Before we go any further, two things have to be understood about Bubba Watson. First, he is a freak athlete that ultimately could have succeeded at any sport he wanted. Fortunately for our game, he chose golf. And second, he has learned how to utilize his time to get the most from his practice and play. As Michael Breed mentioned toward the end of The Golf Fix on Monday night, Bubba knows how to separate practice from play.
Because Bubba has learned to separate his practice from play, he has been able to take a self-made swing and make it a major-winning swing. He has spent his practice time learning to master how to manipulate the path of his golf club and the position of his clubface at impact to achieve his desired ball flight.
This was clearly on display Sunday when, on the second playoff hole, Watson was able to hit a 90-degree hook out of the trees and onto the green (despite being a player that typically moves the ball right to left). But more impressive to me was his ability to hit two of the best drives, consecutively, on 18 that I had seen from anyone in the entire tournament.
Most of us spend our practice time hitting ball after ball, not really thinking about what we want the ball to do. Instead we hit each shot hoping the ball won’t do something bad. When each shot you hit on the practice tee has a purpose, you can begin to grow your imagination on the golf course.
For example, if you practice hitting a 90 degree hook or slice on the range, and then if you need that shot on the course, you will be imaginative enough to try and recreate it. Bubba has a lifetime of doing nothing but practicing those imaginative shots. So when he is on, and has command of his golf swing, he can make the ball do pretty much whatever he wants. However, his downfall (or at least what may keep him from winning several majors) is the very thing that makes him who he is.
So what can you take from Bubba’s swing? All I would suggest are his practice habits. Unless you have superior athleticism and are willing to work as hard as he has, no instructor I know will be teaching you to swing like Bubba swings. Tiger Woods has spent a career trying to make the golf club do the same thing every time he swings (the exact opposite of Bubba). That is typically the way most instructors are going to teach their students. Tiger’s method has proven pretty successful so far and is producing a solid group of young golfers that grew up wanting to be like Tiger.
What makes Bubba Watson so good is the fact that he knows how to manipulate and change his swing to get the ball to do what he wants. When his swing is on, there are very few players that will be able to compete with the talent and imagination that Bubba can bring to the golf course. I wish Bubba the best and hope he wins every time he tees it up, but his style of play is very difficult to repeat week in and week out.
Who knows how good Bubba would have been if had sought the advice from a good teacher in his youth? Given his imagination and talent, one would have to think the sky would have been the limit. Even without the instruction, Bubba has proven to the world that he is worthy of the highly coveted green jacket – a prize that has so far eluded many players with "fundamentally sound," reliably repeatable swings.
How Joe Durant saved Bubba Watson's career
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Joe Durant remembers well the day he helped launch Bubba Watson's professional golf career. Durant did it by making sure he stayed out of his way.
It was 2003, and Durant, already a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, received a phone call from Watson's father, Gerry.
"Gerry called and asked me if I would be interested in working with Bubba, helping him out. I thought about it for a while, and then said, 'No, absolutely not,'" Durant said Tuesday afternoon at Harbour Town GL in preparation for the RBC Heritage. "My answer simply had to do with thinking that would be the biggest disservice I could do for Bubba. I had seen him play a little and I knew what kind of a player he was.
"We have two totally different kinds of games," Durant continued. "Plus, he just had a creativity that I knew was special. He didn't need a teacher. The guy has unbelievable hands and talent. He's creative. He kills the ball. You don't want to put him in any kind of a program, per se. You can't teach what Bubba can do no more than Seve (Ballesteros) could teach someone to hit the kind of short-game shots he could hit. He just needed to go play, take a little time, and he was going to be fine."
Of course, Durant didn't know that Watson one day could win the Masters Tournament. But Watson, who never did receive any formal coaching, did just that last week at Augusta National GC, defeating former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen on the second hole of a sudden death playoff. And Watson, 33, accomplished the feat thanks to the imagination and shot-making Durant alluded to, hitting a 155-yard sling-hook from a pine-straw lie, around trees, to within 12 feet of the hole at the par-4 10th.
The resulting two-putt par won him the green jacket.
"You just never know if a guy has what it takes to win a major," Durant said. "But I did know Bubba had a world of talent."
Related: The defining shot of the 2012 Masters
Durant, a native of the Florida Panhandle like Watson, saw that first-hand during charity event in Durant's hometown of Pensacola. Watson, from Bagdad, Fla., also was invited. "This was around the time Bubba turned pro, and he was impressive," Durant, 48, said. "He had the length, but the thing that impressed me was his ability to curve the ball both ways and hit all these different kinds of shots. You don't see that in a young kid very often. That's when I saw how really special he was going to be."
And now for the rest of the story.
Durant and Gerry Watson, who died of throat cancer in 2010, were regular golf partners when Durant was just a kid. Joe's older brother, Phillip, nicknamed "Flip," became friends with Gerry Watson after the two returned from the Vietnam War. They played golf together regularly at a lighted Par-3 course called Hill & Dale GC. Joe often tagged along for evening rounds.
"I'll never forget it," Durant recalled. "I was starting to get decent at golf, and one day Gerry said to me, 'Look you little turd, if you beat me I'm selling my clubs.' We went out and played 18 holes, and I beat him. Next day he went and sold his clubs. Gerry never really played golf again until Bubba was born. He was really Bubba's only coach. Then one day he called me, and I was really touched by him asking me to help. But I knew better. Bubba didn't need someone like me to teach him how to play golf. And I was right."
-- Dave Shedloski
2012 Winner's Bags From driver to putter
Find out what pros have used to win on the PGA, LPGA and Champions tours in 2012.
April 8
PGA TOUR
Bubba Watson (Masters)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Ping G20 (Grafalloy BiMatrx), 7.5 degrees
4-wood: Ping G20, 16.5 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Ping S59
Wedges: Ping Tour-W (52, 56 degrees); Ping Tour-S Rustique (64 degrees)
Putter: Ping Redwood Anser
Getty Images
April 1
PGA TOUR
Hunter Mahan (WGC Accenture Match Play)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Ping G20 (Fujikura Motore VC6.2), 9.5 degree
3-wood: Ping G20, 15 degree
Hybrid: Ping i15, 17 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Ping S56
Wedges: Ping Anser (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Nome
LPGA TOUR
Sun Young Yoo (Kraft Nabisco Championship)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Callaway RAZR Fit, 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway RAZR Fit, 15 degrees
5-wood: Callaway RAZR Fit, 18 degrees
Hybrids: TaylorMade Rescue (11, 21 degrees)
Irons (4-PW): Callaway RAZR X Forged
Wedges: Callaway Forged (52, 58 degrees)
Putter: Ping Anser 2
Getty Images
March 25
PGA TOUR
Tiger Woods (Arnold Palmer Invitational)
Ball: Nike One Tour D
Driver: Nike VR Tour (Graphite Design DI 6X), 8.5 degrees
3-wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition, 15 degrees
5-wood: Nike SasQuatch 2, 19-degrees
Irons (3-PW): Nike VR Pro Blade
Wedges: Nike VR Pro (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Nike Method 001
LPGA TOUR
Yani Tseng (Kia Classic )
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Adams Speedline 9032LS, 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Adams Speedline, 14 degrees
Hybrids: Adams Idea a7, (19, 22 degrees)
Irons (4-PW): Adams Idea Tech a4
Wedges: Callaway X Tour (52, 58 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Rossa Daytona Ghost
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Fred Couples (Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic)
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B330
Driver: TaylorMade R9 460, 8.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway FT-i, 15 degrees
Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue 11, 18 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Bridgestone J40 Dual Pocket Cavity
Wedges: TaylorMade ATV (54 degrees); Callaway X Forged (58 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Rossa Imola 6 Belly
Getty Images
March 19
PGA TOUR
Luke Donald (Transitions Championship)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TaylorMade RocketBallz (UST Mamiya Accra Tour 65), 9.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade RocketBallz, 15 degrees
Hybrid: Mizuno Fli-Hi CLK, 17 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Mizuno MP-59
Wedges: Mizuno MP-11 (54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG #7
LPGA TOUR
Yani Tseng (RR Donnelly Founders Cup)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Adams Speedline 9032LS, 9.5 degrees degrees
3-wood: Adams Speedline, 14 degrees
Hybrids: Adams Idea a7, (19, 22 degrees)
Irons (4-PW): Adams Idea Tech a4
Wedges: Callaway X Tour (52, 58 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Rossa Daytona Ghost
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Loren Roberts (Toshiba Classic)
Ball: Srixon Z Star
Driver: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0, 8.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Tour Burner, 14.5 degrees
Hybrids: TaylorMade Rescue TP (19, 21 degrees)
Irons (4-5): TaylorMade rac LT; (6-PW): TaylorMade 320
Wedges: Cleveland 588 (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Cobra Greg Norman
Getty Images
March 11
PGA TOUR
Justin Rose (WGC-Cadillac)
Ball: TaylorMade Penta TP5
Driver: TaylorMade R11 (True Temper Project X 7.0), 8 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade RocketBallz, 15 degrees
Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue 11, 19 degrees
Irons (4-PW): TaylorMade MB
Wedges: TaylorMade ATV (52, 56 degrees); Cleveland 588 (60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Ghost Tour Corza
PGA TOUR
George McNeill (Puerto Rico Open)
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
Driver: Cleveland Launcher TL 310 (True Temper Project X 6.5), 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Titleist 906F2, 15 degrees
5-wood: Titleist 906F2, 18 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Cleveland 588 Forged MB
Wedges: Cleveland 588 (56 degrees); Cleveland 588 Forged (60 degrees)
Putter: Nike Method 001
Getty Images
March 4
PGA TOUR
Rory McIlroy (Honda Classic)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D2 (Fujikura Rombax 7V05) 8.5 degrees
3-wood: Titleist 906F2, 13 degrees
5-wood: Titleist 906F2, 18 degrees
Irons (3-9): Titleist MB 712; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM4
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM4 (54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist GSS Newport prototype
Getty Images
February 26
PGA TOUR
Hunter Mahan (WGC Accenture Match Play)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Ping G20 (Fujikura Motore VC6.2), 9.5 degree
3-wood: Ping G20, 15 degree
Hybrid: Ping i15, 17 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Ping S56
Wedges: Ping Anser (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Nome
PGA TOUR
John Huh (Mayakoba Golf Classic)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G10, 7.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Burner, 13 degrees
Hybrid: Titleist 910H, 17 degrees
Irons (3-PW): Ping s57
Wedges: Ping Tour W (52 degrees); Ping Tour W TS Rustique (58 degrees)
Putter: Ping Scottsdale Wolverine C
LPGA TOUR
Angela Stanford (HSBC Women's Champions)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping i20, 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Ping G20, 15 degrees
7-wood: Ping G15, 21.5 degrees
Hybrid: Ping G20, 23 degrees
Irons (5-9): Ping i20; (PW): Ping Tour S
Wedges: Ping Tour S (52, 56 degrees); Ping Tour S TS (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Scottsdale Anser 2
Getty Images
February 19
PGA TOUR
Bill Haas (Northern Trust Open)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist 910D2 (Fujikura Speeder 757), 8.5 degrees
3-wood: Titleist 910F, 13.5 degrees
Irons (2): Titleist CB 712; (3-PW): Titleist CB 710
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C (54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Kombi Long
LPGA TOUR
Yani Tseng (Honda LPGA Thailand)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Adams Speedline 9032LS, 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Adams Speedline, 14 degrees
Hybrids: Adams Idea a7, (19, 22 degrees)
IRONS (4-PW): Adams Idea Tech a4
Wedges: Callaway X Tour (52, 58 degrees)
Putter: Taylor Made Rossa Daytona Ghost
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Kenny Perry (ACE Group Classic)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Adams F11, 9.5 degrees
Hybrids: Adams Idea Super XTD (15, 17 degrees)
Irons (3-PW): Adams Redline
Wedges: Cleveland 588PF (54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Yes! Tracy
February 12
PGA TOUR
Phil Mickelson (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am)
Ball: Callaway Hex Black Tour
Driver: Callaway RAZR Fit (Fujikura Motore VC7.2), 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo, 15 degrees
Hybrid: Callaway X, 19 degrees
Irons (4): Callaway RAZR X-Forged; (5): Callaway RAZR X prototype; (6-PW): Callaway RAZR X Muscleback
Wedges: Callaway Jaws (52, 60, 64 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG Blade PM
LPGA TOUR
Jessica Korda (ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open)
Ball: TaylorMade Penta TP
Driver: TaylorMade R11, 10.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade R11, 15 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0, 21 degrees
Irons (4-PW): TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC
Wedges: TaylorMade TP xFT (50, 54, 58 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Ghost TM 880
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Corey Pavin (Allianz Championship)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: TaylorMade R11S, 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade RocketBallz Tour, 15 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade V Steel, 18 degrees
Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue FW, 22 degrees
Irons (4-PW): TaylorMade R9
Wedges: Callaway Jaws (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Bulls Eye
February 5
PGA Tour
Kyle Stanley (Waste Management Phoenix Open)
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
DRIVER: Titleist 910D3 (Mitsubishi Diamana Kai'll), 8.5 degrees
3-WOOD: Titleist 910Fd, 13.5 degrees
IRONS (2): Titleist 503i; (4-PW): Titleist 712 MB
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C (52, 56 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM4 (60 degrees)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Timeless
January 29
PGA Tour
Brandt Snedeker (Farmers Insurance Open)
BALL: Bridgestone Tour B330
DRIVER: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast (Fukikura Motore F1 8.0), 10.5 degrees
3-WOOD: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast, 15 degrees
HYBRID: Adams Idea Pro a12, 20 degrees
IRONS (4-PW): Bridgestone J40 CB
WEDGES: Bridgestone J40 (52, 56 degrees); Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C (60 degrees)
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot XG Rossie
January 22
PGA TOUR
Mark Wilson (Humana Challenge)
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
DRIVER: Ping i20 (Grafalloy Tour X), 8.5 degrees
3-WOOD: Cleveland HiBore XLS, 13 degrees
HYBRID: Ping i15 (17, 20 degrees)
IRONS (4-PW): Ping i20
WEDGES: Ping Tour (52, 60 degrees)
PUTTER: Ping Karsten Anser
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Dan Forsman (Mitsubishi Electric Championship)
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
DRIVER: Titleist 909D3, 9.5 degrees
3-WOOD: Titleist 909F3, 15 degrees
HYBRID: Titleist 910H, 19 degrees
IRONS (3-PW): Titleist 712 MB
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey SM4 (54, 58 degrees)
PUTTER: T.P. Mills 1310 Tradition II
January 15
PGA Tour
Johnson Wagner (Sony Open in Hawaii)
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
DRIVER: TaylorMade R11S (Aldila RIP NV), 8 degrees
3-WOOD: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0
HYBRID: Adams Idea Pro a12, 18 degrees
IRONS (3-9): Titleist 712 CB; (PW): Titleist Vokey
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C (54, 59 degrees)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron by Titleist prototype
January 8
PGA Tour
Steve Stricker (Hyundai Tournament of Champions)
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
DRIVER: Titleist 909D3 (UST Proforce V2), 8.5 degrees
3-WOOD: Titleist 906F2, 13 degrees
HYBRID: Titleist 909H, 19 degrees
IRONS (3-PW): Titleist AP2
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C (54, 60 degrees)
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot #2
GOLF DIGEST 2012
10 Rules To Hit It Huge
By Bubba Watson
With Guy Yocom
Photo by Michael Schulz
July 2010
1. You Probably Need More Loft
My wife, Angie, is a good athlete who played pro basketball with the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. When she started playing golf seriously, six years ago, she used a driver with 9 degrees of loft and could carry the ball about 170 yards. Just before she played in the Bob Hope Classic pro-am earlier this year (a fifth-anniversary gift from me), she switched to a driver with 13 degrees. She instantly increased her carry distance to 215 yards with the same amount of roll she had before. Angie isn't much different from most male amateurs in that the quickest shortcut to more distance is getting a driver with more loft. And don't stop there; get a light, properly fitted shaft, too. You should use every bit of technology available before taking the leap of overhauling your swing. A custom-fit driver can easily give you 20 yards overnight; changing your swing can take months, or longer.
2. Utilize Your Best Physical Trait
Long hitters are long for different reasons. J.B. Holmes has a thick, strong, corn-fed kind of build. He's very powerful from the elbows down, with strong, fast hands. Dustin Johnson is sort of skinny, with tremendous speed in his hips and torso. Me, I'm tall with a wide arc and long swing. People have different physical assets. It might be strong thighs, broad shoulders, a strong core, whatever. Find your strong point physically, and take advantage of it. And be careful that an instructor doesn't try to build your swing around a part of you that isn't your strongest point.
3. Try A Shorter Shaft
Twice I've been offered a spot in the Re/Max World Long Drive Championship, and both times I turned it down. It was nice to be invited, but I thought altering my swing specifically to get more distance for that one event might wreck my game. But I did toy with the idea, and even had Ping build me a driver with 5.5 degrees of loft and an extra-long, 48-inch shaft. The longer shaft, which many people assume is an automatic trick to generating more clubhead speed, didn't work at all. It threw my timing off, and I didn't hit the ball much farther even when I nailed it. I did much better with my standard 44½-inch driver, simply swinging a little harder.
Trying a longer shaft is a popular suggestion these days, but most players should, if anything, try a shaft half an inch shorter than what's in their driver. (The average, off-the-rack driver shaft today is 45½ inches.) Tiger Woods at his longest used a relatively short 43½-inch driver, with a steel shaft to boot. You'll find it easier to hit the sweet spot with a shorter shaft, and you can go after tee shots without losing much control.
4. Learn To Hit A Draw
Learn to draw the ball If you slice, you're not paying as high a price as players used to with the older equipment. That's because modern drivers don't spin the ball as much, and the ball doesn't spin as much, either. But the lesser penalty for a slice has lulled a lot of amateurs to sleep. The best way to really boom the ball out there is to swing from the inside and turn it over. You'll compress the ball more, and the shot will bore through the wind better. And if you find the right driver, you'll carry the ball farther with a draw than you would with a fade -- another result of modern equipment.
5. Accept Days When You Don't Have It
I started the last day of Bay Hill in 2008 in a five-way tie for the lead. For the first 10 holes, I hooked almost every shot, even when I consciously tried to hit a big fade. I was hitting the ball so far off line it cost me not only accuracy but distance. I fought that darned hook the entire time, and after a while it was too late to recover. I finished tied for eighth. If I had it to do over, I would've just accepted my natural ball flight that day instead of wrestling with it. There are times when you'll wake up with a certain ball flight, or you just don't feel as strong or flexible as you normally do. Roll with it. That's what separates great players from the rest of the field.
6. Tee Off Like You Just Made Bogey
We all get a little angry at times after making a dumb bogey or double. How many times when that happens do we just get up on the next hole and rip it down the middle? A lot. The reason is, you're so distracted by being mad that you don't strategize too much or get balled up with swing mechanics. Try to hit every tee shot that way. Use emotion more than thought. It's amazing how your body will respond to plain old desire.
7. If You're Small, Hit More Balls
There are ways for smaller or older golfers to condition themselves to get more power, even if they don't spend time in the gym. For many, the best training ground is the practice range, the old rock pile. So wear it out. Ben Hogan once said that beating hundreds of balls made him incredibly strong and improved his swing along the way. Get "golf strong" by hitting a lot of balls. Your hands and arms will become more wiry and your body more toned.
8. Flare Out Your Front Foot
I've played a lot of practice rounds with Tiger (who I tease for being a short hitter, by the way). When Tiger wants to really pound a drive, he fans his left foot out at about a 45-degree angle. That almost forces him to clear his hips and lower body faster through the swing, his belly button facing left of the target at the finish. It allows him to generate tremendous power. I've copied that move from Tiger, and it works. Just be careful not to flare the foot out too far, or you'll limit your backswing turn. Get it right, and you'll hear the difference -- you'll make a louder swish when you swing the club through impact.
9. Beware: Rust Forms Fast
If I go three days without playing, I know I'm not going to show up with my usual 126 miles per hour of clubhead speed. Rust kills distance, and it doesn't take long to form. Going a week without playing is the story of the amateur golfer's life, so learn to live with it, and lower your expectations a little. You can fend off the rust by making 30 or 40 full-speed practice swings on days you can't make it to the course.
10. Turn Your Hips Back, Too
I've heard guys talk about making a big shoulder turn on the backswing but a modest hip turn. I say that's bogus. The farther I turn my hips, the farther I can turn my shoulders, and the farther I can hit the ball. Don't restrict your backswing in any way. Turn everything, so you have as much windup as you possibly can. Extra motion means a longer swing, more clubhead speed and big distance.
martes, 10 de abril de 2012
Do You Have the Game to Play College Golf?
Learn how coaches address this important question in recruiting.
By John H. Brooks - Posted December 7, 2006
Do You Have the Game to Play College Golf?
by John H. Brooks
A very small percentage of junior golfers have the game necessary to make an immediate impact in NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) competition. Throughout the recruiting process coaches are forced to predict which young players will someday develop into successful collegiate players. The question is, what are NCAA coaches really looking for when they evaluate talent? While the process is more art than science, several factors should be considered.
Coaches are looking for good athletes who have fundamentally sound swings. As a junior player, it is imperative that you are continuously striving to improve your golf swing and to become stronger and better conditioned as an athlete. Coaches expect you to work regularly with a qualified golf instructor and to design and implement a fitness program that will enhance your swing. Remember that once you start college, you will be required to actively participate in a workout program with your coach and team at least three days per week. Why not start today?
Coaches are also looking for juniors who know how to play the game. At the end of the day, score is what matters. Regardless of how good your golf swing looks, coaches are interested in watching you play to see whether or not you know how to score. While you are competing, they will evaluate your course management skills, your ability to shape and play different types of shots, the soundness of your short game, and how good your attitude remains—especially in tough situations. Many juniors have been taught how to properly swing the golf club, while a much smaller percentage actually know how to play the game at a level suitable for collegiate competition. As you work on developing your game with your instructor, make sure adequate time is spent on the golf course learning to play different types of shots and refining your short game technique.
Coaches are interested in recruiting juniors who will transition smoothly to college. Once a young person matriculates in college, they face numerous new challenges. They are away from home for the first time in their lives and are experiencing tremendous freedom. The ability to manage time effectively becomes the key to success for a collegiate student-athlete. Coaches are trying to identify recruits who can accomplish this critical task. As a college coach for 14 years, I witnessed both extremes of the spectrum—those who knew how to manage time and, unfortunately, those who did not. This skill is the most important prerequisite for young players to successfully transition from junior golf to college golf. Coaches are also targeting student-athletes who understand how to handle their academic responsibilities without adversely affecting their golf games. You have to remain eligible in school first if you plan to compete in college.
In the final analysis, there are many intangibles that will determine whether or not you have the game to play college golf. Coaches will pay very close attention to your scores in competition but will also want to know more about you as a person. These intangibles help coaches predict whether or not you can succeed at the college level. Juniors who aspire to play at the next level need to concentrate on improving all facets of their games including golf swing, short game, fitness, mental toughness, and time management. Good luck, and always remember that academics come first!
Coach Brooks
Is It a Good Idea To Withdraw After a Poor Round?
College coaches pay close attention to tournament results
By John H. Brooks - Posted December 5, 2006
Everyone who has played the game of golf knows how challenging the sport really is and that consistency is always something to strive for. Furthermore, no one is exempt from having a bad round, especially in competition. Even the greatest players in the world struggle at times and shoot scores in the 80s.
So why is it then that some junior golfers who post high first round scores have a tendency to withdraw from tournaments? Other than being embarrassed for shooting a high score, one might think the player is concerned with how this poor performance will affect his national ranking and eventually his ability to be recruited by college coaches. Keep in mind that there will always be “justified withdrawals” in cases where the player is injured or has a family emergency. The AJGA and other tournament organizations have systems in place to protect a player who withdraws for a legitimate reason. Most would agree that playing poorly is not a legitimate reason and that players should finish tournaments they start.
College coaches pay particularly close attention to those who tend to “manage rankings” by withdrawing from tournaments or “no-carding” after bad rounds. They frown upon these actions and would be less likely to recruit those players. Coaches know that their players will struggle at times in college events and therefore will expect them to have what it takes to manage their games and their emotions in an attempt to shoot the lowest score they possibly can on a given day. Quitting or withdrawing is not an option at the collegiate level.
Instead of withdrawing, junior players who post high first round scores should realize that they have an opportunity to make a great comeback in subsequent rounds. I remember initially recruiting one of the best players I have ever coached immediately after he shot 85- 67 in the first two rounds of a junior tournament in Florida. I had never watched him play before, but once I saw his ability to bounce back from a very poor first round, I knew he was a player I should consider recruiting. He turned out to be an excellent Division I player and someone who demonstrated a lot of character on the golf course, especially in tough situations. He never quit or gave up after a bad start to a round or a tournament.
Parents should always encourage their children to do the best they can and to never let one bad round cause them to worry about how it will affect rankings or college recruiting. Part of the learning process for junior players is to know how to come back after shooting a high score or to deal with adversity during a round. Unless a player is sick, injured, or has an emergency to deal with, he needs to complete the tournament.
And always remember, coaches will be impressed with the player who demonstrates he can bounce back after a bad round!
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