7 Things All Great Players Do

Here's who you should copy—and how to do it

My time around great players started with my dad. He finished top 10 in 11 major championships and won the Masters in 1948. His closest friend was Ben Hogan. When they'd play practice rounds together, I'd tag along silently, asking a million questions afterward. My clearest memory of Mr. Hogan is how he could control his ball. He always left it in the right place, even when he missed. And he could control it through the air like nobody--high, low, draw, fade.

It was incredible to watch.

One day my dad asked me to play with him and Mr. Hogan. By then I was a know-it-all teenager, and I got all the way to the first tee before my nerves took over. I remember standing over that first shot: I was wearing a visor, and on my last look down the fairway I saw a pair of golf shoes out of the corner of my left eye. Mr. Hogan's shoes. All those years watching him, and now he was watching me. I flared it right and didn't settle down until he threw his arm around me a few holes later.

Great players have a huge effect on us, because they excel at something we love to do. Here I'll show you what I've learned from some of the top players I've coached. Some are things we worked on together; others, just like Mr. Hogan's ball control, are things I simply marveled at. I'm sure these lessons can help you play better.

By Butch Harmon

Golf Digest teaching professional

With Peter Morrice

Photos by J.D. Cuban

May 2012

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2. SETTING UP

Greg Norman: Get into every shot the same way

When Greg was No. 1 in the world, I was fortunate to be on his team. He's the perfect model for a consistent setup. He starts by squaring the clubface behind the ball (A) and then stepping in with his left foot (B). This placement of the left foot sets his ball position. He then creates his stance width by dropping his right foot away from the target (C). The width changes from shot to shot, but his ball position doesn't because he always places his left foot first. Amateurs tend to take their stance and then just plunk the club down. As a result, they have to build their aim around their stance; Greg builds his stance around his aim. Big difference. I'm not saying you have to do it exactly like Greg, but you should square the clubface first, then set your feet. You'll hit a lot fewer shots where you say to yourself, I never felt right over it.