The Instruction Blog

How She Hit That: Yani Tseng's controlled-spin wedge

Monday, February 20, 2012 Comments

blog_tseng_0220.jpgEditor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a great shot.

This week, Hinton looks at Yani Tseng's terrific wedge shot from 104 yards on the final hole to clinch victory at the LPGA Thailand Open for her first win of the season. Hinton tells how you can improve your wedge play as well. 

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

Here's Kevin: Yani Tseng's wedge to tap-in distance secured a one-shot victory and her first win of the season. Tseng won 11 times in 2011 and securely holds the No. 1 ranking in the world. Her wedge play and how she controls the spin is one reason why.

Tseng said she attempted to limit how much spin she put on the wedge shot. She controlled her distance beautifully, something Kyle Stanley could have used a few weeks ago at Torrey Pines (video) after spinning the ball back into the water on the 18th hole, leading to a triple-bogey 8 and eventually a playoff loss to Brandt Snedeker. Stanley won the following week, crediting his better wedge control as one of his keys to victory.

There are few things the average player enjoys more than watching the ball dance with backspin . . . it has always been quite the love affair.

As you improve and the novelty quickly wears off, however, you soon realize there can definitely be too much of a good thing. Excessive spin becomes a bit of nuisance, and often hinders the ability to control your distance on wedge shots. Here are a few tips to 

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Weekend Tip: For faster progress, make swings without a ball

Saturday, February 18, 2012 Comments
I just heard an interview on PGA Tour radio (John Maginnes on Tap) with former PGA Tour player Phil Blackmar and his Hall of Fame teacher Jim Flick. You can hear the entire 22-minute interview by clicking on the link here. They talk about a wide range of subjects, including Flick's overall teaching philosophy. But something that struck me was Blackmar's answer to a question about what you can do in the off-season to keep or get your swing in shape. He said you should make swings without a ball, because it's easier to work on your positions and your fundamentals, and swing changes will come faster. Why is that?

Almost 20 years ago, I helped the noted teaching professional Hank Johnson, for years the No. 1 teacher in Alabama, write a book called How to Win the Three Games of Golf. In that book Hank broke golf down into three separate games: the Golf Swing, the Golf Shot and the Golf Score. He contended that the Golf Swing should be learned or changed away from the range and course. The Golf Shot should be rehearsed on the range. And the Golf Score is something you think about only on the course.

"When you are trying to concentrate on learning the various positions of your body and club at address and throughout the swinging motion, the ball only serves as a distraction," Hank wrote. "It automatically shifts your focus to performance rather than learning. It is difficult to concentrate on making a mechanically correct swing and hit the ball at the same time. When you are making a practice swing, you are learning. When you are hitting a golf shot, you are performing."

So this weekend, when you are away from the course and the range, work on the following fundamentals. Remember, do this without hitting balls.

-- Correct grip (hold the club in your fingers, your V's pointing at your right cheek or shoulder)

-- Precise ball position (practice setting up to a ball but don't hit it)

-- Athletic posture at address (check in a mirror or window that you have a fairly straight back, slight bend at the hips, slight flex in the knees, arms hanging straight down)

-- Smooth takeaway (also in a mirror or window, check your club's halfway-back position and that you stayed in your posture)

-- Good weight transfer into your right leg at the top

-- Transition into the ball by starting your downswing from the ground up (left foot, knee, thigh, hip, in that order)

-- Unrestricted follow-through made with relaxed grip pressure

-- Full finish held for two to three seconds so you know you are in balance

Do this for five to 10 minutes every day, and when you get back on the range or the course, you'll be amazed how quickly you'll regain your feel for the club and hitting solid shots.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman
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Fitness Friday: Beware the double-bogey breakfast

Friday, February 17, 2012 Comments
Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. Here's his advice for eating the optimal breakfast before your next round, plus the foods and drinks to avoid. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
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Here's Ron: By now, you've probably had it drummed into your head that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. To reiterate, it is. Most nutritionists will tell you it's a mistake to eat nothing when you get up. Even if it's not the ideal breakfast, it's better to start the day with some food in your belly than not.
 
If you're eating before a morning round, however, what you consume might be the difference between winning rather than losing a match or shooting your personal-best score rather than your high for the season.
 
Amy Goodson, dietitian for the Ben Hogan Sports Medicine clinic in Fort Worth, says many traditional breakfast choices can do more harm than good for someone about to play golf. "People take in far too much sugar in the morning," she says. "From juice to many cereals to syrup on pancakes. If you eat stuff like that, you can count on having an energy crash sometime during the round, and it will impact you physically as well as make it harder to focus."
 
Goodson suggests a meal with complex carbohydrates, some protein, a little fat, and plenty of fresh water. Two examples would be a vegetable omelet with fruit and 16 ounces of water; or a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with nuts (substitute an apple for the brown sugar) and 16 ounces of water.
 
Here is a list of foods and beverages Goodson says you should avoid before you play a morning round.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest
 

Foods you should NOT eat

1.     Sugary cereals: "First, they spike blood-sugar levels in the body. Then, they cause them to drop rapidly and that drop will affect a golfer's energy level and his or her mental acuity."
2.     Biscuits and gravy: "Very high in fat, which can cause gastro-intestinal distress and make players feel lethargic later in the round."
3.     Donuts: "Any fried food is going to be very high in fat. The grease often causes stomach cramping in the heat and can also make you feel tired."
4.     Pancakes, syrup and fruit: "Too many simple carbohydrates, which causes a spike in blood sugar and a rapid decline in energy. Heavy-carbohydrate meals with no protein also can make an athlete feel bloated."
5.     Plain or cheese omelet and bacon: "This meal lacks any carbohydrates, which 

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Butch Harmon's latest instructional DVD comes with exclusive discount for Golf Digest Facebook fans

Thursday, February 16, 2012 Comments

Butch Harmon, America's Best Teacher, is releasing four hours of instruction on two DVDs on March 1.

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PGA Tour greats featured in the DVDs include: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Natalie Gulbis, Fred Couples, Dustin Johnson, Greg Norman, and more.

"Butch Harmon About Golf" is now being offered exclusively to fans of the Golf Digest Facebook page with a $15 discount.

Go to our Facebook page for the promotion code and a video.

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How He Hit That: Phil's monster putts

Sunday, February 12, 2012 Comments
Editor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a great shot. This week, Hinton examines the monster par putts--and general putting brilliance--of Phil Mickelson at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which he won in impressive fashion, taming a frustrated Tiger in the process. Hinton tells how you can improve your putting as well. 

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

Here's Kevin: The story on Sunday at Pebble Beach was all about putting. Phil Mickelson had 10 one-putts enroute to a bogey-free final-round 64, claiming a two-shot victory over Charlie Wi and his fourth title at Pebble. This is the fifth-straight time Mickelson has bested Woods when they were paired together in the final round, beating Tiger by 11 shots on Sunday after starting two strokes behind him. Tiger missed five putts inside five feet on Sunday. Mickelson made two clutch back-nine par saves of more than 30 feet, as well as capitalizing for six birdies and an eagle after a round of stellar iron play. The putter also did-in third round leader Charlie Wi, who four-putted the first hole and missed a three-footer for par on the 14th. Let's take a closer look at the video of Mickelson's masterful stroke.



Mickelson has always been known as a short-game wizard, but his putting hasn't always been reliable under pressure. Last year on tour, Phil finished a woeful 134th in the statistical putting category of strokes gained. This stat is considered the most accurate measurement of a player's putting abilities. Phil also three-putted at an alarming rate for a player of his ability, finishing 147th in the stat of three-putt avoidance. So what has changed? Not necessarily a ton, but it often doesn't take much to turn things around on the greens. Small technique changes...better mental focus and belief in yourself. No doubt he wanted to beat Tiger Sunday on a huge stage and even said Tiger now brings out the best in his game.
   
The big news of 2011 for Phil was his experimentation with the belly putter. It didn't stay in his bag for long. There are many players, however, who practice with one, but never use it in competition. It's a great practice tool and I highly recommend getting one, even if it never makes it's way onto the golf course. The belly putter teaches a player the proper pendulum motion, ensuring a slight arcing stroke and an unrestricted release of the putterhead through impact. 

Phil also visited putting guru Dave Stockton, who wants you to keep the back of the lead hand moving toward the target (see Mickelson video above). Stockton's main philosophy, however, focuses on routine and encouraging a very non-technical approach. Phil worked with the belly putter because it made
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Weekend Tip: McLean on Hogan, 7 pointers from a new book

Saturday, February 11, 2012 Comments
A new book just crossed my desk, The Complete Hogan, by Golf Digest Teaching Professional Jim McLean, with Tom McCarthy. (Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 216 pages.) There are a lot of really interesting photos here, taken from rare movie film of Hogan in the late 1940s, before his accident. McLean makes some great observations and brings a fresh approach to possibly the most analyzed and admired golf swing of all time. The quality of the photos (soft, shadowy and in black and white) is not great. But a keen eye can still find great details to learn from. And McLean certainly has a keen eye and the teaching experience to put Hogan's swing into usable advice for today's golfer. 

One of the freshest chapters is toward the end of the book where Jim flops the photos, turning Hogan into a left-hander. I'm able to show you two of the photos below. Not only is this a lefty's delight, but with this unusual view righties can really see some key elements in Hogan's setup and swing that might surprise you. McLean writes extensively about each photo in the book, but here are some of his abbreviated observations that might help your game without you even looking at all of the pictures:

Address: Look at those soft arms! Just the opposite of the illustrations in Five Lessons. Copy this setup (below) and not those.

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Takeaway: Hogan's chin points to the back foot. This is extremely important for a full, powerful coil.

Top of Backswing: The right knee has moved behind the ball, but Hogan's body is already falling (or transitioning) forward. I call this the "fall forward."

Move down: Hogan rotates the right knee over the right foot. Very athletic and responsive. A beautiful sit-down move and massive lag.

Impact: The front leg braces and begins to straighten (below). This is a major power move. Of course the famous bowed lead wrist is very evident.

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Post Impact: Phenomenal extension. Perfect release of the arms.

Finish and Rebound: The all-time classic finish. It's great for everyone to copy.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman





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Fitness Friday: Strengthen your ankles for great golf

Friday, February 10, 2012 Comments
Every week Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. Here's his advice for keeping your ankles strong and healthy to support a dynamic golf swing. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: Golfers might complain more about their sore backs or knees, but when it comes to frequency of injury, no joint in the body takes more abuse than the ankles. Sprains, strains and fractures come easy and often for athletes, and weak ankles are a common problem for golfers starting to play again after a long winter's layoff.
 
"When you think about it, your ankles don't seem like they offer enough support for the abrupt and awkward movements of a 200-pound body," says Golf Digest fitness advisor and former PGA Tour trainer Ralph Simpson. "But in reality, the ankles are very durable. Sure, you can twist them and tweak them from time to time. But compared to the amount of stress they endure, they are amazingly durable."
 
Golfers injure their lead ankle (left for right-handed golfers) more often since it serves as the pivot on which the body rotates during the swing. But the uneven terrain of golf courses puts the other ankle in nearly as much peril.
 
Whether you're being reactive or proactive in dealing with an ankle sprain or strain, fitness expert Mark Verstegen offers exercises in Golf Digest's March issue to better prepare for battle. Click on the link here to get Mark's advice.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest
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How They Hit That: Bombs off the tee, by Kyle Stanley and Jamie Sadlowski

Monday, February 6, 2012 Comments
Editor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, the Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a great shot. This week, Hinton examines the monster drives of Kyle Stanley, winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open and runner-up last week at the Farmers' Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, and compares his driver swing with that of Long Drive champion Jamie Sadlowski.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

Here's Kevin: Kyle and Jamie have similar builds (about 5-foot-11, 165 pounds), and they do a lot of similar things in their golf swings. They both start by setting up to the ball to maximize distance. They have wide stances, their spines are tilted to the right, and their heads are well behind the ball. These address characteristics promote hitting up at the ball, which is essential to driving it a long way. Watch these two videos and then read my analysis below to learn how you can hit the ball farther as well.







Backswing
Both players make a huge shoulder turn over a braced lower body. Notice how they allow their heads to move some. Restricting all head movement with a driver normally leads to power loss. Jamie simply allows his backswing to continue to gain extra power by continuing to hinge his wrists. This is a tremendous power source, and it requires flexible wrists. If he were playing on the PGA Tour he would likely shorten it to gain accuracy, but that's not the game he's currently playing.

Transition
Take note of how their downswings are triggered by leading with the lower body, technically before the club completes the backswing. As with many power-hitters, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when the backswing ends and the downswing begins. This "two-way" helps increase the angle between the left arm and the shaft, amplifying their speed potential at impact.

Impact
Both players' bodies have unwound at extremely high speeds, and their heads are well behind the ball. Both players heads go down and back through
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Weekend Tip: How to get your feel back

Saturday, February 4, 2012 Comments
It's only the beginning of February, but it's going to be golf weather this weekend in the Northeast. Which means much of the country will be playing today and tomorrow. So dust off those clubs that you stowed in that cold garage and get the rust off your swing. Let's go play a few holes!

But how do you get the rust off the swing? Here are three drills or thoughts to get your feel back fast, so you can have some fun this weekend. They are from Golf Digest's top teaching professionals, and I've put them into context here to get your game in shape quickly. Enjoy and good luck with your game--and remember you can follow me on Twitter @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest


1. Rick Smith: Trigger your chipping feel

After a long layoff, the part of your game that suffers most is often chipping. You just don't have much feel when you haven't been playing a lot, and the small muscles in your hands and arms are the first to go. Here's how to regain that feel in a flash:

To create the feel you need to chip it close, use the thumb and forefinger of your right hand to initiate the movement. Those fingers are crucial to controlling wrist hinge, which is the key to hitting accurate distances.

As you start back, squeeze the grip with a trigger-finger action, letting your right wrist hinge and the club move slightly inward and upward. Once you've done that, simply maintain that hinge as you pivot your body toward the target through impact. Your goal is to keep the shaft leaning forward and to make ball-first contact. Try it on the range a few times before you go play.

Click here for the complete tip from Rick Smith, as well as a bonus tip.


2. Hank Haney: Think of distance on the greens

Many golfers starting a new season forget that how hard you hit a putt determines how much break you need to play. And it's difficult to get the feel for the speed when the putter feels like a sledgehammer in your hands.

Reading break without thinking about distance leads to frustration. If you read the line perfectly on a 20-footer but hit the putt too hard or soft, you could be left with a four- or five-footer on your next putt. But get the speed down, and you can miss your read by a foot and still have an easy putt to finish.

The next time you play, approach your mid- and long-range putts thinking about a line behind the hole more than the break. This is the more important line in putting, and I visualize it a foot and a half behind the cup, like a little backboard. Try it. If you don't make it, you'll have a tap-in. Hit a few putts on the practice green with this thought in mind before you tee it up.

Click here for the complete tip.



3. David Leadbetter: Start down smoothly

After a long layoff, it's difficult to find the right rhythm in your swing. Until they play for a while, golfers are often too quick starting down. Rushing this change of direction results in a loss of distance and direction. So think of how smoothly the pros make the transition from backswing to downswing.

Imitate the movement of a roller-coaster car at the top of the track. As it goes up and over a peak and then starts down, its speed is roughly the same. The acceleration on the downslope is gradual and culminates at the bottom of the track. Your swing should resemble this.

Click here for the complete tip.
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Fitness Friday: A remedy for lower-back pain

Friday, February 3, 2012 Comments
Every week Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. Here's his advice for dealing with the very common problem of lower-back pain. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: Whether you're a once-a-month golfer or one who hit balls every day, there is a good chance you've experienced some kind of pain or discomfort in your lower back as a result of swinging a golf club, sitting at your computer or a combination of the two.
 
The bad news is that lower-back issues, particularly muscle strains/tears or spinal-cord injuries, are common for golfers because the body isn't designed to handle the twisting/torquing action placed on the upper torso when a club is swung at a high rate of speed. Why is the lower back the source of much of the pain? Your lumbar spine--the bottom group of vertebrae--can withstand some degree of twisting in either direction, but the region is not nearly as flexible as the vertebrae in your mid back (thoracic spine).
 
You might not be able to completely prevent lower-back injuries, but the good news is that you can do some things to greatly reduce your odds. One of the most important is to strengthen your gluteal muscles. The glutes supply power to your downswing, they help stabilize the body and, most importantly, they help alleviate some of the pressure on the lower back, says Golf Digest fitness expert Randy Myers. Myers trains a number of top tour pros and was working just yesterday with Farmers Insurance Open champion Brandt Snedeker on glute strength. Essentially, if you have weak glutes, the lower back is called upon to support the upper torso and supply stability/rotation in your golf swing. That's not good.
 
So every time you do your workout, spend at least a few minutes on glute-strengthening exercises. To see a demonstration of one, click on the video below.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest
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