July 2012: The Instruction Blog: Golf Digest

Weekend Tip: Winning at match play

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Head to head. Mano a mano. You against me. However you put it, July and August are traditionally the months for match-play tournaments. Many club championships are contested at match play, as are most member-guests. In the September issue of Golf Digest, on newsstands next week (Alvaro Quiros on the cover), there's a timely Basics section full of match-play advice, either for team competition or individual.

Here are five of my favorites:

By Ian Poulter:
Get out fast: "In match play you have to attack every pin, and when you get a lead, keep your foot on the accelerator," says Poulter, who is undefeated in Ryder Cup singles play. At the 2010 Ryder Cup, he defeated Stewart Cink in 14 holes. "After every shot, the clock is ticking, and it's a lot easier to win holes early than late. Don't give anything away from the start. That's how you become a player who's tough to beat."

By Jack Nicklaus;
Forget your partner: "Tom Weiskopf used to tell stories when we were partners that I would say, 'Go rack your cue, Tom.' Meaning pick up your ball because I'm going to make my putt,' " Nicklaus says. "Of course, I didn't say that, but the mind-set is a healthy one for match play. If I had an eight-footer and my partner had a 12-footer on a different line, I might want to just hit mine in. Point is, don't rely on your partner, rely on yourself. You're playing your own ball, so think about what you can do."

By Michael Breed:
Have a safety drive: On a crucial hole, driving the ball in the fairway can be the difference between free drinks and picking up the check. "What I tell my students is, make a practice swing and feel what's happening to your body. Feel what it's like to stay in balance," Breed says. "If you can maintain your balance, the club will tend to meet the ball in the center of the face." Staying in balance also will improve your rhythm, he says, which always helps prevent wild tee shots.

By Padraig Harrington:
One hole at a time: "If you're down, your goal is to win that hole. Get one hole, then the next."

By Tim Mahoney:
Up big? Don't coast: "It's natural to be more cautious with the lead and force your opponent to take risks," Mahoney says. "But being conservative should apply only to the target and club selection. Once it's time to hit, make an aggressive swing. When players get a lead, they tend to guide shots or focus on just avoiding disasters. They start thinking about the next thing, like the next match. You have to keep playing."

Good luck with your game this weekend. I hope you win your matches, unless you're playing against me!

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

Photo by Phillip Toledano/Golf Digest

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Fitness Friday: An exercise to generate serious clubhead speed

Friday, July 27, 2012

Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he presents one excercise that, if done consistently, will really increase your clubhead speed. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: I always smirk when I hear trainers say golfers need better "torso separation" to generate power. It invokes images of a magician sawing a guy in khaki pants and a golf shirt in half. What they really mean is that your hips need to be able to rotate toward the target faster than your upper torso does. This creates a whip-like action that generates a whole lot of clubhead speed. Just watch Rory McIlroy's hips when he swings a driver to understand why he can crush a ball.

Many golfers, however, swing down into the ball with their hips and upper torso moving together. You might have heard the term "keeping the club in front of you." This type of simultaneous body rotation produces a swing where the chest remains facing the clubhead throughout much of the swing--back and through. This is an effective way to play provided you can keep the club from coming too much across the target line on an out-to-in-path. In fact, it provides a great deal of accuracy, and many professional golfers have made a lot of money with this type of swing. Just watch Jason Dufner through impact to see how effective it can be.

Unfortunately, what it won't do is generate the same type of clubhead speed that players such as McIlroy, Gary Woodland and Alvaro Quiros (check out Golf Digest's September issue) possess. If you really want to get longer off the tee and you've already been properly fitted for a driver and ball, then your only other option is to learn to fire your hips toward the target faster and develop some of that "torso separation" trainers keep talking about.

Your goal should be to have your hips facing the target at impact while your chest is still facing the ball. One exercise that can help train this movement is the lateral Heisman. It got its name because the movement somewhat resembles the famous college football trophy. I intended to include the lateral Heisman in the new, advanced 20-in-20 workout, but it got left on the cutting room floor. So consider this a bonus exercise you can add to that workout or whatever routine you are currently doing (see the video below). It's important to note that when doing this exercise, the minute you become so fatigued that your form becomes sloppy, you should stop, rest and then work on moving in the opposite direction.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest

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Fitness Friday: Treatment for bone spurs

Friday, July 20, 2012

Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he discusses bone spurs, a common injury in golf, and how you can treat and prevent them. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: Whether you walk or ride when you play, two common golf injuries can easily be avoided if you wear properly fitted golf shoes. How do your current golf shoes stack up? Consider these checkpoints:

-- Is there room in the tip for your toes to wiggle?

-- Do the uppers feel comfortable against the sides of your feet?

-- Do the insoles adequately support your arches?

-- When you walk, do you feel enough cushion against your heel?

-- Do the uppers feel comfortable around the heel?

If you answered "no," to any of these questions, especially the final three, you're putting yourself in jeopardy of developing bone spurs and/or plantar fasciitis.

Bone spurs are a growth of hard material directly on the bone (golfers also commonly get them on their shoulders and hips). This growth is like a callous. It's the body's defense against overuse, stress, friction, etc. Despite the word "spur," these growths are typically smooth, but they still cause pain by rubbing against nearby tendons and ligaments. In the case of the foot, they often irritate the connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot known as plantar fascia. The heel is where you'll most often feel the pain. Plantar fasciitis is like tendinitis, only it's the inflammation of the plantar fascia tissue.

As you can imagine, these injuries go hand in hand and the root cause many times are tight-fitting shoes with poor arch support and cushioning.

"You need shoes that allow for more motion in the foot and ankle because that puts less torque on your knee and hip," says Dr. Vernon Cooley of Park City (Utah) Medical Center. Cooley performed knee surgery on Tiger Woods in 2008.

It's important to understand that the new "street" style of golf shoes, or golf shoes that look like sneakers, aren't automatically the correct choice. They can have cushioning or tightness issues just as easily as traditional golf shoes. That's why it's important to test several models and sizes before purchasing. Ideally, you should see a podiatrist for an accurate fitting, but it's not mandatory.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest

(Illustration by Bonnie Hofkin)

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British Open Tip: Hold the face open in deep rough

Thursday, July 19, 2012

First, we saw Tiger, then Tim Clark (see photos below), then Tom Watson, then Phil Mickelson. They were each slashing the ball out of the deep rough on Thursday's first round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Tiger's first shot from the left rough on the 15th hole was so tough, he advanced the ball only a few yards into a slightly better lie. Watson, on the 18th hole, underestimated the severity of the taller grass grabbing the club's hosel. It severely closed the clubface, rocketing the ball only 50 yards ahead and straight left into the grandstand. Mickelson's lie on the third hole was so bad, he couldn't see the ball as he swung. He managed to punch it out into the fairway. On the seventh hole, the rough was so deep he was worried he might hurt himself and contemplated taking an unplayable lie. He played out sideways but flew the ball across the fairway into rough on the other side. Clearly unhappy, he took five shots to finally make the green. On the next hole, after a frantic search, he did take an unplayable lie from the rough and saved a bogey.

How do you handle lies in such deep rough? First you need to understand why the clubface closes so dramatically. It's because the tall blades of grass wrap around the club's hosel, stopping the heel of the club from moving, but the toe keeps turning over. The result: a closed clubface. Tiger was quoted after his round that the grass was so tall on his first shot that it wrapped around the actual shaft, not just the hosel. That's deep rough, for sure!

Lee Trevino always said the worse the lie, the tighter you should hold the club. He said to start with the clubface open, "then hold on real tight, as tight as you can."

So here are your basics in deep rough:
-- Start with an open clubface at address
-- Aim right (for right-handers) of where you want the ball to finish
-- Grip more tightly than normal
-- Hit down and through the ball, trying to hold the face square so it doesn't turn over

In Tiger's book How I Play Golf, he addresses a similar predicament--hitting a short pitch from rough around the green. Here's what he said:
-- I use my 60-degree wedge. The tall grass tends to close the clubface, and I need all the loft I can get.
-- I distribute 60 percent of my weight on my forward foot--the one closest to the green. That encourages a steep, knifelike angle of attack with the clubhead.
-- I hold the club more firmly than normal, especially with my left hand. Again, the rough will try to twist the clubface closed.
-- I make a very upright backswing, cocking my wrists abruptly.
-- On the downswing, the force of the clubhead should be expended downward, to penetrate the grass. I don't let the clubhead approach the ball on a level angle. I'd be at the mercy of the rough.
-- I restrict my follow-through. In fact, if I hit down sharply, there won't be any follow-through.

If you have a longer shot and the rough isn't too deep, sometimes a higher-lofted fairway wood is a better play than an iron because there is less hosel for the grass to wrap around. I actually carry my wife's old Callaway 9-wood (I put it in my bag when she got new clubs). It's like a magic club from the rough. The extra loft gets the ball up, and the direction is usually pretty straight.

As for the British Open rough, at least Tim Clark handled it with a great attitude in his first round.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

Photos by Darren Carroll/For Golf Digest

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Mid-week Lesson: How to practice productively

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Years ago, I was fortunate to help one of the game's best teachers write an instruction book. The book never got a lot of recognition, but those who read it have told me it really helped their games. It's called How to Win the Three Games of Golf and was the brainchild of Golf Digest Teaching Professional Hank Johnson, who for many years was the No. 1 Teacher in Alabama. Hank was also a noted player, who had a stellar run at Auburn University and qualified for the 1969 U.S. Open at Champions Golf Club, won by Orville Moody.

Hank came up with the brilliant idea of breaking the game down into three distinct parts: The Golf Swing, the Golf Shot and the Golf Score. If you keep these separate when you work on your game, I promise you'll practice better, play better and score better.

Hank based his ideas on tested motor-learning and educational research. He found that when you're working on your swing, it's best to do it by not hitting golf balls. You'll make much faster progress and the changes will stick if you work on your mechanics and positions away from the range (certainly away from the course) and even without a golf club. Swing a broom or other similar object in front of a mirror, and repeat the correct positions you want to get into. If you try to hit balls and work on your mechanics at the same time, everything often suffers and you often regress and lose confidence.

When you get on the range and start hitting balls, forget about the mechanics you rehearsed without balls. On the range you should be concentrating on hitting golf shots. Pick out specific targets and hit shots to them. Visualize the ball flight and trajectory. If you start thinking of your mechanics, get away from your pile of balls, work out your mechanical thoughts with practice swings, then return to hitting shots thinking non-mechanically.

When you're on the course, all you're doing is putting the shots you practiced on the range into play. Here you should only be concerned with the conditions, your strategy, club selection, and where you want the ball to go. You're simply trying to make a golf score. If you need to think of something in your swing, make sure it's a non-mechanical thought, like visualizing the target, swinging in a smooth tempo or holding your finish.

This approach might be difficult to do at first, and it definitely takes time to start trusting it and staying with it. But if you do, you'll start to play some of the best golf of your life. And you'll also notice that you're not so mentally tired at the end of your rounds. Because you're finally playing golf--really playing golf. Not stressing over your mechanics shot after shot.

Good luck with your game this week, and look for Fitness Friday in two days.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

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How He Hit That: Zach's zinger from the fairway bunker

Monday, July 16, 2012

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 key shot. This week, Kevin looks at Zach Johnson's masterful fairway bunker shot in the sudden-death playoff with Troy Matteson at the John Deere Classic. The ball finished within tap-in distance for an easy birdie and the victory.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter: @RogerSchiffman

By Kevin Hinton
Twitter: @KevinHintonGolf

First, let's go to the videotape:

Here are the keys you need to hit great fairway bunker shots, like Zach Johnson did.

Setup
Be certain to dig your feet into the sand enough to solidify your base, but not excessively. Because you have effectively lowered yourself, you'll need to grip down a bit on the club. Play the ball in its normal starting position, with your shaft and weight leaning slightly toward your front foot. Be careful not to overdo this. Otherwise you'll create too steep of an angle of attack into the sand. In general, your setup should feel quite "normal."

Backswing
Zach hit 6-iron from 194 yards. The ball flew about 185, and released the rest of the way, rolling to within 12 inches of the cup. This was a fairly full 6-iron for Zach, but for the average player, it's a good idea to take one extra club. This will allow for a slight mis-hit, as well as encourage a more controlled swing. An important key to this shot is sound footwork. Zach does this very well throughout this swing, starting with keeping his left foot planted in the backswing. This helps maintain the space between his knees, preventing excessive movement.

Downswing
The most important aspect to the downswing is to create a "shallow" angle of attack into the ball. Your margin for error is dramatically reduced if you hit down too sharply into the sand. It is much better to err on the side of picking the ball out of the bunker. A slightly thin shot will work fine, as long as you have a little extra loft to clear the lip. If you imagine the letters "V" and "U," try to make the bottom of your swing look more like a "U." That will encourage a shallow approach into the ball. Zach definitely took a sandy divot after contact, but it was not too deep or large. Here's a hint: If the color of the sand at the bottom of your divot is considerably darker than the sand your ball was originally sitting on, you've likely made too steep a swing and have dug too deeply into the bunker.

Finish
Make certain to get to a full finish, just like you would on a normal shot from the fairway. I often see golfers staying completely flat-footed throughout the swing, never getting off the back foot. This will definitely lead to fat shots. Zach has great footwork and finishes in perfect balance. His finish is somewhat shorter than that of other players, but it replicates his normal finish on regular iron shots.

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Weekend Tip: How to putt like Stricker

Saturday, July 14, 2012

In the August issue of Golf Digest, on newsstands this week (with Rickie Fowler on the cover), Steve Stricker reveals some of his putting secrets. He's considered one the best putters on the PGA Tour, and his putting stroke is one reason he's won the John Deere Classic the last three years. He's also in contention going into today's third round to win his fourth straight.

One of Stricker's keys to great putting is how he controls the stroke with his left hand. This is what he says:

At address my left wrist is cupped, and my goal is to maintain that angle throughout the stroke. Most people have the shaft leaning toward the target, but the cupped wrist sets the shaft in a more vertical position. I believe this helps me strike the ball consistently in the same place on the putter's face as well as put the best possible roll on the ball. As I said earlier, I'm a left-hand dominant putter. I feel as if my pendulum stroke is moved by my left shoulder, arm and hand working together. Sometimes I practice rolling the ball with just my left arm. It's been my style from day one.

So give Stricker's advice a try and you just might start holing everything like he does.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

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Fitness Friday: How good is your (gym) etiquette?

Friday, July 13, 2012

Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he reflects on how people act in the gym. Let's hope you don't see yourself below! Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: If there's one thing every golfer knows, it's that you quickly have to learn the game's etiquette or you'll feel out of place. Unfortunately, this attitude doesn't always apply to other endeavors. Never is that more apparent than in public gyms. I recently sent out a survey to several well-respected fitness experts and asked them, under the condition of anonymity, the most annoying thing they see people doing in the gym. I explained this could be anything from poor etiquette to performing exercises incorrectly. Here are 10 of their responses:

1. THE CELL-PHONE USER: "People doing exercises on their cell phones, what is that? I once saw a lady doing 20-pound leg presses for about 10 minutes while talking on her phone. Then she went to the leg-extension machine and proceeded to do the same."

2. THE GRUNTER: "I realize that sometimes the strain of performing that last rep might make you groan, but if you're grunting after every rep, you're not only looking for attention, you're also annoying."

3. THE DUMBBELL DROPPER: "Not only does it damage the dumbbell and/or the floor, but if the weight is so heavy that you can't put it down without dropping it, you probably shouldn't be lifting it in the first place."

4. THE TREADMILL WALKER: "Unless you're rehabilitating an injured leg or you have the treadmill jacked up on an incline, simply walking on a treadmill is such a waste of time. When flat, the treadmill actually makes you exert less energy than if you were simply walking. Why bother coming to the gym at all?"

5. THE TREADMILL BRACER: "If you have to hold onto the sides or the back of the treadmill (left), then it's moving too fast for you."

6. THE ROCKER: "I know you've seen this guy before. He's the one rocking his body forward and back to gain enough momentum to arm curl heavier weights. He's supposed to be training his biceps, forearms and shoulders, but his torso is doing all the work. The body should be still while performing arm curls."

7. THE SPACE EATER: "It's a sin when a newbie in the gym sets up in one area and stays there the entire time, especially when he or she is reviewing printed workout sheets between exercises. The same person also takes dumbbells off the rack and stands there, doing the exercise instead of moving away from the rack so others can have access to the weights."

8. THE SWEAT MONSTER: "Some people can't help how much they sweat. That's fine. But what they can do is wipe down anything their sweaty bodies touch. Bring a towel. Use it."

9. MR. and MRS. CARDIO: "I call it the death march. Some people camp out on cardio machines for way, way too long. The reason they do it is because it's easy. You'll never see long lines in the free-weights section. Not only do long cardio sessions effectuate a law of diminishing returns in terms of weight loss--the body becomes more efficient--but golf is a power sport. There's no better way to reduce power in an athlete than by breaking down the muscle with long-duration cardio. Ever see a marathon runner? It's better to do high-intensity interval training or no more than 20 minutes of cardio."

10. THE NO PAINER, NO GAINER: "If something hurts, don't do it. Plain and simple. And yet, I see so many people doing movements in the gym that will surely result in injury. Worse, many trainers aren't trained well enough to stop it from happening. Just because you saw some musclehead doing an exercise or saw someone on TV doing it, that doesn't mean it's safe. Form and technique matter, too."

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest

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How She Hits That: Copy Choi's balance

Monday, July 9, 2012

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 key shot. This week, Kevin analyzes the swing of Korea's Na Yeon Choi, who won the U.S. Women's Open at Blackwolf Run by four strokes over Amy Yang. Choi bounced back after a triple bogey with birdies on three of the next six holes, which might have more to do with her Vision54 approach than any specific shot. Her full swing, however, is picture perfect, as Kevin points out from the video below.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

By Kevin Hinton
Twitter: @KevinHintonGolf

1. Choi does a beautiful job of setting the club in her backswing. By the time her left arm is parallel to the ground, her wrists have fully hinged as the shaft points skyward. This angle creates the potential for power and puts the club into a very "light" position. The club will feel heavy in comparison if you don't have ample wrist hinge at this point. She also has a very quiet look to her body motion. Choi's backswing really couldn't be much simpler.

2. As Choi transitions into the downswing, she no longer has a "quiet" look to her body motion--and that's a good thing. This slow-motion video clip clearly shows how her first move into the downswing is triggered by the shifting forward and unwinding of her lower body. These two moves happen nearly simultaneously, but many amateurs often miss the lateral movement required in proper downswing hip action. In the quest for the correct hip movements throughout your swing, it might be helpful to think of your hips making two turns with a shift in the middle. In the backswing your hips essentially only turn, followed by a lateral shift in the transition, then a continued rotation through impact and into the finish....turn, shift, turn.

3. Choi's finish couldn't be any better. Her balance is impeccable, and her upper body has now caught up with and passed her lower body rotation. Her shoulders have rotated well beyond the target, and the the clubshaft aligns right through the back of her head. This is a classic finish, and she looks as if she could stand there all day. You can't go wrong copying this position.

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Fitness Friday: Ben Shear strengthens your core

Friday, July 6, 2012

Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he discusses how the core muscles affect the golf swing, and what fitness expert Ben Shear prescribes to strengthen the core. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: Golf is a rotational sport. It's no different from baseball, hockey, shot put--anything that requires the trunk to twist from one direction to another in ballistic fashion. For that to happen effectively, the muscles that allow you to walk upright and maintain various postures have to be strong. Even the simplest tasks such as reaching out and lifting an object require assistance from the muscles that are located in the mid-section of the body.

By now, you've probably heard these muscles referred to as "the core." Many people mistakenly think the core are the six abdomen muscles, including the rectus abdominus (six-pack muscle). The abs are only part of the core. The gluteal muscles (butt), hip muscles, latissimus dorsi and erector spinae muscles (back) also are considered part of the group.

OK, enough with the anatomy lesson. The point is, without a strong core, which provides stability for the rotational power needed to swing a golf club effectively, you might as well take up chess.

Top fitness trainer Ben Shear (@ben_shear) is an expert on diagnosing swing flaws based on physical deficiencies, and he says a lack of core stability is a major issue with amateur golfers. Shear, who works with Luke Donald, Jason Day and Webb Simpson on the PGA Tour, says the amateurs he sees who have weak cores can't make an adequate turn off the ball and/or stop their swing just past impact. Many of them easily lose their balance when they swing. A great analogy would be to think of trying to swing your driver on a hockey rink versus a basketball court. Without stability, an aggressive swing is going to get out of control in a hurry.

There are dozens of muscles that will improve core stability. One of Shear's favorites is the plank, which engages and strengthens much of the core. The problem with planking, however, is that the shoulders often fatigue before the core muscles do. So unless you "spice it up," Shear says you will gain only so much benefit. With that in mind, Shear shows you an advanced plank that will really make those core muscles work long before the shoulders tire. Click on the video below to see his demonstration.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest

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