Breaking 70

At the Memorial Tournament one year, I was paired with Jack Nicklaus and fellow tour player Greg Powers. There was a rain delay, and when we got back to the ninth tee to resume play, Greg was hitting old balls into the woods. (That was allowed back then.) I asked him what he was doing and he said, "You see that V in the tree? I'm trying to hit balls through the branches. So far I'm 0-for-5." Seeking a challenge, I joined him but also went 0-for-5.

Then Jack walked up. He asked what we were doing, and when we told him, he yelled to his caddie, "Angelo, give me a ball." His first shot went right through the middle, and we all laughed!

Jack said that game reminded him of a drill he once discovered. In looking at a spot in front of the ball for alignment, Jack found he was getting more accurate because he also was starting his ball flight on the same line. It's a great drill to try.

ON THE BALL: Your ball position can determine the flight path.

Ball position improves impact and flight: November 2007; To improve impact and straighten your shots, here's how to use the intermediate-target drill Jack talked about. Pick a spot on your target line that's about 10 yards in front of the ball. Have someone watch to see if your ball passes over that spot. If it goes right of it, your ball position might be too far back in your stance. If it goes left of the intermediate target, then your ball position might be too far forward. There's only one position in the swing where the clubface is square to the target line.

Perfecting pitches

There's a difference between the finish and follow-through positions, and understanding that will make you hit better pitch shots. A pitch swing should end at the follow-through position, defined as the point past impact before either the left elbow or both elbows bend. The finish occurs when the club's through-swing momentum ends naturally.

On most pitches, you shouldn't swing to a finish position because the ball will fly too far. You also cannot decelerate to reduce the distance, because you'll likely hit it fat or thin. But by swinging to the follow-through position, you can still accelerate through impact and regulate distance.