SWING KEY: A NEW ROUTE TO SUCCESS
Curtis hopes a change in swing path will yield more PGA Tour winsBy Ron KaspriskeMany golf fans remember that Ben Curtis won a British Open, but he has two more victories on the PGA Tour and helped the U.S. team reclaim the Ryder Cup last fall, beating Lee Westwood in his singles match. It seems appropriate to list some of the highlights on his résumé, says his teacher Steve Johnson, because most people don't know how good a golfer Curtis really is."I'm telling you, he has the kind of mind that can win tournaments," says Johnson, who teaches at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch at Vista Ridge in Lewisville, Tex. "Ben keeps his thoughts simple, he's patient, he battles through adversity, and he's not easily rattled. He doesn't need someone standing behind him trying to analyze every shot. He wants to understand his mistakes and the corrections, and then practice them during off-weeks."At the top of Curtis' to-do list is to groove a better swing shape for more power and accuracy. Early in his career, according to Johnson, Curtis swung the club back too far to the inside, which caused him to make a series of compensations to get it into a good hitting position. In doing that, he relied too much on his timing. "Like a lot of players, Ben would have to save the shot by manipulating the club with his hands at impact," says Johnson.To improve Curtis' consistency, the pair has been working on the first part of the backswing. "One key is getting Ben to hinge his wrists up and down as if he was hammering a nail or casting a fishing rod. Combine that with the proper turn and forearm rotation, and he's able to keep the club in position to produce more consistent and powerful shots."Curtis' new swing is a work in progress, though. As Johnson reviewed these photos, he noticed remnants of the old swing still lingering (see Johnson's frame-by-frame comments). "I've seen improvements each time we've gotten together. Ben, or any pro golfer, gets more confidence in a technique change when he can see that the change is producing better results," says Johnson. "The new swing is definitely starting to take."