Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. This was my first time ever attending a major event, and this was truly an experience of a life time. I have been to a few other PGA Tournaments and a couple at Pebble Beach but this was nothing like the events I have been to. The atmosphere was amazing and the weather was perfect allowing you to capture the true beauty of the course. To top it off, I had tickets to the Lexus Suite right on the 18th fairway. Not only was it an awesome location to watch players come down the famous 18th fairway, inside the tent every meal was catered and there was open bar too! I even had the opportunity to meet Johnny Miller and Annika Sorenstam (more on that in a future post). To be able to walk the grounds of such a historic golf course at one of the biggest events on tour was so exciting. I went to be a spectator but as I walked through the gates and took in my surroundings I realized this was going to be a great opportunity to really be a student of the game. As a golf professional I am always looking for new things to help improve my game and at the same time try to discover new ways to help other golfers improve.
After venturing out onto the course and watching Mickelson, Villegas, Mahan, Barnes, Harrington and some of the other big names in the morning play a few holes I headed out to the driving range where I knew I would be able to watch the afternoon players warm up. On the way to the range I stopped for a few minutes at the putting green where Miguel Angel Jimenez was rolling a few putts and smoking his trademark cigar. As I watched him make putt after putt I started to pay close attention to his hands. Here are a couple notes about putting that I noticed watching Jimenez and also saw in other players on the course:
- PUTTING – Most players that I work with on the putting green make quick short putting strokes and jab at the ball. They also hold the putter grip way too tight. First, maintain soft grip pressure throughout the entire putt. Make sure you make a fluid/smooth putting motion through the ball. Complete the stroke finishing with your putter low to the ground. There is a lot more to putting but this is a good start.
Finally I made it to the range and it was a range experience like no other. I stood at the very top of the grand stands right in the middle watching Westwood, Els, Garcia, Ishikawa, McIlroy, Baddeley, Rocco and many others hit ball after ball. Their swings were effortless. The sound of the club making contact with the ball on every shot was so crisp. And then Tiger Woods made his entrance… The crowd at the range stood on their feet applauding him as he greeted a couple of players and made his way to the stall directly in front of me. I couldn’t have planned it much better. I have been a Tiger Woods fan since his days at Stanford. As a junior golfer I was able to follow him at the Western Regionals at Stanford where he signed a shirt for me that I still have today. Regardless of his off the course drama, he still is a great golfer. I will leave it at that…
As I watched all of the players warm up I picked up on a few key points that I believe are important to every golfer’s swing:
- TEMPO – Every player had a smooth slow tempo. Every club that they hit on the range, whether it was a wedge or driver, they would never over swing. Next time you are on the course or at the range try to slow down your swing. It really does work. I have always been a fast player with a fast swing. I have slowed down my swing and have worked with students to slow down their swings and the results speak for themselves. Cleaner contact, greater control, and even more distance.
- POSTURE – Many average golfers have poor posture. This is usually one of the first things that I look at when watching people hit balls on the range. Next time you watch a golf tournament on TV, notice how all of the pros have good posture. Some examples of poor posture are having your back hunched over or rounded, your head tucked down into your chest, and your shoulders pointing inward. It can be just one or a combination of a few of these. Try to keep your back straight/stand taller, pick your head up so that you can turn your shoulder under your chin, or pull your shoulders back. You can work on your posture even without being at the range. Use a mirror at home and take a look at your posture. It will feel awkward at first but this will help when done correctly. (I will put up a video or pictures to illustrate this in a future post)
- PICK A TARGET - I know that it is very easy to go to the range, get into a rhythm and beat balls until you get blisters. But if you do not pick out a target, how do you know if you are actually making a good swing? All of the pros were hitting at specific targets and distances. Tiger was hitting clubs to different spots on the range that were not greens. His first shot he picked out a board on the left side of the range and hit a nice pitch shot that bounced right off the board. A few minutes later he picked out a group of trees on the right and was trying to shape his shots over and around the trees. All ranges will have greens set up for general distances, but if you don’t hit the ball that far or there is not a target for the club that you are using, try to find a specific spot to aim at (as long as it is within the confines of the range). This will allow you to work on your alignment, distance control and shot making.
- FROM THE RANGE TO THE COURSE - For all golfers, one of the most difficult things to do is to take what you do on the range and translating that to shot making on the golf course. I noticed in the afternoon round that all of the golfers that I watched on the range who were hitting the ball so straight and pure even had trouble finding their groove on the course. They lost their tempo, were over swinging at times, and didn’t look as confident as they did warming up. Of course the nerves, difficulty of the course, and all the other distractions don’t help much. The next time you tee it up remember to keep a slow smooth tempo, strong posture, and pick out specific targets.
An amazing course, great golf, and perfect weather made for an awesome experience at the U.S. Open. If you ever get an opportunity to go to any PGA Tour event, make sure you take a few minutes to stop by the driving range. You get to see how the pros practice and get ready for a big day on the course.
All the topics that I touched on are important to building a good golf swing and becoming a better golfer. There are many more topics and details to discuss in the future installments of “M.Y. Life on the Green.” Stay tuned for more tips but until then I will leave you with a quote from the late great coach John Wooden, “The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.”
