Wow! What a great Masters tournament this year. I am glad they are now setting up the course so that the players can make birdies and eagles and go low again. The roars are back at Augusta and it was very exciting once again. Here are my observations and some video that I shot. It is a bit rough but I hope you enjoy it. If you have never had a chance to go to Augusta, you must go at least once. It is like no other place and is one of my favorite places on earth.
1. Great to see Phil be courageous and actually pull it off. The shot on 13 was phenomenal.
2. My childhood idol, Fred Couples gave us some hope and nearly won at 50, wow that would have been a story.
3. Tiger continues to amaze at how he can get the most out of his round with his C swing, incredible. I hope he comes to Charlotte.
4. Anthony Kim seems to have his form and head on straight, great to see.
5. Biggest Disappointments were Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel.
6. Lee Westwood officially gets the label of the best player without a major. He will win the British Open.
Give me your thoughts on the Masters. It was one for the ages.
See you on the lesson tee: to schedule a lesson call 704-542-7635 or visit danarader.com,
It’s Official. The golf season officially starts this week as the years first major championship starts this week. I managed to make it down to what I feel is the most beautiful place on earth, Augusta National Golf Club. My day started at about 4:30 as I arrived at the gate just before 8 o’clock. I immediately hit the course with video camera in hand, hoping to get a shot at Mr. Woods and Fred Couples. I timed it just right as Woods and Couples were coming down the second. I camped out behind the long par 3 fourth hole. Tiger approached the tee to a welcoming applause and proceeded to slice it in the front bunker and I captured it on camera. He appeared pretty relaxed and was very engaging with the crowd that seemed to accept him back to the game. I am sure he was thinking about his press conference that would take place a few hours later so I didn’t read much into the loose shots that I saw Tiger hit. It looked as though he was just glad to back out on the course and in his comfort zone. The golf course looked very good even though the azaleas were not quite in bloom. I am sure the Masters staff are going to work there magic and get them to pop by Thursday for the television coverage. It is great to see the best players and how they prepare for a tournament and there is a lot to be learned if you pay attention. Hitting shots to different parts of the greens and hitting chips and rolling putts to every possible pin position. I spent a lot of time at the newly constructed practice tee and short game area (which is phenomenal to say the least). This is where you can really see how the guys put the work in and work with their coaches. As I watched the players hitting balls, working on their short games and putting, here are some simple things that I observed and are great reminders for all of us trying to improve our games.
1. Ross Fisher rolling putts while his coach lined him up from behind.
2. Rory Mcilroy rolling putt after putt using a chalk line for alignment
3. Every player had dowel rods or clubs on the ground for alignment (including Els, Quiros, Schwartzel and Singh), taking nothing for granted………do you?
4. Vijay Singh using a variety of objects including an umbrella placed just outside the target line to keep him from swinging too much from the inside.
5. Kevin Na and Matt Kutchar making slow motion rehearsal swings in between every shot. Something that I preach in every lesson
I took plenty of video that I will edit and share if I find appropriate in the near future. Many of the players looked sharp but I was particularly impressed with one young player. Charl Schwartzel.
For those of you that are in a Masters pool, I will make him my dark horse pick of the week. See you next time and enjoy watching the Masters. Oh, and lastly……Alvero Quiros is as long as advertised…..Wow he is long.
Jim Furyk wins the Transitions Championship this past week at Innisbrook Resort by one shot over K.J. Choi. With all of the weather delays from rain and high winds, it was a definite grinders paradise and right up Jim Furyk’s ally. As you know, Jim has never been a conventional player. From his unorthodox swing (although it is beautiful in my eyes), his double overlap full swing grip to his cross-handed putting grip. Normally Furyk wins with his accuracy and steadiness but this week it was his scrambling (leading the field at 80%) and his putting. He also won with an upside down putter grip. Yes, that’s right. His dad turned his putter grip upside down, drilled a bigger hole in the top and put it on his putter backwards. It felt good in his hands and he wins with not only a backwards hand grip style but with an upside down grip, very cool I think. So what can we learn from Mr. Furyk’s putting style?
His Grip: Why I like left hand low– The biggest cause of poor putting is too much clubface rotation. Jim does an excellent job of setting the handle up so it matches his forearms and is more in the palms of his hands. This limits the movement of the club face throughout the stroke. Another huge error that amateurs make in the putting stroke is breaking down the lead wrist through impact. The left hand low style tends to limit this as well. Finally, placing the left hand below the right lowers the lead shoulder and allows the stroke to finish lower through which I think is a big deal in hitting the ball solid.
2. Jim’s Connected Setup: I like how Jim keeps the upper arms connected to his shoulders which power the stoke. refer to my previous putting video for further explanation.
The lesson to be learned is that unconventional can work if it repeats and you believe in it. So if you are doing something that looks funny but the results are there, KEEP DOING IT! Look for Jim Furyk to win a major this year, see if I am right.
This is the follow-up with a tour player that I work with, John Eades. One of our goals for this year is to improve our wedge play. Here you get a live look at one of our lessons and what we are working on with Johns technique. Listen closely because this is a technique that I have been working on that might be a little different than you have heard before. I think it will help all of you out there in Guru Nation. Enjoy and ask questions.
Pitching is one of the most important shots around the green and where I see the average golfer lose a lot of strokes.
Stay tuned for the second part where you get to see John hit some shots and talk about his practice routine. If you listen closely to a tour players interviews, you will here some very important buzz words like self belief and attitude. I can tell you that John has matured into a very fine player and I expect him to have a fantastic year. Thanks for sharing your story John, It is a privilege to be your coach.
After watching the Phoenix Open this weekend and hearing the story about Ricky Fowler, it got me thinking about all of the juniors that I have worked with over the years. One of our jobs as coaches is to teach but also nurture talented kids and help them to enjoy the game. Can a talented kid be ruined by an over zealous instructor that tries to make him or her look like Tiger Woods or what they think there perfect swing model should look like. We have to be careful with this. I am not saying that you shouldn’t change juniors swings because I have done plenty of that. What I am saying is recognize certain moves or individual qualities in a young players swing that shouldn’t be messed with in order to just make it look pretty. Ricky Fowler is a perfect example of this kind of individual style.
BARRY McDONNELL FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR
You won’t find Barry McDonnell on any top teacher list but there should be one for teachers that have to ability to not destroy talent. Jim Furyk’s dad would be at the top of that list as well. Understanding what is important in the golf swing and leaving the rest of it alone if the player has the ability to repeat the important stuff. Barry is the only coach that Ricky had since he was 3. When asked about Ricky’s swing and how he teaches juniors, Barry said,”I try to make sure I don’t tell juniors things they don’t need to know, so they don’t get confused. You could see Rickie was a little lopsided when he started, his weight on one side where he would dig in for power, but he was right on plane. He swung his dad’s driver even when he was little.” Some may call this old school but I call it brilliant. When asked about this Barry responded,” I let kids find their own personality in their swings. I just try to get the fundamentals in there, but I don’t try to make them all look-alike. If the club is coming from the inside, and they get square to the ball, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a good swing.”
I am not saying that there is a formula for evaluating talent in Juniors. I think it almost a gut feeling that a coach has and that the kid displays some signs of talent. The number one thing is can they shoot a low number. Just be cognizant in the fact that if a kid has some funky moves in his or her golf swing yet does what is important which is hit great shots and can score, leave it alone. Here are the 3 things that I think are important in the swing and I will expand on this more in a later post or video. If you focus on these three areas you can’t stray too far off the path to success.
1. Pay attention to the basics – (notice I didn’t say fundamentals): I think this word is overused in teaching since there are so many variables and fundamentals say that every grip etc. should be the same and we know this is not true. Grip=sqauare club face, Set-up/Posture=efficient pivot, Alignment=intended starting line of ball etc.
2. On Plane Downswing/straight plane line– The backswing is overrated. It just has to allow for a repeatable onplane downswing.
3. Impact– A flat left wrist and a forward leaning shaft. Maybe the most important alignment in golf.
Ricky does all of these things very well. Despite some unconventional moves, he owns it and has since he was little, and there is something to be said for Trust and Ownership under pressure. Now if we can just work on his course management…..Go For The Green Ricky…….(Just kidding)
Pay attention to these three areas. If a junior can repeat this in his or her swing, be careful to change anything else. Teach them to chip, pitch and putt, the mental side and play golf with them as much as possible. Spend time coaching and less time teaching and I think we will see more players like Ricky come into the game. I have some advice for the parents as well but I will save it for another post. Parents please encourage and let the coach do his or her job….that’s all for now.
In order to regain some of my old form, I hit a few ball this week in the cold Charlotte weather. I have always been a very solid ball striker but over the years I have lost a few yards. In order for me to compete I need to hit it further so this is what I have been working on. I have always been fascinated by the fact that some guys on tour hit it a lot further than other guys, yet they don’t look that much different. What separates a guy like J.B. Holmes and a guy like Brian Gay? They are relatively the same size. I spend a large majority of my teaching time trying to shorten players swings. The average golfer has the belief that a long backswing creates distance. This could not be farther from the truth. On the priority list, length usually ranks about 10 for me. It is much more important to create width in your swing. Width is the distance between your hands and your sternum. The bigger your swing circle is throughout your swing, the more speed you can create. I have always set the club early in my swing and in my younger days my shoulders turned a bit more. I have a ton of downswing lag in my swing but my circle tends to get too small and narrow which causes me to lose speed. I have worked extremely hard on my fitness so I know I am strong enough to hit it longer. I made one simple change and feel and started to hit it 10 to 15 yards longer with a seven iron. Here is what I did Continue reading “Width is Better than Length”
Steve Stricker takes a six shot lead into the Northern Trust Open, shoots 70 and hangs onto a 2 shot victory over Luke Donald. This moves him into the 2nd place in the world rankings and is currently the best player in the world that is actually playing golf. I have heard that Tiger is out of sex rehab and is making his début at the World Match Play but can anyone confirm this? I don’t know? Phil Mickelson continues to be a little rusty as he shoots 73 in the last round and finishes 45th. Phil currently has Butch on speed dial as well he should. Will this be the year that Stricker wins his first major? He is full of confidence and with this positive attitude and his steady game, I would not be surprised if he won several more tournaments and even a major. What major would his game be suited for? Masters, U.S. Open maybe? As simple as his golf swing appears, he really held it together coming down the stretch with a wonderful short game and rolling the ball beautifully. So what can we learn from Steve Strickers technique?
Here is my analysis of why his swing works: 1) A simple one-piece takeaway with a very late wrist hinge. His shoulders and torso must rotate properly to set the club at the top. Great shoulder turn and perfect spine angle tilted slightly away from the target. But this is only the half of it.
2) An excellent transition as his body unwinds in the proper sequence in the forward swing. Lower body starts as the upper resists and hands remain passive. This is his key to success. If Strick had a passive body rotation or the upper body was too fast, the club head would surely pass the handle too soon and he would lose power. So mental note: One piece takeaway with limited wrist hinge must be coupled with a strong body rotation in the forward swing (his main power source).
Strickers Pitching and Putting:
Steve incorporates his one piece move in his pitch shots as well. He controls his distance with the length of his swing on both sides (symmetrical) with passive hands. The Key Move: He leads with his lower body and allows the arms and hands to follow suit. Without this key move, he would break down at impact. Again, you must have a good body pivot to be an effective pitcher of the golf ball but especially if you have none or limited wrist hinge.
Putting: Strick is a straight line putter. This is not my preference but it works for him because he does too things: 1. sets up with his wrists arched and the heel of the putter off the ground. This sets the shaft more vertical to the ground which is critical for this type of style. 2. rocks his shoulders a little steeper than most players on tour which creates a straight line path.
So the number one thing we can learn from Mr. Stricker is to match your style to what your body will allow. Be consistent from full swing to short game to putting. But the most important thing is to be Confident and To Own It. See you next time and don’t forget to breathe, preferably in your backswing like Steve Stricker or when you hold the trophy over your head. Oh and don’t forget to thank your instructor in your victory speech.
I am back in town and managed to catch the last round of the Farmers Championship. I did not have a chance to blog about last weeks Bob Hope but it can all be summed up in a few sentences. Congratulations to Billy Haas for his first victory. He played great but the big story were the guys chasing him. In my opinion, the defining moment was when the longest hitter on tour, Bubba Watson has a chance to go for the par 5 14th and chooses to lay-up. This was a long par 5 that nobody but the longest hitters could even take a shot. The lesson to be learned is this: Continue reading “The Bob Hope and Farmers Championship Recap”
Ryan Palmer outdueled Aussie Veteran Robert Allenby down the stretch at the P.G.A. Tour’s first full field event. The Sony Open was a very entertaining and interesting tournament chalked full of top players and veterans hitting great shots and holing big putts. We had the likes of Steve Stricker, Davis Love, Retief Goosen and Carl Petterson all trying to track down maybe the hottest golfer on the planet (Allenby), playing with a bad ankle believe it or not, and Ryan Palmer who is not a household name and finished 150th on last years money list. So what can we learn from watching this weeks event, other than the fact that it does pay to keep the flag stick in while pitching (true). In my continued journey to make all of you educated viewers of golf, not just entertainment, but as a venue to dissect and learn something that will help you with your own game. One of the most frequent questions that I get asked from my students is,”During a round of Golf, how do I keep my swing together for the entire round?”. We have all had rounds that begin great and the wheels fall off or vice-versa, you start poorly and suddenly turn it around. So how do we hold it together and make strings of great swings under pressure. The answer to the question is Continue reading “Meaningful Rehearsals Are Only Second To Exagerrated Ones”
The Golf Guru Show 