News: Instruction
May 15 2012
10:22 am
Tip from Travis: Kuchar’s takeaway
Kuuuuuuuuutch! I’m not sure if there could be a better start to the PGA TOUR season as yet another young American found the winner’s circle. There was no question Matt Kuchar was the most consistent player over four days at THE PLAYERS Championship. All week, Kuchar showed the game and patience needed to navigate the difficult Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
At the TOUR Academies, we get a lot of questions about Kuchar’s golf swing. It is certainly a bit unusual seeing that its shape is more around the body and flat as compared to most swings you see on the PGA TOUR. However, it is certainly a swing that can help so many amateurs when understood.
TRAVIS’ TIP
One of the things I like about Kuchar’s swing is the path of his hands during the backswing. Matt does a great job of keeping his upper left arm attached to the side of the body while his shoulders turn. This allows his hands to travel to the inside and not away from his body. One of the most common errors during the backswing is the lead arm becomes immediately disconnected from the body during the backswing. This movement is usually countered with the club head moving behind the hands, which results in a faulty plane and eventually compensation on the downswing and/or impact.
What’s important to understand here is that your hands and the clubhead should be viewed as two separate components during the backswing. Now everything is always relative, but most amateurs need to feel a combination where the hands stay close to the body as described above and over the toe-line with the clubhead working up and slightly to the outside of the hands.
Kuchar does a great job of blending these two components during the initial backswing. A good checkpoint is when the shaft reaches parallel to the ground — it should also be parallel and over your toe-line. Again, at this point your upper lead arm should be attached to the body with the toe of the clubface pointing slightly toward 11 o’clock. This is a great position to get your swing started just like Kuchar does.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
May 8 2012
10:49 am
Tip from Travis: Get Funk’s address
As excited as I am regarding Rickie Fowler’s win at the Wells Fargo Championship, I am even more ecstatic about Fred Funk winning for the first time in two years on the Champions Tour at the Insperity Championship. Now of course I am a bit biased, being that Fred has been a student of mine for the last year. However, understanding everything that Fred has went through to get back into the winner’s circle, it truly is an amazing story.
So to you, Rickie, I apologize for this week’s blog but look forward to writing about many more wins to come – perhaps at this year’s PLAYERS Championship.
Like so many here in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., we all watched in anticipation as Funk birdied four of the last five to win by one over Tom Lehman. Over the last year, Fred has worked really hard to get his game back to the highest level. One of the keys to his game was to create an environment with all shots where he could find the bottom of the swing more instinctively.
With putting and his short game, the importance lied in the address position where with the full swing it came into understanding his body motion.
TRAVIS’ TIP
Putting – Many times over the years I have discussed the relevance of the right forearm at address. What’s important is keeping the right forearm is on the same plane angle as the putter shaft. When this occurs, the putterhead has a much better chance to move on a natural arc with the bottom occurring at impact.
Short game – One of the keys to the bottom of the arc in short game is to get the sternum over the golf ball. Like many players, Fred has a tendency to get the sternum behind the ball, which can lead to some inconsistency. With the sternum more over the ball, the clubhead bottoms out consistently past the ball, leading to more instincts around the green.
Full swing – One of the keys for Fred is to keep his head centered during the swing. One of the most common errors for better players is their head moves too much off the ball (righthanded golfer – to the right). Therefore, the key is to feel the lead shoulder move on a steeper angle and/or the feeling as if the spine leans a bit towards the target. This keeps the head more centered and allows once again a more repeatable divot through impact.
This full-swing thought is something you are seeing a lot in today’s game. Much of this comes from the study of biomechanics in the golf swing. Leaders in biomechanics in our industry include Dr. Phil Cheetham, Dr. Rob Neal, Andy Plummer, Mike Bennett and others that have done a great job in enhancing how the pivot is taught. Although the pivot is not everything, it has great value when controlling the bottom of the swing arc.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
May 1 2012
10:00 am
Tip from Travis: Dufner’s backswing
It was only a matter of time before Jason Dufner captured his first title on the PGA TOUR. This year, Dufner has been the model of consistency and this week at The Zurich Classic, it was no different.
I guess to the average golf fan, it was bittersweet in some ways as Dufner won his first title overtaking another crowd favorite — Ernie Els on the second playoff hole — but it was good to see Jason close the deal and get that well-deserved first win.
Dufner is one of those players that displays a very simple golf swing. When you watch swings like Dufner’s, it doesn’t really seem like much can go wrong. One of the things that makes this possible is how he sets the club at the three-quarter position of the backswing. Dufner does a great job positioning the club so it points towards the target line during the backswing. This on-plane position sets the stage for him to basically just turn and hit it on the downswing.
TRAVIS’ TIP
Learning to set the club on-plane at the three-quarter position of the backswing can be a very helpful tip for many amateurs. If you can achieve this, the science would suggest that it is much easier to achieve a more repeatable downswing and impact position.
An on-plane position at this point is when the club has that nice approximate 45-degree look to it, where the butt end of the club points towards the target line. Dufner really exaggerates this during his pre-shot with some excessive waggles, and he will sometimes rehearse it to where the butt of the club points outside the target line.
One of the most common errors at this point in the swing is to get the clubshaft too vertical. Although this can be overcome on the downswing, learning to rotate the lead forearm and clubshaft to a more angled position can make things a lot easier.
Focus at home on making backswings to a three-quarter position pointing the butt end of the club to the target line. Do this a number of times to get the feeling, and then take it to the golf course and turn and hit it like the Dufner.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
April 24 2012
9:51 am
Tip from Travis: Curtis’ comeback
After a winless drought and lots of hard work, Ben Curtis is back on top after winning the Valero Texas Open. What’s interesting is that over the last two weeks we have discussed two guys — Bubba Watson and Carl Pettersson — that haven’t really changed their swings over the years and have elected to be their own swing coach. However, this week, we have a winner in Ben Curtis who has done lots of work to his swing and overall game to get back into the winner’s circle.
During this time, I have thought a lot about much of the publicity that Bubba Watson and Carl Pettersson have received about their home-bred swings, and how this has perhaps slightly tainted today’s coaching model that consists of swing instructors, trainers, sports psychologists, high speed cameras, launch monitors and more. Of course, working in the coaching business, I like to think we can help all golfers, but the reality is that golf instruction and technology is not for everybody.
TRAVIS’ TIP
So the question becomes: Is golf instruction for you? Here are a handful of things to think about, just as Ben Curtis did when he made the decision to change his swing and work on his game to get back on top.
1. Are you happy with your skillset? Every day at the TOUR Academies, we work to help golfers improve their skillset — whether it’s hit a draw off the tee, take a more consistent divot with the irons, improved bunker play, etc. Educating golfers on what they need to do to improve their skillset can be a great experience.
Key: Good information in the right order.
2. Are you happy with your approach to the game? One of the most important things in golf is managing your expectation level to the amount of time you are putting into it. Only you can decide your definition of fun. Educating golfers on what they need to do to help manage their time is an important issue to the popularity and growth of our sport.
Key: Good attitude with a balanced approach.
3. Are you taking responsibility with your game? There is no bigger distraction to one’s game then blaming the golf course or others when it comes to measuring results. The reality is this: Golf is one of the most independent games you will ever play. As a golfer, you need to own your game, but also understand there are trained professionals that can help you in the areas of the game that may be in need of assistance.
Key: Take control of your game and own it.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
April 17 2012
5:52 pm
Tip from Travis: Pettersson’s setup
Carl Pettersson, who made win No. 5 on the PGA TOUR in the RBC Heritage, is a player who sets up a bit more upright then the norm.
This a result of how he positions his lead wrist in a more level to slightly uncocked position. Although Pettersson exaggerates this a bit, it is a good visual for a lot of amateurs to see as most error too much the other way.
I had the great opportunity to write my first article for the April issues of Golf Digest and ironically, I chose to write about the importance of the trail forearm at address in the full swing and putting. At the TOUR Academies, we encourage our players to learn to align the trail forearm to mirror the angle of the club shaft in the full swing and to perfectly align it with the putter.
TRAVIS’ TIP
To learn this, position your lead arm in front of your body about shoulder height, and point the fingers straight ahead. This would be considered a level lead wrist. From here, point the wrists to the sky, as this would be considered cocking the wrist. Conversely, to the ground would be un-cocking the wrist. Pettersson positions the lead wrist in a more level-to-slightly uncocked position at address. As a result, the clubshaft angle is very upright. The significance of this lead wrist position is this: It allows the right forearm to be positioned closer to the same plane as the clubshaft at address in the full swing, and exactly on the same plane with the putter. This is because the grip is being positioned towards the palms.
One of the most common errors at address is to position the club shaft angle too low at address. This very flat clubshaft angle at address now cocks the lead wrist too much, and positions the right forearm on a much different plane angle then that of the clubshaft. This is certainly a manageable setup, as you will still see clear representation of this with many of the best players. However, what you must understand is that at impact, this setup will force an extreme rise in the club’s shaft to create an inline relationship with the right forearm.
This extreme rise in the clubshaft can lead to poor impact alignments with the clubshaft, clubface and/or the body for many amateurs.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
April 10 2012
9:13 am
Tip from Travis: Bubba’s big hook
By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, TOUR Academy
You gotta love it: Bubba Watson won The Masters. Even though players that swing like Bubba make my job more difficult, I always enjoy watching them play golf and do things with the ball that — I and the majority of us — can’t do.
What a great shot that was on the second hole of sudden death. I am still sitting here wondering how Bubba hooked a wedge that much, and under that kind of pressure. More impressively then that, how about Bubba launching that PING driver 320 yards every time? With this kind of length off the tee and a skill set that allows for unlimited shot-making, it’s hard to relate to a player like Bubba Watson.
On the PGA TOUR, Bubba has always been known to be able to hook the ball. What’s impressive is not only can he hook it a bunch, but he seems to be able to manage how much it will hook with different clubs.
Although it would be nice to be able to hook the ball like this when needed, here are a few tips to get the ball to just simply draw it to start with.
TRAVIS’ TIP
The first step to drawing the ball is to understand that the clubface needs to be closed to the path of the club head at impact. These alignments are measured in degrees in relationship to the target line. Therefore, to hit a draw, you need to get the path of the clubhead working from the inside through impact. With the path working to the right for a right-handed golfer, the clubface can now work closed to the path, creating the draw spin.
At the TOUR Academies, when teaching this, we will encourage many of our students to drive the clubhead down and out towards right field. When doing this, allow the trail shoulder to work down and under the chin allowing the trail arm to straighten from the inside. Oftentimes, this will give you the feeling as if you are going to push the golf ball to the right.
As this occurs, the clubface will want to rotate and close more through impact on its own. For many of you, this closing of the face will be a new feeling and can be supported by allowing the lead hand to turn down, where the knuckles are facing the ground.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
April 3 2012
11:07 am
Tip from Travis: Mahan’s attack angle
Hunter Mahan wins for the second time this year with another great performance at the Shell Houston Open. There is a lot to like about Mahan’s game, and he is hitting on all cylinders heading into the game’s first major championship of the year at Augusta National.
One of the things that we can all learn from Hunter is how he drives the ball so well. What’s important to understand when hitting the driver is learning to control the attack angle through impact. The most common error with the driver is an attack angle that is too steep, robbing so many amateurs of distance and accuracy. Mahan is another good example of a player that controls his attack angle, maximizing his ability to deliver the energy of the driver to head to the back of the ball efficiently.
Travis’s Tip
The first step to achieving a favorable attack angle where the clubhead is travelling more level to the ground at impact is the setup. At address, make sure the driver is sitting more in-line and not leaning towards the target. This shaft angle at address is critical, because a driver is not built to lean too far forward. This promotes a descending blow and an open clubface at impact.
Secondly, it’s highly recommended to have the shoulders square to slightly closed. With such a forward ball position adjacent to the lead shoulder, a very common error is this: Amateurs will turn the upper body and face the ball, allowing the shoulders to open up relative to the target line. As a result, many amateurs need to feel as if the shoulders are actually closed.
After a perfect setup, Mahan does a great job of getting his arm swing and club working around the right hip during the backswing. This creates the depth needed to swing the clubhead from the inside on the downswing. Depth is the ability to get the arms and club behind you. At the top of the swing, you will see Hunter’s lead arm cover his right shoulder. This is a great checkpoint to see the steepness of your lead arm at the top of the swing.
With a good setup and a swing shape working more around (versus up-and-down) the stage is set to create a more favorable attack angle like Hunter Mahan’s.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
March 27 2012
1:15 pm
Tip from Travis: Grip impacts club face
By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, TOUR Academy
Finally, after all this time I get to write about Tiger Woods again and after his first win in over two years – it is yet another golf swing to break down. It has been widely publicized that Tiger and swing coach Sean Foley have been working hard to get Tiger back on track with his full swing and putting; and after watching Tiger this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, I would say he is getting closer.
What’s amazing to me is that Tiger has now won a golf tournament on the PGA TOUR with literally three different golf swings. Of course Tiger had great success with Butch Harmon followed by more wins with Hank Haney and now, he is beginning to play at a high level with Sean Foley.
Tiger’s golf swing is noticeably different under the tutelage of Foley. At the TOUR Academies, we get a lot of questions about what Tiger is doing differently now than before. Although this list is a bit lengthy, nothing is perhaps more noticeable than his use of the club face and club shaft during his backswing.
Historically, Tiger would get the club face to open during his backswing with the club shaft laid off at the top of the swing. These positions would make it difficult to get the club shaft on a good downswing plane and back in front of the body to deliver a manageable club head path and club face relationship through impact. As a result, Tiger’s miss was severe and at times unpredictable with the longer clubs. Therefore, Tiger needed to get in better positions at the top if he wanted to get back on track.
TRAVIS’ TIP
The first step to get the club face more square at the top (from open) was to make the grip stronger. A stronger grip sees both hands rotated to the right. Even at this level of play, the impact of the grip is huge. In addition to the grip, Tiger isn’t rotating the club face as much during the backswing. This is evident when the club shaft reaches parallel to the ground and the toe is slightly down and not pointing straight up. This can serve as a great checkpoint for so many of us.
Next, Tiger is keeping the club shaft more on-plane during the backswing. Where the grip influences in the club face, the posture can have the same effect on the plane. You have noticed how Tiger is more bent forward from the hips with his chest closer to the ground. This dynamic allows his left arm to work more under the left shoulder and closer to the body as the shoulders turn. As a result, there is less rotation in the left forearm which allows the club shaft to work more vertical and on-plane.
With the club face square and the club shaft on plane at the top – Tiger can now once again be instinctive.
Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.
News: Instruction
March 20 2012
9:30 am
Tip from Travis: A putter’s end point
Back to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking goes Luke Donald, as the steady Englishman chipped away at the lead late Sunday to eventually get into a sudden-death playoff with three others. That playoff lasted only 20 minutes — Donald won on the first extra hole with a stuck approach to win the Transitions Championship.
While he’s a world-class ball-striker, it’s Donald’s putting that has set him apart. I don’t think there is anyone on the PGA TOUR that I use more as an example on how to setup a putt than Luke Donald. His setup is built in a way that allows Luke to be instinctive and make a natural putting stroke, rather than one that is controlled and manufactured.
In fact, it’s so good it seems all he needs to do is engage his shoulders, and the path of the putter head and angle of the putter face will work together and match up at impact. As this occurs, Donald does a tremendous job of allowing the stroke to be relatively matched up on both sides of the arc, with a very consistent ending.
Travis Tip
One of the things that can help your putting is thinking about the end point of your stroke. You may have noticed last week that Luke would hold his finish on every putt. At the TOUR Academies, we call this the end point of the putting stroke. A good rule of the thumb is to allow the putterhead to accelerate through impact, and then come to a complete stop at the end point. Do this before you turn and look to see if the ball goes in.
A good end point will improve your chances of releasing the putterhead and making solid contact. As this improves, you will get better feedback on your stroke and build the trust necessary to be a great putter.
News: Instruction
March 13 2012
9:46 am
Tip from Travis: Rose’s routine
One of the things I really like about Justin Rose is how he uses his pre-shot routine to set the stage on what he is trying to do with his golf swing. A big obstacle in golf is taking the things you may do very well at the practice facility to the golf course. At the TOUR Academies, we like to use the pre-shot routine as a vehicle to build in one — maybe two ideas — that you can incorporate into your approach to each shot on the golf course.
A very important part of a good pre-shot routine is your practice swings. You may have noticed how deliberate Rose was with his practice swings at TPC Blue Monster, as it appeared he was really trying to feel his weight shift into the ground through his left foot and how the clubshaft responded to this on the proper angle of attack.
One of the most common errors on the downswing (for amateurs) is they don’t sequence the body motion correctly where the downswing starts with the upper body. This sends the clubshaft on too steep of a plane angle. With that said, these rehearsal swings that Justin Rose makes are a great idea for so many of us to feel the proper transition on the downswing.
Travis’s Tip
To get the idea of this motion position a mirror on the target line to the right for a right-handed golfer. From the top of the swing, feel the lower body shift weight into the ground through lead foot. As this occurs, allow the club shaft to move down so it mirrors the trail forearm. Use the mirror to watch the club shaft come down in conjunction with the weight shift and lie down on the trail forearm representing the proper angle of attack.
Next, do it again, but this time, from the top of the swing allow the upper body to just turn with no weight shift. Again, use the mirror to watch how the clubshaft moves out and well above the trail forearm and much closer to the lead forearm. This of course, is incorrect, and represents a very steep angle of attack. However, understanding this pattern (along with the correct movements as defined above) will give you a better feeling and understanding of what Justin Rose is feeling before every shot.
Learn these movements first away from the ball and then incorporate them into your pre-shot routine to see if you can get it to show up more on the golf course.
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