Notes from the Weekend

Lots of golf this weekend. Watching Tiger botch #10 and #11 in Dubai was amazing. I've never seen him look so normal. I saw parts of every round and in his defense he looked tired and lethargic the entire tournament.
After the fiasco to start the back nine, he finished 5 under the last 7 to end up in third. The guy never gives up. A lesson we can all learn.

The FBR Open was really wild. Most golfers will talk about Quinney's tee shot on #17, but I think he lost it on the greens. He missed four putts under 8 feet on the back nine after not missing any the first 63 holes. Not to mention the good opportunity on #12 he missed.

Aaron Baddeley was very impressive on the weekend. His swing is so much better than even last year. He missed two tee shots on the back nine and both missed right. Quinney missed three tee shots on the back and two of them went left. Top players avoid missing left like the plague.

Hank Haney says Tiger is paranoid about missing left. He could miss 10 shots right, miss one shot left and he will talk about is the one miss left and ignore the misses right.

My misses have always been left and it costs me dearly. I've learned why and am working on having my misses going right.

I have always tended to take my hands and the club away down the target line and away from my body instead of letting them swing in and up on the backswing. When this happens the face is closed and I have to reroute the club going forward. This brings the club into the ball too far from the inside and shallow. If you do this with the face closed you get a hook. My divots have always gone to the right of the target.

Working with the weighted club I've been swinging my hands in and up on the backswing and the face is no longer closed. The divots are going at or slightly left of the target.
This also makes it easier to maintain the loft of the club in the backswing on chips and pitches. This is very helpful on tight lies around the greens.

Here's a drill for you to try. Set up to make a practice swing. Have a club on the ground lying parallel to the target line just in front of your toes. Swing the club until the shaft is parallel to the ground. Look at the shaft and compare it to the club on the ground. It should be parallel to the club on the ground and close to being directly over it. Next check the grooves on the club. The grooves should point between 11:00 and 12:00 (If you are left handed, the grooves should point between 12:00 and 1:00.).

This is an excellent drill to do in the evenings. Make no more than 10 repititions at any one time. As with everything you do, do it with attention and intention.

Thanks,
Mike Hurley