All season, we’ve provided weekly golf tips from some of the best club professionals in the area (thanks to all those who contributed, and to those who submitted reader questions). With the Deutsche Bank Championship in town this week, we asked some of the top PGA Tour professionals in certain statistical categories what’s allowed them to be so good in specific areas of their game, if they’ve always been proficient there, and what tips they would give in that category to amateur golfers.
BUBBA WATSON:
Driving distance/1st: 315.5 yards
“At a young age, I was always the longest in my age group. It’s just one of those things, it just happens. I’ve never tried to be longer than everybody else, it’s just my technique. I don’t really know why. It’s like, why do some people jump higher than other people, why does someone throw a ball farther than somebody else? For me, obviously, it’s my long arc, which creates higher clubhead speed, and that creates the power. It’s not my muscles.”
Watson’s tip: “Most of the time it’s about practice, and it’s not about swinging harder. Sometimes the smooth shot goes farther, right? You’re like, ‘Man, I hit that perfect, and I didn’t swing that hard.’ It’s because you hit it in the center of the clubface. It all comes down to timing, using a smoother swing, hitting it in the center of the clubface. When you see guys, even us, trying to swing harder, it creates a bad shot because you’re a little off from the center of the clubface, and that creates a hook or a slice. Don’t focus on slowing your swing down, just think smooth. Think of Ernie Els’s swing.”
JUSTIN ROSE:
Greens in regulation/2d: 70.31 percent
“I changed my coach a few years ago, and it’s been a steady improvement since then, obviously. Working with Sean [Foley], I feel like I have really good control of my iron play, I understand so much more how to hit shots, and how not to hit certain shots. I know what my tendencies are, plus it’s a product of us keeping it simple and regimented, and not trying to find too many new things. It’s [a stat] I take a lot of pride in, because I haven’t really putted well the last year, but to have had eight top-10s this year without putting well, it’s the stat that’s really driving my game right now. When you start working with someone new, you tend to work a little harder because you’re clear about what you’re trying to achieve. I think I’ve understood the elements that go into hitting the ball straight, and hitting draws and fades, there’s a lot more to it, and I was totally going about it the wrong way before.”
Rose’s tip: “Striking it consistently is the most important thing to hitting greens. I think amateurs tend to move their center of gravity around a lot, meaning your sternum or your belly button. If that’s moving off the ball or going past the ball, then you’re having to save it with your hands. If you can remain centered on the golf ball and make a solid turn, you’re going to hit a lot more good shots.”
LUKE DONALD:
Greens in regulation from fairway bunker/12th: 58.3 percent
“That surprises me, because I’ve had to work on that the last couple years. I get a little bit active with my lower body, and usually in fairway bunkers you have to be really still so you get a good strike on the ball. I’ve worked on it quite a bit, so it’s nice to hear that stat, I wasn’t aware of it. It’s a progression in my golf swing, of trying to be a bit more grounded with my legs. When I’m in fairway bunkers I tend to dig the heels in a little bit, a little bit more weight on the heels, and just try to swing around my body without having too much up-and-down movement. I also play within myself, I usually take an extra club and just swing easy.”
Donald’s tip: “The best thing is to maintain your posture. As soon as your head goes down or you lift it up, you’re going to struggle to get a good strike. It’s all about catching the ball and the sand at the same time.”
STEVE STRICKER:
Proximity to hole from inside 100 yards/
1st: 11 feet, 10 inches
“I’ve always been a decent wedge player, and it’s something I work a lot on. I realize that’s where we can save a lot of shots out here, so I continue to work on that part of my game, and I have confidence in that part of my game, so you put all those things together, it’s one of my strongest points. It’s always been a strength. There’s times I won’t even shoot at the pin, but I’ll pick my spots and be aggressive when the timing is right for me. There’s times where you’ll aim away from it, just because it’s not in a good spot if you miss it, so I’m cautious. I look at my stats, I figure out what areas I need work on and what I’m doing well in.”
Stricker’s tip: “It’s always practice, that’s the bottom line. But I think you have to realize how far you hit your clubs. A lot of amateurs don’t know how far they hit their wedge, or their sand wedge, or their lob wedge, or even their 9-iron, and those are all important things. Go out and spend the time, hit some balls, and figure out with a laser how far you actually hit your clubs. That way when you get into that situation on the course and you use your laser and you’ve got 100 yards, you know exactly what club will get you there.”
BRANDT SNEDEKER:
One-putt percentage/1st: 44.44 percent
“I think it’s a combination of a couple different things: I don’t hit as many greens as most guys, and then when I do hit greens I tend to hit them pretty close. My short game has always been pretty good, so when I chip, I chip it pretty close. I practice a lot from 5 to 15 feet, and I think that stat kind of speaks to that, there’s a direct relation to that, for sure. I feel like I’m making a lot more 10-to-15-footers this year than I have in the past, and I’m being a lot more aggressive, my speed is a lot better than it has been, because I’m not worried about making 5-footers, I’m trying to make those 10-footers. I do a couple different things, I really practice two different ranges: 3, 4, 5 feet, I practice a lot there, I probably do that drill daily, or I do a 10-, 15-, 20-foot drill: I put a ball 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet on the same line, and I have to make 1 of 3. If I don’t, I can’t leave until I do.”
Snedeker’s tip: “I think the biggest thing most amateurs struggle with is their pace, because they’re worried about three-putting. I spend a lot of time working on my putts 5 feet and in, so I never worry about three-putting. I figure if I make everything inside of 5 feet, I can’t three-putt; so I’d tell amateurs to spend all their time inside 5 feet, and they’ll be surprised how many more 10-footers they make, or how many more 20-footers they make, because they’re not worried about three-putting. It’s definitely a mentality, but you can’t have that mentality unless you’re confident in making 5-footers. Don’t practice the 20-footers, practice the 3-, 4-, and 5-footers.”
AARON BADDELEY:
Strokes gained-putting/3d: .705 strokes
“I’d say at age 17 I was a nice putter, 18 I was a nice putter, and by 19 or 20 I felt like I became a great putter. I kept working on the same things; I knew my putting was good, I just started expecting to make putts. It doesn’t matter what distance, I always try and make it, that’s my mentality. Ever since I was about 16, a friend showed my this pre-putt routine, my coach and I worked on the routine to get it down. It’s a bit different, because I don’t line up the putter face, I just let my brain figure it out and try to make it. You’re used to having practice strokes besides the ball, but I just put the putter down, take one look, and hit it. Unfortunately this year I’ve hit it pretty poorly, so I need to be leading in strokes gained if I want to be competitive.”
Baddeley’s tip: “Practice putting one-handed. If you putt with one hand you’re taking away the strength, so your body has to balance out. At first it could be really difficult and you might putt really poorly, but then eventually … you might be there for half an hour or an hour … your body will adjust to what it needs to do if you let it, and maybe over the course of the next week or the next month, the stroke starts to take shape and feel stronger. I still do it, 80 percent with my left hand, 20 percent with my right hand. That’s my main drill.”