Stickney: Plane shifts used by the pros

Written by: Tom Stickney II

One of the most perplexing aspects of golf for the average player is how the club should transition. In fact, the “over the top” motion is what keeps all of the teaching professionals in business! On Tour, you see many different ways to move the club on the way down and Homer Kelley, in his book, The Golfing Machine, identified seven different ways to transition the club. In this article, we’ll only discuss a few of them.

The first two shifts we’ll examine are the extremes of up and around.

Up and Under

This swing model is made famous by Jim Furyk and obviously there are many levels of up and under but the basic idea is to lift the club to the top which gives you more room to “drop it under” on the way down. Some people love this feeling and it is quite simple when practiced a time or two.

One of the most perplexing aspects of golf for the average player is how the club should transition. In fact, the “over the top” motion is what keeps all of the teaching professionals in business! On Tour, you see many different ways to move the club on the way down and Homer Kelley, in his book, The Golfing Machine, identified seven different ways to transition the club. In this article, we’ll only discuss a few of them.

The first two shifts we’ll examine are the extremes of up and around.

Up and Under

This swing model is made famous by Jim Furyk and obviously there are many levels of up and under but the basic idea is to lift the club to the top which gives you more room to “drop it under” on the way down. Some people love this feeling and it is quite simple when practiced a time or two.

You will notice a takeaway that is slightly lifted and outside moving the arms into a more upright position at the top. From there the arms fall down and behind the player allowing the club to be delivered from the inside.

Around and Under

The opposite player of the Up and Under player takes the club more around the body into a short, flat, and tight position like Matt Kucher. It is here that some players feel that it is much simpler to come from the inside when the club is in a lower and more rounded position at the top.

This swing model is exemplified with a takeaway that works around the body off the start and continues all the way to the top placing the club in a “flatter” condition. From there the club basically returns from the inside as a slight shift is made to the inside. Some players feel this is the easiest way to move the club to the inside.

Now that we have covered the two extreme positions of Up and Around, the rest of the world is somewhere in the middle of these two positions. Personally, it does not matter where you play from as long as the club moves into a solid position on the way down.

Let’s discuss the middle positions and how to transition the club from there…

Reverse Shift

The Reverse Shift is shown best by Nick Faldo back in his hey-day. The club is taken to the top and the entire triangle formed by the arms is shifted rearward to begin the downswing thus moving the club into an inside delivery position.

When the entire triangle falls rearward it allows the club to flatten and the club to move from the inside. Transitional tempo is the key to this move because it won’t work if you get too fast.

Flatten the Shaft

Most of the players today on Tour are subscribing to this type of plane shift as the club shaft flattens out behind the player allowing the hands to move down the correct path. If the hands get too far behind the player then the path can easily shift too rightward in the above swing pattern but not with this swing model.

Here you can see that the club shaft flattened and the clubhead fell behind my hands lowering the center of mass and this places the club in an inside delivery position with the hands in the correct position at belt-high. This is a great way to transition the club for people who tend to get “stuck” on the way down.

So now that we’ve seen the most common plane shift models that move the club back to the inside which one is the best or the easiest? Basically, the one that makes the most sense to you as a player. One of these styles will feel “easier” than the other ones and allow you to shift your swing path more rightward during impact so you can move the ball right to left easier (for the right-handed player).

Enjoy trying these shifts and remember that all four can work for you at any given time!

Source: GolfWRX.com

Steal a tour-proven technique for better chip shots

By Austin Cook

On the way to my most successful season in professional golf, including a win at the PGA Tour's RSM Classic, I avoided bogey 62 percent of the time when I missed a green in regulation. Without those saves, the 2017-'18 season might have been my first and last on tour. So if I can give you one piece of advice about your game, it's to start looking at your wedges as the tools for survival—and success. First, learn everything you can about the ones you use (loft, bounce, grind, etc.) and if they're right for your game (go see a clubfitter). Once you're happy with your clubs, use them—and use them a lot. If you don't practice, you'll never understand how each wedge and swing technique affects ball flight and spin. And if you don't have an understanding of those two things, you're not going to get up and down very often. Here I'll explain how I decide what club and shot to play and teach you my favorite drill for chipping it to tap-in range. Hopefully you'll follow my lead and become more confident with your wedges. —with Keely Levins

HIT THE TOWEL FOR MORE CONTROL

We did this drill in college, and I still use it. Grab a towel, get it wet to keep it from blowing away, and lay it on a green between you and the hole. Now chip balls from off the green on that line trying to land them on the towel. Experiment with different wedges, and hit from different spots paying attention to how the ball reacts to each shot.

You'll soon discover how to produce the trajectory and rollout you want. When you play, imagine the towel is still on the green, and hit the shot best for that situation.

“Whenever you can, go with a lower chip than runs out.”

GO WITH THE PERCENTAGES

This is a really tricky lie—downhill in light rough with a bunker between me and the hole. I can hit a variety of shots from here, but there's always one that stands out a little more than the others. The smart play is the shot that will leave you with a decent chance to save par (or carding no worse than a bogey) even when you don't quite execute it.

Here I can either land it in the fringe and let it roll out to the hole or fly it most of the way and let it land soft by the hole. Generally speaking, the easier of the two shots is usually taking a lower-lofted wedge and hitting the runner. But sometimes the lie, or the location of the pin, dictates that flying it with a higher-lofted club is smarter. For example, if I were hitting into the grain of the grass between me and the hole, getting the ball to release when it lands might be tough. In that case, I'd want to fly it high and let it trickle out.

LET IT GLIDE TO STOP IT QUICKLY

As I said, you need to get to know your wedges, including the bounce for each club. Without getting too technical, it's how much bulge is on the back side of the club, the spot I'm pointing to here. This design feature helps you slide the club under the ball and pop it up, which is why I want to use a high-loft, high-bounce club for chips that need to be in the air longer than they roll.

I get in a narrow stance with my feet open. Then I open the face a little before taking my grip. This exposes more of the bounce, making it easier to slide the club along the ground. If you swing with a shallow, sweeping motion along the turf, the ball should pop right up.

FIND YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Some things about chipping technique are fairly standard. For example, the farther forward you play the ball in your stance, the higher it will tend to fly. So keep that in mind if you like to play the ball back in your stance and hit down on it. It's probably not going to get too far off the ground. But there are other things about chipping you can personalize.

Two of my preferences are to leave my glove on and to make a swing on a path that's a little in to out in relation to the target. My path helps shallow the club and keeps me from chunking it. The glove? Not sure why I leave it on, it just feels comfortable. The point is, I own it. If you do what makes you comfortable, you'll be more confident on the course.

Source: GolfDigest.com

The shot they don't teach

Kiradech Aphibarnrat's unique chipping method isn't for the timid. Here's how to do it

By Matthew Rudy

It usually doesn’t take more than a hole or two during a pro-am for one of my amateur partners to ask me about the way I chip. You don’t see it very much on the PGA Tour. I play the ball back in my stance, hinge my wrists up quickly, and hit down on it with an open clubface. This creates a low trajectory and a lot of spin, so the ball quickly checks up. It’s a shot I learned growing up in Thailand to deal with the grainy grass around the greens there. I learned it from Thai pros Prayad Marksaeng and Thammanoon Sriroj, and I’m here to teach it to you. But with one warning: It’s hard to master. Ready to try it?

1 BALL BACK, HANDS AHEAD

This position doesn’t look so strange compared to a traditional chip. I play the ball off the center of my back foot with my hands ahead, and I open the clubface. Since the ball position will produce a very low shot, the open face on my wedge (a 56- or 60-degree depending on the situation) creates some height and spin to keep the ball from running out too much. My weight is forward, but my shoulders are tilted so that my right one is lower. I aim slightly left of my target because the shot produces spin that causes the ball to hop to the right a little when it lands.

“Remember: you need to aim a little left of your target because the cut spin will make the ball hop to the right.”

2 LIFT THE CLUB UP

This is where you start to see how this chip is different—and why it’s so popular in Southeast Asia to get out of heavy, grainy rough. I make a little shoulder turn in the backswing, but mostly lift the club straight up with my wrists. You’re trying to create a very steep angle of attack so the club can come down on the ball without getting caught up in the grass. The steepness also helps keep the club from passing under a ball sitting up in the rough. It will probably scare you at first to try this wrist set because it feels different. But keep at it. You need the reps. I’ve hit thousands of them.

3 LEAVE THE FACE OPEN

The most important thing at impact is to keep the clubface open. It gives you the loft to get the ball up and out of rough, or the spin to stop the ball on the green from a tight lie. (You can use it on tightly mowed grass, too.) The key from any lie is to hit the ball as cleanly as possible. If you keep the face open, the club should skid along the turf after contacting the ball. You don’t want it to dig. I think you’ll find it’s a useful way to chip if you struggle with poor contact. Try it out, and tell me on Instagram (@kiradech_arm) if it worked for you. No charge for the lesson.

Source: GolfDigest.com

Stop topping it and get your next shot airborne with this drill

By Greg DuCharme

I'll concede that nothing panics a golfer like hitting two or three shanks in a row. But coming in at No. 2 on the pop charts is a case of the tops. Hitting multiple shots that fail to clear the limbo stick is pretty unnerving. Even worse, the reason it's happening is clear to the patient—except it's not. Most golfers mistakenly think they're topping it because their club is skimming the top half of the ball on the way down. They think they're getting out in front of it when they swing. Actually, the opposite is true. -- with Ron Kaspriske

The club's low point is behind the ball, sometimes well behind, and the clubhead is catching the top half of the ball as it ascends. If you look at golfers who top it, you'll probably see their upper bodies drifting away from the target, and they're favoring their back foot in the downswing. That's why it's not uncommon to see a top off the tee, although it happens off the turf more frequently. Just know that if you're topping it, you've got to change the spot where your club is bottoming out.

There are many ways to correct this problem. I'll give you one to work on while you wait to play your next shot, and another you can use as a swing thought. First, find a downslope where you can get into your golf posture and make a practice swing. When you swing down the slope, step down the hill with your back foot as you follow through with the club. You'll start to feel how the body needs to move toward the target in the downswing to move the swing bottom forward.

Now it's go-time. Even after you work on the drill, you still might be a little worried about topping another one. Don't be. Instead, here's a swing thought that will reinforce those step-through practice swings: Shift your spine forward. Assuming you can stay in your address posture as you swing down, moving your spine toward the target will improve your swing bottom. You might have heard the advice of keeping your chest over the ball. This does the same thing. Give it a try. And if it's sunny out, make sure you're wearing shades. You're going to have to get used to looking up to follow your shots.

Source: GolfDigest.com