My intentions for writing this article were to select one or two key shots and talk about what we could learn from those shots. As I watched the Memorial Tournament unfold today, I was intent on finding that one shot to write about. The problem is, I saw a shot we could learn from occur about every five minutes! So I decided to stick to a couple of shots that K.J. Choi played on the back nine holes that made the difference in his win today.
The three up-and-downs K.J. made from greenside bunkers on holes 10, 16 and 18 were most certainly keys to his win. All three were from the short side of the hole to an elevated green with iffy lies -- which makes them all that much more impressive. I would say a TOUR player would have a one in three chance of getting them up-and-down and he got all three up-and-down.
First of all the most important thing K.J. did with a short-sided shot was to make sure he got out of the bunker onto the green. That is one of the biggest mistakes I see, players trying to get too perfect and leaving the shot in the bunker. Make sure you get it out even if that means you have to knock it 20 feet past the hole.
Now the reason K.J. was able to hit such nice bunker shots is he used the sand wedge properly, the way it was designed to work. The sand wedge (and L wedge) has a large flange with several degrees of bounce that allows it to skid through the sand instead of digging. To get this "skidding" you have to do two things. One, set up with the club face open and the handle lower which puts the flange in position to hit the sand before the club face. And two, you have to allow the club head to pass the hands through impact which keeps the angle of attack shallow and skidding instead of steep and digging. Most amateurs I see don't get the face open enough. It needs to be opened 20 to 30 degrees. And lower the handle by lowering the hands. This adds loft to get the ball up fast. Then swing across the ball like you are trying to hit a big slice. This helps keep the face open and the flange in play through impact. And just let the club head pass the hands at impact. This is the TOUR players' secret bunker move! It keeps the club from digging and allows you to control the ball flight and distance. Give it a try, it works.
I also like the way K.J. has a "go to" ball flight which allows him to take one side of the golf course out of play. In his case it is a slight fade which matches his swing shape. Everyone's swing shape will favor either a fade or a draw and under pressure that is the shot that will tend to show up. You should just go with it and not fight it. Sometimes a student is not sure which shot is their "go to" shot. So I ask them if they were hitting to a green and a large tree was directly in front of them with equal room on either side to play around the tree, which side would they choose to play around. Would they choose to fade around the left side or draw around the right side? The answer is their "go to" shot and knowing that is important so you can avoid forcing the other shot.
Of course nobody wins on TOUR without making the key putts coming down the stretch and the par putt K.J. made on 17 was huge. Three things he did well on that putt that will help you. First, he played enough break which allowed him to put the right speed on the putt. Most players don't play enough break and therefore they struggle with speed all day. Speed and break go hand and hand for good putting. Second, K.J. was very still and quiet during his stroke which allowed him to hit a solid putt. Under pressure most players move too soon and the putt is mis-hit and comes up short. The last thing is he finished his stroke and held his finish for a few seconds. All great putters do this and all poor putters do not. If you can hit and hold your finish on putts then you don't have too much tension in your arms and hands. And too much tension will kill your touch. Focus on holding your finish and I promise your stroke and results will improve.
I do want to touch on one point not just related to K J. but all great golfers. CBS has the "Bizhub" slow motion swing analysis and they will show the whole swing first and then they will show the close up of the club head through impact. It is this close up that shows something of interest every time. All TOUR players have a descending blow on every shot, every time, including tee shots with the driver. That's right; TOUR players hit their 300+ yard drives with descending impacts! We have all been told all of these years to hit up on the ball off of the tee with a driver. It's not true! The next time you are watching a CBS telecast look for it. If you want to be a good ball striker find a PGA Professional and tell him or her that you want to learn to hit your shots with a descending blow. You will hit the ball better and longer.
I hope you enjoyed the tournament today and I hope I have pointed out a couple of things that will help your game.
John Crumbley is an accredited PGA Head Professional at Mystery Valley Golf Club in Lithonia, Ga. He is active in many areas of the Georgia Section including serving on the Rules Committee and is also a Rules Consultant for PGA.com. Crumbley also received the 2006 Growth of the Game Award from the Georgia Section, in large part due to his efforts of hosting the first ever Play Golf America Day in the Georgia Section. He can be reached at crumbley@pga.com.
