GOLFING
INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTION
T
here are thousands of tips out there
to help you play better – but some
work better than others. We’ve all
been given bits of advice that have helped
us improve, nuggets of wisdom that have
stayed with us, always there to fall back on
when the game goes awry.
And that got us thinking… what’s the
best tip the world’s best golfers have ever
had? This is what they said.
TIGER WOODS
When I was young, maybe six or seven, I’d
play on the Navy golf course with my pop.
My dad would say: “OK, where do you
want to hit the ball?” I’d pick a spot and
say I want to hit it there. He’d shrug and
say, “Fine, then figure out how to do it.” He
didn’t position my arm, adjust my feet, or
change my thinking. He just said go ahead
and hit the darn ball. My dad’s advice to
me was to simplify. He knew that at my
age I couldn’t digest all of golf’s intricacies.
He kept it simple: If you want to hit the ball
to a particular spot, figure out a way to do
it. Even today, I can still hear him say “pick
a spot and just hit it.” When I’m making
adjustments during a round, I know some
of the television commentators theorise
that I’m changing this or moving that, but
really what I’m doing is listening to pop.
SAM SNEAD
I always carved every round into
30-second pockets of concentration.
From the time you study the conditions
and pull a club from your bag, until the
ball has landed, that’s your period of
concentration. Elsewhere, talk to your
friends, watch the birds, do anything. If you
try to maintain concentration for an entire
round, you’ll end up with a headache!
DAVID LEADBETTER
The flex you introduce in your
right knee at address is one of
the most important keys in any
golf swing. Think of your right
knee as an anchor, the point
around which you wind and
coil in the backswing. In other
words, maintain the flex all the
way to the top.
SEVE BALLESTEROS
When putting, exert the same pressure
with both hands. If you are holding the
putter tight with one hand and not the
other, the putter will tend to drift off line
as your arms work separately instead of
together. Grip lightly with both hands –
even a child should be able to pull the
club from you without much effort.
ERNIE ELS
It came from my father when first learning
the game back home in South Africa
as a 10 or 11-year-old. He stressed the
importance of delivering the clubface
square – he always talked about focusing
on the six inches on the takeaway and the
six inches on the followthrough. I still work
on that.
SIR NICK FALDO
It happened by accident when I started
playing as a kid at Welwyn Garden City
GC. I thought I was being deprived
because practice-wise all I had was a
green and one bunker and one flag. Little
did I know that back then I hit every single
golf ball at a target, but that was the most
powerful thing ever because it’s targeting.
So it makes great sense to stick a club
down and point it in the right direction –
so many players don’t aim right and that
causes a chain reaction.
TOM WATSON
The most fearful putt in golf is the
downhill and left-to-righter. I make one
small adjustment. I move the ball an inch
forward in my stance and play the ball off
RORY MCILROY
My swing stops when my left
shoulder touches my chin. This
not only provides me with plenty
of energy, but makes the swing
feel tighter, not shorter.
62 GOLF ASIA
my left instep. This helps me start the ball
on line, even a little left, from where it still
can fall in the hole on the high side.
GREG NORMAN
The most important move when it comes
to long driving is the takeaway, and when
I’m all set for a big drive I try to ‘glide’ the
club back from the ball for as long as
possible. “Low and slow” are the two key
words.
JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL
One of the best tips I’ve had involves the
7-iron chip and run which has served me
so well down the years. Grip down on
the club and stand quite close to the ball,
placing your weight slightly more on the
left foot than the right, with the ball back
in your stance. From here, you can swing
straight back and straight through with
your hands ahead of the ball at impact.
JIM FURYK
For years and years, my dad tried to get
me to put aiming devices on the ground
when I practised and I wouldn’t do it.
When I finally gave in and did it I became
a much better ball-striker, so now I tell
everyone else what my dad told me. If
you want to become a better ball-striker,
placing aiming devices to help you get
aligned is crucial.