2014 June

Michelle Wei won the Women’s US Open.  Just like Martin Kaymer, her putting was amazing.  She used superior putting all week for the two-shot victory, with no three-putt greens over 72 holes – including 25 one-putt holes.  She may have a crazy stance with her torso horizontal to the ground but her consistent swing up the line made all the difference.  We need to learn from her success.

Why is she sinking putts?  After she lines up her putt she has total confidence that she has the right line so that she can focus on distance and impact down the line.  CONFIDENCE sinks the putts. [More on Lineup and Confidence Next week.]

Michelle’s Horizontal torso is a real killer on the back but her putts are fantastic.

1/  She swings like a pendulum:  Straight back and straight down the line.
2/  She chooses her target line and takes practice swings for speed:  If she gets this right, she sinks the putt.
3/  She avoids any side spin on her putts:  Hitting straight down the line, with her ball slightly forward of the center of her stance, puts a straight top spin roll on her putts.

She follows through straight down her intended putting line.

4/  She avoid the YIPPS.  She has ZERO wrist motion: All of her swing comes from the rotation of her spine and shoulders like a pendulum swinging from an axis point.  By eliminating wrist motion she avoids using the small muscles in her arms which cause you to shake in your back swing.  [Practice with GOLFSTR+ to lock your wrists and gain confidence in your putting.]

5/  She had the lie angle on her putter flattened slightly.  You don’t need to change your putt head to shaft angle but you do have to adjust your grip and stance to ensure that your putter head is horizontal to the ground.  And make sure that you impact the ball directly in the center (which should be the balance point) of your putter.

Should you try to duplicate her body position?
Not if you plan to golf for the next 20 or more years.  Your back will never hold out if you tried to putt with a 90 degree bend at the waist.  No other male or female on tour is trying to putt this way.  She is built like a rake and 6 foot 1 inch tall so this will compound her back problems in the future.  Mark my word, within 5 years you will see her change her horizontal body position when her back tells her to make the change.

You can duplicate all of Michelle Wie’s putting characteristics without putting your head directly over the ball.  Make sure that you build confidence with your putting stroke by wearing GOLFSTR+ to lock your wrist so that you have to swing with your spine and shoulders.  GOLFSTR+ helps you get the YIPPs out of your putting stroke (both back and through the ball).

NEXT WEEK Watch for BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR PUTTING by getting a better read AND A BETTER PLAN before your step up to your ball.  And don’t forget to Click Here to CHECK OUT WWW.GOLFSTR.COM For Every Swing in YOUR Game.

If you were watching the final round of the US Open you would have seen a clip showing Martin Kaymer practicing his takeaway with a Tennis Ball.  He just used it as a reminder to keep his arms close together and straight at the start of his swing.  It forces his chest to rotate with his arms.  Mike Weir and Michelle Wie do this same motion as a takeaway waggle before they swing.

There are 2 points that I want you to learn from Martin’s practice technique where he gently held a tennis ball between his forearms:

1/ He was using a Training Aid prior to the start of the final round of the US Open, which he won.  This is a serious golfer who was looking forward to winning almost $1.8 million in prize money and unlimited endorsement money.  If a basic training aid works as just a reminder for the Winner of the US Open shouldn’t your consider a training aid to help with every swing in your game?

This shot shows Martin Kaymer practicing with a yellow tennis ball hanging from his neck on the final day of the US Open. It REMINDS him to rotate his chest in the back swing.

2/ His training aid was a device that allowed him to swing a proper and complete swing.  It was only intended to remind him to keep his arms parallel at the start of the backswing.  By doing this he was forcing his spine to rotate and to turn his chest.   The tennis ball actually drops from his arms before he reached the horizontal with his leading arm.  You would think that a professional golfer could easily do this without a training aid.  Give your head a shake!

Wake-up golfers!  If you want to hit long controlled golf shots like Martin Kaymer, you need to use any device required to train that muscle between your ears.   You need muscle memory.  The more you practice the correct swing the more you will get it right on the golf course.

In some of the 6 training uses for GOLFSTR+ the plastic plate actually locks your wrist so that it stops your wrist from bending during the swing (putting, chipping, backswing and limited wrist lag chipping).  In Straight Leading Arm Backswing and Lag Training, GOLFSTR+ is only a reminder when you reach your limit.  Yes, it’s a reminder like the Martin Kaymer tennis ball.

Check out GOLFSTR+ today:  www.golfstr.com

Rickie Fowler tied for second, 8 strokes off the lead in the US Open.  The score made it look like Martin Kaymer was the runaway winner but putting made the difference.  I hope you and Rickie were paying attention to Martin’s putts from off the green and on the green.  It made all the difference.

Commentators at the US Open talked about Rickie’s improved swing and control but they also said that his putting on the first 2 days kept him up with the leaders.  On the final round it became painfully obvious that Rickie was trying to let his putts die into the hole.  Big Mistake!

If your putts are curling around the hole and stopping inches past it then you are playing for a break that should never happen if you plan for your putt to run 12 to 18 inches past the hole.  Rickie could have saved 4 shots in his final 9 holes if he had only ignored the 1 degree of slope and hit firmly and directly at the hole.

Putting both on and off the green made all the difference for Martin.

Martin Kaymer was hitting amazing shots around the greens.  But he won the US Open with his putter:
Putting from Off the Green:  If he had a smooth access to the green (in the very short cut grass) Martin took all the risk of hitting fat chips by putting from off the green.  Chipping just adds a dimension of risk.  Getting a clean chip, the right bounce and the right run-out can be avoided by using the putter.   Whenever Martin had a chance to putt from off the green he made it count.

NOTE: Try gripping and swinging a hybrid or a 5 iron like a putter when hitting from off the green.   It helps you break the habit of hitting with the same pace as a putter.

Firm putts through the hole with confidence would have put Rickie neck and neck with Martin

Putting On the Green: There was a lot of TV coverage to let us see that Martin’s putts always sank with some pace.  They did not die into the hole.  He took the bumps and any minor slope (up to 1 degree angle) out of each putt by hitting firmly with confidence at the hole.  [CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY WORD HERE!]

You WILL improve your game by practicing lag putts from off the green and by planning your putts to run 10 to 18 inches past the hole. Remember that 100% of the putts that are short of the hole never go in so why are you hitting them short?

Both Rickie and Martin had locked leading wrists when they were putting.  [They were putting with their shoulders by rotating their spine to take any wrist motion out of their putts.]  GOLFSTR+ can give you the confidence to sink more putts by locking your leading wrist.  Practice with your GOLFSTR+ and save another 2 to 10 strokes in YOUR game.

Buy your GOLFSTR+ on our website www.golfstr.com or by entering the name GOLFSTR when you search on www.Amazon.com .

Practicing with GOLFSTR+ is critical to learning the right motion for each swing but without the right swing speed and follow through the results can be DEADLY.   This adjustment for each type of club should have a major impact on dropping your handicap.  ANOTHER AHA MOMENT!

Completing the proper swing for each of the 6 types of clubs will force you to shift your weight correctly.  It also gives your ball the right spin for more distance, direction control and run out.

SWING SPEED should reduce as you change clubs from the Driver down to the Pitching Wedge.  For the PGA Pros the driver speed averages 112 MPH and drops to an average of 83 MPH for the pitching wedge.  For the LPGA Pros it drops from 94 MPH to 70 MPH.    You may not be a pro but I suggest that you get with the program for better swing control.

Driver:  For your drives you tee up and place your ball forward in your stance for a good reason.  You want to impact with your ball after you pass the low point in your swing arc.  Your club head is driving up with maximum speed as you release your wrists through the ball.  You still need to drive your body forward and finish with your belt buckle facing the target.

Fairway Woods and Hybrids: Justin Rose reminds us to connect with the ball and finish the swing with limited impact with the ground.  It is the same swing as the driver but with a little less speed as you impact the ball at the bottom of your swing arc.  So cut the tops off the grass and avoid the divots.

Irons:  These are intentionally narrow club heads to allow you to swing down to impact the ball before you connect with the turf.  You may take a divot but only in front of the initial ball position.  Your goal is to impart a downward (reverse) spin on the ball for more control. Power your swing through the turf to a balanced finish.  [This also applies for sand shots where you swing like an 8 iron and take 3-6 inches of sand after the ball.]  THIS SWING TIP WILL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON LOWERING YOUR SCORE BY HELPING YOU HIT MORE GREENS IN REGULATION.

Pitching with Back-spin or Pitching with Run-out give you totally different results. Phil Mickelson has the flop shot (hinge & hold) down to an art.

Pitching Wedge (with backspin or check): Know your ball flight distance for each club and for each height of your backswing. Choose balls with softer covers (which will not fly as far).  Swing to connect with the ball before the turf but don’t roll your right hand over your left after the impact.  Phil Michelson calls it the hinge and hold.  Hinge your wrists in the back swing and hold your club face open with your shaft pointing at the target in your limited follow-through so that your ball will bounce once and stop.  This tip came from www.Golf-Info-Guide.com by Thomas Golf (the best training tips I have found)

Chip and Run-Out: Use any iron up to your sand wedge to skim your ball off the ground but make sure that you rotate your chest as well as your arms to finish facing your target.  Choose a club to clear obstructions (rough, sand traps and fringe) and learn the amount of run-out for each club on the green.  There is an art to getting this right so test each of your clubs to learn the percentage of distance by air compared to distance running out on the green.

Putting:  You can use any theory in putting but it only makes sense to avoid side spin as you impact the ball.  Avoid swinging around your body in an arc and focus your eyes on the ball (not the putter head) until you impact with the ball.  Finish by swinging your club up the line at your target point.  Getting the right direction is a good starting point for any putt.

So perfect your swing with GOLFSTR+ and finish your swing with the right speed and follow-through for each club.  For great training videos CLICK TO CHECKOUT this collection of videos in GOLFSTR.COM.

Here are some great golf tips that I picked up from Golf Magazines over the past week.  Why beat up your body and mind when common sense can help you survive and enjoy this great game?

What’s the best Drink on the Golf Course?
Dr Greg Wells, Sports Scientist for the US Junior National Golf Team advised that hours of practice and planning will all be wasted if your body is lacking basic fuel and nutrients.  Make sure that you fuel your brain with water.  60% of your body weight is made up of water but 90% of your brain is water.  It makes you tick so don’t forget to stay hydrated.

Play Within Yourself
Play within your capabilities.  Ignore the power of your playing partners.  Four hours of golf will take a lot out of your body.  Conserve your energy and play evenly throughout the entire round.  Take one extra club and swing smoothly.  So don’t swing harder, swing smarter.

Hey Jocks, push or pull a cart and save you back. The extra walk is good for you. [Stanford’s Cameron Wilson is saving his back in the NCAA National Championship]

Avoid Sugar Spikes
Drop the candy bars or “health” bars.  Eat some nuts or fruit every few holes to reduce inflammation.  Nuts and seeds (unsalted, not roasted) are ideal to keep your body in good shape during a round of golf and all day long.

Control Your Attitude
Getting uptight will only hurt your game.  Your reaction during the first 2 seconds after each shot will just build up in your body.  Strangling your club will shorten your muscles, limit your swing speed and change your swing plane.  At the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament, Matsuyama smacked his driver on the ground and broke the shaft before he learned that his drive actually landed in the fairway.  Dumb idea.  So take control of your mind and your game will improve.

Set Goals for Your Game:
-Only 20% of golfers ever achieve a handicap under 18.  Make it happen.
-Walking during an 18-hole round of golf burns 2,000 calories.  Riding only burns 1,300.
-The oldest golfer to match his age to his golf score was 103.  Try to do it at any age.
-Make a hole in one.  Odds are 1 in 67,000,000 to do it twice in the same round.  So just go for 1.

Practice will Improve Your Game:
GOLFSTR+ will give you 6 ways to improve your swing.  Why not practice with the right motion for better impact with the ball — for every swing in your game, CLICK HERE to get a GOLFSTR+.