POISED FOR POWER: Every guy out here can play. That's a lesson you learn all the time, especially if you lose your focus. Winning tournaments my first two seasons was a big deal, but I knew I couldn't get comfortable. My good weeks were too dependent on being "on" with my timing, and I wanted to be able to work the ball left to right more easily. With Butch Harmon's help, I'm making progress. You have to put yourself in position at majors and learn to handle the pressure, and that's what I'm going to continue to do. Dustin Johnson--AGE: 26 HEIGHT: 6-feet-4 | DRIVER: TaylorMade R9, 10.5 degrees | BALL: TaylorMade Penta TP | DRIVING DISTANCE (RANK): 308.5 yards (3rd) LONGEST DRIVE (RANK): 414 yards (4th)
THE SPECIMEN:Nearly lost in the choppy wake of Dustin Johnson's summer of major-championship discontent was a revelation on the 17th hole on Sunday at the BMW Championship--four days after these photos were taken. Smarting from the bunker ruling that dropped him out of the playoff for the PGA Championship and crispy from playing five tournaments in six weeks, Johnson nevertheless stood on the 17th tee tied for the lead with Paul Casey. He scorched a high fade on the 427-yard, dogleg-right par 4, leaving 94 yards to the flag. Then he nestled a 54-degree wedge two feet from the cup to set up the birdie that would ultimately win him the tournament. The trophy and check were nice, but it was the style of execution that moved Butch Harmon--Johnson's coach since last May--to call the freakishly talented South Carolinian one of the best players in the world. When Harmon entered the picture, Johnson tended to over-rotate his hips on the backswing and dive his right shoulder into the ball on the downswing. These flaws, when mixed with a bowed left wrist at the top and the resulting shut clubface, produced misses to the left and sketchy distance control on short irons. Cue the perfect fade off the tee and feathered wedge shot. "My thought for him is to stay taller and extend down the target line," Harmon says. "I tell him to feel like an ostrich, with his neck stretched up at address. It's a great thought for the amateur player as well: Stay tall, and extend down the line." --Matthew Rudy
Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer of all time, so it's only natural to want to copy features of his game. Go ahead and borrow Jack's tremendous competitiveness, his poise under pressure, his superintelligent course management and his putting stroke. Do not, however, try to copy his golf swing. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Over the years thousands of golfers have tried to copy Nicklaus' unique swing method. Of those, only one talented professional--Mark McCumber--has been able to copy Jack's swing successfully. That's because Jack swings the club very wide and very high, a tough combination. You might have luck swinging one way or the other, but for the average player to implement both is almost impossible. The wide and high backswing enabled Jack to hit the ball inordinately high and far when he was younger. He was massively long and had a distinct advantage over other pros from the rough. It all was due to that wide, high backswing and a unique method for hitting through the ball. Jack's swing has not aged very well because he doesn't have the strength and flexibility to swing the way he once did. He's adapted by making a few changes, as you will see. But he's maintained certain movements in his swing that are dangerous to copy. The way his right elbow separates from his torso on the backswing and the way he switches from an upright swing plane on the backswing to a much flatter one at the beginning of the downswing are good examples. But Jack is the greatest golfer who ever lived, and parts of his swing merit duplication by everyone.
GEARING FOR A HIGH HIT: Jack is a high-ball hitter, and it shows in his setup. His left shoulder is much higher than his right, evidence he'll deliver an ascending blow through impact. His head is positioned well to his right. Because the human head weighs about 16 pounds, it follows that the majority of his weight is on his right leg. That means he'll stay well behind the ball on the downswing. Note that Jack's left elbow is pointing at his target. That means he'll pull the club down the target line with his left arm rather than hit with his right.
SUPER-WIDE EXTENSION: Jack has pushed the club away so low and far with his left arm that his right arm hasn't yet begun to fold. His swing arc is already very wide, a sign he's accumulating power. His right arm also is very high in relation to his left, the right palm facing down. If Jack looked like this on his downswing, he'd hit a vicious slice or pull. On the downswing he'll have to shift the club onto a flatter plane and attack the ball from inside the target line. Incidentally, check out Jack's legs. They've hardly moved. That's a solid foundation.
AT THE TOP: THE NICKLAUS 'SQUAT': Now comes the move that is very difficult to copy. Having established a wide swing arc early in the backswing, Jack now lifts the club vertically--without losing the width. He's not as wide and high as he used to be, but still darned good for a 56-year-old man. There is divergent motion here, upward with the upper body and downward with the lower body. The right leg has flexed at the knee, creating the famous "Nicklaus squat" that to this day gives Jack enormous power on his downswing.
ADAM'S MARK
Adam Scott is only 30, and with 17 tournament victories worldwide, including seven on the PGA Tour, you could say he's enjoying a successful career. But somehow, his potential doesn't seem realized. Even Scott will say that. As evidenced by his T-2 finish at the Masters, which included a stout 67 in the final round, Scott is a contender for major championships. "I've always measured success by winning tournaments," he says. "And I believe I've got a lot more wins in me." For Scott, chasing those wins doesn't mean a swing overhaul. His adjustments have been simple since parting with Butch Harmon in the fall of 2009 and teaming with new swing coach--and brother-in-law--Brad Malone.
"I'm paying attention to all the little things. My grip. My posture. My alignment. I felt like I was getting loose and sloppy with those things," Scott says. "Posture is the most important one. I have to keep checking that I'm not getting too hunched over with a rounded back." "When my setup is good, I feel like I'm free to make a good swing." Marked by a major improvement in accuracy--he has jumped more than 100 spots on tour in both driving accuracy and greens in regulation since 2009--a good swing for Scott now means far less right-to-left curve, Malone says. Scott has gone from being laid-off at the top (the shaft pointing well left of the target) to the club being in a more on-line position. He also isn't as shallow coming down, nor is the clubface as closed--all of which help eliminate hooks. "We've done a lot to neutralize his clubface and steepen his angle of approach," Malone says. "To the naked eye, his swing might appear to be no different, because of his great rhythm and flow, which has remained unchanged. However, the inner workings of his swing are much improved." Malone says they've weakened his left-hand grip, which helps keep him from shutting the face. He also doesn't let his hands stray too far from his body going back, with his left arm staying tighter to his chest. This connection lets him keep the club on plane with a simple turn of his torso. One thing Scott has never had a problem with is flexibility: Look at that great coil at the top. By playing less of a draw, and even fading tee shots when he wants to, Scott has gone from 148th on tour in driving accuracy in 2009, hitting 58.8 percent of fairways, to 33rd at 66.9 percent through early May. "I've always naturally hit a draw and will continue to do so," Scott says, "but what I don't want is that big hook." --Ron Kaspriske. Adam Scott--BIO: 30, 6 feet, 180 pounds | DRIVER: Titleist 910D3, 9.5 degrees | BALL: Titleist Pro V1 | DRIVING DISTANCE (RANK): 290.2 yards (54th) | DRIVING ACCURACY (RANK): 66.9% fairways hit (33rd)
How to Save Par out of the Sand:
Sand traps have always been a staple of golf; they’re a constant at every golf course ever built. Whether it’s the fluffy beach sand of Kiawah or the pot bunkers of England, effectively getting up and down from greenside bunkers is a must for low scores. Many players dread greenside bunkers because they do not know the best way to hit out of them. Their set-ups are often inconsistent, their swing paths are incorrect, and their ball position is off. For consistent play in any aspect of the game, you need confidence: you don’t want to step into a trap worrying about getting up and down. The swing thought should be, “I WILL get this up and in.” In order to gain this confidence, you must first learn and practice the most effective way to hit it close out of greenside traps. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Choose the right club.
If you short-side yourself in a greenside bunker (meaning you don’t have a lot of green to work with), you want to pick a high-lofted wedge, like a 60 degree lob wedge. The ball will not role out as much. If you have some green to work with, you want a lower lofted wedge, such as a sand wedge (56 degrees) or a gap wedge (around 52 degrees). This will promote a slightly longer ball flight out of the trap.
Step 2: Take the Right Set Up
The right set up is the key to hitting an effective bunker shot. First, dig in: twist your feet into the sand. Besides having a good base for the shot, which is vital, you get a feel for how deep the sand is around your shot. For most bunker shots you face you want to play the ball off your front foot. The farther you move the ball back, the lower trajectory the ball will take and the more it will run out. This can be useful with some shots, but as a general rule, play the ball off your front foot. Keep in mind this is NOT a pitch and run. The shot is going to have backspin. Next, open your stance AND the clubface. This is very important. This promotes a higher, softer ball flight and allows a good angle for the clubface to slide under the ball. Finally, you need your weight on your front foot. The weight should be about 80%-20% favoring the front foot. This is vital as it causes a steep decent, creating the splash of sand (the digging) and backspin characteristic of a good bunker shot.
Step 3: The swing
Now that you are dug in, with the ball forward in your stance, your weight on your front foot, and with your stance and clubface slightly open, it’s time to pull the trigger. You want an outside-in swing path with a slight wrist hinge at the top. How far back depends on how far you want the ball to fly. This swing path gets the ball to come out high and soft and with the maximum control. You will need to practice this until it feels natural and to judge the yardages correctly.
Step 4: The follow through
You must follow through and stay down longer on bunker shots. If you decelerate or stop at impact, you chunk it. In a greenside bunker, you want to splash the ball out, and to do that you must have a steep swing and a high follow through. If you come up on it too soon, you’ll catch the shot thin and blade it. Don’t be afraid to take a slightly bigger swing; you are taking sand with the shot. It won’t go as far. Once you are confident in your greenside sand shots, it’s time to get a little more technical. Two kinds of sand shots that we commonly face on the course are the medium-length sand shots (the 25-45 yard shot to the green), and the plugged ball. These are two of the hardest shots in Golf, but don’t be afraid of them. You hit them exactly like normal greenside shots with only slight variations.
The 20-25 yard bunker shot
Golf course architects love the longer bunker shots and the challenge they pose. They are very difficult shots to judge correctly, but there is a very simple way to handle them: hit more club. Take a greenside set up and swing, but instead of a sand wedge, take a pitching wedge or low iron and take a fuller swing. You still want to hit an inch behind the ball and get that splash out of the trap; the greatest misconception about longer bunker shots is that you have to hit ball first with these kinds of shots. While this is one way to play the shot depending on the length and lie, it is often very difficult to pick the ball completely clean. Many golfers either chunk it or blade it with no control when trying to pick it clean. By taking more club, you can take a comfortable swing and not worry about hitting the ball absolutely perfectly. Other than taking more club, everything else is the same as a greenside bunker shot. If you need a little more length, you can square the club face. The ball will fly slightly further with a lower trajectory. As long as you set up like you would for a greenside shot, all you need on these longer bunker shots is more club.
The Plugged Ball
For those golfers who hit the ball high, plugged balls in traps are not uncommon. The Fried Egg as its sometimes called is extremely difficult to control, and the only thing to think about when hitting the shot is “DIG!” Shots like these depend entirely on the lie, but 9 times out of 10 you need to dig the ball out of its impact hole. There are 2 ways to do this, and which one to choose depends on if you have to clear a lip or not. If you don’t, the best way to hit the shot is to shut the face on a high-lofted wedge and take a big swing. You want to get very steep with the shot so the leading edge of your wedge digs into the sand and gets under the ball. This may require you to swing slightly harder at the ball as you are taking a lot more sand than you normally would, but you must follow through as you would any other bunker shot. If you DO have a lip to clear, you can keep the face open but you MUST dig deeper. When you open the face on a plugged ball, the chances of blading it increases because the club doesn’t dig into the sand as much. So to hit the “high” plugged ball shot, one of the most difficult shots to pull off, you have to take a big swing and take a lot of sand. It is important to note that with any fried egg, the ball is going to run out a lot more than a normal bunker shot, so you must pick an appropriate landing zone to allot for the ball running out. Some of the hardest shots we will face on the course come from bunkers, and knowing how to hit these shots gives us the best chance to save a low score. Follow these tips and you’ll be making sandies like the pros.