Choking, Putting and the US Open

One of the greatest choking hazards a golfer faces is a large lead with 18 or fewer holes to play.  And here's why; any golfer within 8 strokes of you has a legitimate shot at catching you!  When a golfer get's out in front they often start to play a different style of golf and we have all seen the results of this change - Norman in '96 Masters  (I could put multiple events for Norman here), Van de Velde in the '99 Open, Palmer with a 7 shot lead and 9 holes to go in the US Open at Olympic......

Jean van de Velde

(Did you know - Jean Van de Velde's ball crossed the burn 8 times on the 72nd hole of the '99 British Open!)

With a big lead the mind and approach tends to change and when that happens you are in big trouble.  Think of it this way - if you were competing in a one round event against all the players within 8 strokes of you, you could play relatively well, yet still lose to one or more of the players in that limited field by more than 8 strokes!  And that's without any change in approach!

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have a large lead (and I hope you do!) forget protecting and go out and play golf the way you played to get yourself in that position! Play the event as if it were a one round shootout and all the golfers are tied with you starting the round.  A golf tournament is a marathon; you can only play protective golf (and get away with it!) with three  or fewer holes to go.

A FURTHER UPDATE ON THE "RELEASE THE PUTTER" POST:

I thought the following two photographs might clarify the difference between a proper release of the putter and a non-release.

The Correct Release

No Release

I hope the above pictures help to clarify any confusion that there might have been.  The furthest point from the axis of a pendulum travels the furthest.

Let the putter head swing!

U.S. Open Notes:

• Tiger and Hank snuck out to Bethpage Black yesterday following El Tigre's amazing finish at the Memorial.  Just listening to the commentary gives you an idea of what it must be like to play in front of NY sports fans!
• Here is a great photo blog by Barton Silverman on Bethpage Black.  Gotta love the local flavor!
• This is an interesting article by John Branch about what it takes to play the Black.
• Golfweek has some great insight from the Columbus, Ohio Sectional qualifier.
• Jim McCabe writes a nice piece on what it's like to try to make it to the U.S. Open
• How about this:  Steve Marino (26), Charley Hoffman (20), Charles Howell III (28) and Kevin Na (13) all failed to qualify for the U.S. Open.  They are all in the top 30 on the money list and will be watching on TV just like you and me.....Crazy! So much for a world class field.
• Well done to former student Kyle Stanley on qualifying for the U.S. Open for the second year in a row!

If you are ever in the Hilton Head area and are looking to go and catch some fish please look up my friend Capt. Christiaan Pollitzer on the Bulldog.  I fished with him yesterday and we caught 6 cobia and a red snapper amongst various other denizons of the deep!  I actually invited friends to a cobia dinner before we even left the dock - the man is a fishing legend!

The Shoulder Pivot (Part 3 of a Four Part Series)

The Proper Shoulder Pivot

I often hear golfers speaking about 'turn' and getting their lead shoulder 'behind' the ball.  In my opinion these thoughts very often cause a golfer to pivot the body incorrectly; thus making it difficult to get into a sound impact position.

In my research conducted on the top golfers of all time one of the few factors that was consistent to each of them was the manner in which they wound/pivoted their shoulders.

As the picture illustrates, at halfway through the backswing the right forearm is always above the left forearm (speaking as a right hander).  This forearm position indicates that the lead shoulder is traveling down and the back shoulder is, conversely, working up.  When executed correctly this move will give the golfer a sense of torque building up in the body, without a great deal of length to the swing.  A correct shoulder pivot also deters the upper body from any unnecessary lateral movement.

As an exercise, place a club across the front of your shoulders with the grip pointing toward the target.  Positon a ball where it would normally be and assume your normal posture.  As you pivot into the backswing try to get the grip of the club to point at the ball.  While this gets the shoulders a little too steep it will serve you well in conveying the sense required to get the shoulders to work correctly.

This is one of the very few elements that top golfers have in common.

Shouldn't you have it in your swing?

Things to ponder:

• Is Charles Howell really that bad with the putter?
• Boo Weekley will win the Players Championship!
• Jerry Kelly pulled an Angel - he vanished for most of the final round and then slipped back in the back door. Well done!
• How does Sabbatini play the way he does with that move of his?
• I played Callawassie Island for the first time yesterday and  would highly recommend it to anybody in the area!