Which do you weigh more heavily: a good looking swing, or good-looking results? If you prefer the latter, focusing on staying connected will probably do the trick. Connection is a term that describes the relationship of the triangle formed by the shoulders and arms relative to the body’s rotational movement. Since amateurs typically disconnect on the backswing and downswing golf instructors use the term, “staying connected,” because it illustrates a tighter relationship between the body and arms throughout the swing. Why should you stay connected? Staying connected can greatly improve your timing and overall consistency. Here’s how you do it.

The distance between your elbows throughout the swing versus setup is helpful to determine if your staying connected. For example, at the top of the swing the left arm is straight and the right arm is bent, yet the space between the elbows is very similar to setup. Amateurs commonly disconnect when the right elbow moves away from the left, called the flying right elbow. It’s not the best position to be in because it can throw the club off plane on the downswing. Impact and post impact are other areas amateurs commonly disconnect when the left elbow breaks down and moves away from the right, called the chicken wing. This can prevent a free release and cause serious inconsistency.

Here’s a great drill if you’re disconnecting through impact with a left elbow chicken wing.

The distance between your elbows and your body is also helpful in determining if your staying connected. You don’t want the elbows separating too far from the body early in the takeaway or early on the downswing. These are two very important phases in the swing and require a tight connection between the body and arms. Amateurs typically over extend their arms moving their elbows too far off the body. If your problem is disconnecting early in the takeaway, try using a towel under both armpits to keep the elbows in. If your disconnecting early on the downswing try using a towel, but also focus on this concept. Imagine your entire body, minus your arms, as the engine of your golf swing. This is your power source. Imagine your arms and club simply as transmitters of power generated from your engine. So when you reach the top of your swing focus on using the engine, the body, ahead of the the arms and club. This will improve your sequence back to the ball and drop the elbows closer to the body, rather than overextending and disconnecting. Amateurs lose connection when the arms dominate, which prematurely extends the right arm and disconnected the right elbow.

Here’s a popular video I posted that demonstrates a drill for improving your connection between your body, arms, and club.

Here’s another popular video by one of the all time greats, Ben Hogan. Hogan demonstrates in simple terms what it means to stay connected.

Long and Straight,

Adam

Butch Harmon made comments recently about Hank Haney’s new book, “The Big Miss,” and Tiger’s inconsistency at the 2012 Masters in an article published on the Wall Street Journal. Butch Harmon is currently ranked by Golf Digest as the #1 golf teacher in America. His list  of students include Davis Love III, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Adam Scott and now Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, and Phil Mickelson.

Read full article on The Wall Street Journal by Jeff Neuman

The following are comments Butch Harmon made in regards to Hank Haney’s new book, “The Big Miss.”

“I’m very surprised that he would write it. I’d never do that to Tiger or Greg [Norman] or any of the guys I’ve been with. We get to spend a lot of time with these people, sometimes even more time than their own families. Things are said, or you see different things, and it’s just—it is what it is, you just leave it where it belongs. I was really shocked to see him talk about Elin and Tiger’s kids and stuff like that, I don’t think that had any place in it.”

“It almost seems the way he has everything documented in there—too many times and dates and places that you wouldn’t come up with from memory—it’s like he kept precise notes all along with writing a book in mind.”

I completely agree with Butch Harmon. There is a level of trust between coach and student. The coach is given access to so much and in this case sometimes more than another family member. That trust should be respected, not violated. Although the book documents Haney’s work with Tiger in a positive light, the book is a complete breach of trust because of the fact that personal issues were brought up.

Below are comments Butch made about Tiger’s win at Bay Hill and his recent woes at the 2012 Masters.

“For me, and I think we saw this at the Masters, he looks like he’s playing ‘golf- swing’ and not golf. In my opinion, he’s very robotic. And you could see that at Augusta with all his practice swings and the double-cross shots when he’s trying to fade it and he hooks it. I think everyone thought because he won at Bay Hill that he was back; well, he didn’t hit it great at Bay Hill, he hit it OK. And Bay Hill’s not a major.”

“When I had him, I’m more of a natural-type teacher, I like to keep what you do naturally and just try to improve on it. I like to let you be creative, which he was good at. Under pressure, which swing am I using? What am I thinking? What are my eyes seeing? There’s too much more that goes into it than just the actual swing. He’s changed so many times he may have confused himself. And for me, I think he’s lost his nerve putting. I think his nerves are bad, and he’s lost his confidence.”

“If he ever asked me what I thought he needed to do, I’d tell him, look, go on the practice tee without anybody—without me, without Sean [Foley, his current coach], without Haney, without a camera, and start hitting golf shots. Hit some high draws, some low draws, high fades, low fades, move the ball up and down, move it around; don’t worry about how you do it and go back to feeling it again. Quit playing golf-swing and just hit shots; just say to himself, I’m gonna hit a low fade, and I don’t need anybody to tell me how to do it, I’m just gonna feel it. He’s Tiger Woods, for God’s sake. He doesn’t know how to hit a shot?”

In my opinion, it’s incredibly interesting to hear these comments from a top teacher who’s worked with so many good players in the past. He’s pinpointed Tiger’s problem perfectly saying he’s playing the “golf-swing” instead of playing the game. Going back to a more natural approach would be the solution. But we’ll see if Tiger continues down the same path.

Long and Straight,

Adam

You’ve probably spent countless hours trying to fix your slice by changing your outside-to-inside swing path, however, you forgot the most important ingredient – clubface angle. Having an open clubface at impact (relative to the direction of your swing) is the main reason you slice. It imparts slice spin and sends the ball on a journey to the water, out of bounds, the woods, another hole, someone’s backyard, etc. How do you fix the open clubface? You need to learn how to release the club properly. The following video will demonstrate a simple drill designed to square up the clubface naturally and fix that slice.

On his road to victory at the 2012 Masters, Bubba Watson displayed a precise combination of power and touch. Like an artist, there was no limit to his creativity. The shot Bubba hit from the trees on the second playoff hole was superhuman. No one else on Tour could have pulled that off.  It’s safe to say Bubba Watson has an incredibly versatile golf swing. Although it has unique characteristics unlike other players, it demonstrates many fundamentals that create power and accuracy. His golf swing proves that you don’t have to be perfect – a great lesson for all of us.

Bubba’s setup is very relaxed.  He likes to play the ball more forward than most people, opposite his right toe. His left shoulder is beneath the left creating a slight tilt, and his hands are in front of the inside portion of his front leg. Bubba is in great position with the Driver. You might also notice Bubba hovering the club before the takeaway. This was popularized by Jack Nicklaus who claimed it helped to develop a smooth takeaway. I highly recommend it.

Right from the takeaway Bubba moves considerable weight into his back leg while creating tremendous width between his chest and club. Just look at the extension in his arms. This is a great example of building width in the backswing – a common trait in long hitters.

At the three quarter backswing Bubba continues to coil into a braced back leg. His lower body is stable because his back leg maintains its angle. Although his back leg appears straight, it is not. It maintains the same bend it had at setup. This creates resistance in the lower body and produces extra torque in the backswing. Bubba also completes his wrist hinge much later than most players. Notice how his right arm and club have yet to form a 90 degree angle. The late wrist set is another common trait among long hitters.

At the top of the swing Bubba illustrates one of the most powerful coils in the game of golf. His shoulders have rotated well passed 90 degrees, his right shoulder and right knee are well behind the ball, and his back leg is firmly braced. Thats’s incredible power built up in the body, which eventually gets transmitted to the club.

The next frame perfectly demonstrates one of the big reasons Bubba is capable of creating such amazing power. Notice the day light between Bubba’s knees and the position of his club in this frame versus the previous.  His forward knee (right knee) begins to move forward while the club is still moving backward. This is called the two-way move. The lower body initiates the downswing before upper body and club complete the backswing. The effect is additional torque in the body and more fuel for the downswing. The two-way move is a common trait among all great ball strikers.

Nearing impact Bubba holds his lag. His lead arm is pointing to the ground and his shaft angle is still less than 90 degrees with his lead arm. Most people will never be able to create lag like this. Also notice his back knee driving forward. This creates added momentum during the unwinding process, which translates into additional clubhead speed through impact.

After impact Bubba’s head is well behind the impact point and there is plenty of backward tilt in his spine. This helps make contact with the ball on the upswing. Bubba also has great extension with the arms with absolutely no break in the wrists. His front leg is fully straight after driving off the ground during the impact phase. These are signs Bubba has released all the energy into the club. One of Bubba’s unique characteristics is his front heel off the ground. Most people rotate and swing through impact with their front heel on the ground.

Later in the follow through Bubba’s chest and belt buckle fully rotate to the target with his head closer to his back foot. His upper body leans backward in a classic reverse “C” position. Again, unlike most players, Bubba’s front foot rotates to the target, mainly because he rotated on his toes.

Bubba has a very classic finish with his upper body tilting backward. His front shoulder is closer to the target and his back knee has fully caught up with the front knee. Most players shift 90% of their weight into the front leg, however, Bubba does not. This does not mean Bubba will have difficulty hitting the ball long and straight. The torque he created in the backswing and lag he maintained on the downswing produce plenty of power. His backward lean through impact and into the finish ensures contact on the upswing – another secret to long distance.

Long and Straight,

Adam

The ball flight laws are useful for players and teachers when analyzing impact and why the ball goes where it does. They serve as a framework for diagnosing poor patterns making adjustments. However, one of the most debated topics regarding ball flight is the ball’s starting direction.

For years players and teachers had it wrong. John Jacobs, one of the world’s top teachers from England, advocated that swing path had more influence than clubface in the ball’s starting direction. His theory was eloquently illustrated in one of the most influential golf books of all time, Practical Golf. Fortunately for him, there wasn’t enough advanced technology like we have today to test his widely accepted opinion.

Today leading authorities such as the PGA of America and new technology such as Trackman confirm a different point of view, which states that although the swing path does influence the ball’s starting direction, it has a lesser influence than the clubface.

This is not a recent discovery. Top teachers such as Jim McLean have been campaigning this for more than 20 years. He published an article in August 1989 in PGA Magazine entitled, “The Launch Angle Myth,” which clearly marks the beginning of a new generation of thinking about ball flight. In the article McLean cites one of his students who was suffering from a pull hooking problem with divots that pointed to the right. If the old ball flight laws were true how could this happen? The student figured, like everyone else, that he was coming “over the top.” McLean and the student quickly identified the solution. It wasn’t an outside-to-in swing path, but rather a closed clubface that was starting the ball to the left.

Are we all on the same page finally? Not quite. This week during the Arnold Palmer Invitational there was a promotional tip sponsored by Cialis in which the teacher explained the wrong ball flight laws. He demonstrated how to hit a recovery shot around a tree by starting the ball to the right using the swing path instead of the clubface. These are the wrong ball flight laws.

For the record, and to clarify any misconceptions, the ball’s starting direction is influenced more by the clubface, not swing path. At higher swing speeds the swing path will have more influence but it still has a lesser influence than clubface. I hope, by now, we can all agree.

Long and Straight,

Adam

Did you think Hank Haney’s new book, “The Big Miss,” would be about golf history? Think again. It supposedly documents Haney’s work with Tiger from 2004-2009, but some of these allegations have nothing to do with golf. Recent leaks via Golf Digest and The New York Times put Tiger’s personal life back in the spotlight. Haney’s allegations paint a much different picture about Tiger’s personality, his injuries, and relationship with others. If you decide to read the book or read articles about Haney’s comments ask yourself – do you believe Haney? Or do you feel bad for Woods? You might answer yes for both.

Read full Golf Digest Article here

Read full New York Times Article here

Haney was Tiger’s swing coach from 2004-2007, helping him win dozens of times on the PGA Tour including 6 majors (one Masters, two Open Championships, two PGA Championships, and one US Open). During that time he was considered part of Tiger’s inner circle. After their split people asked Haney about his experiences, which is why he wrote the book. So we all thought Haney would document his work with Tiger including swing changes, Tiger’s superhuman abilities, and how they won 6 majors together –  the sort of pro-golf-pro-Tiger book we’d expect from one of the world’s best teachers. Instead, Haney made other claims.

Recent leaks from the New York Times and Golf Digest claim Tiger grew obsessed with military training in 2007 after his father passed away the previous year. He frequently participated in three-day sessions with the Navy SEALs, which included parachuting, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms training. Corey Carroll, one of Woods’ closest friends at Isleworth, confirms this and further adds Woods tore his left knee during Navy SEAL training in 2007 at a Kill House, which is an urban warfare simulator. Haney said Tiger told him he’d been shot with a rubber bullet.

Haney strongly believes what happened during Navy SEALs training might have done serious damage to his career. This is what Haney said in his book, “And if so, it meant that if Tiger never catches Jack Nicklaus, it will very likely have as much to do with the time and physical capacity he lost as a result of his bizarre Navy SEALs adventure as anything else.” Interesting comments considering Tiger had 4 surgery’s on his left knee since 2007, and had to withdraw from Doral last week after a mild strain in his left Achilles tendon – the same one that made him miss two majors last year.

The book also claims Tiger had a “distaste” for other players. Haney said Tiger didn’t see eye-to-eye with players such as Vijay Singh, Ian Pouler, Sergio Garcia, and Phil Mickelson. In fact, when Tiger and Phil were paired together Haney writes, “I have no doubt Tiger felt racial vibes in what he read and heard on and off the course, especially when he was matched up against Phil.”

When Tiger gave Haney a call in 2004 they agreed on $50,000/year, plus a $25,000 bonus for winning a major. Haney claims they had to confront three issues with his swing – protecting the left knee, the movement of his head, and learning to hit the driver. Haney wrote, “simply put, Tiger played the driver with a lot of fear.” But Haney claims there was more to their working relationship. “The message Tiger wanted to send was clear: When I play bad, when I don’t win, its your fault. He was reminding me that his expectations were going to be incredibly high.” Haney also adds, “I also realized that I was never going to be able to relax with Tiger Woods. He was going to be complicated, and he was going to surprise me with his moods.”

Even more shocking, Haney included these comments about Tiger’s relationship with his wife, Elin Nordegren. “By the time she and Tiger got married, she remained friendly but had become more guarded, even in her own home. She and Tiger developed a calm, almost cool relationship in front of other people, and conversations with them tended to be awkward and strained. I never saw them argue, but they weren’t openly affectionate either.”

After Tiger’s first win with Haney at the 2005 Buick Invitational, Haney claims Nordegren wanted to celebrate. She told Tiger when she was a nanny for Jesper Parnevik, they would celebrate after Jesper won a tournament. Woods responded, “E, that’s not what we do. I’m not Jesper. We’re supposed to win.”

In 2007 Haney said that Tiger’s cell phone began to ring more and more. Their work together was becoming increasingly distracted. But this time he wasn’t ignoring the messages.  This, of course, continued until the events that took place in November 2009 that led to Tiger and Elin’s split.

Haney and Tiger’s former trainer were also concerned with Tiger’s fitness. They say he was addicted to high stress workouts. That he was, “inordinately interested in muscle building.” It got to a point that Haney and Tiger’s trainer tried to persuade Tiger not to build so much muscle in his upper body because it wasn’t helpful for golf.

The book also documents Haney’s and Tiger’s professional work together in great detail leading up to each major win. It includes analysis of the swing changes, plus well documented student and teacher dialogue through emails and text messages. However, according to Haney, the most revealing message he ever received from Tiger came when Tiger was preparing to return to golf. “I learned one thing for sure,” Woods said. “When I play golf again, I’m going to play for myself. I’m not going to play for my Dad, or my Mom or Mark Steinberg or Steve Williams or Nike or my foundation, or for the fans. Only for myself.” I guess we shouldn’t be surprised Haney made this comment in the last page of the book, “My guess is that the publication of this book won’t bring us closer.”

The Big Miss goes on sale March 27th – one week before the Masters. Great timing, Hank. Sounds like your publisher won the lottery.

Adam

One of the most common faults on the backswing is sliding. That means the upper or lower body is moving too far away from the target on the backswing. When the body slides it’s very difficult to achieve good timing. In this video I address a couple  drills  that eliminate backswing slide. You will strike the ball more solid and with better accuracy when you practice this drill.

Long and Straight,

Adam

I recently attended the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral and spent some time on the driving range during Wednesday’s practice round. It’s always interesting observing players practice. I like to watch how they approach their practice session, what they work on, who they work with, etc. Some players talk the entire time, while others don’t say anything. Everyone’s different and I believe your personality has a lot to do with your practice habits. So believe me, there’s no one formula for success.  Below are some great pictures I took one day before the first round.

Kyle Stanley - PGA TOUR stand-out rookie, winner at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and 2nd place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2012. Currently 49th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Dustin Johnson - Consistently in the top-5 in driving distance. Currently 12th in Official World Golf Ranking. The most bent left wrist on the PGA TOUR

Butch Harmon and Tiger Woods catching up before Tiger plays his practice round on Wednesday.

Tiger Woods - Currently 18th in Official World Golf Ranking. Still looking for his first win in 2012.

Paul Casey - European Tour Player with 11 victories. Currently 27th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Bill Haas - 2011 Fedex Cup Champion. 2012 Northern Trust Open Champion. Currently 14th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Keegan Bradley and Jim McLean working on another magical season. Keegan is currently 20th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Jim McLean and Butch Harmon - the best golf teachers in the world. Butch Harmon is currently #1 and Jim McLean is #3 (golf digest ranking).

Webb Simpson - the top ten machine. Currently 8th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Bubba Watson - 6 starts in 2012. 6 top-25 finishes including a 2nd place finish at the WGC Cadillac Championship. Currently 16th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Rickie Fowler - Currently 38th in Official World Golf Ranking. Arguably the best player without a PGA TOUR victory.

Keegan Bradley - Currently 7th in scoring average on the PGA TOUR. 20th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Hunter Mahan - one of the flattest and greatest swings on tour. WGC Accenture Match Play Championship Champion. Currently 10th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Johnson Wagner - Sony Open Champion. 2nd place finish at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Currently 65th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Phil Mickelson - AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Champion (beat Tiger by 11 shots in final round). Currently 13th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Vijay Singh - Currently 76th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Luke Donald - 2011 PGA TOUR Player of the Year. Currently 2nd in Official World Golf Ranking.

Adam Scott - Currently 11th in Official World Golf Ranking.

Long and Straight,

Adam

Rory Mcilroy recently became the #1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. His success has much to do with his golf swing as one of the most dynamic on Tour, embodying many top fundamentals that produce power and control. Compared to other players, he isn’t very tall but he uses his 5″10′ frame incredibly well. I’d like to point out a few qualities of Rory’s swing that I believe are the centerpiece of of his shot making ability.

Rory’s first move away is a brilliant example of proper technique. His body, arms, and club move off the ball together while the hands remain passive. This sets a good tone for the swing.  Any mistake here would sacrifice good rhythm and timing but Rory’s move away is impeccable.

No one looks better than Rory at the top of the backswing. His upper body is fully coiled over the lower body while maintaining flex in his right knee. His spine angle is still intact, his left arm is beautifully positioned slightly above the shoulder plane, and the club points down the target line. More importantly his clubface is in a neutral position parallel to his left wrist. This is called preparing for impact – setting the clubface square at the top of swing so there’s no need to manipulate the clubface on the way down.

On the downswing, Rory showcases tremendous lower body dynamics. Both knees increase flex and level out before they begin to shift toward the target. We call this using the ground as leverage. This is what athletes do before leaping. They lower, or squat, into the ground which creates additional tension, or energy, in the lower body. This energy is used in a last second effort to create more lateral and rotational movement through impact. The result is outstanding speed transmitted to the club head through the hitting area. Meanwhile his upper body (including his shoulders and arms) passively trail behind, flattening the angle of his club shaft perfectly on plane. This is why Rory’s release is so natural and free. His half-way down position is perfectly on plane and neutral. He can rotate as hard as he wants with his body with no need to manipulate, or steer, the club through impact.

At impact Rory opens his hips possibly more than anyone on Tour. Even his shoulders are slightly open because he’s rotating so hard, but more importantly his club approaches the ball from an inside track. This combination of body motion and club movement create amazing power and deadly accuracy.

After impact Rory’s arms release the club tension free. The club swings back to the left on plane beneath his shoulder plane with his right shoulder lower than the left.

His poised finish position is almost poetic – like a gymnast scoring perfect 10′s on the dismount.

Besides his technique, Rory has a great attitude. He doesn’t moan or complain after a bad shot.  His demeanor is almost care-free. I believe this is one of the best attitudes for performing at your best. Most amateurs, even pros, put too much pressure on themselves. They get upset when they don’t meet their high expectations. It throws their entire game off. Take a lesson from Rory. Don’t worry about a bad swing.

I expect Rory to continue leaving his mark on the game of golf and holding on the #1 ranking for much longer than Westwood, Kaymer, and Donald. Golf Is lucky to have a young kid, with loads of talent, and a good personality on top. Hopefully we’ll even see some epic battles between Rory and Tiger in the majors. It would be great for golf.

Long and Straight,

Adam

In a spectacular finish at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Rory McIlroy held off a late Tiger charge and finished 12 under par, winning his 3rd PGA Tour event, and becoming the new #1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Tiger’s Sunday 62 simply wasn’t enough. In the final round at PGA National, Rory displayed precision, poise, and sound decision making. He rightly captured one of the games greatest honors.

Perhaps this marks a new beginning in the game. Tiger Woods begins to emerge from his cloud of injuries, swing fixes, and putting woes. Rory, at 22 years old, begins to emerge as the game’s dominating force. Let’s also throw Phil Mickelson in the mix. He didn’t play in the Honda Classic, but already won this year at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, beating Tiger by 11 shots. If these story lines continue we are headed for more chaotic excitement in 2012.

Watching Tiger in the final round gave us a glimpse of his old self. He looked comfortable, calm, and confident. You can just see it in his body language. We could hardly wait for him to hit the next shot. As a fan there’s nothing better. The game of golf is grateful to have Tiger Woods back in the mix.

It’s hard to pinpoint the reason for Rory’s success. Without going into great detail, in my opinion it’s a combination of things. First of all, his swing is natural and “free.” His body rotates through impact faster and more aggressively than anyone on tour. The arms and hands release the beautifully, almost poetically. There’s no club manipulation whatsoever.

Rory works out like a maniac. I’ve heard rumors that even after red-eye flights he gets up at 5am to go to the gym. He even works out in the evenings. You can see the difference when he plays. When he came out on Tour he certainly wasn’t as fit. He’s definitely trimmed down. It’s a sign he’s treating his physical condition very seriously even under a busy schedule. That’s a hard working 22-year-old who’s on a mission.

Rory also has an incredible golf IQ. He’s poised and as of lately, doesn’t rush into the shot. He’s been playing a mix of aggressive and conservative shots, at the right moment, that are consistently putting him in contention to win. Did you see him play the 18th hole in the final round? He layed up with just over 220 yards left into a par five. Then he played to the middle of the green, two-putted, then surpassed Luke Donald as the World’s #1. Sounds like a smart player in complete control.

Needless to say, next week at Doral will be exciting. Throw Phil Mickelson in the mix and you have potential for a major-like-PGA-Tour-event with not enough journalists to cover all the story lines. Even though Tiger has had more success at Doral (he never finished outside the top ten and won the event 6 times) I wouldn’t give him the upper-hand. I’m expecting Rory to win and Tiger and Phil to battle somewhere within the top five. But that’s wishful thinking.

Long and Straight,

Adam