ing on a lofted shot from deeper grass to a short-sided pin. See where this is going? What’s your best recipe for playing the game? Getting that right is the lowest hanging fruit for a player and coach. ● ● ● When I saw Max, he was lifting his arms dramatically in the back- swing, which prompted him to lose his posture in the downswing. He doesn’t have much shoulder flexion, and lifting his arms above his head is not easy. So by swinging back with less arm lift and getting it deeper behind him, he gets the face in a much stronger position. He rotates through and hits these low lasers with his wedges. If you struggle with wedg- es, think of it as a body swing instead of an arm swing. Take some set out of your wrists and use more rotation. ● ● ● Coaches and players have lots of different deals. Mine’s not compli- cated. It’s 5 percent. If you can help a player win another million, $50 000 is a no brainer, right? ● ● ● I’ve screened lots of tour players who don’t have ideal movement patterns, but they know how to apply force to the ball at the right time. That can work if you’re an in- credible athlete with elite talent. Most of us aren’t that, so find a coach who will help you build a realistic body- swing connection. Ninety percent of the PGA Tour can’t move like Rory. Trying to copy somebody is almost always folly. ● ● ● How do I feel about Instagram instruction? There’s so much great information out there thanks to social media, but you have to be careful. If you go to a pharmacy, there are lots of incredible drugs there that can help you, but if you take the wrong drug, it’s poison. Instagram has been good for my business. Lots of people take good information, apply it in a less- than-ideal way, and get into a pickle. It’s an opportunity for me. ● ● ● It’s an honour to follow Butch Harmon as No 1. He’s the undisputed GOAT, and he’s done it without a meth- od. He teaches people, not a set kind of swing, and all his players have done it differently. That’s something I’ve tried to pattern my coaching after.
eliminate that slide and get much more power and control by pushing off the ground more during the transi- tion. You want to feel like you’re stuff- ing your toes into the front of your shoes at that point, and by the time the club gets here (above), push up, straightening your lead leg and feel- ing like your lead shoulder is pulling up, back and around. That lines up the club, so you can smash it. ● ● ● If players know you come from a competitive background, it helps. If you can hit it decently far and shoot respectable scores, I think it gives you a different kind of credibility when compared to an instructor who comes at it more from an analytics or a data- driven perspective, without having the competitive experience.
Teaching is part of coaching, but coaching isn’t necessarily part of teaching. If a player hasn’t got a me- chanical skill, at some point he or she needs a mechanic to give them that skill. If a player can’t execute a shot, no amount of encouraging to go out and dig it out of the dirt is going to help. ● ● ● Skills and strength marry together. You might love to hit driver and con- sider that a strength of your game, but if you’re a great driver, you’re going to have a lot of short irons into greens. If you can’t hit those shots well, that’s not good. Or, say you’re an aggressive player who goes at every flag Practising a 25-metre stock pitch from a tight lie in front of the green won’t help nearly as much as work-
38 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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