Butch Harmon and professional Tommy Fleetwood finally 12 months’s Masters.
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For those who’re hitting the ball proper, Butch Harmon says, attempt to hit it left.
And vice versa.
“I’m an ideal believer — and I realized this from my dad — in opposites,” he mentioned.
Harmon, a GOLF Prime 100 Lecturers corridor of famer, was speaking on a just lately recorded episode of A New Breed of Golf on SiriusXM, and the topic was a much-discussed one: The way to repair a slice. After his preliminary opposites thought, Harmon dove into what that appears like.
There are a number of steps, mentioned Tiger Woods’ one-time coach:
— Use a stronger grip.
“So for those who’re a slicer,” Harmon mentioned on the present, “usually you’ve bought the clubface open an excessive amount of, you’re a bit excessive, your path is a bit out to in, except you’re hitting an enormous push from beneath. So I’d actually take a look at an individual’s grip, I’d strengthen their grip, get the highest hand — which for me, being right-handed, left hand about two or three knuckles and the precise hand beneath.”
— Use a extra closed setup.
— “Allow them to exit round their physique as a lot as they’ll,” Harmon mentioned on the present, “to try to get the clubface closed coming in.”
Harmon additionally mentioned he has two coaching gadgets. The primary is a membership that’s a pair toes lengthy — which might intensify to a participant the motion of the membership face.
“I’ve a membership that’s about … simply so long as a grip, and I take advantage of that quite a bit in reference to indicate individuals what their grip does to regulate the membership face,” he mentioned on the present hosted by Michael Breed, a GOLF Prime 100 Instructor lifetime achievement recipient. “And if you get your palms this far on the membership face, you may actually see it. And I clarify to them, you’re coming in an excessive amount of this manner. If we get this left hand over and proper hand beneath, this toe goes to get in there extra. After which if we get you coming a bit extra from the within, you will get that membership releasing.”
Harmon’s different transfer is to have a participant swing in gradual movement.
“And I movie it,” Harmon mentioned on the present. “As a result of in gradual movement, you may make your physique just about do no matter you need. And I’ll have them hit balls for perhaps 5 or 10 minutes, on a tee, with, say, a 6- or 7-iron, in gradual movement, stronger grip, a bit bit extra of a closed stance, really feel such as you’re hitting the within of the ball, not the skin of the ball, which is what you do if you include the over-the-top swing.
“And two issues occur: No. 1, they’ll really feel the method, they’ll really feel what they’re attempting to do; however No. 2, they’re amazed at how far they hit it with what they assume is a slow-motion swing.”
Editor’s word: To hearken to A New Breed of Golf, please click on right here. [A SiriusXM subscription is needed.]
Editor’s word two: Lately, three-time main winner Padraig Harrington additionally vouched for attempting to hook so as to repair a slice, and that story will be learn by clicking right here or scrolling beneath.
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Hook, Padraig Harrington says.
And hook and hook and hook some extra.
“The largest hook you may, like 20, 30, 40 yards of a hook, the worst-looking shot,” he says.
And that’s how amateurs can appropriate a slice, he believes.
And that’s how amateurs also can perceive clubface management.
And that’s how amateurs also can study this:
“There isn’t any golf swing that stays the identical,” Harrington mentioned.
He was speaking throughout a just lately launched episode of “The Tough Lower Golf Podcast” — which you’ll hearken to in full right here — and the slice topic is a well-liked one. Proper-handed amateurs ship it proper usually (and lefties left). Amateurs additionally analysis the treatment for it as if it had been a illness. Simply Google “methods to repair a slice” and prepare to scroll and scroll.
Harrington’s thought, although, is considerably easy.
Go left for those who’re a righty. Go proper for those who’re a lefty.
“So most amateurs, say for those who’re hitting a slice, they assume, properly, I wish to discover ways to hit this lovely, straight or say a 5-yard draw,” Harrington mentioned on the podcast. “Effectively, really, for those who’ve bought a slice and also you wish to eliminate it, you’ve bought to remain on the vary and hit the largest hook you may, like 20, 30, 40 yards of a hook, the worst-looking shot. And also you’ve bought to maintain hitting that for some time.”
Over time, although, Harrington mentioned, the gamers will begin to hook the ball, which then requires vary work in the other way. On the vary, the golfer ought to purposely attempt to slice the ball.
There are a pair of penalties.
Harrington thinks the participant will study clubface management. Notably, at a distinct level within the episode, he famous that understanding that is a matter for “individuals who strike the ball badly.”
“So for many amateurs,” Harrington mentioned on the podcast, “they’d be higher off going to the vary and hitting an enormous hook and an enormous slice and the whole opposites each second shot, after which not less than they’ll perceive. And what shut face is and an open face. And as they get higher, they’ll scale back how a lot they’re doing it. Whereas most individuals are going from an enormous slice to attempting to get sq. face. And sadly, most amateurs have no idea what a sq. face is. So that they have some likelihood to know what a shut face and an open face is, however they’ve little or no likelihood to know what a sq. face is.
“So that you study by doing the extremes.”
And ultimately the ball will go left. Or proper.
However simply don’t anticipate issues to remain that method, Harrington mentioned.
Golf, proper?
“It’s [the swing] by no means going to remain the identical,” Harrington mentioned on the podcast. “Don’t imagine it ever will. It all the time — all the time in golf, you go from one to the opposite and also you overdo it a bit bit. OK, now cease that, return, and hopefully the higher you get, the much less that strikes, that it’s solely a slight fraction of motion, however it’ll by no means keep the identical for the remainder of your life.
“There isn’t any golf swing that stays the identical.”
