think young | play hard HOW STEN SOSON GOGOT HIS GGAME BACCKK FRO M A 'DARK DARK PLACE' C WWHATHAT T OSOSKI TELLS Y OUOUN G PLAYERSS FIVE FASTS FITS 3 STEP S TO RIP YOUR IRONS DINNER ANDREW BE EF S AT JOHNSTON’S TIGER’S + SECRET TAHOE HEROES SAUCE CURRY 'ALL I KNOW IS, TIMBERLAKE I'M UP FOR BARKLEY ALL OF IT'

Contents withyour starts finish 38 36 31 47 8 40 34 32 25 24 20 BeattheTough Holes 17 Play Your Best 26 66 golfdigest.com

How to:Thehybrid chip It’s OKtoplanforamiss player. forany of 13 newclubs type Hitting the safe punch-out punch-out Hitting thesafe What’s InMyBag Equipment David Leadbetter BY MIKESHANNON Game Short BY RICKSMITH Chunking asimplepitch. Why’d IDoThat? Paul Casey Swing Sequence: Jack Nicklaus BY KEVIN SPRECHER clubfitting. All about Basics Back to body. Sync upyour armsand WedgesPro-Style Harmon Butch Shaping your shots Hank Haney Kaymer: Martin Spain’s Jon Rahm about setup than stroke. thanstroke. setup about Making puttsismore BY BRIANMANZELLA BY MIKESTACHURA

| october 2016

etiquette of the flagstick. etiquette oftheflagstick. giving. thatkeeps wrists. having

62 60 56 54 53 50 52 51 48 The GolfLife

ranks the majors. ranksthemajors. animals attack

perfect forfallgolf.perfect jackets Six windproof BY BRITTANY ROMANO The writtenandunwritten Rules BY RON SIRAK Tour PGA getagift pros Pensions BY RON KASPRISKE Sampling newbourbons. The Pour BY BRITTANY ROMANO Seve’s match-play tips. The Rundown BY MARTY HACKEL Style WITH MAXADLER How aU.S. champ Open Undercover Tour Pro How you your canprotect The Core What todowhen GolfDigest Ask BY RON KASPRISKE is Rafa CabreraBello Think Young, Play Hard

one awesome year. BY RON KASPRISKE

the golf course. thegolfcourse. The Woods. willingtosay he’s done.

rare—particularly rare—particularly on called inarestaurant atellingstory create buthere’s why I’m not Alexander. photographer mystique: Jules Remembering wet, andwhy theywork.

112 12 92 83 88 80 TigerIs Done? 64

Tiger sightingshave been We’re BigonBeef. ‘He’s aGhost’ manwaits himout Our Dinner withTiger instances 27reported These Tiger’s World ofHurt fall, hashadagreat Tiger Warning: Fragile BY JERRY TARDE Editor’s Letter BY BRIANWACKER BY STEVE RUSHIN BY JAIME DIAZ BY SAMWEINMAN Capturing Hogan’s Closeout BY DAVID OWEN Why Iwear gloveswhenit’s Golf Man About

10 go head-to-head at Lake atLake gohead-to-head Tahoe. celebrities and athletes andathletes celebrities sandplayer thebest onthe LPGA Tour.

104 78 GARY BATTERSBY 72 102 96 74 66 Features tips formakinggolfeasier. tips Tells Young Players 3TipstoRipYour Irons Game Back from a froma Game Back ‘Dark Place’ why Ialways do. towinmy firstmajor—and Six Stages of Drinking. ofDrinking. SixStages rollercoastersandthe tomentionGoldilocks, not and bears, burgers Cover photograph by Dom Furore

What we canlearnwhen like Hit ithighandsoft Tahoe Heroes Bunker Basics A teachinggreatoffers ToskiWhat Bob Jordan Spieth: ▶ How His Stenson Got Why my Iused lobwedge Jimmy Likes the60 BY MATTHEW RUDY BY JIMMY WALKER BY BOBTOSKIAND WITH GUYYOCOM A folkheroonboobs, Tips Beef

/ Cover Story: Cover Story: BY MAXADLER 16 BY JENNYSHIN

figurines: ben walton • cover credits: footjoy shirt, $75; titleist hat, $28

Editor’s Letter

We’re Big on Beef

JERRY TARDE Chairman and Editor-in-Chief

golf pro walks into a A bar. Well, not just any golf pro—Beef John- ston, this summer’s juggernaut who’s ranked 86th in the world, made three out of three cuts in America, finished eighth in the Open at Troon and won the Spanish Open on the European Tour. He’s wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates flat-brim cap and a Wu-Tang hip-hop T-shirt. He’s talking to every- body, and everybody wants to Hey, Andrew! let’s find out,” Beef says, rolling talk to him. Beef Johnston takes the lead in down the window and shouting We’re there to video Beef London with agent Shaun Reddin my top-five to a bloke on the street: “Pardon giving lessons in a London pub. and Golf Digest’s Guy Yocom. things me, but does Adele live near- i love about It’ll get almost 300,000 views fall golf by?” The man inanely replies, on Golf Digest’s Facebook Live. Along with the Jordans and in the “Adele can live anywhere she What’s your best advice for Rickies, Beef represents the northeast wants.” Beef laughs uproari- 10 more yards, Beef? golfer that’s so important to the ously. “Brilliant!” he says. Stand a bit wider, give sport’s growth today. Golfers 1. Brisk weather How do you get out of a yourself a good balance, make born in the 1980s and ’90s play Fewer players, and it’s bunker, Beef? a big turn and give it a rip. nearly 100 million rounds per exhilarating playing in Don’t be afraid to open the Really pummel it out there. year in the U.S. and account for a sweater and shorts. face. The more you open the Earlier in the day, he posed 28 percent of all players, accord- face, the more the club’s bounce for our cover story. “He clam- ing to the World Golf Founda- 2. Perfect conditions will help you. Hit the sand and bered into the studio like he’s tion. Golf Digest’s coverage of Everything’s faster in the turn through. arrived everywhere else the last this new culture, especially on fall, including pace of He has that toothy smile few months,” says Senior Writer Golfdigest.com, has attracted play and green speeds. and a belly laugh that knocks Guy Yocom. “Incredulous that an audience that’s markedly him off balance. A barmaid is so much fanfare is being direct- younger—27 percent of our 3. The Anderson pulling one draft after another ed at a middle-class kid from digital users are now millennial, Leaf Rule Named for behind him. Patrons come up north London. He’s like Dorothy about 10 percent higher than the the Pulitzer Prize-winning to get an autograph. Pints are in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ opening other major golf sites. Our goal is sportswriter Dave emptied at an astonishing rate. the door into a world of color, to attract more young people to Anderson, allowing He turns no one away. new friends everywhere, first- sustain golf’s future. a free drop for a ball After the eight-hour shoot, time experiences around every Hey, Beef, how do you cure lost in leaves—with the Beef takes Director of Pho- corner. He’s up for all of it. the chipping yips? caveat that you can tie tography & Video Christian “As folk heroes go, he’s Take the wrist out of it. but not win the hole. Iooss and crew to his favorite John Daly without the baggage, You can break your wrists go- BBQ joint in London, HotBox, Boo Weekley without the ing back, but then just turn 4. Fun and cheaper where he rhymes to the ’90s reticence, Sam Snead minus through. Always work on the You get deals in the hip-hop on the sound system. the edge. There’s no guile, strike. Sometimes you’re better golf shop, and there’s Now he’s back in Europe no sense of calculation. The off not thinking about the tar- always the possibility after setting a record for selfies beard, the nickname, his get—think about the strike. of a cross-country hole. with fans on the PGA Tour. love of Beavertown ales were Senior Staff Photographer We like him. He’s a smart accidents. He’s answering Dom Furore shot him in a stu- 5. Chili at the turn young man of 27 who hopes the call by the seat of his dio loft, in a portal overlooking Nothing tastes better, to play about four events pants and with more bouncy Tower Bridge (see page 66), and and every day of play, early next year in the U.S., and energy than a 16-stone inside a London taxi cab. Some- especially into November, wouldn’t it be fun if he quali- [224 pounds], 5-foot-11 body body asks if Adele lives in the leaves you with the fied for the Masters?

would seem to possess.” neighborhood. “I don’t know; feeling that you stole one. Golf could use more Beef. peter oumanski

12 golfdigest.com | october 2016 Photograph by Dom Furore

edited by peter morrice Play

You’ve Got This How to beat the tough holes

BY MARTIN KAYMER

ost players get to the No. 1-handicap hole M and think about just trying to survive without destroying the round. Being cautious is understandable. We feel it, too, es- pecially in the majors, where course setups can be brutal. But you’ll have more success if you treat that 485-yard par 4 the same as all the oth- ers, instead of playing it safe. I used the strate- gies here to win two major championships, and they’ll work just as well for you no matter what hole you’re playing. It’s time to start looking for- ward to the challenge and stop playing with fear. —WITH MATTHEW RUDY

Photographs by Dom Furore october 2016 | golfdigest.com 17 Play Your Best Scoring “Keep your backswing tempo the same. Nice and smooth.”

SEE YOUR SHOT

Before I step up to any shot—on any hole, hard or easy—I go through the same mental process. I create a pic- ture in my mind of exactly what the shot will do. Seeing the specific starting line, trajectory, landing and finishing point is a lot different than hoping just to hit it out there somewhere safe. When you have a specific image in your mind and commit to it, you tighten your focus. It’s also an important part of handling pressure. You’re giv- ing your mind something to do other than be nervous.

DON’T OVERSWING

Long, hard holes are usu- ally visually intimidating from the tee. That’s done on purpose to make you uncom- fortable from the start. In those tense situations, it’s very common to swing faster than normal. And when your tempo changes, your sequencing gets thrown off, which produces a bad shot at the worst time. On a hard driving hole, do the same things you would on a hole you love to play. Take the club back at your usual unhur- ried pace and make the same smooth swing you would when you’re playing your best.

18 golfdigest.com | october 2016 HAVE AN APPROACH PLAN

Bad decisions are just as costly as bad swings—and many times they go hand in hand. When you have a hard approach, don’t get consumed with all the trouble around the green. Instead, pay attention to key fundamentals such as alignment, aim and picking the right club for the shot. Good planning helps take away the indecision over the ball that often leads to out-of-control swings. A good swing thought to marry with your plan is to maintain the extension you feel in your arms from address to finish. You’ll hit it solid and make a hard hole play easy.

+ BOSS GREEN shirt, $112 pants, $155 belt, $115 RECORD ROUND NEW ERA hat, $37 I set the 36-hole scoring ADIDAS record for the U.S. Open shoes, $150 (10 under par) in 2014, but the TAYLORMADE number you see on the ball glove, $22 I use for every tournament round commemorates the 59 I shot in 2006, my first year as a professional. It was in the second round of the Habsburg Classic, on the European Pro- fessional Development Tour, when I was 21 years old. It’s hard to be disappointed about going 13 under, but I still think about the birdie chance I missed on 17, an easy par 5.

Martin Kaymer won the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 U.S. Open, and made the clinching putt for Europe at the 2012 Ryder Cup. Play Your Best ish withtheright sidenotice- to getthere. For example, afin- the motion youlot about made way you shots. curve helpinfluencethe finish—can end—the ing fromtheopposite downswing tofinish.Butstart- tobackswing ing fromaddress 20 T golfdigest.com How your swingendssays a to endisnatural,work- swing from beginning yourhinking about

Change your shot shape Change your shape shot by changing your finish your changing by What thePros Know by HankHaney | october 2016 DRAW Working Ball the shoulder ishigh (above, right), atthefinish andtheright target arefacingthe and hips the chest shot—aa right-to-left draw. the body. Thattendstoproduce arms were than movingfaster lineandthehands target swung down from insidethe ( weight hangingbackalittle ably lower thantheleftand ) indicates you’veabove, indicates left) If you do the opposite, where If you where dotheopposite, @HankHaney. Hank your swing onTwitter: send in GolfDigest, Lewisville, Texas. To fixed get Hank Haney GolfRanch in Hank Haney at the isbased finish that’s theopposite. byswingingtothe cal badshot caneliminateyouralso typi- You shots. forhowtoshape feel tions, andyou’ll have better alot the backofhead( downslightlyand across angled ward thetargetandshaft turnedto- your andchest hips fromlefttoright—acurved fade. you’ve that probablyhitashot Rehearse these finishposi- Rehearse these To get hitthe ballstraight, STRAIGHT ). middle). Photographs by J.D. Cuban the sho can you guess how to shape shots. how shape to awarenessa better of ends up. You’ll have whereseeing theball straight shot before was adraw, fade or and guess it whether hit pauseonyour DVR swing. You even can or shefinishesthe how to he attention pay shot, hitting afull focuses onaplayer When thecamera as itisentertaining. aseducational be can FADE golf tournament golf tournament Watching apro t?

illustration: peter oumanski • callaway: glove, hat • martin: shirt • g/fore: shoes

Play Your Best Golfer’s Wish List by Butch Harmon

27% How many clubs do you regularly chip with? 24% ▶ Two ▶ Three 40% ▶ Love my one trusty wedge 9% ▶ Bring the whole bag, please SOURCE: GOLF DIGEST READERS

othing’s worse than be- address. This will help you make The Hybrid BUTCH’S BASICS N ing just short in two and a straight-back, straight-through Scooter making 6 because you stroke. If you stand farther from bladed one over the green. The the ball, the stroke will be more An easy way hybrid chip can be a lifesaver, rounded, which makes it tough- especially when you have a lot er to make crisp contact. to reach of green to work with. One thing The stroke is a simple back to keep in mind: The ball comes and through with firm wrists. back pins off a hybrid pretty hot, so it’s just Why not just putt it? Because a little bump to get it going. a putter has almost no loft, so I use my putting grip because you’ll tend to hit the ball down the motion is a lot like a putting into the turf and come up short. Sometimes you’re stroke. Set up with the ball off The hybrid launches it a few in greenside rough, the instep of your back foot to inches in the air, so the ball skips and you have very little make sure you catch the ball off the fringe and rolls like a putt. green to work with. That’s when you need first. Stand close to the ball, and You’re gonna love this little shot. a high, soft pitch. Grab choke down on the grip a few your most lofted wedge, inches to shorten the club. The Butch Harmon is a Golf Digest open the clubface, then shaft should be pretty upright at Teaching Professional. take your grip. Play the ball off your front instep, and swing the club up abruptly with some wrist hinge. As you swing down and through, let the clubhead release past your hands through impact (above). footjoy: shirt, $72, pants, $85, shoes, $100 • titleist: hat, $28, glove, $24 • rolex: watch • house of fleming: belt • house of fleming: belt watch $24 • rolex: $28, glove, hat, $85, shoes, $100 • titleist: $72, pants, shirt, footjoy:

24 golfdigest.com | october 2016 Photographs by J.D. Cuban Wedges Play Your Best

European Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters shows how to sync up a wedge swing.

To check your body turn, imagine Body Blow the ball has a camera on it and that the camera is looking up at you. If you Turn through played back the video after the shot, you should see the left side of your chest to stick your moving around to the left, up and away wedges tight from the ball. You should see your belt buckle coming through, followed by BY BRIAN MANZELLA your hands and then the clubhead. The result? Your arms will straight- hen the pros hit wedge shots, en and line up with your hands and the W like European Tour player shaft after impact (above). If you try to Thomas Pieters is doing here, lead your hands into impact too much, they’re controlling the distance and the clubhead will still be trailing the s e height very precisely. There’s no guess- hands at this point. You want the shaft to g a m ing and hoping it gets close. You can be pointing at your belt buckle. You can i have that kind of control, too, if you start even set up the camera on your phone etty

g using your body the right way. at the same angle this photo was taken. / Pieters isn’t trying to smash the ball Check your post-impact position against as hard as he can, but he’s still making Pieters’ here. He’s a perfect model.

edington a definite body turn through. If you r skip this part and use mostly arms, you Brian Manzella, a Golf Digest 50 Best won’t make consistent contact—and Teacher, is based at English Turn

andrew you won’t have good distance control. Golf & Country Club in New Orleans.

october 2016 | golfdigest.com 25 Play Your Best Back to Basics

5-Minute Clinic Get better faster with clubs that fit

BY KEVIN SPRECHER

ne of the first things I hear from O beginning golfers is that they didn’t get fit for clubs because they didn’t think they were good enough for it to matter. The truth is, a 20-handi- capper gets more benefit out of a fitting than a scratch player does. Good players adjust quickly to the equipment they have in their hands, but high-handicappers end up fighting their clubs as much as they do their swings. Think of it as a cycle: Improve your swing, tweak your clubs, repeat. Here, my wife, Debbie Doniger, who’s also a teaching pro, is helping me groove my swing with a new driver. Re- member, there’s help for you out there! —WITH MATTHEW RUDY

Kevin Sprecher, one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in New York, is based at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Briarcliff Manor. 1

adjustability Seek distance carefully

▶ Adjustable drivers are cool—and with some help, you can get the clubhead set up correctly. But don’t overlook shaft length. A driver that’s two inches shorter than standard (43 instead of 45) might cost you a bit of speed, ‘A SHORTER SHAFT 2 but you’ll end up adding distance CAN IMPROVE shaft fitting because you’ll make better contact. CONTACT, Picking a shaft isn’t just about ‘R’ or ‘S’ When you swing, extend your arms WHICH INCREASES ▶ When you swing a club with a shaft that feels good, you aren’t responding and make a full to the regular or stiff flex. You’re feeling the tip stiffness and torque. Those turn (above). Most DISTANCE.’ factors, along with shaft weight, give you the spin, distance, control and feel players pull the you want. So don’t fixate on the letter on the shaft band. And don’t buy off the club to the inside, rack: You wouldn’t buy a suit or dress without checking the fit, would you? trying to create speed right away.

26 golfdigest.com | october 2016 Photographs by Dom Furore 3

maintenance Get regular check-ups

▶ It’s not hard to convince a golfer how important it is to get fit for clubs. But even if you’ve gotten fit recently, 4 you still need to pay attention to your contact tests equipment specs. Why? Because How to find the sweet spot if your swing improves, it could ▶ Impact tape is a cheap, easy way to get an instant mean you need to read on how you’re swinging. It can show you how tweak your clubs. consistently you’re hitting the sweet spot on the face And even if your (above). It also can indicate that you’re hitting it con- swing stays the sistently—but in a place where you’re not getting the benefit of the club’s technology. If you see marks all same, hitting balls over the face, it usually means you need help with off mats at a range your swing. If you see marks in the same spot but off can change the lie illustration: peter oumanski illustration: center, it could be time to adjust your equipment. angle and loft of your irons enough that they won’t fit 5 you by the end of a single season. wedge fitting It’s like changing the oil in your Are your wedges car. Preventative working together? maintenance keeps things running ▶ Wedge practice is one of smoothly. the fastest ways to bring down your handicap. In the photo above, Debbie’s helping me test different wedges by trying to land balls on a towel and seeing how they run out to the hole. You can play this game to improve your short-game skills—or to build the perfect gap between the wedges in your set. You want three wedges that produce different shot trajectories and distances. This philosophy is more obvious for full-swing shots but also applies to these little chips and pitches. If two wedges do almost the same thing, you’re going to be short somewhere else in your bag. The purpose of getting fit is to optimize your equipment for your swing and physique but also to maximize the number of shots and situations you can handle.

+ Debbie Doniger: RALPH LAUREN GOLF shirt, $90, skort, $125 • ADIDAS shoes, $90 • Kevin Sprecher: RLX RALPH LAUREN shirt, $90, pants, $98 • FOOTJOY shoes, $150 • TITLEIST glove, $23

Game Plan by Jack Nicklaus Play Your Best “The smart player sees a large bunker in sections.”

Exit Strategy How to play for a miss

n par 5s, bomberss get SAVE YOURSELF O excited when theyy have a chance to reacch the A hollow depression of green with the second shot. tightly-mowed grass Same with shorter hittters on means different things to different players. long par 4s. Although iit’s great Some are scared of to embrace opportuunityn with this shot and would aggressive play, the amateur rather be in a bunker. DIVIDE AND CONQUER mistake is to get prpreoccupied If the hole is cut tight When you see a massive with covering thee distance of to the left side, or the greenside bunker like this one, a lengthy approach and ignore turf is dry and requires extra precision to nip divide it into sections. Playing what’s going on around the a chip, those are fair from the back of this bunker green. Laying up or planning to arguments to avoid this makes for a very difficult shot. miss to a certain side should be spot. But if the hole is But if you can get up toward the part of your thhinking. Because on the right, you get front, near the elevated green, there’s a good chance your ball let’s be reasoonable: If you’re the entire green to work with. Then I’d say this will settle on an upslope in the using a woood or hybrid, your is an excellent area to sand, which makes for a fairly chances of hhitting the green are pitch from, or even use easy splash-out. less than 500 percent. You need to a putter. It’s all about If you think you can carry ask, From wherew am I most likely setting up the short- your approach shot to the putting surface, taking on this to put myy third shot close? game shot you prefer. bunker is OK. If you’re planning Considersi the par-5 13th hole on getting there with roll, you at Conccession Golf Club (illus- could easily wind up in the back trated) in Bradenton, Fla., which of this bunker, so stay away. is a coourse I designed with input from my friend Tony Jacklin. The hole is a useful example of a longo hole with a green complex sportsmanship endures thath makes you think. —WITH MAX ADLER

The 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale ended in a tie when I picked up Tony Jacklin’s marker on the 18th hole in our singles match. I told him, “I don’t think you would have missed that putt, but under these circumstances A CHANGING CHALLENGE I would never give you the opportunity.” Initially, U.S. When we designed this hole, Tony and I left a magnificent captain Sam Snead was mad pine tree right here. Three years ago the tree died, so at me, but that conceded we put a bunker in its place. That’s always my long-term two-and-a-half-footer did plan when I leave a tree as an integral part of a hole: to a lot, I like to think, to s es e one day replace it with a bunker. Trees are more difficult establish the right tone for g ag a to play around, and bunkers are more difficult to play the competition. It was fun, mag ima im from. In this case, the bunker gives a golfer on the right 37 years later, when Tony y t side of the fairway a larger window to try for the green. had the idea to create a club

gett inspired by this moment.

Illustration by Chris O’Riley october 2016 | golfdigest.com 31 Play Your Best Swing Sequence

aul Casey has hit some memorable Says his longtime teacher, CBS commen- sic action, with an unrestricted hip turn P iron shots in his career, highlighted tator Peter Kostis: “Paul doesn’t talk much on the backswing, plenty of leg action, and by a hole-in-one in the 2006 Ryder about the injuries, but he has suffered from soft arms in the follow-through. Casey ad- Cup to close out a foursomes match. But it’s a bunch of them, like torn rib muscles, a mires his teacher as well: “I always go back his beautiful driver swing that has always left-thumb injury and persistent turf toe. to what we call Peter’s Rules,” he says. turned heads. If it weren’t for multiple inju- Nevertheless, he’s one of the purest, most “Strong grip before weak; ball back before ries over the years, the personable English- consistent swingers of the club on tour.” forward; feet narrow before wide; heel up man by way of Arizona State might have been Kostis is literal when he uses the word before down. Good advice for everyone.” one of the best in the Tiger Woods era. “swinger.” Casey has somewhat of a clas- —ROGER SCHIFFMAN

Paul Casey BOWING THE LEGS HANDS TO BUTTONS LET THE KNEE IN “We work a lot Casey starts with Kostis wants the on being athletic,” his hands in line left knee behind An old-school says Peter Kostis, Paul with his shirt buttons the ball at the top. Casey’s teacher for the and maintains that “The outside of Paul’s swing that keeps past 16 years. “I like relationship to his mid- left foot comes off the his kneecaps over his line at halfway back. ground,” Kostis says. getting better feet and his right foot “That’s his backswing “Sometimes he’ll let flared out.” Kostis says key,” Kostis says. “He the heel come up, too.” that allows Casey’s trains with medicine This goes against the right hip to clear going balls, which forces you modern idea of locking back. “We also work on to get the body rotation down the lower body keeping his left hand in sync with the hands as much as possible. strong [turned to his as you move.” Kostis says restricting right on the club].” things can cause injury.

32 golfdigest.com | october 2016 ▶ DRIVING ACCURACY ▶ GREENS IN REGULATION

64.4% 60.1% 74% 69.7% 65% 72.6%

Paul Casey (44th) Tour average Colt Knost (1st) Paul Casey (13th) Tour average Henrik Stenson (1st)

SOURCE: SHOTLINK

LEGS GO FORWARD THE BIG PUSH-UP AN EASY ENDING PRO-FILE

Starting down, “Notice Paul’s belt Into the finish, paul casey look at Casey’s rises dramatically Casey’s arms are 39 / 5-10 / 180 pounds lower-body action. It’s from pre-impact to relaxed. Kostis says Paradise Valley, Ariz. the epitome of leading impact,” Kostis says. it’s like the Olympic with the feet and The lead shoulder and sprinter Usain Bolt: driver legs, which sets the upper body are being Instead of tightening up Nike Vapor Fly downswing sequence. pushed up by the right toward the finish line, 10.5 degrees “He’s maintained the leg. “Overall, Paul feels he stays relaxed, giving flex in his knees,” Kostis like he’s pulling through it a burst of speed. Paul ball says, “and look at that a little more than he’s holds his finish until Nike RZN Tour tremendous clubhead pushing, but it’s about the ball lands, with no Platinum lag, which leads to tons 51/49,” Kostis says. recoil of the club. He’s of speed at impact.” balanced and in control. + NIKE shirt, $70, pants, $90 shoes, $170, belt, $60, hat, $32

Photographs by J.D. Cuban Play Your Best Curing Faults by Rick Smith The more you try to help it up, the more you chunk it.

GUARD AGAINST WIMPING OUT The fear of chunking a shot into the sand can be self-fulfilling. Counteract that by planning to fly your pitch shot all the way to the hole. Then, if you tighten up and decelerate out of fear, you’ll probably still have enough power on the shot to get over the bunker. Make full, force- ful practice swings and then commit to reproducing them when it’s go time. —JOSEPH PARENT, PH.D., AUTHOR OF ZEN GOLF

ROCCA’S WILD UP-AND-DOWN At the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 1995, Costantino Rocca came to the 72nd hole needing umping a pitch shot body rotation and solid contact. a birdie to tie John Why’d I Do That? short and into a bunker If you’re using a 60-degree Daly and force a play- D off. Rocca’s drive left might seem like a ran- wedge, set the face square. You him with a pitch over A simple pitch dom event, but it happens all the have plenty of loft. If you’re a deep swale known time. There has to be more to it swinging a 56-degree, open the as The Valley of Sin. over sand—but than just nerves, right? Right. face slightly to increase the loft He hit it fat, leaving in you go A poor setup and lack of body and bounce, which helps the his ball in the swale, turn are the major culprits. Make club slide through the grass. but then miraculously holed a 60-foot putt, sure you’re not leaning away Finally, make a few practice falling to his knees from the target at address to try swings brushing the long grass. in celebration. Daly to help the ball up. The more you You want a shallow angle com- won the playoff, but lean back, the farther behind the ing down. Shift to your front side, Rocca’s putt is the ball you hit. Keep your spine cen- and try to sweep the grass with lasting memory. tered above your hips, and play a blend of the arms, shoulders Rick Smith is a the ball in the middle of your and body turn. Then step in and Golf Digest Teaching

stance. These positions promote execute with the same motion. Professional. cannon/getty images head: • david peter stemmler

34 golfdigest.com | october 2016 Illustration by Chris Gash

Play Your Best Putting

Ready to Roll Making putts is more setup than stroke 2

BY MIKE SHANNON MEASURE YOUR DISTANCE

ust as the eyes are the windows With your aim set, you J to the soul, the setup in putt- want to take advantage ing is the window to the stroke. of it by swinging the putter on line. This is determined by the If left alone, the stroke will mirror the near-to-far ball position. If you positions established at address. Set up stand too close to the ball, you’ll well, and your stroke will flow natural- make an out-to-in stroke. Too ly; set up poorly, and you’ll be fighting far away, and the stroke path yourself the whole way. will be in to out. Most tour pros It’s easy to pick out good and bad putt- stand 2¼ to 2¾ putterheads ers by looking at their setups. But every from the inside edge of the ball left golfer has the ability to putt as well as to the toe line ( ). Putterheads range from 4¼ to 4½ inches a tour pro because, physically, putting long. To confirm your distance demands very little. You don’t have to be is good, have a friend make sure strong or fit or flexible. But you do need your putterhead tracks slightly to get into a good setup. Here are the to the inside on the backstroke steps I teach. —WITH PETER MORRICE 1 and inside again after impact.

POSITION THE BALL

First thing is aim. Aiming the putter is a function of a player’s vision, and we’re all different. Putterface aim is determined by the front-to-back ball position. Every player has a front-to-back position that correlates to perfect aim. If the ball gets in front of that spot, the putter is aimed left. If the ball moves behind it, the aim is to the right. (A one-inch change shifts the aim by three inches for every 10 feet.) Place the ball where it feels correct, then have a friend check from behind if the face is aimed at the hole, or left or right. Adjust accordingly.

36 golfdigest.com | october 2016 I watch how players set up and think, Here’s a good putter or No chance. 4

GET YOUR PALMS OPPOSING

The position of your hands in large part determines if you return the putterface to square at impact. If the thumbs are on top of the grip with your palms opposing, or facing each other (left), you have the best chance of getting back to square. If the hands are too far on the left side of the grip, the face will tend to fan open on the backstroke and be open at impact, causing a miss to the right. If the hands are too far to the right side, the face will tend to over-rotate on the forward stroke and be closed at impact, 3 causing a miss to the left. 6

MAINTAIN STANCE WIDTH CHECK THESE FOUR LINES

Once you establish aim This is your final check: and ball position, your feet the four parallel lines of must stay in place. If you widen putting. The first is from the your stance, your head moves ball to the target—your intended back relative to the ball. This ef- line. The second is the eye line, fectively moves the ball position which should be parallel to forward, which shifts the aim the first. If your eye line points to the left. If you narrow your right or left, your aim shifts. stance, your head moves for- Third is the shoulder line. If your ward. That effectively moves the shoulders are open or closed, ball back—and shifts the aim to 5 the stroke goes left or right. To the right. The best guideline on square your shoulders, set your stance is to make it comfort- head above your stance center. able. Some players flare their LINE UP THE SHAFT AND FOREARMS Last is the line of your forearms. feet, some like them toed in. Because one hand is lower on Both are fine. Width is personal, To get into your address position, place your the grip, pay extra attention that too. The key is consistency: Set feet and take your grip, then stand upright this line is parallel to the others. your feet, and keep them there. and point the club out in front of you. The shaft should be an extension of your arms. Then draw Mike Shannon is based at your elbows in until they touch your sides (above). Sea Island Golf Club, St. Simons To keep the shaft in line with your forearms, your Island, Ga. He works with 14 tour wrists will be arched. That will help your wrists players, including Matt Kuchar, + stay firm throughout the stroke. Tilt from the waist, Graeme McDowell and Whee Kim. PETER MILLAR shirt, $89 maintaining the shaft-to-arm relationship, until ADIDAS shoes, $100 the putter hits the ground. Your weight should be BRIDGESTONE visor, $18 slightly more on your front foot and in both heels.

Photographs by J.D. Cuban