GGolf instruction is always evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Lifetime Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice that teachers and players have shared in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our June 2014 issue for some tips from Justin Rose on playing under pressure.
Justin Rose may be an elder statesman on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t mean he can’t compete with the new guns. Since turning 40 five years ago, the Englishman has three wins and six major top-10 finishes – including a runner-up at the Masters. Not too shabby for an “old” guy.
Rose’s secret? A game that was built to age gracefully, headlined by a swing that any golfer should envy.
Recreational golfers may never be able to swing as well as Rosey, but that doesn’t mean they can’t emulate his game. About 12 years ago, he showed us how.
See below for a reproduction of a 2014 GOLF magazine story where Rose explained four insightful tips for making more birds.
Rose’s tips for making birdies
I’ve birdied 3,025 holes in my PGA Tour career (through the 2014 Masters), including 384 in 2006. And my 15 birdies at the US Open last year paced the field — and helped me earn my first major. The talent level on the Tour is so high that you need a ton of birdies just to survive, let alone win majors. Scoreboard circles are necessary for my day job, but for recreational players, birds are like gold. I get it – most of my friends are disabled and I see what birds do for their games. Birds erase mistakes, build confidence and, let’s face it – they make the game a lot more fun.
I know how to make bird holes, so I’ll let you in on a little secret. You can’t even try to make birdie if you don’t hit the greens. And it’s hard to hit the greens if you don’t hit fair. This is why my scoring plan favors accuracy over everything else. Follow my simple driving, iron and wedge driving secrets and you’ll see more birdies than ever before. And just to make sure you don’t miss a golden opportunity, I offer you my best advice ever. Get ready to start seeing red – on your card.
1. How to hit more fairways
I was #1 in total driving (a combination of distance and accuracy) going into the US Open in Merion last summer and finished the season fourth. The last few years I have spent a lot of time in the gym to increase my power, I even took a page from Jack Nicklaus’ book and started lifting the front heel during the backswing to get more hip flexion. The five or 10 yards I’ve added are great, but really, distance is secondary to accuracy when it comes to setting up birdie opportunities.
My best driving tip: Cars fly straight when swinging at a good pace. Swing the club back slowly enough that you can feel the segments of your swing unfold in sequence. Sometimes I even count them “Shoulder roll, right elbow bend, wrist hinge, arm lift” and so on. Swinging slowly allows your body and club to reach the top of the backswing at the same time, which makes your transition very smooth. I believe that if you are calm and strong at the top, you will probably be calm and strong at the end – which is what counts.
When you start back down, make sure you move all the way to the bottom of the ball. Many weekend players slow down at or shortly after impact with some sort of cutting motion; they think it will help to put the face of the club on the line. There isn’t. In fact, you’ll probably hit a slice! I imagine a second ball a few inches in front of the real one and try to “hit” them both. This technique ensures that I swing past the point of impact so that the face remains square. For extra distance, hit top speed with the second ball. This way you are always accelerating through the strike zone.
2. How to hit more greens
One thing that has helped me become a better iron player is learning to feel impact. Before I started working with Sean Foley, I would hit the ball with the shaft almost straight up and down. It worked, but my shots didn’t sizzle. Sean has been helping me add more lean shaft to the stroke. This compresses the ball more (my new feel for impact) and stabilizes the club through the impact zone, which helps the ball fly straight.
My Best Iron Tip: Leaning the shaft forward at impact, with your hands in front of the clubhead and steady, is not as simple as just “leaning the shaft forward.” It is truly a full body event.
The key is to shift the bulk of your weight onto your front foot in the downward direction—I’m talking 90 percent of your weight. Think of it this way: If you move everything forward, then your hands move forward – and stay in front of the clubhead. Getting your weight forward also stops you from “hanging back” on your right side, where you’re forced to turn the clubhead with your wrists just to make contact with the ball. Flippers are usually slicers.
3. How to hit the best wedges
When you’re swinging your woods and irons, it’s all about generating power from the ground up: You drive with your legs, then your hips, then your arms, and finally your hands. This is the ideal downward chain of events. When you get to your wedges, however, it’s the opposite; Your upper body does more of the heavy lifting, so to speak, while the lower half stays very still.
I have learned this recently and it has made all the difference in the world. Now when I want to do a soft wedge kick, I bring all the focus back to my upper body and make sure to rotate it first and fastest on my landing. I even stood up to encourage more upper body twist, coming at the ball with my chest open and hips squared. My goal? To recreate this arrangement in effect. Get it right and you’ll feel like your hands are traveling to the left of the target after impact, instead of straight down the line.
My best wedge tip: I feel that the most accurate wedge players are those who can control the trajectory, so it is vital that you develop more than a short stock movement. To hit a low shot (good for back pins), finish the swing with your hands and the clubhead in line with your forearms. This significantly reduces the launch angle. To hit a high shot, line your hands and forearms at the bottom, but release the club up and to the left.
4. How to make more shots
Over the years I have tried to be perfect with my shot. This is not the way to make birdies because there were times when my putt was perfect and I couldn’t buy a putt. It’s better to work on improving your green reading than to overthink your shot.
The way I read the greens now is to walk after the ball in a semi-circle. Using my legs, I’ll try to feel the point on the green where I switch from going downhill to going uphill (or vice versa). Finding this “inflection point” (not hard to do with practice and increased awareness) gives you important clues as to how the putt will break: If your ball rests to the left of the inflection point, it breaks to the right; if it lands on the right, it breaks on the left. And the further the ball is from the point of flexion, the more it will flex.
My best advice: I’ve tried many tips over the years, but the one I keep coming back to is “keep your eyes still.” Once you start snooping, you’re toast. If your eyes move, then your body will move too, and this will destroy any chance you might have for focused contact. I challenge myself to look at every inch of my shot – if I keep my eyes still, I won’t miss a moment of the action. Even on long shots, I’ll use my peripheral vision to track the clubhead back and through. Hear the ball drop, don’t watch it.
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