Tom Kim lined up pretty close to this mausoleum marker – but for good reason.
PGA Tour Live
Welcome to Play Smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter and better golfer.
If you were watching the opening round of the Sony Open, you may have noticed Tom Kim precariously positioning himself next to the tee marker on the 18th hole.
Friends golf magazine Stephen Hennessey first pointed out the oddity and the scene had many Golf X (formerly known as Golf Twitter) users buzzing.
Most people were of the opinion that compressing the ball so close to the tee marker would present a tone out of anxiety as they stood over the ball. (Some even suggested that they’d remove a few markers if they did this on every hole.) However, when the pros put themselves in an extreme location like this, they do so for good reason.
A clever tee-shot hack
First of all, when the pros get this close to the marker, they are in no danger of hitting it. These guys are so good it would take a historic blunder for them shoo the tee marker. However, the reason they do this is a clever trick they use to manage their way into the club.
Using Kim’s drive on 18 as an example, you can see that the tee marker is on the outside edge of the ball. This tells us that he is setting himself up to hit a fade. Why? Because he has no choice but to swing with an out-in route.
With the tee marker set where it is, Kim is forced to swing from outside-in through the hitting area. If he swung in and out, his club would hit the tee marker after the shot.
You will often see such methods used in practice when trying to manipulate the path (you can read more about this here). By placing an obstacle in the path of a certain path, you are forced to avoid it, which results in the desired path. Kim was using the same principle in the 18th barge.
(Before you ask: Yes, this is perfectly legal. There’s nothing in the rulebook that says you can’t use the machine marker this way. As long as you place between the machine markers and within two lengths of them . . you’re completely fine.)
There’s no doubt that the pros are so good that they don’t necessarily need a barrier to redirect their swing path, but having one doesn’t hurt – it’s just a useful visual cue to help them hit the right shot.
I can’t recommend doing this on the course for most weekend warriors, but next time you go practice, give it a shot. Throw a water bottle or cover on the ground where you are not you want your swing path to go and try to avoid it. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to change your swing path.
