THE SWING

Not many amateurs have a swing that is perfectly on plane. If you’re going to err one way or the other, the short person is better off being a bit flat, while tall people want to be a shade upright.

Big legs are a source of power. I’ve been asked how the legs contribute to power, because they aren’t touching the club. The answer is, sturdy legs give you stability, which in turn allows you to swing your arms faster.

There are two methods of fading or drawing the ball. You can adjust the angle of the clubface or you can exaggerate your swing path. The best way is to adjust the clubface. If I want to draw the ball, I aim to the right, toe the club in a little, then make my normal swing. The one thing you want to guard against is the “double cross”—closing the clubface for a draw, then swinging on an out-to-in path. It isn’t much fun walking after a vicious pull-hook.

There’s a lot of emphasis these days on what the body is doing during the swing. That tends to mask emphasis on what matters most—the club. When you work on some movement of the body, always be mindful of how it will influence your ability to deliver the clubhead back to the ball with the clubface square.

The trend among young, flexible tour pros is to keep the left heel planted on the backswing. The average player should lift that left heel. For one thing, it will help you turn your hips level instead of tilting them. For another, you’ll make a bigger turn, which is a challenge for most people.

Creating power in the ’60s.

"When playing from a greenside bunker, your primary thought should be to get the ball out.

When players leave the ball in the bunker, it’s usually because they got too cute."