Zach’s Grip
By now, you have heard from most commentators about Zach's grip and how he angles the shaft slightly behind the ball at address. I want to thank Ian Baker Finch, Nick Faldo and Jim Nantz from CBS for taking the time to talk to me about it. I appreciate that it is unusual, and I will explain why. This is a picture I took of Zach's grip Wednesday of Colonial. Little did I know that I would be commenting on it again by Sunday! I took it because he made a small adjustment on his off week, where he placed a little sliver of his left heel pad on top of the grip. This gave him a “locked in” feeling, without tension of course, and I wanted to document it for future reference. If you are familiar with my teaching, this is not the grip that I advocate. Below is my grip. My left heel pad is more on top, and my right heel pad covers more of my left hand fingers. I believe you have better leverage with the left hand this way, and the left wrist is less likely to break down through impact. The right hand is less likely to dominate as well. For more, go to earlier posts on the grip or have a look at my DVD . The main similarity between the two is that both of us have our forearms square to our target line. Zach turns his right hand more under to achieve this, and it matches the feeling he has in his strong full swing grip. When we first started working together, in 2001, I let him keep his grip out of comfort and familiarity. I did, however, remember a tip that Payne Stewart told me when he putted his best in 1999. He felt a slight cup in his left wrist at setup, and he maintained that angle throughout the stroke. When I told Zach this, he liked the feeling and it has remained that way ever since. If Zach were to keep his grip and get the shaft and his hands even with the ball, or slightly ahead of the ball, there would be way too much wrist play on the backswing. He would create too much shaft angle, taking loft off of the putter. He would then have to put that loft back on the putter before impact, or get a putter with 6 degrees of loft as a compensation. His left wrist would break down or cup on the way through, giving a scooping sensation. This is exactly why people go to left hand low, or the claw, because they are tired of the sensation of the right hand taking over and the left hand collapsing. So, in essence, we start with that cup and we maintain it. He has 2.5 degrees of loft on his putter. He probably starts with 4 degrees and it is the same at impact. When we put the ball on a camera,it rolls the way we want it to. That is about as technical as I get. I probably get beat up on the technical forums, but I'm ok with that. Putting is an art, not a science. If you told me I could not grip the putter the way I wanted to, I would use Zach's grip. It obviously works for him, and I am proud of his reputation from his peers as one of the best putters on tour. Although his style of grip is not what I teach, everything else he does is textbook. I am smart enough to recognize that he is special, and my thanks to the late, great Payne Stewart for preparing me to teach Zach, in a way. I do not think that any of this is coincidental- the big Man upstairs gets all the credit!
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Zach’s Grip
About those New Year’s resolutions… – www.texaslinksmagazine.com
Pat O'Brien – January '09 article in www.texaslinksmagazine.com As 2010 begins, undoubtedly there will be quite a few of us thinking about things we want to accomplish in the coming year. If that list includes getting in better shape and improving your golf game, I have some great news for you. You can kill two birds with one stone. If you will commit to improving your range of motion and strengthening your body in the correct ways, your golf game cannot help but improve. I guarantee it. I have been blessed to be associated with some of the best trainers in golf who happen to live in Dallas, TX. Two of them, Laci Weeks (pictured) and Damon Goddard of Synergy Golf Fitness , helped me put together this article. These pictures illustrates three simple tests you can perform to see if you possess adequate balance, mobility and stability. Mind you, we are not breaking new ground here, as the outstanding Titleist Performance Institute deserves a great deal of the credit. It has been one of the key pioneers in training people for rotational sports that require dynamic movements. The first one is the Single Leg Balance Test. This tests your proprioceptive ability. Proprioceptors are nerve endings that are found in muscles, tendons, joints and the inner ear. They let us know where our bodies are in space and time. Because the golf swing is a dynamic movement, balance is crucial in order for the proper weight shift and sequence to occur to produce a powerful swing. To improve this requires neuromuscular training, which in turn allows us to make changes more efficiently. To perform this test, stand with your feet hip-width apart, allow your arms to hang at your side. Lift one leg off the ground, balance and then close your eyes. You will soon appreciate that 25 seconds is aver for PGA Tour players to hold their balance. To Continue with Story and Learn More About Golf Fitness Download OBrien_Jan2010[1]
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About those New Year’s resolutions… – www.texaslinksmagazine.com
How to Become a Better Chipper – www.texaslinksmagazines.com
This month's issue of the Texas Links Magazines , I examine how to become a better chipper. Read an excerpt below and follow up by downloading the article. Feel free to share your thoughts. (picture courtesy TexasLinksMagazines) I had the great fortune of watching Payne Stewart practice his short game many times during my early adulthood, and I tried to pick his brain whenever I could. He had the best hands I have ever seen in person, but mainly he kept it simple. Here are the things that really stand out from being around him: Good chippers have good rhythm. I like to say good chippers are good dancers. They never stop moving. They tap their feet, waggle and stay loose. They stare at the target and glance at the ball. They do not stay frozen over the ball, letting the tension and anxiety build. Unlock your inner dancer if you are struggling! Good chippers understand that technique flows if you allow it. There is no need to be overly technical with chipping. Much like the putter, a golf club is a weight on a stick and the toe hangs down. It's designed to come up out of the ground and swing on an arc, with the face staying square to the arc. Your wrists will hinge if you allow them. Your weight will shift if you allow it, like gently tossing a ball. If someone ever tells you to keep your head still, or treat a chip like a putt and don't move anything but your arms and shoulders, by all means run and hide! It's simply not natural to attempt these things. Good chippers allow gravity to accelerate the club, not applied force. Good golf in general comes down to eliminating tension. Picture Usain Bolt sprinting – you won't see him trying hard, with tension in his face and body. He will be as relaxed as possible, for that is from where true speed comes. It's the same in golf. To Continue Reading … Download OBrien_Oct09_BetterChipper[1] I would also like to thank Texas Links Magazine.
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How to Become a Better Chipper – www.texaslinksmagazines.com
Keys to a Solid Putting Routine – www.texaslinksmagazine.com
by Pat O’Brien
September issue ofTexas Links Magazine
In the July issue, I wrote about how to use the design of the putter effectively to free up your stroke(see here) . It requires a neutral, balanced setup, where fundamentals matter.
In the coming months, I will discuss grip, alignment and ball position of a proper setup. While not imperative to have perfect fundamentals, they allow you to return the putter to square more easily.
When you are able to return to the putter to square without thought, you can fully take advantage of a solid pre-putt routine. The routine is highly individual. I would merely like to make some suggestions as to what it is should include.
Back in 2004 at The Byron Nelson, Zach Johnson and I developed the routine he still uses today. It is very gratifying to see it work under the most intense pressure situations. I am just as proud of helping him create this as I am helping him develop a stroke that repeats time and again.
When Zach is behind the ball, he blends his analytical or left brain with his creative, right brain. He figures out the break and aiming point while picturing the speed needed to match the two together. As soon as he walks in for his practice stokes, he is fully into his creative side. Through relaxation, he is able to quiet the voice in his head.
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Keys to a Solid Putting Routine – www.texaslinksmagazine.com
