Golf Digest Sep-15

Side Trips and Rental Clubs Chairman and Editor-in-Chief A guy walks into a bar . . . Stop right there, you say. I’ve heard it before. . . . Not this one, you haven’t. The bar was atop the Royal Dornoch clubhouse in Scotland, and the guy was the club secretary. He comes over to my foursome to see how we enjoyed the round. Sitting at our table are the Sherpas who caddied for us that day. They were members of the Royal Dornoch Golf Club; in fact, you have to be a member of the club to caddie there. I can’t think of a club in the world whose disposition wouldn’t be improved if the membership included the caddies. “So what are you doing now?” the secretary says. “Have you played Brora?” I’d…

At the 2014 humana challenge, I had a streak with my short irons—8-iron through pitching wedge—where I felt I couldn’t miss. I opened 63-63-63, firing at every flag, then held on for the win. I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. With all respect to the other clubs, playing aggressively with the short irons is what leads to low numbers. Your goal should be to narrow your “lines,” or the parameters of your misses, so you have no fear. To do that, you need good fundamentals and a few repeating swing keys. Here are mine. —WITH GUY YOCOM “To set up a smooth downswing, I pause for a beat at the top.” BACK: FEEL LIKE YOUR HANDS ARE ‘INSIDE YOUR CHEST’ Because the short irons are precision clubs, you need precise fundamentals. Align…

“Make a backswing from your knees. Your real swing should stop there.” A lot of people think you need to make a big shoulder turn on the backswing to hit solid, powerful tee shots. I disagree. A big backswing is not for everyone. Many golfers’ swings get out of whack when they try to increase how far they go back. They get wild with the lower body or make a big over-the-top loop on the downswing because they’ve lost control. Just like when you buy a new set of clubs, the distance you take the club back should be customfit to your body. And here’s a great way to determine it: Kneel on a couple of towels, hold your driver like you’re addressing a shot, and make a backswing (below). Because your…

When your lie is too good, make a level sweep. Your approach trickles off the back of the green, and when you get up to the ball, you see it’s perched up on a perfect lie. Nice. Should be no problem, right? But when you go to hit the shot, your club slides almost clear under the ball, and you hardly advance it. So much for that lucky lie. Remember that most of the weight on your wedges is on the bottom of the club. Anything hit high on the clubface won’t have much meat behind it. This combination of high loft and low center of gravity deadens the hit. That said, it’s OK to use one of your wedges for this shot, just don’t ground the clubhead at address. Hover it at…

If you can’t reach the green, what’s your best leave? A half-wedge shot 9% Three-quarter wedge 18% Full wedge 34% Shortest shot possible 39% SOURCE: GOLF DIGEST R EADERS This little shot drives amateurs mad: 30 yards, over a bunker, can’t be short, can’t be long. Basically, you have to step up and hit a good shot, or you’re looking at a big number. Given the memories of similar shots you probably have rattling around in your brain, it’s good to have a plan. For starters, take your most lofted wedge, play the ball about middle in your stance, and set a little more weight on your front foot. Then make about a half backswing, letting your wrists hinge but keeping your weight on that front foot. From there, hit down and through the ball, accelerating to…

Hard to believe it has been four years since Keegan Bradley won the PGA Championship, the first major he ever played. But who can forget his ups and downs over the final nine at Atlanta Athletic Club that week—eagle, triple bogey, birdie, birdie—to force a playoff with close friend Jason Dufner. It was Dufner who got Bradley together with veteran teacher Chuck Cook in late 2013. (Dufner also works with Cook.) “We haven’t done much on Keegan’s full swing,” Cook says. “He hits the ball great off the tee and on long approaches. But I want him to be more aggressive with the shorter clubs.” Cook says that not anchoring his putter (anchoring will be against the rules starting in 2016) has been a testy transition for Bradley. “He’s conventional now,…