Butch Harmon’s Playing Lessons, (01) Hole 1: Shinnecock Hills, Par 4 - 366 yards, Notes

Post date: Aug 6, 2017 12:12:57 PM

Butch Harmon’s Playing Lessons by Butch Harmon with John Andrisani

Hole 1: Shinnecock Hills, Par 4 - 366 yards. Little mistakes cost you. Arrive at the course with plenty of time to go through a proper warm up and practice routine. By taking our time, we put ourselves in a more relaxed mode. Ideally we want to arrive early to devote at least 30 minutes to a warm up session: First, hit about a dozen wedge shots to get the feel for making contact. Next hit a few mid irons and fairway woods, before moving on to the driver. Only hit a ½ dozen drivers, paying attention to the ball flight. Next, hit a few more wedges to groove tempo. Ideally, hit a couple bunker shots then practice some chips to get used to the technique. Finally, practice some long and short putts to test the green speed and enhance distance control. Once on the course play with your head, not your heart. Don’t take unreasonable gambles.

• 1. The Tee Shot:

     1. Play into the round by playing a smart tee shot and give yourself a shot at par. Play the tee shot as the hole was designed to be played and don’t risk hitting into trouble. Most importantly, make an on balance swing. Swing at a speed that allows balance to be maintained. On the 1st tee make a swing that feels a little slower and a little more compact than normal. Take the club that gives you the best chance to put your tee shot in the fairway but still leaves a manageable distance to the flag.

     2. A tee box set at a higher elevation will make the shot vary greatly depending on the wind direction. You need to know the true distances your shots fly in the air, with various clubs in varying conditions. Factor in the wind, elevation and lie on every shot.

        1. With the wind at your back, the tendency is for the wind to straighten out any draw or fade, increasing chances of hitting the fairway.

        2. Into the wind, hit a low controlled shot. Always make a controlled, balanced swinging action. If you think you have to kill the ball to reach an ideal landing spot, you’re better off clubbing up. On driving holes where accuracy is more important than distance, play the 3-wood ‘off the deck.’ Give yourself a slightly puffy lie. Into the wind, it is to your advantage to have just a little grass behind the ball. The grass will get between the ball and clubface and produce a ‘flyer’ that takes off like a rocket with very little spin on shallow trajectory so you get some extra roll. The only setup adjustment is to play the ball 1-2 inches further back than a you would play a teed-up driver.

        3. Crosswinds make it more difficult to hit the fairway. To play a low shot that won’t get blown away by the wind, choose a club that can keep it low and straight. Sacrifice distance for a shot from the fairway.

     3. To correct a faulty flight path, take the club more inside and make a more rounded shoulder turn. Gripping too tightly on the club is a prime cause of the slice. A tight grip insures that the club will be open at impact even if the rest of the swing is sound. Hold the club as lightly as possible throughout the swing. Keep the grip tension free and let the club fly through the impact zone. Shots will fly longer and straighter.

• • • 1. Drill for grooving a light grip: Have a friend gently pull the club out of your hand. If gripped correctly, very little resistance will be felt as the club is pulled out of the hand.

• 2. Approach:

• • 1. For approach shots from the fairway, plan on landing the ball a bit short of the pin. This way, if the ball releases, you might wind up stiff, but if it checks up you’ll still have a reasonably makeable putt. On small greens where the pin is tucked left or right, shade the shot toward the center. The center of the green is never a bad spot.

    2. For a shot that requires a 7 iron or higher into a small green, it is best to land the ball on the fringe and let it release onto the green. Choke up a fraction of an inch. Play the ball two inches further back than normal to deloft the club. This setup results in a slightly lower shot that releases. To keep it low, take a slow, compact, three quarter swing.

    3. After a bad tee shot, the smartest play is a shot back onto the fairway short of the green. Trying to reach the green will only compound the problem and lead to a bad score. Don’t let one bad shot influence the way you play the shots that follow. If a mistake is made, accept it, then move on with the business at hand. Never try a recovery shot from sand, trees or deep rough without thinking about it carefully beforehand. If unable to pull off a shot at least 7 out of 10 times, look for an alternative recovery shot. Your overall score will be better for it.

       1. Don’t let the rough discourage you. From the rough, plan on landing short of the green and letting the ball release toward the hole. Aim for the center of the green since direction control is not as good as on the fairway. A good lie in the rough will travel farther than a ball in the fairway because of the reduced spin. Regularly practice hitting shots out of the rough to determine how the ball flies out of various lies.

       2. From a fairway bunker, the smart play is to take a lofted iron, 7 or 8, and plan on playing a 100 yard shot into the middle of the fairway. Assume a slightly open stance with the ball at the midpoint of the feet and dig the feet slightly into the sand. The key to a good bunker shot is to keep the lower body quiet and to control the swing with the arms. You don’t have to swing hard. The goal is to contact the ball first and hit a simple shot.

• 3. Greenside - On long chips, select a low-lofted iron and play the ball right of center of a narrow stance. A short, arms dominated swing will get the ball off and running. Even with a long iron, it is still possible to impart backspin on the ball and get it to stop at the hole. A good chip leaves a very makeable putt.

  4. Putting

• • 1. Give the putt a good read no matter what the angle because every putt will break just a bit differently, especially on old courses with small subtle breaks.

    2. For putts five feet or less, if you see little or no break, start the ball inside the hole and stroke firmly to take out most, if not all, of any break that may exist. Keep the head still and listen for the putt to drop.