Butch Harmon’s Playing Lessons, (07) Hole 7, Notes

Post date: Nov 5, 2017 6:36:05 PM

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

Hole 7: Pebble Beach: Par 3, 103

• 1. Tee Shot:

     1. Before taking a club out of the bag, carefully consider the direction and strength of the wind.

     2. Make a smooth practice swing. Set up: ball back, hands ahead and aim the body and club correctly. Gauge the wind. With the wind behind us, simply make a smooth compact backswing. On the downswing nudge the body weight onto the left foot and leg , a ‘gentle’ shift. The arms and hands will follow the lead of the lower body and bring the club squarely into the ball. Slow down the tempo. With the wind behind us, an easy swing is all that is needed.

     3. When hitting downhill less club is needed than when the green’s level with the tee. If caught between clubs, first determine if it would be more advantageous to be short or long on the particular green based on slope, hole position and surrounding danger and choose appropriately.

     4. To play a ¾ wedge:

        1. Tee the ball about an inch off the ground.

        2. Play the ball back slightly in the stance

     5. DRILL: For encouraging a solid weight shift on the downswing, and discouraging the hands from taking over.

• • • 1. Practice hitting shots barefoot or in tennis shoes to become more conscious of the feet. Once the lower body learns to play the lead role on the downswing, the upper body and hands the supporting roles, we will hit more accurate shots.

• 2. Greenside:

• • 1. Bunker: When the ball is sitting down in a regular buried lie with around 30 feet of green to work with, set the pitching wedge clubface square to the target, and employ a short hit-and-hold action.

    2. Bunker: On a ‘fried-egg’ lie in the sand with limited green to work with, select a sand wedge:

       1. Lay the clubface wide open, setting it behind the ’white’ of the imaginary egg.

       2. Make an extra wristy three quarter backswing.

       3. Blast out the white by digging the club deelply into the sand, about three inches behind the ball.

       4. Follow through fully.

    3. Chipping:

• • • 1. Think of the hands, arms, wrists, and shoulders as one connected triangle.

      2. Keep the rest of the body practically perfectly still and swing the club back in one piece, letting the imaginary triangle control the action.

      3. Quiet both the hands and wrists. Let the loft of the club lift the ball in the air. Don’t even try to help the ball up.

      4. Only on longer chips is it necessary to add a tiny bit of wrist action to the strike to promote an added feel for distance.

• 3. Putting:

• • 1. Pay close attention to the way a putt breaks, including the green’s grain. This process does not take long once used to it, but always take enough time to prepare to putt. Never rush the routine. Give even the shortest of putts 100% concentration:

       1. Start reading the green when about 15 yards away. From the bigger perspective we will notice more.

       2. Mark the ball, clean it, reset it down. While marking the ball, peek at the line to get a preliminary idea of how the ball will roll.

       3. Next, check the line from behind the hole, and once again from behind the ball, only this time more carefully, to get a clearer picture of any subtle breaks in the green. Look at the line from both sides, paying close attention to the grain. If there is a sheen to the grass, the putt is down-grain and will run faster than normal. If the grass is dull, you are putting against the grain, so expect the ball to roll more slowly.

       4. If truly in doubt: plumb-bob the line, especially on undulating greens:

          1. Stand behind the ball, facing the hole.

          2. Hold the putter at arm’s length in front of you with only the right thumb and forefinger, so that it hangs vertically.

          3. Obscure the view of the ball with the lower part of the shaft, then close the nondominant eye.

             1. If the hole now appears to be to the left of the shaft, the putt will break to the left.

             2. If the hole appears to the be to the right of the shaft, it breaks from left to right.

             3. If the shaft appears to cover the hole, the putt is dead straight.

       5. Once sure of the the break and how hard to stroke the ball, be sure to focus on the starting line and to align the face of the putter squarely to it.

       6. Get set, take two last glances at the target, steady the head, then putt. Make a smooth, one-piece, wrist-less stroke--a confident shoulders controlled putt.

    2. DRILL: For intensifying concentration on short putts

• 4. Practice hitting two feet putts to dimes placed on the green. Stroking putts to such a small target will intensify concentration so when facing a short putt on the course, we can be in ‘grind’ mode on the greens.