Butch Harmon’s Playing Lessons, (14) Hole 14, Notes

Post date: Feb 18, 2018 3:08:23 PM

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

Hole 14 - Muirfield Village Golf Club, Par 4: 339 yards

• 1. Tee Shot.

     1. Don’t get lazy when playing a layup off the tee. Imagine playing a long par 3 and try to knock it at the center of the green. Set up carefully, focusing on the small target in the middle of the fairway, stay smooth and in rhythm, and trust the normal free release of the clubhead.

        1. Drill for enhancing the release of the hands, arms and club: Take your address with a 5-iron, then drop the right hand down so that the hands are a few inches apart. Feel the correct sensation the right hand and forearm crossing over the left hand and forearm through impact. Then grip the driver normally and incorporate this releasing action into the swing. The result: more solid shots hit off the sweet spot of the clubface.

     2. We don’t want to lay up too far back, especially if we know we are going to face a very tough shot into the green.

     3. Bad shots are a part of the game, and the better we become at shrugging them off, the better golfer we will be. Learn to manage our mistakes well. A sound strategy will keep 8’s off our scorecard. To avoid closing the club at impact, be sure to shift the weight onto the left foot on the downswing. Also, strive for a high finish to discourage ‘flipping’ the club. Another thing that will discourage a left arm-chicken-wing position and a dominant right hand-and cure a hook-is to concentrate on finishing lower and more around the body.

  2. Second Shot

• • 1. On a small green with a slope running into a creek, a softer shot with little backspin is required so that the ball comes in almost dead, stopping pretty much where it lands. Do do so, only sort of nip the ball off the turf by hitting the ball more on the through swing and not hitting down so abruptly. Take one more club than normal, grip down the shaft a 1/2 inch, then make avery smooth swing with no noticeable acceleration through impact. The result: a soft-flying shot that comes to a stop a few feet from where lands rather than jerking back.

    2. Swinging into a full finish will help us to stop pulling iron shots.

    3. When we hit shots into trouble we can’t afford to compound the error with a sloppily played recovery shot. From rough or woods, check carefully for any branches we need to keep the ball under, and select a club that will help accomplish that. Gauge how far it is to get the ball to the fairwary and how far it is to the rough or hazards we want to keep the ball short of. Decide on the total distance needed to hit the shot, and take a practice swing or two to get the feel for a swing that will produce that distance. Play the ball in the middle of the stance, make a short half swing and bring the arms and club through while keeping the hands and wrists dead’ to keep from scooping at the ball and hitting it fat.

• 3. Greenside

• • 1. Whenever the ball is resting in water so that it is only half-submerged, it is a playable shot because the ball can be judged accurately. Make sure you can take a reasonable stance, and that there are no objects such as rocks in the way of your downswing. Address the ball with the sand iron. Hover the sole of the club an inch or two above the water, touching the water costs a penalty stroke. Play the shot as if it were a partially buried bunker shot. Hold the face open and let the leading edge cut through the water and get under the ball, but don’t lay it way open or the chance of sculling the ball increases. Play the ball just ahead of center. Keep the weight favoring the left side. Swing the club up with the arms, keeping the head very still. Then pull the club into the water on a steep angle, aiming for a spot about 2 inches behind the ball. Swing the club with just a little more force as water provides more resistance than sand.

    2. If in order to get the ball close, you’d have to hit a high, soft bunker shot that lands high on the left fringe, close to a second bunker and let it trickle down to the hole, in other words a world-class shot, don’t try it. Instead, forget the hole and make it the the goal to pop the ball out over the lip, and let the ball roll so that it finishes in the fat of the green. Open the blade, pick a spot two to three inches behind the ball, keep the head steady and just pop the ball out with a short swing.

• 4. Putting

• • 1. The sooner we learn to give all length putts our fullest the attention, the better we’ll score. Just because we face a putt we think we have little chance of holing doesn’t mean we should just set up quickly and hit the ball. Pick the line, set the putter down precisely on it, use our normal pre-stroke routine and make a decisive stroke.