Butch Harmon’s Playing Lessons, (15) Hole 15, Notes

Post date: Mar 17, 2018 11:17:47 AM

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

Hole 15 - The Country Club of Brookline, Par 4: 417 Yards

• 1. Tee Shot

     1. It doesn’t matter how fast we swing so long as we stay balanced. However if we do have a fast swing, use a stiff-flex shaft so the clubhead will stay behind the hands longer. The clubhead needs to whip into the ball after we have shifted the weight to left foot and have cleared the hips otherwise, the club will close too dramatically, causing a hook.

     2. Difficult par 4s should be played as par 5s. Always visualize the shot, especially on intimidating tee shots. If there is any doubt in mind, have the courage to always back away and reset from the start of the pre-shot routine. Be sure to look at the ball then up at the target a few times before the swing. It’s important to see the ball land in it’s intended area before we even hit it. This healthy mental rehearsal improves the odds of hitting a solid tee shot.

        1. Drill for intensifying mental focus and curing tee jitters: The next time you practice drives, imagine hitting into a practice net located a few yards directly in front of the ball. Doing this drill for a week will allow you to be more focused and block out any hazards. As a result, you’ll feel more confident, make a smooth on-plane swing, and hit the ball down the fairway.

  2. Approach

• • 1. Whenever the green is unguarded in the front and the fairway grass is mowed low, hit a running pitch shot that lands short of the green, or on its front portion, then rolls to the hole. Move the ball back in the stance, make a short backswing and let the hands lead the club through impact.

    2. Golf is a game of good and bad breaks. Learn to accept bad breaks as they usually even out in a round. When the ball lands in a divot set up with the ball back in the stance and keep the hands ahead through impact. To recover from this lie, swing from a steeper angle and hit down more sharpley. A steep angle of attack reduces the effective loft of the club so choose a more lofted club than normal for the distance and swing only a trifle harder than normal.

    3. Any time the ball is sitting relatively cleanly in light rough, we want to get more distance out of the shot, swing on a flatter plan than normal. This will encourage blades of grass to fill the grooves of the club at impact, so that we purposely hit a flyer and hit the ball farther.