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PGA Tour - Ben Curtis

When we think of past Open Champions PGA Tour player Ben Curtis is often forgotten about. He was no doubt a very surprising winner of the 2003 Open Championship. Major winners Vijah Singh, Tiger Woods, and Davis Love III were all right behind him. Curtis had a tough time adjusting to being an Open champion, but he has been playing better over the last couple of years.

Ben Curtis has a back swing that is all his own. It is not as crazy as Furyk's, but it is a little choppy. He picks the club up very quickly with his hands, and he has a little extra movement at the top of his backswing. I would certainly prefer not to see those things in a golf swing. There is already enough movement in a golf swing, and like most sports, the game becomes simpler when you eliminate unnecessary movements. The less extra movement in your swing means the easier it is to be consistent and have great contact.

When watching the video I want you to notice to how tall he stands at his address position. He is not hunched over. It is not that you have to be tall to hit the ball far, but you do want to stand tall into the golf ball.

The key thing to learn from Curtis is that he trusts his motion. He trusts his swing and knows his ball flight. It is that trust, which has lead to confidence, which has him playing better and better. If you look at the end of his swing..does his finish position really look any different that most other players. No. This means that if you can develop an effective repeatable motion that you can trust, then go with it.

Golf is not like figure skating. There are no judges evaluating and scoring your game. Golf is about getting a little ball into a hole. If you can get the ball in the hole, it does not matter how you do it. My dad always said "there is no room on the scorecard for a description."

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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson

Congratulations to Steve Stricker on his victory at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

I believe the commentators said he has won 9 times in his 40s. That is amazing!I also agree with Sir Nick and Johnny Miller that his swing will be copied in the future. Technology has reduced the need for hand action in the golf swing to generate power. Watch the old videos of Bobby Jones to see how much action he created compared to that of Steve Stricker.

A great objective for any player is to eliminate any unnecessary movement. Stricker does a great job of that. His hands stay very quiet on the backswing. His wrists hardly hinge at the top of his backswing. You can see from the above video that his backswing is all shoulder turn.

His downswing starts from the hips and he simply turns everything through the golf ball at the same time. His hands and wrists release naturally without any effort. This is a great way to have a consistent rhythm through the golf ball on every shot. This swing delivers enough power to win on Tour.

European Tour Winner Quick Lesson

Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen and his victory at the 2012 Africa Open.

Louis burst onto the scene with his dominating performance at the Open Championship. Many have predicted multiple wins for this player. His victory this past weekend is likely one of many to come.

In the video above pay really close attention to when the video ends. Take a look at his left foot. Notice how all his weight his on his left heel. This is a great sign that he has cleared his hips properly.

One of the key reasons for starting the downswing with your lower body is to clear your hips out of the way to create more room for your arms to swing through impact. It is a great indicator as to how well you cleared your hips, when almost all your weight is on your heel.

If your weight is leaning on you toes or even the middle of your foot then you have not rotated and cleared your hips enough through your downswing and past impact. You really want to feel the pressure of your weight on your heel like Oosthuizen.

Make sure you start your downswing with your lower body. At the top of your backswing; either pull your left knee or your left hip (right handed player) towards the target. Also make sure your hips keep rotating through impact and into your finish position with your weight on the heel.