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PGA Tour - Stephen Ames

PGA Tour player Stephen Ames has a nice sturdy swing. Honestly, it does not look as athletic as some of the young guns on tour, but it is effective. You can't win a Player's Championship without being solid tee to green.

When you watch Ames play watch his great takeaway. In the video above you can see how he moves the club, his arms and shoulders all at the same time. That is a great thing to copy. If you can start your back swing like that, it will help keep your everything moving at the same speed. If you move the club , then your shoulders, then your hands...you will have too many parts moving at different times. That leads to disastrous shots.

This video does a great job illustrating his balance and finish position. You see how he is aiming straight down the fairway. Now, when he is holding his finish position take a look at where Ames hips are pointing. Look at how far left of the target his belt buckle or belly button is pointing. They are facing the left rough! To have a complete finish your belt buckle should be past your target. Many people don’t even get to be facing their target let alone left of it (right handed players). This is a big reason why shots are hit weak and to the right. Keep an eye on Ames’ balance and hip position at the finish of his swing and try to emulate it for your game.

Good luck with your practicing and playing. I hope you find these tips helpful as you develop your game.

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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.