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First Golf Lesson from Bat Caddy

Bat Caddy

Watch First Golf Lesson from Mike Malaska

When it comes to the golf swing, the first and most important thing is the club face. We join Mike Malaska for this first golf swing lesson in his series to help you improve.  The other lessons are available at Golf Life On Demand It’s how the club face runs into the ball. Because all we’re trying to do is get the club on a certain path with the face in a certain position to make the ball go where you want it to go. That’s really the game.

Understanding the Club Face

A club face basically fits in your hand like this. So, if you’re looking at a ball on the ground and you want to hit a ball lower than this club’s designed to hit it… all you have to do is take some loft off the face. Keep in mind, you’re not doing anything with your hips or shoulders. You just take loft off the face.

If you want to add loft, simply add loft with the hands. Also, the clubhead fits in my left hand like this. Same thing low, high, left, right. If I put both hands, low, high, left, right.

How Golf Shaft Reacts to Clubface

Mike Malaska Hand Position 1

Now if I take this club and I were to hold it in my left hand, it’s the same thing. I want you to watch what the shaft is going to do and this is something for you to practice at home. If I’ve got the club face in my hand, I say okay I want to hit the ball low. Where’d the shaft just go? Lean forward. So that’s lower. I want to hit it a little higher that adds loft I want to curve it left. I want to curve it right. So you see where the shaft is aiming, with what I do with my hands.

So basically, we’re learning how to aim that shaft, which is going to make the ball curve different directions. So all of a sudden hit a low draw. Hit a low fade. Hit a high hook. So the shaft is showing me what I’m doing to the face. So you’re getting a you’re getting a feeling in your hands for what you’re doing with the face.

Grip

Here’s the deal, with the club we haven’t talked about grip. We’re going to talk about that next. But first what I want you to do the first week is you go out. You get your clubs. You set up, same grip every time and all you’re going to do is now when you’re hitting these shots, you’re no longer holding a club. You’re not holding a round grip. See when I play golf when I set up to it, I’m holding that club face in my hands.

Practice

So, here’s what we’re going to do first week. We’re going to spend time practicing just hitting shots… not big swings.

All we’re doing is setting up and we’re using our hands to control the face to make the ball curve and do different things.

I want you to make this first ball curve to the left. Use your hands so the ball is curving to the left.

I want you to make this ball curve to the right. Use your hands so that one’s curving to the right.

Hit the next one low. Hit the next one as high as you can hit it.

We’re not making big full swings. We’re getting setup and using your hands to control the face to make the ball curve. We’re not worried about our body. You’re not worried about your stance. All your doing is connecting your hands with that face and making the ball curve.

You can see more short game lessons here.

Conclusion

This is one of the most important parts of the game and you should learn this first. How to control the face with your hands. No face control with your hands, no game.

Most people cannot do this. Every tour player I’ve ever been around, if I have them stand there, they can do anything I want them to do with that club face. So their hands are educated relative to the face. That’s why they can do a lot of the things they do with their body and still play.

So, when you go out there, you got to call the shot and make it curve. Big curves are better. Anything you can do to curve the ball. Hit it high, hit it low. You start to feel a connection with the club face in your hands. That’s step number one. Week one.

Good luck and have fun on the course!

Short Game Masterclass

With Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler

Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler, two of the world’s top golfers and both on team Taylormade, recently shared their expertise in a short game masterclass. In this class, they discussed the importance of assessing the lie, using the bounce or leading edge, and setting up the stance. They also shared their tips for hitting shots out of the rough and off the toe.

Why is short game so important?  As these two golf icons will agree, the scoring in the game all happens within 100 yards of the pin. Being able to get your second or third shot around the green near the pin, increases your chance of a par dramatically. So working on all of the short game shots is critical to getting better at the game of golf.

Assessing the Lie

The first step in any short game shot is assessing the lie. As Woods and Scheffler discussed, if the lie is good, they prefer to go up in the air. However, if the lie is not great, they opt to go low. Scottie mentioned that he will always prefer to go low first if it is available depending on the pin location. Using the Bounce or Leading Edge

Woods and Scheffler also discussed the importance of using the bounce or leading edge. Both players prefer to use the bounce, as opposed to their friend on tour Jorden Spieth who prefers to use the leading edge. They both agreed that if the lie is not great, you should use the bounce.  They also feel that most average players should use the bounce of the wedge as much as possible.  Wedges are created with bounce and it is important to learn about different wedge grinds to choose the best bounce for your ability and the type of grass conditions you play most of the time.

Short Game Masterclass

Setting Up the Stance

Woods and Scheffler also discussed the importance of setting up the golf stance in your wedge shot. Woods said that he likes to get the heel of his wedge as high as he can, almost feeling the handle up above his hands, while Scheffler said that he likes to stand as close as he can to the ball. They both agreed that it is important to shallow out the swing a bit.

Hitting Shots Out of the Rough

During the Short Game Masterclass, Woods and Scheffler also discussed their tips for hitting shots out of the rough. Scheffler said that he likes to hit off the toe, as it comes off softer, so he can feel like he can almost swing harder. Woods shook that off quickly stating that he likes to hit off the middle of the clubface, as it gives him more control.  With a lie sitting down in the rough, Tiger emphasized that he would really be trying to get the toe in the grass and hook the golf ball more.  Both players stated that in rough, like Bermuda grass on courses in Florida, they would always attempt to go low with their shots, because it is so hard to get a consistent shot.

Hitting Shots with the Toe Down

Woods and Scheffler also discussed their tips for hitting shots with the toe of the wedge lower and a “high handle”. Tiger said that Raymond Floyd always use to tell him to get the heel of the club as high he can. Scottie agreed, by saying, “You just hit little baby hooks.” Woods agreed, “yeah, basically”.

Hitting to a Deeper Pin

Tiger asked Scottie what he would do when hitting to a farther flag and how would he get the golf ball to spin on the shot.  Scheffler mentions that he would use more of a cut, based on the terrain and the predominant wind direction.  To hit this shot, you would use an open stance, little bit of an open face to the wedge. Scottie says he would still “feel a slight hook”, although he states the ball will still cut.  Tiger asked Scottie if he ever hits the ball off the toe, stating that he can’t stand to hit the ball of the toe.  Scottie said he does hit off the toe, but only when the ball is in the rough.

Conclusion

Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler’s short game masterclass was an insightful look into the minds of two of the world’s top golfers. They discussed the importance of assessing the lie, using the bounce or leading edge, and setting up the stance. They also shared their tips for hitting shots out of the rough and off the toe in this advanced short game lesson. With their expert advice, golfers of all levels can improve their short game.  You can see more video golf tips – youtube

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