Read August Golf Magazine Feature

SAVE 10
STROKES!
COVER STORY
I vaulted 28 spots
in the World Golf
Rankings last year—
and cashed golf’s
biggest paycheck.
How? By making
small improvements
in five key areas. Like
puzzle pieces, these
moves fit together
to produce a swing
that can stand up to
Rory, Jordan and the
rest. And now with my
help—and a 30-day
practice plan from
the Top 100 Teachers
in America—you can
become the player
you were meant to be.
G
olf is a simple game: Hit the
fairway, hit the green (or chip
it close if you miss) and make
the putt. I’ve always done these
things well—I was a four-time
All-American at the University
of Florida before making my first swing
on Tour. But between 2013 and 2014 I
got just a bit better in each area, and this
incremental improvement has paid huge
dividends. (Literally—my 2014 FedEx Cup
win came with a $10 million prize.) I didn’t
overhaul my game. Who has time for that?
Instead, I dialed in on the basic requirements
of catching shots flush, regardless of the
club I’m swinging. Trust me—just little
improvements in your driver, iron, wedge and
putter contact will instantly make you better.
I’ll show you my four stroke-saving moves,
as well as my favorite exercise for keeping my
body in peak swing form. In addition, Golf
Magazine has recruited an elite team of Top
100 Teachers to take your improvement even
further with a 30-day, 50-lesson practice plan
that you can follow on Golf.com. Combine the
skills that made me the FedEx Cup champion,
and the step-by-step drills from America’s
most respected swing coaches, and you’ll be
playing the best golf of your life. Hey, there’s
one kind of “slice” every golfer wants—
cutting your handicap in half.
Putting:
See break
in terms
of speed.
Short game:
Line up the
shaft and
your hands
at impact.
Irons: Pull
down with
your left
hand.
Driving:
“Bump” your
left hip from
the top.
Your Complete
Improvement Plan!
Free! A 50-lesson, 30-day
customized practice schedule
to shoot your best scores ever!
Visit Golf.com/golf-tips.
>>>
BILLY HORSCHEL
HALVE YOUR HANDICAP
>>> BY 2014 FEDEX CUP CHAMPION BILLY HORSCHEL
with David DeNunzio
AND GOLF MAGAZINE’ S TOP 100 TEACHERS IN AMERICA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGUS MURRAY
THE
YOUR MEET
ELITE TEACHERS
TOP 100 WHO’LL CUT YOUR
SCRATCH HANDICAP IN HALF
SQUAD IN JUST 30 DAYS
Mike Adams Approach Shots
“I’ll show you how to find your
natural swing, then give you the
strategy to go after any flag.”
Mark Hackett Driving
“A well-timed, powerful release
is the secret to hitting it straight—
and farther down the fairway.”
Scott Munroe Short Game
“I’ll teach you how to catch every
pitch and chip crisp, then add some
par-saving plays to your arsenal.”
Kellie Stenzel Putting
“Use my three-step attack: Improve
your setup, build an even-length
stroke, calibrate for distance control.”
Jon Tattersall Flexibility/Mobility
“My goal? To help you discover how
your range of motion hurts your
swing, then work out the kinks.”
➔
46
GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com August 2015
August 2015 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE
47
BILLY HORSCHEL
SAVE 10
STROKES!
COVER STORY
APPROACH SHOTS
DRIVING
Catch every iron
in the sweet spot
simply by using
“pull-down” power
You don’t have to
swing harder to drive
the ball farther. “Load
and separate,” like I
do, and watch your
clubhead speed spike.
M
y strategy for improving
my iron swing has been to
think about what happens
at impact, and little else. A perfect
backswing doesn’t do you any good
if you can’t catch the ball flush. When
I practice, contact is my feedback,
not what my swing looks like.
TRY THIS From the top of your
downswing, pull your left hand
down without letting out the hinge
in your wrists. As your hands swing
in front of your body, begin turning
the right side of your body “through”
the ball. This is the most reliable way
to make sure that your hands are ahead
of the clubface when it strikes the ball—
the secret to crushing your irons.
To check if you’re doing it correctly,
hit iron shots from a practice bunker.
If you pull and rotate correctly, you’ll
only “brush” the sand, and the shot
will carry close to its full distance.
If the ball comes up short, you’re
either pulling too hard or not rotating
enough. Pulling is a steepening move,
while rotating is a shallowing one.
You need both to catch shots crisp.
B
HALVE
YOUR
HANDICAP
...by taking a
divot in front
of the ball
SEPARATE
From the top, “bump”
your left hip toward the
target without moving
your left shoulder.
This doubles the
tension created in your
backswing, letting you
whip the club through
the ball as you unwind.
I
’ve actually picked up a few
yards of driving distance this
season, and my average of 294.6
yards is the highest of my career.
But swinging faster is the furthest
thing from my mind. In a way, speed
happens by itself—it’s a natural result
of improved, efficient mechanics.
Pull
down. . .
IRON COMBO
From the top of your
backswing, pull the
club down with your
left hand, then rotate
the right side of your
body as you swing
through impact.
illy’s right—correct iron
impact is a blend of pulling
your left hand down and
rotating your body, brushing
the grass in the process. I’ll add
that the brush must occur in
front of the ball. This is evidence
that you’re contacting the ball
cleanly. My advice? Draw a line
on the range (spray paint works)
perpendicular to your target line. Place a ball on the line and swing.
Your goal is to brush the grass (or take a divot) on the target side of
the line, not on or behind it. This kind of feedback is critical—you’ll
know instantly if you’re improving or need more work. —Mike Adams
. . .then
rotate.
TRY THIS When hitting driver,
“load and separate.” On your
backswing, focus on shifting your
weight into your right hip. You should
feel some tension in your right glute
as you “load up.” Once you reach the
top, move your left hip toward the
target—just the left hip—getting it as
far away from your left shoulder as
possible. That’s the separation part,
which creates even more tension in
your right side. Guess what? That
tension is speed just waiting to
happen. After you separate, unwind
everything. You’ll feel faster than
ever, and a lot more powerful.
T
DRILL: DIVOT LINE
Look for the video in the
30-Day Improvement Plan
on Golf.com/golf-tips
APPROACH-SHOT
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
I’ll take you from an iron-play
zero to hero by helping you. . .
l Find your natural backswing shape
l Nail your ideal top position
l Demystify the role that
your lower body plays
l Create centered, square contact
l Take a divot in front of the ball
HALVE
YOUR
HANDICAP
...by increasing
your backswing
rotation
LOAD
As you swing back, shift
weight onto your right side,
“loading” up your right glute.
The tension you feel in your
rear end is swing power.
BILLY SAYS BEWARE!
The big mistake in
driving is moving your
left hip and shoulder at
the same time at the
start of your downswing,
an energy drain that
eliminates the whip in
your motion and makes
you use your arms to
generate swing speed.
our players like Billy
Horschel tend to turn
their shoulders back
while keeping their hips stable,
maximizing torque. Weekend
players need all the turn they can
get. Try hitting drives with your
right foot pulled back at address.
The right-foot back position lets
you make a much bigger turn
(using both your shoulders and hips) and create more energy
in your swing. When you pair this bigger turn with the way
Billy separates his left hip from his left shoulder at the start of the
downswing, you’ll start bombing it the way he does. —Mark Hackett
DRILL:
RIGHT FOOT BACK
Look for the video in the
30-Day Improvement Plan
on Golf.com/golf-tips
DRIVING IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The secret to hitting every drive
longer and straighter? My 5 keys:
l Locate your natural delivery plane
l Square the face with your body
l Groove an ascending angle of attack
l Narrow your starting line
l Pour on the swing speed
➔
48
GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com August 2015
August 2015 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE
49
BILLY HORSCHEL
SAVE 10
STROKES!
COVER STORY
PUTTING
SHORT-GAME SHOTS
At impact, align
the shaft and your
hands to activate
the bounce on your
wedges—and slide
through any chip
or pitch with ease
SWEET RELEASE
To hit crisp short-game shots,
release the club with your right
hand on your downswing. You’ll
know you did it right if the shaft
is straight up and down and in
line with your hands at impact.
L
Y
et me share a secret that every Tour
pro knows: You can hole putts using
a variety of speeds. Yep, you have
options. You can coax it in, letting the ball
slowly drop in on the high side. You can hit
it harder and trace a beeline to the cup. Or
you can choose a pace somewhere between
those two extremes. My putting process is
pretty simple—I choose my desired speed
and pick a line that matches that speed.
This engages my sense of feel, and it works.
I’ve ranked in the top tier in Strokes Gained
Putting since getting my Tour card in 2010.
ou often hear Tour players say
how important it is to “use the
bounce” on short-game shots.
They’re correct. The bounce—the curved
part of the sole that “lifts” the leading edge
above the ground when the shaft is straight
up and down—allows you to slide the club
under the ball without it digging into the
turf, whether you’re chipping, pitching
or blasting out of a bunker.
TRY THIS Regardless of the short-game
shot you’re hitting, let your hands rotate
slightly to the right as you swing back,
opening the face just a few degrees. That
“activates” the bounce. On your downswing,
refrain from pulling hard with your left
hand—the opposite of what you should do
when hitting an iron. Instead, “release”
your right hand and arm and slide the club
under the ball, clipping it off the grass. Do it
correctly and your hands and the clubhead
will reach impact at the same time, with the
shaft straight up and down. Perfect!
B
HALVE
YOUR
HANDICAP
...by setting
up “neutral” on
chips and pitches
Reading the line?
Overrated! Instead,
focus on how hard
you want to hit the
ball, then simply
choose a line that
matches the speed.
NO!
Closed clubface
on the backswing.
The leading edge
will dig into the turf.
illy has some great
thoughts on how to
activate the bounce on
your wedges when hitting shots
around the greens. I think it’s
even easier if you activate it
at setup. My advice? Take a
shoulder-width stance, stand
“tall” and position the ball in
the center of your stance. Then
set your hands in front of your zipper. Don’t make the
duffer’s mistake and lean the shaft forward—that just encourages
a dig. Set up neutral and, like Billy says, return to neutral. You’ll
catch your chips and pitches cleaner than ever. —Scott Munroe
YES!
Opened clubface on the
backswing. Exposed
bounce lets the club
slide under the ball.
TRY THIS Use my two-step practice
routine (which is also a great pre-round
warmup). First, hole several straight
three-footers to confirm that you’re aligned
and aiming correctly. Then work on your
speed—take four tees, peg them 10, 20, 30
and 40 feet away, and try to roll one ball to
each distance. With your mechanics (step
1) and your sense of feel (step 2) locked in,
you’ll be loose and focused on the course.
P
DRILL: BOUNCE
ACTIVATION
Look for the video in
the 30-Day Improvement
Plan on Golf.com/golf-tips
SHORT-GAME
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
You’ll save par from anywhere after I. . .
l Teach you how to vary trajectory
l Show you how to dial in your
pitch-shot distances
l Explain how to master the flop shot
l Unveil the secrets to knocking any
bunker shot tight to the pin
HALVE
YOUR
HANDICAP
...by “locking”
your lower
body in place
MATCH LINE
WITH SPEED
Decide how fast or slow
you want to hit your
putt, then pick a line
based on that speed.
This lets you hole putts
without finding the
perfect line or hitting
a specific spot, tough
tasks even for pros.
GET A FEEL
FOR DISTANCE
Roll the ball different
distances between 10
and 40 feet during practice
or before teeing off. This
heightens your feel for speed
control. Good putters use
practice to fine-tune stroke
distances. On the course, they
simply react to what they see.
layers of Billy’s caliber
spend a lot of time
working on speed because
their fundamentals are already
rock solid. Your basics may need
a tune-up. A big mistake I see
among recreational golfers?
Too much body action. Extra
leg movement and hip turn can
throw the putter off the ideal
path, so even smooth strokes miss. Make like vintage
Arnold Palmer and putt with your toes turned in. This locks
your hips and knees in place, stabilizing your stroke, and will help
you start the ball dead on line, no matter the break. —Kellie Stenzel
DRILL: ARNOLD
PALMER STANCE
Look for the video in
the 30-Day Improvement
Plan on Golf.com/golf-tips
PUTTING IMPROVEMENT PLAN
You’ll be the Boss of the Moss in
30 days and learn to. . .
l Start every putt on line
l Improve your contact
l Make your stroke a pendulum
l Hone a calibrated stroke to
roll the ball any distance
➔
50
GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com August 2015
August 2015 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE
51
BILLY HORSCHEL
COVER STORY
HALVE YOUR HANDICAP with the Top 100 Teachers in America!
BODY MECHANICS
Hit every club in
your bag longer!
Make your
swing faster,
more efficient
and easy to
repeat using
a few simple
stretches.
Scan this photo
for more swing insight
with Billy Horschel. See p. 6.
I
TRY THIS Lie down on your back, tilt your knees to
the right and stretch your left arm to the left (photos,
far right). This loosens up the big muscles in your
back (hello, power) and helps you disassociate your
upper body from your lower. What that means is
that you can turn your shoulders without turning
your hips (and vice versa), which is key for creating
coil energy on your backswing and “separating”
your left hip from your left shoulder on your
downswing. Perform this stretch for a few minutes
every day in both directions. I’ll bet after two
weeks you’ll hit the ball at least five yards farther.
I
your overall
range of motion
52
Stick to Our
30-Day Guide
and (Finally!)
Learn to Go Low
Y
’m adamant about keeping my body in
peak condition, but I don’t go crazy and
pump a lot of iron like some other guys on
Tour do. To me, everyday flexibility is more
important than big muscles. If you feel tight one
day, loose the next, and tighter the day after that,
it’s impossible to re-create the same swing each
time. This helps explain why your motion can
feel so different from one round to the next.
HALVE
YOUR
HANDICAP
...by increasing
YOUR FREE
30-DAY
PRACTICE PLAN:
GOLF.COM/
GOLF-TIPS
1
2
FLEX APPEAL
Increase your flexibility and
range of motion to improve
your swing overnight. I lie
on the floor and stretch my
upper body and lower body
in different directions.
ncreasing your flexibility
pays huge dividends. As part
of Golf Magazine’s “Halve
Your Handicap” plan, I provide
a number of Tour-proven,
performance-boosting stretches.
I’ll also show you how to test
your range of motion to pinpoint
nagging flexibility issues. For
example, hold a club out across
your chest as shown and turn your torso to the right without
moving your hips. If you can’t rotate at least 45 degrees, then you
know it’s an area that you need to work on. Stretch smart and
not only will you improve, you’ll improve faster. —Jon Tattersall
GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com August 2015
DRILL: TORSO TURN
Look for the video in the
30-Day Improvement Plan
on Golf.com/golf-tips
BODY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Give me 30 days and become the
most flexible—and most powerful—
guy in your foursome. I’ll help you. . .
l Use your hips to spike swing speed
l Control the clubface with your wrists
l “Grip” the ground with your feet for a
more explosive impact
l Loosen your shoulders for more turn
ou can achieve a lot
in 30 days. Lose your
love handles. Paint
the house. Watch The Wire
or read Ulysses. Worthy
goals all. You can also
become the golfer you know
you can be. How? Follow the
practice schedule of drills
at right, a sample of our 30day, 50-lesson plan on Golf.
com. Our schedule lets you
build the skills needed to
improve your performance
in the five areas that Billy
Horschel highlighted:
iron play, driving, short
game, putting and body
mechanics. (Tweak the time
frame to fit your schedule,
or allot more practice to the
weaker areas of your game.)
As you proceed through
the 30 days, maximize your
practice time by doing more
at-home work. You can
perform many of the indoor
drills while watching your
favorite TV show.
You’ll find eight to 12
lessons per area. If some
drills seem to work better
than others, stick to the
ones that resonate. As Billy
noted, just a little bump in
each area can help you
reap huge rewards.
DAY 1 Irons: Find your
natural backswing.
DAY 2 Flexibility:
Shoulder mobility test.
DAY 3 Short Game: Your
new chipping setup.
DAY 4 Putting: Learn to
start the ball on line.
DAY 5 Driving: Find
your “delivery zone.”
DAY 6 Flexibility: Use
your natural foot flare.
DAY 7 Putting: Pendulum
putting practice.
DAY 8 Irons: Get a feel
for your natural swing.
DAY 9 Driving: Groove an
on-plane downswing.
DAY 10 Short Game:
Pitch it high or low.
DAY 11 Putting: Shortputt confirmation.
DAY 12 Irons: Check
your backswing plane.
DAY 13 Flexibility:
Hip hinge and posture.
DAY 14 Irons: Nail
your top position.
DAY 15 Putting: Distancecontrol calibration.
DAY 16 Driving: Accuracy
test and assessment.
DAY 17 Short Game:
Groove your pitch swing.
DAY 18 Flexibility: Wrist
work for face control.
DAY 19 Putting: Distance
control and speed drills.
DAY 20 Irons:
Perfect impact drill.
DAY 21 Flexibility: Calf
stretch for swing power.
DAY 22 Short Game:
Dial in short chip shots.
DAY 23 Driving:
Square clubface drill.
DAY 24 Putting: Nailing
uphill and downhill speed.
DAY 25 Short Game:
Bunker shot basics.
DAY 26 Irons: Get your
divot in the right place.
DAY 27 Flexibility: Stork
stretch for more hip turn.
DAY 28 Short Game:
Master the flop shot.
DAY 29 Driving: Confirm
your contact point.
DAY 30 Driving: Groove a
consistent starting line.
Visit Golf.com/golf-tips
to get started today.
YOUR BEST ROUND IS
JUST 30 DAYS AWAY!
August 2015 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE
53