Hello, I'm Gerry Stevens, and I'm the director of the
Hello, I'm Gerry Stevens, and I'm delighted to be here at the superb Quinta do Largo golf course on Portugal's Algarve with one of the finest golfers in the world, Ian Woosnam.
Ian, something that's always fascinated me and just about everybody who watches golf is the fact that you're only five feet four.
You make the game look so simple and so easy, and yet you can hit the ball such prodigious distances.
Now the question I want to ask you is, how do you do it? Where does the strength come from?
Well, Gerry, it all started when I first started playing golf, and I started playing with my parents at a golf course called London Monarch when I was seven.
And from there on, once I got to about 11 or 12, I decided that golf was going to be what I wanted to do.
And I did a lot of exercises doing like carrying hay bales and carrying sacks of corn about and driving tractors.
And when I got to the stage of 14 or 15, I was doing exercises on my arms and legs to build up my arms so I could hit the ball a long way.
But one of the main things is to have a strong back. If you can have a strong back, I think you can hit the ball a long way.
OK, so you've got the power and the strength that you've built up in a little guy. Obviously, aligned with that, you've got to have a good technique.
Now, what is the technique that enables you to hit the ball so far?
Well, the secret is making sure you have a good shoulder turn and having plenty of width on the backswing.
If you can create a lot of width on the backswing, that's when the club is going to travel its furthest and generate more power as it comes through the ball.
It may be the prodigious distance as he hits the ball or the style and manner of his victories, but whatever it is, Ian Woosnam has captured the imagination of the British golfing public.
Though short in stature, but with an aggressive, bull terrier approach to the game, he fits right into the mould of those other great Welsh golfers, Dai Rees and Brian Huggett.
Hook! Hook, darling! Come on, baby! Hook! Come on, darling!
While Dory has achieved as much, if not more, than David, in 1987 he leapt from the massed ranks of touring professionals to stand alongside the aristocrats of the game.
Previously a regular winner on the European tour, he topped the Order of Merit that year, ahead of the likes of Ballesteros, Faldo and Lyle.
But it was his deeds in the Ryder Cup, his victory in the World Match Play and Wales' triumph in the World Cup that made him the first of its kind.
Ian Woosnam had arrived and plans being around for some time to come.
We've called this first section the Power Game and I think you'd all agree that Ian Woosnam has got a most natural and instinctive swing which somehow enables him to hit the ball prodigious distances.
Now in this video we're not trying to make you swing like Ian Woosnam.
What Ian's trying to do is to improve your game so that you can play better and better.
In other words, to work with what you've got and make it that little bit better.
So let's see how we can do that.
Well, Jerry, the first thing we need for the Power Game is to have the correct grip.
And there's three kinds of different grips.
There is the baseball grip, which we have ten different types of grips.
There is the baseball grip, which we have ten fingers on the shaft of the club.
This is a very powerful grip.
A lot of people prefer to use that grip because they feel much more stronger in their hands and they can hit the ball a lot further.
The second grip, quite commonly used, is the interlocking grip, where the little finger of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand.
A lot of people use this grip.
I think Jack Nicholas used it for a very long time.
The third grip is the overlapping grip.
The small finger of the right hand goes over the index finger of the left hand.
This is the grip I prefer to use and most commonly used by the professionals.
A lot of amateurs tend to hold the grip very strong, again, feeling that they're more stronger in the left hand.
And the trouble with that, the right hand tends to go on a little bit too strong then, and that tends to come into a lot of oak shots and a lot of block shots.
Also, you can hold the grip too weak on the left hand side and the right hand follows that.
That tends to open up the club face on the backswing and slice the ball.
The way I tend to hold the grip every single time, I've made a habit of it, and you should make a habit of it, is that there's two lines on the grip.
If the grip is on correctly and straight, it allows you to put your hands on the grip the same every single time.
With the V going down, I tend to put my left thumb straight at that V in the middle of it.
When that is straight, the left hand is very neutral, only two knuckles showing, and that is in a very good position.
You can either hook the ball or fade the ball from there, whatever you want to do.
When I've got that correct, I put my right hand in line with the V here, straight in line with that, following the left hand.
Now, I know that my grip is correct every single time, so I've made a very good habit of doing that every single time.
I know I can do that. I know I'm going to hit the ball a long way because there's nothing restricting my golf swing.
Now we've got the grip right, the next important thing is to get the address position correct.
Where I would start is, I know I've got the grip right, fingers down the shaft, right hand in the correct position.
I know I've got the correct grip.
Now I put my feet together and I aim the face of the club down the middle of the fairway or wherever you want to hit the ball.
Once I've got that straight, my grip square to the target, I move my left foot to the target, straight where the point where I want to go,
getting the ball opposite the left heel of my shoe.
Once I've got that right, I move my right foot back, moving it to about the same width as my shoulders.
The reason why that is, if you have your feet about the same width as your shoulders, your balance is going to be correct.
And once you've got that correct, you bend your knees a little bit, keep your back straight, your head high and stay nice and relaxed.
You're in a very good position now to make a good shoulder turn and be on the right line on the way back.
Well, the next thing I'm trying to think about is not having to have too much tension in my swing.
I'm trying to stay nice and relaxed because when you're going for the big one, a lot of amateurs tend to get in their position.
They're in the correct position and then they tend to hub.
Their arms and hands get very tight. As you can see, my forearms are very tight, my hands are very tight.
Then what happens, the shoulders tend to get very tight and hunched over the ball and their back muscles get too tight as well.
That is not going to allow you to go back as far as possible.
They tend to take the club face very shut and very short and there's no backswing at all.
Then it tends to become very quick because they're trying to hit the ball a long way.
What I try to do is I try to stand up to the ball, keep my forearms and hands very relaxed, my shoulders relaxed, my head high.
That allows me to make a full shoulder turn and get the club right back to the top of the backswing and back down to the ball.
Now you've got yourself nice and relaxed. We're trying to make a nice, smooth and wide backswing.
Now the main points to do this is to try and get a full shoulder turn into the swing and make the club turn on the right angle on the backswing.
I'll try and demonstrate what I try to think about on the backswing.
As I've got my dress positioned, my grip right, I'm nice and relaxed.
Now the most important thing for me is to turn my shoulders and hips to the target.
Making a long, nice backswing.
To do that, the things you must think about is when you take the club away, you take it away with your shoulders, your left shoulder.
Taking the club away from the ball, turning your shoulders and trying to keep the club as wide as possible.
You must remember when you take the club away not to try and keep it shut to the target.
Because if it's shut to the target, as you can see, it is hooded and this is going to cause a shot going to the right or to the left.
The correct way to take it away is like you're feeling like the club face is almost opening onto the backswing.
As we can see now, the club face and the hand is 90 degrees away from the target.
My back is starting to turn to the target, to the line I'm going, and that is creating a wide swing.
Also, my knee is moving towards my right leg.
If it tends to go back towards the ball, my weight goes onto my left side, making the swing very narrow and very steep, which is going to hit the ball into the ground.
So the main part of the swing is to keep nice and relaxed, turn your shoulders and your hips at the same time, letting the club slightly go open and wide.
Going up to the top of the backswing with my back to the target, my hips turn, my left knee towards my right leg.
This is going to give the maximum turn and freedom.
Now here we are at the top of the backswing with 80% of our weight on our right hand side.
Once we've got to the top of the backswing, we're trying to get our weight back onto the left hand side.
In effect, we are trying to make a reverse of the backswing.
We are trying to turn our chest back to the target with the weight transferring onto the left leg and the hips clearing up at the same time,
with the hands pulling down on the inside to the ball as long as possible.
It's very important for the hands to come down to the ball as long as possible.
Once we've got down to the ball, we're trying to keep the club going as long and low through the target as possible,
with the hips clearing out of the way and weight transferring onto the left side with our chest pointing back to the target.
Also with our right leg following right through so the weight is clearly on our left hand side,
so that with the weight transferring from right to left, you are using your body weight to hit the ball to its maximum distance.
A lot of people and a lot of amateurs tend to come down to the ball and they tend to think once the ball has been struck,
they are going to stop because the ball is already gone.
This is not true. It's what in fact, they're slowing the swing down here and when they come into the impact position,
the hands have released and this could cause a hook or a slice.
The main thing is to keep the club pulling down as long as possible and following through as long as possible,
keeping the club head moving as fast as possible.
If you can do this all in the right order, it's going to put a few more yards on your drive.
So here's the Ian Woosnam recipe for long hitting.
Stay relaxed throughout the swing.
Make the arc as wide as possible.
Ensure a full shoulder turn.
And transfer the weight to the right on the backswing and to the left through the momentum impact up to the follow through.
Above all, remember, adapt these points to the swing you've already got and it will work better for you.
That ball's gone miles, hasn't it? I mean, it really works, doesn't it?
Well, Jerry, if you get everything in the right position, make the right swing, get your weight transfer in the right direction,
you're going to hit it long and straight.
Well, it's really been very instructive, you know, you explaining your techniques for hitting the ball a long way like that.
There's something I want to ask you though. Going through the bag, down the irons, right the way through the bag,
do you adopt the same approach and technique right the way through? Are there any alterations?
I kick the swing exactly the same. The only thing I do different maybe just at the address position with a wood,
I tend to keep 60% of my weight on my right foot at the address position.
With an iron, I tend to keep my weight 50-50 evenly balanced on each foot.
But apart from that, it's basically the same swing right the way through the bag.
Just keep the same principles, keep the same swing for everything.
If a good swing is vital to the golfer, so too are the tools he uses.
Ian knows better than most the importance of being totally at ease with the clubs in his bag.
After the great year of 1987, there was an inevitable reaction at the start of 1988,
and a change of club manufacturer probably didn't help either.
Indeed, it wasn't until after a visit to the Maramond factory in late July that Ian rediscovered his old form,
and he came back to claim both the Irish and European Open titles within the space of a month.
So sophisticated are the techniques of golf club production nowadays,
that not only do the top manufacturers in the world produce perfectly matched sets every time,
but individual features, to suit a particular customer, are incorporated without difficulty.
That doesn't mean you have to go dashing off to Japan in order to have a set of clubs that's right for you,
but it is well worth having your local club professional look at your existing clubs,
just to check that they're helping rather than hindering your game, as Ian explains.
Well Jerry, I think there's a number of points we can look at.
Firstly, I think we'll start off with a grip.
I have a nice thin grip so it suits my hands, because I've only got small hands,
and a club fits nicely into the palm of my hand.
Obviously, if you've got big hands, you need to have the grip much thicker.
You can do that by putting about three or four layers of tape underneath the grip.
That's one point we can look at. The second point could be with the shaft.
Obviously, if you're a strong hitter of the ball and you hit the ball a long way,
you need to have stiffer shafts.
If you're not hitting the ball so far, I think you need to have more flex in your shaft,
so go to a whippier shaft.
Thirdly, I think we should look at the lie of the club, if I can show you that.
A lot of people have their clubs much too upright for themselves,
and they have the toe of the club sticking way up in the air.
This is going to cause a hook with the club face shutting coming through the ball.
Otherwise, if the lie is much too flat for you and the toe of the club is sticking in the ground,
the toe of the club is going to go into the ground and the ball is going to slice.
The ideal thing to have is the toes just slightly off the ground,
and that way when you come into impact, the club is going to come very square through the shot.
I think the next thing we look at is the loft of the club.
I think it's very important that a lot of amateurs go to the professional and have their lofts checked,
because if, for instance, it happened to me where I had a seven iron, which was the same loft as a six iron,
and it cost me a shot in the tournament, when I took it in later, obviously it was a six iron,
and I spent it back to a seven iron.
I think the last thing we have to look at is the weight of the club.
Obviously, again, you can have a club which is much too heavy for you,
and the balance through the set of the club should be exactly the same through them all,
so they swing exactly the same, so you get a consistent swing.
OK, well, we've got the equipment right. What do you say we go and play a few holes?
OK, let's go and do that. Let's do it.
Well, here we are, Ian, on one of Quinta de Lago's trickier par four holes.
I mean, it's only 380 yards, this hole, or so, but from the back tees, there are quite a few features,
a lot of hazards. On the left-hand corner of the dogleg, there's the bunker,
the fairway slopes from left to right into the trees.
It's quite a tight driving hole, this. How would you play it?
Well, Jerry, taking the circumstances, if I was playing in a tournament and I was in the lead,
I'd most probably play a shot down into the right-hand side of the fairway,
but if I was struggling and I was about three shots behind with four holes to go,
say, I'd go over the corner with a draw and get close to the green.
You'd carry that trap? Yeah, the trouble is, though,
if I hit it too straight with the fairway sloping left to right, it's going to go into the trees.
So you've got to get that draw on it. That's right.
Is that the shot you're going to hit? That's what I'm going to try to hit, Jerry.
OK.
Just try and remember everything I've said before about getting your dress position correct.
For this shot, I'm going to use a slightly close stance to draw the ball round.
That looks pretty good.
That's a super shot, Ian. Absolutely perfect.
Exactly what you said. Over the trap, bit of draw, it's in the centre of the fairway, easy hole, eh?
Well, yeah, if you hit it straight, the trouble is, if I did hit it a bit right,
I could be looking at a double bogey.
Of course, it would be suicide for an amateur like myself to attempt to hit that kind of shot
because I couldn't be sure by any means that I could even reach the trap,
never mind carry it. So I suppose the way for me, I mean, the way I'm thinking of playing this hole
is to be happy to get the ball into the fairway, so at least I've got a second shot to the green.
That's right, Jerry. For you, I think, because of the fairway slop in left to right,
is to try and hit your shot at the trap and let it come off the slop into the middle of the fairway.
Let's see if you can do that. OK, let's give it a try.
Well, Ian, from the back tees and with this breeze about, I'm very happy to see you.
With this breeze about, I'm very happy to be in the fairway on this hole.
So I'm not in bad shape. I'm about 150 yards from the hole
and because there's a bit of breeze, I'm going to hit a five iron up there.
Right, Jerry, let's see how you get on with the shot then. Let's see what happens.
OK.
Well, Ian, it wasn't enough club by miles, was it?
It was a nice shot, but the first mistake you made is that you've taken one club more
because you're going uphill and into the wind, but the first mistake you made
is that you're going uphill and also because you're going uphill and you're standing on a slope,
but the club comes in where it's a five iron, it's been turned into a six iron.
So instead of taking a five, you should have taken a four. Yeah.
So, and then I'll try and explain a couple more things you could have done.
So I'll just hit a shot and... You'll show me how to do it?
I'm going to hit a shot with a four iron. OK, four iron. Yep.
The thing to do is you're trying to keep yourself on the same level as the slope.
So get your shoulders on the right angle of the slope to the hole,
and then when you've got that angle to the slope, that's why the club face tends to go a little bit more lofty,
because you're on a upslope and you're making it one degree more lofty.
So once you get your angle of your head and your shoulders on the right angle,
that is, you push your hips forward into the shot,
that's because you want to keep the club nice and low on the backswing, following the slope.
What happens when people have their weight on the left side,
the club goes up too steep and goes into the ground, and that's why the ball usually comes up short.
So the secret is to keep your shoulders on the same angle as the fairway, as the slope, keep the club low,
and the ball will go high, but you'll have the distance.
Of course, you'll take a shallow divot, because you've taken the club back nice and low.
So, that explains what you do on an upslope, but you can find several awkward stances in a round of golf,
and Ian now shows us how we should cope with each of them, starting with the downslope.
One of the most typical things that amateurs do on a downslope, they have trouble getting the ball up.
The first thing they make the mistake is where, for instance, we're going for 170 yards here,
where I think 170 yards, five iron.
So you put a five iron down, and when you put it down and you stand with the slope,
I just put that down a minute, the club delofts.
So really where a five iron is turned into a three iron.
That is one of the main reasons why you can't get the ball up.
Where I do, if I have 170 yards to go, I'll go to a seven iron,
because when I put it down, it is really turned into a five iron.
So I'm going to carry the ball 170 yards anyway.
I'll just try and demonstrate that to you.
Right.
So when I dress the ball, I put the club down naturally as I should do to line to the target.
And when I stand to the ball, I let my shoulders lie on the same angle as the slope.
And as I do that, the club delofts.
You can almost actually see the club going into about a five iron.
So when the ball comes out, it's obviously going to go lower.
Where most amateurs, they think, well, I'm not going to get the ball up,
so I was trying to stand back, and what happens, they hit the ground before and top the ball.
And that's why most amateurs, they must from now on, try and take a seven iron
where they want to go a five iron distance.
I'll just try and do that.
Try and keep my weight slightly onto the left, or 50-50 pretty well with your feet,
but my shoulders going on the same angle as the ground.
That causes the club to go up a little steeper, and when it comes down,
it can follow the ground on the way down, and the loft of the club will take the ball up.
Well, here we are with the ball below our feet on a side slope.
When I address this shot, I always try and balance myself by keeping my weight on my heels.
Because many lot of amateurs put their weight onto their toes and tend to fall over
and swing the club on the outside.
The main thing what I try to do is sit back on the shot,
and I try to take the club slightly more on the inside path,
so the club is not going on the outside, it is going more on the inside.
And that is to fight the slice.
Because with being on the ball being below your feet,
the tendency is the ball to slice all the time.
So for instance, if I am going to play this shot,
I will be aiming at the bunker at the left of the green,
because I know the ball is going to fade naturally.
So I aim at the bunker, my feet aiming at the bunker, the face at the target,
my weight on my heels, and I try to swing the club more on the inside, not on the outside.
Let's see if I can do this.
Of course.
Now here we have our fourth sloping shot with the ball above our feet.
I think there are three main things you must think about on this particular swing.
Obviously the ball is going to swing from right to left because you are standing below the ball.
But when I try to play this shot, I try to go down the shaft of the club,
so I stand closer to the ball.
If I stand too far away from the ball, the face of the club is sitting up on the heel.
If I take a swing now, what is going to happen is the heel of the face is going to go into the ground,
and the ball is going to go to the left.
So what I try to do is stand closer to the ball so the club comes much flatter on the ground.
Secondly, I try to put more weight onto my toes so I get my balance correct,
so I am nicely balanced so I can take a nice easy swing.
And the third thing is when I try to go back, I try to swing the club on the outside,
because I am trying to fight the hook all the time.
If I try to swing the club on the outside, it is going to straighten up the shot.
So what I will try to do is hit this ball nice and straight.
Well Ian, having demonstrated all those trouble shots, you have got no such problems.
You hit the perfect drive on this hole, carried it over the bunker with a bit of draw.
You are in just the perfect position. Let's see you play your second shot to this green.
OK Jerry, let's see if I can get it close.
You are in trouble.
Not bad eh? Make a try now for a chip and pop.
My man. Foursome's.
Well Ian, you have got very close and I came up about 15, 20 yards short of the stick.
So I have really got to hold this shot. I don't expect to hold it.
But I am going to see if I can get it close. I have decided to play a chip and run shot.
I think for this kind of shot you have picked out the right club. Seven-I and run it up the bank.
Let's see if you can hold it. OK, let's see what we can do.
Well, it is quite well played Jerry. Just a little bit harder and maybe a bit more to the left.
It could have gone close. There are three kinds of shots you can play on this hole.
Maybe I will try and show you how to do them. Yeah, please do. OK then.
First of all, I will play the same shot as what you did. Let's see if I can get a little bit closer.
I think when you are trying to play this shot with a seven-iron, although it is going to go low,
you want to play it off your back foot, towards your right foot and push your hands forward.
That is to keep the face very square on the backswing so the ball makes sure it is going to run.
We will try and do that. Hands forward, face square, like D. Lofton in the club.
Keep it square on the backswing and just pull your arms through.
Well Jerry, just come up a little bit short, a bit like yours. Not too bad though. No, not bad.
Well this time I will try to demonstrate how the seven-iron went and play it the right way.
I am going to try and demonstrate how to play it with a nine-iron now.
I am trying to pitch the ball maybe another five or six yards further on, a couple of bounces,
and when it gets up to the flag it is going to check. Nine-iron. Right on. Let's see if I can do it. OK.
OK then. Mainly it is the same principle.
This time I am going to have the ball a little bit further forward in my stance,
so the ball is going to go a little bit higher. Best if I am playing with a nine-iron as well.
Hands still well forward, keeping the face square on the backswing.
That is the best idea on the pitch shot is to keep the face square so your hand stays in front.
Well Jerry, I am getting closer. Not too bad.
I will just try that now with a sand down. Sand down?
Yeah, most probably one of the hardest shots there is because there is very little to aim at there.
I am going to try and pitch the ball on top of the bank and put a bit of backspin on.
See all the pros play that? Yes. Let's see if I can play one. OK. OK then.
Same thing again, but this time I am going to play it off the left toe this time.
I am opening up the face a little bit, hands still well forward.
From there, face square back to the target and just pull the left wrist through.
There it was, a nice bit of check.
When you are playing that shot you must remember to have plenty of rhythm on that shot.
It is best to have a nice long smooth swing on that.
Are you going to give me mine Jerry?
Oh yeah, I am going to give it to you. Let's pick up the balls and go to the next hole.
Come on then.
Well Ian, you won up after that super birdie you made on the last hole, but now we have come to a par three hole.
Now this hole is 180 yards long, the green is below us, but there is a bunker on the left, bunker short right, slope to the right, bad slope beyond the green.
It is a difficult hole really I think for a club player today, especially with this strong wind right into our faces.
How do you plan on playing this hole?
Well Jerry, the main thing I am going to do here because of the wind, it is most probably a five iron distance,
I am going to take a four iron, try and hit the ball a little bit softer with a three quarter swing, try and keep the ball down,
and maybe just landing it short and letting it work itself into the green.
Obviously the place is not to miss this green or big left or big right. So see how I get on.
Right.
I am going to play this one slightly back in my stands to keep the ball down, hands forward.
You took a four iron there, and I am going to take a lesson from the last hole when I finished short.
I brought a four iron with me as well, but I am going to be at least one club more than you, that is for sure.
So I am going to try and hit a three iron and see what happens, try and put a smooth swing on it.
Sure, that is the thing to do.
Well unlucky a bit there Jerry, got the right club, the right distance now, I think just came up in the bunker.
Yeah, not too difficult a bunker shot though Ian.
Not too difficult, but there is a couple of ways to play this shot.
One landing just over the bunker, letting the ball run down to the flag.
The other one pitching more by the flag with a bit more stop.
Would you like me to demonstrate that one?
I would love you to show me how to play that shot.
Okay, I will have a little go then.
I will play the shot first one to pitch just over the bunker, then it run down to the flag.
With this shot I play it more like a pitch shot, I play it more in the middle of my stance,
not so far forward in my stance, but slightly in the middle of the stance.
So the ball will just come out a little bit lower and just pitch over the bunker and run down to the flag.
Standing well open, with the face open, but back in the stance.
Bending my knees, keeping my arms relaxed and hands relaxed, taking a nice long swing,
so it fetches the ball out gently and hitting about an inch behind the ball.
Not too bad.
First shot is where I am going to pitch the ball much higher, pitch it down by the flag and put a bit more backspin on.
I play this shot more opposite my left toe and open up the club face.
Having my head behind the ball a little bit more with my weight on my left foot,
so I come down more steeper into the ball and generate more backspin.
So weight on the left foot, pushing the club out of the outside line and coming across the line.
Hopefully it will come out high with a bit of backspin.
I am just having a little bit of backspin on it.
That was really nice to play.
Got the right distance again, just a little bit to the right.
Played the first shot I played, just pitched it over the front of the bunker and let the ball run down.
That's right, yeah.
And the one thing I forgot to do is the thing that you should do when you open your stance and open the club face, of course,
is that you've got to aim slightly left of the stick.
And I didn't do that, the ball's finished right.
But I got a chance with the pot, haven't I?
If I had a little bit more left, the ball would have finished by the flag.
Very nearly.
I'll give you that one.
Thank you very much.
Got that one for a half then?
Yeah, that's a great half.
Oh, that's a great pot, great half.
Thank you.
Well, only one down.
Only one down.
Well, we'll go off to the next hole, shall we?
Yeah, we shall, yeah.
See if I can get out of jail, eh?
I've got a shot at the next hole.
Yes, you have.
Well, you just might get out of jail, you never know.
Ian, this is the B course at Kinta Di Largo, and it really is a super par 5,
but a very intimidating one for an amateur, no question about that at all.
I mean, it's a double dog leg.
You've got to get from down the fairway to the right
with the green tucked behind those trees there, so that's back to the left again.
And it's 555 yards.
Now, of course, for a professional like yourself,
you would be looking like you are in all par 5s to get on there in two
by shaping a couple of shots, probably.
I think realistically for a club player, you've got to say to yourself,
I've got to get on there in three shots and plan your strategy.
That's right.
But how would you play the hole yourself?
Well, for myself, I'm going to try and aim it down at the trees on the left-hand side,
because the fairway's sloping left to right again,
and I'm going to have to slight fade so it comes off the trees,
goes with the fairway and goes into the right-half of the fairway.
Hopefully, that's going to leave me a clear view into the green.
Open the green, yeah.
That's right.
The only way for you, Gerry, is to aim straight at them trees on the left
and miss that bunker on the right,
so you give yourself into position where you can play your second shot
over to the right-hand side of the fairway
and then maybe have a nine or eight iron in for your third shot.
Hopefully into the middle of the green, two putts for a par or one putt for a birdie.
OK. So I'm going to zigzag and you're just going to zig?
That's right.
OK.
I'll just try and explain how I did a fade.
First of all, I'd aim the club face at the target where I'm aiming for,
which would be down the right-hand side.
So aim the target, the face to the right-hand side of the fairway,
and then I'd aim my feet down the left-hand side of the fairway,
so the face and the feet are going in opposite directions.
From there, I have my shoulders open, aiming down the left of the target,
and that helps me to swing the club on the outside line,
and then it comes across the line.
Everything from there is a natural movement.
As long as I address the ball correctly,
I should swing on an out-to-in path and fade the ball.
Maybe I can do that.
Well, Jerry, that's not a bad start.
Well, that's a great shot, Ian. That is a power fade, eh?
Yeah, it'll do me. I'll take that one.
You're in great shape.
So just to recap, the vital thing is that Ian swings the club
down the line of his feet and shoulders.
And I think it's worth mentioning here the ease and smoothness of Ian's swing
in comparison with mine, even though I've hit a reasonably good shot.
Well, Ian, I'm very pleased with the result of this.
I've got reasonably good distance, a little bit fortunate,
just skirted around the trap.
But I must say that normally if I was playing this hole from this position,
I'd be really tempted to have her go and get close to the green with a forward.
I know that's not the right thing to do.
Jerry, you're determined to make this hole really difficult, aren't you?
The thing is, if you make it, it's a forward here.
Or if you just tend to hook it too much and it goes into them trees on the left.
Or if you hit it too far to the right, it's going to go into the trees on the right.
So let's stick to the game plan and play down there with a five iron
and get yourself into position so you can go in with a nine iron or a wedge.
OK. Let's see if you can do that.
Yeah, course management, eh? Course management.
Right.
Good shot.
That'll do. Should be able to get on from there.
That should leave you by a nine iron into the green.
Yeah, lovely.
Ian, it's quite common for someone like myself, you know,
to hit a ball maybe 15, 20 yards off line.
And if I'd done this on this hole, of course, I mean, I'd have finished somewhere like this.
A real difficult position with these trees and...
Where do I hit the ball and how do I hit the ball?
Well, Jerry, if you're from this situation, I was trying to hit this ball underneath that tree there,
the furthest one away, and try and fade the ball around, hitting the low shot.
OK. Do you want me to try and do that?
Yeah, I'd love to see you do that. OK, then. Sure.
OK, when I try to play this kind of shot, Jerry, is that I fetch the ball back in my stance
nearly like one of the little pitch shots, almost to my right foot.
But I must make sure when you're playing a shot low is that you're delofting the club.
So make sure you take enough aloft the club to deloft the club.
So if I'm taking a three iron and really make it like a two iron.
So I push my hands forward, I have it back in my stance, I aim slightly left and keep my hands in front.
I have my shoulders pointing to the left, so I'm trying to swing the club out on the backswing
and across the line to make the ball shape left to right.
So push the club out, then come across the ball.
Well, we're just showing you the shot underneath the trees.
Now we're in a situation where we've got to go over the trees.
And the way I try to play this shot is, going over these trees, it's usually seven iron to get over this tree,
but in this situation I'm going to try and hit a six iron and get over the top
and try and get a little bit more distance out so I can get on for three shots.
The way I play this, I try to put more weight onto my right foot and have the ball quite well forward,
almost to my left toe again.
I open up the face so I change it a little bit more loft on the club, changing it into about a six and a half.
In this shot I try to keep the club quite low on the backswing,
so I keep the swing very shallow so I can pick up the ball very quickly and scoop underneath it.
So head behind the ball, weight on the right foot, face open a little bit, and off your left toe.
And keep the club nice and low.
Well Ian, we've now returned to your original ball on this par five hole,
and you've driven into almost a perfect position, haven't you?
But a difficult shot, I'd say, even then. I mean, how are you going to play this one?
Well Jerry, as you can see, I've got about 230 yards to go to the flag.
What I'm going to try and do is try and go around that tree with a two iron.
So I'm going to try and move the ball from right to left, hooking it around the tree,
and fairly high as well, just in case I over hook it as well.
Yeah, carry the trap and get it on the green.
How far is it Ian?
About 230 yards.
I'm really looking forward to this shot.
If we go in with a hook, the ball is going to go a little bit further.
Okay.
First of all, I aim the face of the club at the target I want to go to.
Secondly, I aim my feet to the right of the green where I want the ball to start.
So I'm aiming quite well right, but I've got the face still aiming at the target where I'm going to.
And from there, what I'm trying to concentrate on is trying to take the club on the inside.
Not too much on the outside, because if I do that, the ball is going to start to the left and hook away.
That's going to cause the ball to miss the green too far on the left side.
So what I'm going to do, I take the club on the inside,
and from there I'm going to swing out to the right where the ball wants to start.
Let's see if I can do that.
Looks like it's going the right direction anyway.
Let's see if I can do it.
Well, Jerry, you've played the hole correctly at the moment.
You've played your drive.
You've played your five iron into the perfect position,
and I'm giving you the nice nine iron into the green for your third shot.
Whoa, good try.
I think you might have showed me the line now a little bit.
Might have done. A little swing there.
I'll give you that one.
Thank you.
Yes, a little bit more swing than I thought there was.
Yeah.
Never mind.
Oh!
It's unbelievable.
It is, isn't it? You can't get much closer to an eagle than that, Ian, can you?
What do you say?
Well, Jerry, that's golf.
That's good enough to beat your one up anyway.
Are you going to give me that one?
Well, here we are the following morning on the putting green,
and you've just seen the situation that Ian was left in last night.
He was less than a quarter of an inch from the hole.
But, of course, in golf, on your scorecard, that does represent one shot.
So for the club golfer, that could represent losing or winning the monthly medal,
and for a professional, of course, it could mean the difference between thousands of pounds that he might have won.
So, of course, putting, Ian, is a very, very important part of the game,
and it is the one department of the game where we can save shots.
So what would you say is the key to good putting?
Well, Jerry, I think the key is to have a sound method, especially when you're under pressure.
If you have too much wrist in your action, things can go wrong.
I think once you've got the method right, after that is seeing the right lines and getting the pace right, having a lot of feel.
Feel.
OK, Ian, let's go and take a look at your method.
Well, let's start with the grip.
There are many different kinds of grips.
The grip I prefer is to have 10 fingers on the shaft to start off with,
then moving my index finger of my left hand over the fingers of the right hand.
That is the grip I like to use because I've got nine fingers on my hand on the shaft.
This is going to give me a lot of feel and a lot of touch.
The reason I use this grip is because I like to have my index finger on my left hand over the right hand is to stop the right hand taking over the left hand.
It really is sort of using it as a blocker.
When it comes through, it is stopping the right hand taking over.
Also, another good tip is to keep your left hand over, almost seeing the fingernails on your left hand.
This also keeps the face going square to the target through the ball.
This is the grip I like to use because it is going to be more consistent for me.
I think if you adopt this method, it is going to be more consistent for you.
Now for the putting stroke itself.
What I try to do on the putting stroke is I'm thinking about trying to keep the putter as square as possible to the target on the way back and on the way through.
What I try to do here is I try to keep thinking of straight lines on the way back and straight lines on the way through.
Also, trying to keep the putter as low as possible to the ground on the back stroke, to the ground.
Keeping it very close to the grass, almost stroking the grass and keeping it square to the target.
Once I've done that, when I'm coming through, I'm trying to hit the ball halfway up the ball which is going to generate topspin.
Once I've done that, I'm also trying to keep it in a straight line following through to the target, keeping the blade very square.
I can just see if I can demonstrate that going into the target.
Again, nice and low back and halfway up the ball.
What we don't need is the putter to be going open on the backswing and picking it up.
We want to keep it nice and square.
Low back and pushing through to the target.
Ian, you've just given a very good and clear demonstration of how you think in straight lines when it comes to putting.
And yet the truth of the matter is over 50 percents of the putts that anybody has to face are usually not straight.
Now here we've created one of the most difficult situations, a frightening prospect really for a club golfer.
Side hill lie, he's got to aim four and a half, five feet left of the hole and try and hold the ball near the hole.
You'll be happy to get down in two in this situation.
How would you as a pro approach this particular putt?
Well, Gerry, what I'm going to try and imagine is a straight line going up to where I've put a marker up there and use it as an imaginary hole.
Most amateurs take a line which is too narrow and the ball goes too far down the slope and too far away and leaving himself with a tricky second shot.
What I try to do, I'm thinking in straight lines again, I'm aiming at that marker which I pretend is a hole.
What I'm trying to do is put towards there, letting the ball fall down the slope nice and gentle.
I'm only thinking about getting down in two.
So when I've got myself the address position correct and everything, I'm trying to keep the putter nice and low on the backswing and square to the target of where I'm going to
and then halfway up the ball, putting towards that marker, that imaginary hole and letting the ball come down to the hole.
Same again, nice and low on the backswing, halfway up the ball, towards that marker and letting the ball fall down.
As you can see, I'm coming up a little short there.
I'm going to hit it a little bit harder so it falls in a little bit more.
That's the secret about getting the ball close.
If you could imagine me not giving it this much borrow, the ball would miss the hole on the right and go too far past.
Too bad.
Well Ian, in a tournament I think you'd be happy with every single one of those.
Well Jerry, the object here is just getting the ball close.
If one does go in, it's a bonus.
As you can see, I've got a two putter every one.
I'm happy with that.
That's the thing of what you want to do in golf is get down in two.
Oh, that's the one, baby.
Well Ian, we've touched on just about every aspect of the game of golf,
but I wouldn't like us to go without talking about one thing that I think is very important
and that's the mental side of the game.
For instance, if you were coming down the 18th in a major championship,
you need a par to win, how would you handle that mentally?
Well Jerry, the main thing I'm trying to think about is staying relaxed,
trying to keep the muscles relaxed, always remembering the other person you're playing with is very nervous too,
trying to remember everything I've practiced on the practice ground,
and if you practice enough, all them shots become natural to you.
It's just trying to get over the nerves, staying relaxed, doing a lot of heavy breathing.
That's how you become used to playing under pressure.
So what you'd say to the club golfer then is practice so that you can be confident, eh?
That's right. I hope I do get in that situation as well.
Well I hope you do too, I'm sure you will.
I've got to tell you something, it's been really a great experience to play a few holes with you,
watch you hit all these different types of golf shots, and I've really enjoyed it.
I hope you've enjoyed it too. Thanks for watching.
Goodbye, I've really enjoyed doing it too, and good luck with your golf.
.