Page 31 - Golf World (February 2020)

★ MENTAL GAME ★ SWING STUDY ★ PUTTING
L E A R N

STRATEGY

HOW TO BEAT A
TOUGH AND
STRATEGICPAR-4

The 350-yard 3rd at Augusta is a
great strategic par-4. What
makes it so difficult is the shape
of the green and the wind that
circulates around the trees. You
can hit almost the perfect shot
onto the front edge and see it roll
all the way down. It’s a hole where
you have to manage a ‘miss’.

STEP 1 Part of knowing where
to ‘miss’ is understanding what
type of recovery shot you want
to play. Here, you rarely have the
option of a regular chip. I like to
bump a 5-wood up the hill to the
left pin or a little lofted shot from
back left to a right pin.

STEP 2 If you can, always try to
find out in advance where the pin
is located. You can then use that
information to help you target
the appropriate part of the
fairway with your tee shot.

STEP 3 The smart guys nearly
always lay up off the tee to leave
a full wedge in. You can bomb a
drive and maybe leave yourself
FIVE-MINUTE LESSON an eagle putt, but I’ve seen

plenty of players walk off with
bogey or worse. The risk is only
TONY FINAU worth taking if you can almost
guarantee a birdie. Otherwise, a
stress-free par is a much better
The 27-year-old US Ryder Cupper averages over 300 yards off the tee and is currently one
of the world’s 10 longest drivers. We quizzed him about his technique. option.
G Pl i i ti
GW How do you distribute your weight at address and finish for maximum distance?
I start on the balls of my feet. I’m not thinking about putting the weight on the right foot and
then transfer to the left. I get in an athletic position and I make a solid turn. To be honest, I
don’t really know what per cent of my weight is going where, but I know that through the 3
ball it’s definitely 80 to 90 per cent off my left foot, and holding a nice finish off my left. It
takes strength and the variables of timing with your body but I know I hit the ball solid.

GW How important is it to set the club early?
Setting the club early is super-important for someone like me because I have really long
arms. Sometimes I get stuck setting the club on the downswing and that’s one of my things 2
that I’ve been working on. But you have to make sure you’re loaded at the top for you to
make an aggressive move at the ball.

GW Do you have a specific swing trigger?
Same thing as my putting; it’s my forward press right before I take the club back. I press the
club, it’s very subtle but I feel it, and as soon as I feel it then the club has got to go back and
then it fires through. It keeps my big drives simple, especially under the gun. 1

GW What role does technology play in your driving?
It’s a huge advantage. The numbers speak for themselves. We’re hitting it 30-40 yards
further on average than the guys just 20 years ago. The technology did that.

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