Too removed from the ball? Too shut? Butch Harmon has ‘nice drill’ to examine

Are you standing too removed from the ball? Butch Harmon believes his drill will present you. 

What about too shut? Identical. 

How about completely? Yep. 

“It’s an ideal drill,” he mentioned, “to get your distance from the ball. 

“It really works with each membership.”  

The GOLF Prime 100 Instructor Corridor of Famer and Tiger Woods’ one-time coach was speaking on a video not too long ago posted to the Golf Lecturers App Instagram web page — which you’ll be able to watch in full right here — and the topic is consequential. The right distance from the ball begins you towards correct ball-striking. An incorrect one sends you towards excessive scores. Ideas are welcome then. 

Notably, Harmon’s is simplistic. Grip the membership. Take your stance over the ball. Launch your proper hand (if you happen to’re a right-hander) and let it hold. 

“It must be proper throughout from the place you gripped it,” Harmon mentioned on the video. “In different phrases, simply let it come throughout this manner, it hangs, you set it again, you’re the precise distance from the ball.”

When you’re too near the ball, your hand will come again to relaxation down the shaft of the membership. When you’re too far-off, your hand will re-settle on high of your different hand or above the membership — and Harmon mentioned he’s noticed this setup usually. 

“The most typical fault we see in male golfers is they have a tendency to face too far-off from the ball as a result of it’s a sense of energy,” Harmon mentioned within the video. “Sadly, it will get them so bent over that once they swing, gravity desires to drag you in direction of the bottom, you find yourself standing up coming into it [and] usually hitting a weak slice. 

“When you would use this drill from too far-off, you’ll be able to see that your proper hand could be again right here by your left.”

The drill’s price a examine, and the writer tried it as effectively. I discovered that I stood possibly a fraction too removed from the ball. That would clarify not less than some issues. 

Let’s hold the Harmon dialog going. A couple of weeks in the past, the writer wrote an article headlined “‘Repair the most cancers in your swing’: 10 Butch Harmon classes, in line with high coach,” and that story may be discovered by clicking right here, or by scrolling instantly under. 

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Ryan Mouque seemingly was in nirvana. 

In entrance of him, for 2 days, Butch Harmon was working. 

“It was an absolute pinch-myself second,” he mentioned. 

Mouque was describing it over his X social-media account, following a latest two-day go to with Harmon, Tiger Woods’ one-time swing coach and a GOLF Journal Prime 100 Lecturers corridor of famer. Notably, it was a teacher-teacher session, as Mouque is a high coach primarily based in Australia, and, understandably, an academic one. 

So what did Mouque take away?

Ten nuggets, which he additionally shared over X, and we’re sharing under. It’s right here the place we additionally advocate following Mouque on X, which you are able to do right here, and Instagram, which you are able to do right here. 

1. ‘Repair the most cancers in your golf swing’

“Butch has famously mentioned that golfers must be making an attempt to repair the most cancers of their golf swing,” Mouque wrote. “What he means by that phrase is that if you happen to repair essentially the most detrimental a part of your swing that’s inflicting the ball to do what it’s doing or the contact to be what it’s, you’ll seemingly repair a number of different issues in consequence.

“Don’t be focusing in your takeaway if that’s not the ‘factor’ that affects influence. Repair crucial factor (the most cancers). When you don’t know what that’s, that’s why I’m right here that will help you.”

Editor’s notice: A trickle-down impact. Get to the basis of the issue.  

2. ‘Apply inside 100 yards’

“Butch was adamant that golfers don’t follow anyplace close to sufficient inside 100 yards,” Mouque wrote. “This consists of wedge play, pitching, chipping, bunker play and placing.

“When you have been to jot down down what number of hours you follow inside 100 yards versus exterior that distance, what would that appear to be?”

Editor’s notice: Good query. How many people simply bang driver for an hour on the vary? 

3. ‘What issues when making an attempt to make a change?’

“I watched Butch coach a number of gamers within the two days I used to be with him, and he mentioned the identical factor to each pupil: The place the ball goes and the way far it goes DOES NOT MATTER when making an attempt to make a swing change,” Mouque wrote. “You have to be taught the motion first, then fear in regards to the ball and the way far it’s going.

“In fact, when you perceive the motion and may carry out it at sluggish speeds, the ball then can be utilized as suggestions as as to if you made or poor transfer. As you get used to the brand new motion, you’ll be able to add pace to the swing, and distance then turns into vital.

“Butch made Tiger do a whole lot/hundreds of pause/sluggish swings when Tiger modified his swing.”

Editor’s notice: Belief the method. 

4. ‘Butch will inform you how it’s’

“Butch is not going to sugarcoat something,” Mouque wrote. “He’ll one hundred pc inform you precisely how it’s, even when it’s not what you wish to hear.

“In fact, he has the outcomes from his gamers the place he can stand there with confidence and say it how it’s. If a youthful coach did that, the scholar might stroll the opposite approach. Butch was telling me a number of tales about gamers whom he has personally sacked because of their perspective towards what he needed them to do.

“If you wish to work with Butch, you higher take heed to what he has to say. You don’t argue with him. He has the authority after the tour wins and main championships — he helped his gamers win.”

Editor’s notice: Some robust love doesn’t damage. 

5. ‘He instills confidence in you’

“On the flip facet, if you’re one in every of his college students and are attempting your finest, he’ll say issues that ooze confidence,” Mouque wrote. “Whenever you hit an ideal shot, he’ll have a good time with you. Whenever you don’t, he’ll clarify why and get you doing it the precise approach.

“He won’t ever make you’re feeling such as you aren’t bettering. It’s an ideal ability to have the ability to get the most effective out of your gamers and to have them feeling like they’re one swing away from mastering what it’s they’re making an attempt to do.”

Editor’s notice: A pat on the again doesn’t damage, both. 

6. ‘Golf is simple with out a ball’

“I heard him say this many occasions: Golf is simple with out a ball,” Mouque wrote. “What he means by that is when working in your swing, most gamers can carry out the motion they’re making an attempt to do when there isn’t a ball in entrance of them.

“Which means you CAN do the motion you need, however typically it’s essential let go of the end result when there’s a ball in entrance of you. Don’t at all times be so wanting to hit a ball when engaged on issues. Work in your swing with out a ball, and as I say to college students: ‘Your follow swing is your future swing.’”

Editor’s notice: Once more belief the method. “Your follow swing is your future swing” is notable — why even take a follow swing if you happen to aren’t going to make use of it? 

7. ‘You want a transparent plan’

“Each pupil I noticed him train principally had no concept why they have been hitting the ball the way in which they have been and had no concept the best way to repair it themselves,” Mouque mentioned. “They could have THOUGHT they knew the answer, however they didn’t.

“One man mentioned that the lesson he had that day simply cured 15 years of frustration. 15 YEARS!!! (He might have exaggerated, however nonetheless, my level stays.)

“If you’re a golfer who doesn’t take classes and has had a difficulty in your recreation that by no means improves yr after yr, please hunt down some assist from a coach (me). I would like you to take pleasure in this recreation — having 15 years of frustration is insane.

“My takeaway from that remark as I used to be sitting there watching was that this golfer had simply tried to do all the things on their very own and had gotten nowhere. It’s potential he had gotten even worse in his try to determine his points on his personal.”

Editor’s notice: Repeatedly doing the identical issues and anticipating totally different outcomes can drive a golfer to a different sport. 

8. ‘Swing modifications take time’

“Butch advised a narrative about how Tiger needed to alter his swing after 1997,” Mouque wrote. “Throughout 1998, Tiger gained just one PGA Tour occasion, which was because of him engaged on and altering his swing.

“After a full yr of engaged on his swing and making the modifications he needed, we noticed the best run golf has ever seen, with Tiger profitable seven majors and 20 PGA Tour occasions between 1999-2002 (I believe my math is appropriate). He additionally gained one other 5 occasions in 2003.

“The ethical of the story is that if the GOAT took a full yr to make a change, what makes you assume you are able to do it in per week or after a few classes? Be lifelike and perceive that modifications take time. Additionally, don’t attempt to tear your swing aside — you gained’t be capable to. Simply work on the low hanging fruit and the ‘most cancers’ in your swing.”

Editor’s notice: Be affected person. Simpler mentioned than completed, after all, however know the pay-off is coming. 

9. ‘Exterior gadgets’

“Butch was massive on utilizing exterior gadgets to make the required modifications,” Mouque wrote. “Put one thing in your approach and attempt to keep away from it. A field, an alignment stick, and so forth. It doesn’t at all times have to be serious about your elbow or wrist angles. It may be so simple as putting one thing in the way in which and making an attempt to keep away from it to alter the trail.”

Editor’s notice: Coaching aids assist. 

10. ‘Superb tales’

“Butch has about 10,000 tales and is rarely wanting telling one,” Mouque wrote. “He has performed with the likes of President Obama, he performs Augusta a number of occasions a yr, clearly can go anyplace within the golf world and is handled like royalty, which he has earned the precise.

“There have been a ton of tales advised that I completely can’t repeat. Throughout one, I used to be filming him as he was telling it, and as he seemed up, he rapidly advised me to cease recording. Haha! That one was undoubtedly not for the web.”

Editor’s notice: Our loss!

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