Tip Of The Month

By John Pallot
Director of Instruction

August 2007

Golfdom expected Tiger to win at least one major in 2007. Expectations waned as the days of spring and summer passed. After all, though he led or shared final day leads in both The Masters and U.S.Open he failed to close with a win. A missed putt here, a poor drive there, a bad iron at a critical point, among the problems that led to his ruin.

His last shot at a major win loomed imminently. The 89th PGA Championship. To be played in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Southern Hills in the week following the Tours next stop, Akron,Ohio the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational. It wasn't a major but it was here Tiger lapped the field with a scorching 65 in the final round to win by eight. A huge momentum boost one week before the PGA.

Pressure like the 100 degree temperature in Tulsa was building up within Tiger to secure a 13th major championship and major win for the third consecutive season. He would be well ahead of the pace Nicklaus set when he won his record 18 professional majors. Nicklaus was 35 when he won his 13th.

Disappointingly, Tiger opened with a one over par first round, 71. Round two he began "burning bright" with four birdies on the front nine and four on the back. Coming to the last hole of round two he needed a 15 foot left to right birdie to shoot a 62, the lowest round ever scored in major championship history. The ball seemed to drop but somehow horse-shoed out of the cup. He settled for 63 and a two shot lead.

The final day, eleven holes remaining, Woods lead had stretched to five. That's when drama took the stage. Former UM Hurricanes golfer Woody Austin and Ernie Els, "The Big Easy",began runs at the leader, both making several birdies.

Suddenly, after Tiger's three putt bogey on the 14th his lead was down to one. Was Tiger fading? He thought not.On the 15th he hit a marvelous drive and perfect 7iron to 10 feet; calmly rolled in the birdie;his lead back to two. He parred the final three holes for the big win. After sinking the last putt, a three footer on the 18th he removed his cap, thrusting both arms skyward. With temperatures topping 100 degrees fahrenheit it was not surprising rivulets of sweat ran down his face as he triumphantly lofted the Wanamaker Trophy for the fourth time in his amazing career.

As TV pundits analyzed the highs and lows of the 89th PGA and golfers everywhere were toasting to Tiger's prowess I isolated the indispensible ingredients of Tiger's winning ways. I offer them to you with practice drills and the promise these Tiger tips will improve your score.

Tip #1 - Realize that proper posture and good eye alignment are essential to consistent successful putting. Stand tall to make more putts. Your eyes should be directly over the ball, head and eyes over the target line. A good way to check yourself, drop a ball from just under the bridge of your nose. The ball should land on top of the putter. Also,practice with two clubs on the ground. This encourages a swing toward the target.

Tip #2 -Great ball striking. An important key is extension of arms in the impact zone. Most amateurs pull in their arms mistakenly thinking they must swing up to lift the ball into flight. Wrong! To cure this problem understand that you must strike down with your hands forward and arms extended. This allows you to de-loft the club-face giving you optimal trajectory.After impact the arms remain extended while the hands and arms rotate over closing the club-face.

Here's a drill to cure the ill. Tee up two balls about a club-head apart. Address the inside ball. Make a backswing and hit the outside ball. You'll feel your arms extending through impact as you reach for the outside ball. Arm extension through impact is a Tiger hallmark. Use this drill and you'll feel like a Tiger.

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