Connect with us

Instruction

A modified “Stack and Tilt” swing that encourages upward hit with driver

Published

on

New and innovative swing models are always fun for me as a golf instructor, because they’re good for golf and push us as golf teachers to become better. Out of the box ideas and their fundamentals make us all stop and ponder the question — is this better than how I’m currently swinging? Some players who commit to restructuring their swing philosophy have changed and improved, while others are never heard from again.

A few years ago, Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett began to teach the popular swing theory that was influenced by Mac O’Grady called “Stack and Tilt” (ST). Some say Mac modified what he learned from The Golfing Machine and taught it to Mike and Andy, while others maintain that Mike and Andy created it to some degree. Whatever the source, it was and still is a very interesting and controversial swinging motion.

The biggest knock on ST is that while it’s great for iron play, it does not work so well with the driver since it encourages a steeper Angle of Attack. Personally, I have seen varieties of ST players — some who easily hit up on the ball with their driver, those who chop down too steeply and those forced to modify their mechanics to hit upwards.

NOTE:  This article is NOT a knock on ST in any way, just my observations of what one player has done with it. As a teacher I NEVER discount another swing style as incorrect until I completely UNDERSTAND everything about it. As you know, it’s easy to criticize things we do not fully understand, which is dangerous. What I am here to tell you is that unless you can follow every move within a swing model, it will not work unless you make modifications that work for you. This makes us all different even if we were are swinging under the same model.

Making adjustments

Below I’d like to show you the swing of a ST player I know personally. He is a plus-handicap and a great driver of the golf ball, and has used the ST system since college. He’s a very big supporter of its merits. However, he had to make a couple of adjustments in efforts for it to fully work for him with the driver. This is NOT because the model is incorrect or does not work, but the fact that he could not work his pelvis correctly as he added speed with the driver. I’d like to show you the few simple adjustments he made, which allowed him to hit up on the ball with his driver a touch more.

While the changes that HE instituted work for him, they might not work for you — please check with your ST teacher first as I am only showing you what he does, not what everyone should do. I am NOT an accredited ST teacher and these are just my observations.

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.27.32 AM

Here is his address position with his driver, please note three things he has changed a touch:

  • His spine at address is a touch more centered not leaning as far left as he does with his irons.
  • He has moved the ball forward in his stance.
  • The ball is teed up higher.

Now after speaking with him regarding his mechanics, he feels that by placing his spine more centered, with the ball more forward and teed higher, it allows him a touch more “time” for the driver to flatten out and move “up” through the ball.

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.27.23 AM

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.27.04 AM

At the top you can see his hips in the normal “ST” position. while the upper torso is a touch more “behind” the ball due to this player’s modified spinal tilt at the address position. I have drawn a line and a circle to mark where this player is at the top and they will help you to see how he has changed his downswing to work better for him.

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.26.53 AM

During the transition his pelvis does not move as up and forward as the normal ST player would do, which is one of the big reasons why his modified set-up is a necessity. He understands that the transition of the pelvis is the key element within the ST system if you want to hit up on the driver. Some players have this motion naturally while others do not, but his body does not work that way. He has two options — fix the pelvis action, or modify his ST model.

So the key here is that if you cannot master every move within your chosen swing model, you can always work around things a touch so it can work for you. Below you will see how this player uses the ST system so successfully for him and how he gets around a problem area in his transitional sequence, which has proven difficult for him in the past.

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.26.43 AM

The key to his upward hit with the driver is the “standing up” motion he has through impact. Now obviously you would not teach this, but as a better player, this motion along with his set up modifications help him to hit up on the driver, create more speed, increase his smash factor and dump the lag so that he can have the correct dynamic loft at impact in order to hit the ball the correct height.

Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 10.26.31 AM

As he stands up, his shoulder rotation stalls a touch allowing the lag pressure he has created in the downswing to decrease, which begins the release sequence. As he stands up, rotation stalls and the release occurs a touch earlier, thus his loft at impact is 15.1 degrees, which is right on the money. If he didn’t stand up he would carry too much lag into impact (too much handle drag) and his Angle of Attack would be downward, not upward as it is shown here. So by hitting balls and modifying his ST motion a touch, he has learned how to hit the ball successfully despite the transitional nuances he has within in his swing.

So hopefully you have seen that we are not robots, nor can each of us master every move in a chosen swing model. If you can’t make move “X” then it’s up to your teacher, as well as the player, to modify things within the system to work more effectively for the player. It’s a ying and a yang between the player and the teacher — don’t get caught in the middle!

Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at tomstickneygolf@gmail.com and he welcomes any questions you may have.

46 Comments

46 Comments

  1. Troy

    Nov 2, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    It is mind boggling how much grief this Stack and Tilt generates. Across the Internet there is literally hundreds of thousands of videos, forums, websites and golf schools that promote countless ways to improve swinging a club at a little white ball. Alignment sticks, towels tucked under arms, pvc pipes tied to your waist, Medicus clubs, video recording apps, swing speed devices, laser products, etc are a taste of what is promoted. Lean forward, lean back, tee high, tee low, one plane, two plane, Hogan swing, Tiger swing, head forward, head behind………..GET THE POINT? Then to top it off hundreds of thousands golfers that will NEVER make the PGA Tour denounce various “methods” because guys that DO PLAY ON THE PGA TOUR are not using said “methods”. I personally don’t care what style one uses. If it works FOR YOU and it’s within the rules do it! If it gets you out on the course and you are enjoying YOUR game then go for it. With a national average score of 100 I’d say Stack and Tilt is the least of players problems.

  2. golferjack

    Sep 17, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    I have read all of the comments and would just ask who thinks Sean Foley is a good teacher? Does he not have ST in his work. To reply to the guys who say you can’t hit a fade with ST, I saw Mike bennett give the best live Demo I have ever seen with all shapes and Clubs and more to the Point saying what he would hit before he did it! At the end of theday we are all trying to become better Players and teachers, I hope, give Mike and Andy the credit they deserve for the work they put in.

    • golferjack

      Sep 17, 2014 at 4:10 pm

      PS forgot to say, nice article, like your work a lot Tom.

    • Tom Stickney II

      Sep 17, 2014 at 6:05 pm

      They have worked hard.

    • Clown

      Sep 21, 2014 at 2:05 am

      golferjack,

      Bennet can hit whatever he wants if he’s simply doing a demonstration to a driving range, if he wants, and make himself look like a clown, for all care. He doesn’t have to hit precision cuts and controlled fades into tucked pins under pressure in a tournament to greens running at an average of 11 or more. That’s the difference.

      • DM

        Sep 22, 2014 at 9:59 pm

        Really? I believe Mike tried to Monday qualify on the PGA Tour a couple years ago and shot 65? Just because the guy maybe can’t play as consistent as he wants to, doesn’t mean he can’t play.

      • golferjack

        Sep 23, 2014 at 3:19 am

        I agree with your comment, there is of course more to golf than just the swing and we all know that the best teachers aren’t the best Players. His demo however did Show that the swing he teaches works and that it is also useable with the Driver. Mike and Andy both played on lower Level tours and I’m sure that compared to most of us they would still get it around.

  3. Cup80

    Sep 16, 2014 at 6:11 am

    Tom, excellent article and really appreciate the unbiased (un-dogmatic) way you approached this subject which has seen so many heated discussions that didn’t lead anywhere in the end.

    Switching to lefty in 2013 (being natural lefty) my teacher had me set out on an ST swing to which himself migrated after starting out his career in the Golfing Machine. I, myself had dived into GM for a good 10 years and spent hours of discussions on it. Ben Doyle has been a close contact and big influence to our teachers and personally trained our best player while he was in the US.

    I found myself very well in this article and how your friend has tackled this challenge, as some said before it’s probably the most intuitive way to adjust the setup like this and has worked very well for me as well.

    Again, excellent article in this very sensitive subject, whether one agrees to ST or not, really well done!

    • Tom Stickney II

      Sep 16, 2014 at 9:35 am

      Thx. I learned under Ben. All the best.

    • Sunil

      Sep 30, 2014 at 12:14 am

      I guess looking at this video again of my swing and the drill , the early resleae of my right hand is due to my hands taking over once again on my down swing. This should answer my own question that I just wrote to you.I just took out an aluminum pole and ran it up from the floor through my hands & touching my left side, it makes it impossible to flip the club on the forward swing. I practiced with it and then hit some balls trying to get the same big muscle feeling I had with the extension pole. Is this Ok to do. Thanks, Jim

  4. No.

    Sep 16, 2014 at 3:50 am

    If it’s “modified” then it’s not S&T, then, is it? Obviously.

    Try hitting a giant fade with S&T. The kind of shot that you aim outside of the rough and bring it back to the other side of the fairway with a massive curve. You can’t. And I know this because I’ve seen S&T guys try. They just can’t do it.

    So don’t do it.

    • Tom Stickney II

      Sep 16, 2014 at 9:37 am

      Everyone has idiosyncratic motions…this doesn’t mean you abandon the entire system. In the end you must figure out what works best for your game.

      • Desmond

        Sep 16, 2014 at 5:35 pm

        It’s not tough to do for S&T — aim club slightly left, have path more closed to face – cut.

    • Physics

      Sep 16, 2014 at 12:40 pm

      You realize impact dynamics and physics don’t care if you’re stacking and tilting, right? Just because the ones you know can’t hit a big fade that way doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

      If you know how to change face and path you can make the ball curve any way you want with any type of swing.

  5. GolfingInOz

    Sep 15, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    I had a traditional swing with over-swing issues and ended up just ‘flicking’ at the ball at impact. I wasn’t able to really compress the ball and hit the ball consistently. Over the last 18 months I have adopted a lot of ST into my swing and the improvements have been measurable. Previously with my old swing I would play one round to my handicap of five or six then the next four rounds I would play to 10+, however now I am playing consistently to three or four!! ST has seen me have good percentages for greens and fairways in regulation (yes I am a nerd and I table all my rounds to find where I went wrong).
    I don’t understand the hatred/dislike for ST, if it helps a person out and improves their game and makes them want to play more then I am all for it. Honestly, if a new swing mechanic was Happy Gilmore style and people were running up to their ball to hit it and it approved their game then great.
    Tom – great article and it just proves that you can adopt aspects of any swing style and be able to improve your game.

  6. J

    Sep 15, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    Anything has to be better than S&T. Causes serious stress on the lumbar spine. From the swing standpoint, it is horrible for the long game, Hitting down on a modern driver spins like the dickens. Look at what happened to EVERY player from the commercials they used to have on GolfChannel like axley, weir, badds, snedeker. Not one of them was particularly long or accurate with any club in the bag. I never see them in Magazines or interviews anymore so maybe people finally relize, it does not work.

    • eli yates

      Sep 15, 2014 at 6:23 pm

      The S&T guys were literally just in… i wanna say golf digest… not even 3 months ago. I dont think you really have any basis for your statement… not picking on you… i just dont think its fair to make negatively biased statements based on nothing… i doubt you even compared before and after stats for the players you mentioned…

      • Tom Stickney II

        Sep 15, 2014 at 7:31 pm

        Eli…I believe that comment was for J above?

        • eli yates

          Sep 15, 2014 at 9:53 pm

          Absolutely. I liked the article. Obviously the driver would be a struggle for most. I have gone through some swing changes geared toward a stack and tilt/ sean foley style (not intentionally) and with the driver i noticed i was way too steep… so all i did was feel like my upper body was hanging back a little while my lower body stayed moving foward. I maintain my angles and hit the ball on a more level stroke. All i did to achieve it was essentially the flying wedge drill with the driver. I just worked on hitting that and then once i got that engrained it was just a matter of swing through to my finish. Works for me anyway.

    • Desmond

      Sep 15, 2014 at 6:35 pm

      One doesn’t generate back problems when doing S&T correctly. There is a lack of so-called coil, and therefore, lack of stress. The right leg straightens and hips turn as much as you want on the backswing. As to the driver, over 4 years ago, they made adjustments to the driver swing – ball more forward, more tilt axis at address, etc. It’s not rocket science. When I did S&T, my AOA was positive. You will notice that when Touring Pros first used S&T, they did well. It was only when they “got it” that they went downhill. Why? Possibilities are that they bought into the pressure on the front foot for the entire swing. Studies have shown that weight pressure does go to the back foot during the backswing, and then forward. So you have a lot of people moving away from B&P and going to a center pivot swing. You see a lot of Touring Pros using elements of S&T, but not as taught by B&P. So B&P have made a great contribution to the golf community, but many believe they need to evolve their teaching.

      • Tom Stickney II

        Sep 15, 2014 at 7:32 pm

        Center pivots are the rage currently. Thx. 🙂

        • Stretch

          Sep 15, 2014 at 9:29 pm

          Tom, have you looked in on the pivot patterns based on the testing criteria that E A Tischler has come up with?

      • No.

        Sep 16, 2014 at 3:46 am

        “So B&P have made a great contribution to the golf community, but many believe they need to evolve their teaching.”

        But they can’t. If they do “evolve” it won’t be S&T, they’ll end up at Snead or Hogan, Trevino or Floyd, and even Norman or Bubba Watson, because there is nowhere for them to go. All you have to do in golf is to hit the ball, no matter how it’s done, and make it move forward as fast and as far as possible, regardless of how the swing is.

        I think people would rather swing with a swing that can last a lifetime, not some band-aid swing for the young body like S&T is.

        That’s the whole point.

        • Desmond

          Sep 16, 2014 at 5:38 pm

          Haters gotta’ hate…

          • Stats

            Sep 17, 2014 at 12:36 pm

            The only hater is you, Desmond. You just can’t accept the fact that S&T proved nothing except that it doesn’t work and that you will always end up back to Snead, Hogan, Trevino and on down to Morad or Moe Norman.

            Get over yourself, Desmond

        • Tom Stickney II

          Sep 17, 2014 at 8:24 am

          Most swing models evolve as teachers learn more…

        • Jimmy Tudeski

          Sep 19, 2014 at 12:59 am

          Stack and Tilt is not a band aid. It is simply a system designed to add critical elements to a players swing in a order to achieve the results as quickly as possible. All players stack and tilt, some just have more elements than others and a ball flight preference or bias will change elements used.

          • Marsella

            Sep 29, 2014 at 9:42 pm

            If I’m picturing what you are siynag correctly, yes. Ironically, I was working on a blog entry very similar to what you are siynag. In a lesson yesterday, I had my student simulate impact against a pole on the range he then hit wonderful shots because the muscle image was still fresh and he just reproduced it with a drill. This is not finished yet but I think you will get the idea. I will do a video soon.Here is the post draft:Use A Kinesthetic Drill to Map Impact for Recall If you setup in a doorway with the door jamb opposite your front hip socket, then simulate impact by putting the palm of your back hand on the jamb, and turning your core to push against the jamb (rotating like the downswing, not sliding forward), you will push on the jamb and actually program or map this feeling in your brain, Kinesthetically. So why would you want this? Well, it is teaching the muscles the feeling of what you want to achieve through impact. It is kind of like recording a mental picture of all of your muscles (turning and pushing), that you will recall just before you swing. Then once you’re setup, recall the feeling of the drill then go. The visualization is so fresh in your mind, your body will reproduce it.

    • Tom Stickney II

      Sep 15, 2014 at 7:29 pm

      Mike and Andy have made some adjustments from what I understand as with all swing models over time. Still a valid method for some IMO

    • Tom Stickney II

      Sep 16, 2014 at 9:39 am

      It’s been modified a touch.

  7. vinax

    Sep 15, 2014 at 1:21 pm

    I love your articles. This one is very limited in appeal and scope though.

  8. Desmond

    Sep 15, 2014 at 11:23 am

    You might try this vid from 4 years ago by Dave Wedzik. Although he no longer works with S&T, this vid was done when he used S&T. It explains hitting the driver from S&T Guys.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXuikUmHeEQ&feature=youtu.be

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Instruction

How to play your best golf when the temperature drops

Published

on

The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.

“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.

If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.

Understand What Cold Does to Your Game

Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.

Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.

Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.

Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing

Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.

Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.

Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.

Take More Club Than You Think You Need

This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.

The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.

Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.

Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens

Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.

Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.

Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.

Embrace the Mental Challenge

Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”

That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.

Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.

Warm Up Longer and Smarter

This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.

Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.

The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.

 

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through  now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

Continue Reading

Instruction

3 lessons from Brooks Koepka that’ll actually lower your score

Published

on

Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.

What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.

So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.

Stop Overthinking Every Shot

Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.

This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.

How to actually do this:

On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.

Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.

If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.

This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.

Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)

Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.

Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:

Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.

Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.

Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.

Save Your Best for When It Counts

Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.

How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.

Here’s what actually works:

Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.

Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.

Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.

The Bottom Line

Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.

You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.

Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.

 

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through  now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

Continue Reading

Instruction

What we can learn from Blades Brown’s impressive American Express performance

Published

on

Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.

Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.

Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee

Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.

Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.

Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.

The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.

Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens

This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.

How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.

Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.

Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.

When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.

Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient

Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.

He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.

Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.

Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.

Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter  now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

Continue Reading

Announcement

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have been updated as of January 29th, 2026. Please review the updated policies here Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. By continuing to use our site after January 29th, 2026, you agree to the changes.

WITB

Facebook

Trending