Instruction
Blind Draw Scramble: 8 Questions with Top Teacher Chuck Evans
Chuck Evans, Executive Director of Instruction for Medicus Golf, perennial top instructor in both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine’s rankings, and co-creator of 5 Simple Keys was kind enough to speak with me for the first installment of a new series here on GolfWRX: Blind Draw Scramble.
Here’s how it works. In a forum thread posted last week, we asked the readership for questions for Mr. Evans. Those questions, along with several of my own went into a virtual hat and I pulled four questions from the forums and four of my own.
Check out the questions and Evans’ replies below.
Any good drills to get shaft lean w Driver while delivering an ascending strike to the ball?-for a golfer whom hits the ball HIGH, wants to lower spin rate of 3k and change negative (hitting down w D) loft angle. – -o0DanKNesS0o-
If you want to hit an ascending blow, you do not want to lean the shaft forward. You actually do not want forward shaft lean on the driver. You want the driver (what we would call) in-line, which means that your target side arm and your club shaft are forming one line, and you’re swinging upward, like you’re hitting off of an uphill lie. So you will get a higher ball flight but reduced spin.
Ask him if in a TGM Swing, the right arm should be straightened as fast as possible from the top of the back swing, using the right triceps. – MizunoJoe
In Golfing Machine nomenclature, you would do that if you were hitting. If you are a swinger, the right is losing its flex, but it is not straight at impact. It’s slightly bent at impact and then straightening through impact.
I would like to hear why 5SK advocates hitting up on the driver. It seems like it is entirely possible to be very efficient hitting down on your driver. It also seems like there can be dispersion issues by hitting up on the driver. – JacobMac
It’s not only 5 Simple Keys. Trackman shows that the Tour average is 1.3 degrees down, but the longest hitters on tour are swinging upward anywhere from 3-to-6 degrees. So by swinging upward—and you have the ball closest to the outside edge of your lead shoulder, which on an arc will be starting to ascend—you improve your launch angle and you reduce the spin.
That said, a player that is hitting down 2 degrees, and they’re hitting every fairway and they’re happy with it and swinging up causes them to miss fairways, then from the player’s point of view, you’ve got to hit down. But the science proves that hitting up is the most beneficial as far as launch and spin numbers.
I would ask him what he thought about 12 handicaps giving golf instruction advice on golf forums? – HStead
So the average golfer is out playing golf with his playing companions. Typically they play with golfers of the same level. So when your playing partner is giving you all this advice, and you’re playing for a little money, You’ve got to look at two things:
- What’s the odds of them giving any advice that will help take their money?
- What advice can they possibly give you if they play at the same levels you do?
The world is filled with people who want to give information on golf instruction. And with everything that’s out on the internet today, you can be a self-proclaimed expert, sitting behind the computer and reading all this stuff. And you may have an extensive knowledge of it, but you don’t have any practical application of it.
In all fairness to the 12-handicappers: There are 12-handicappers out that are supposedly professional teachers.
The big difference though, is teachers have “boots on the ground.” They’ve been out there for a long time. The average 12-handicapper, they play golf, and they don’t make a living out of teaching.
Ask him what exactly is different about 5SK from Stack and Tilt, and more importantly, why they essentially repackaged the same information. Ive heard that it had to do with recent understandings from the use of radar that Stack and Tilt produced a negative angle of attack and that was robbing driver distance. The most common perception of 5SK is that it is just Stack and Tilt relabeled with an advocation of hitting up with driver. – PutterKilledTheDream
5 Simple Keys is in no way the same thing as Stack & Tilt. There’s a actually a big [post] about it…on The Sandtrap. 5 Simple Keys is not a methodology at all. You can teach Jim McLean’s 8-Step Swing, Moe Norman’s Natural Golf, One-Plane, Two-plane…it doesn’t matter. The best players in all of those systems actually have those 5 Simple Keys.
We say, and we have measured, through the help of AMM and some other sources, that when you go back, that pressure is loading into that right side. And it’ll show anywhere from 60-to-70 percent into the right side at the top of the backswing while you’re maintaining what we’d refer to as a “centric pivot.” In other words, you’re head is not moving around. And then on the downswing, the pressure is ever-increasing into the left. We use multiple plane angles….it depends on the player.
So, some players might have their hands below their right shoulder at the top, and some players might have their hands above their right shoulder at the top. We use multiple different face paths and multiple exit locations where the club is post-impact.
While Stack & Tilt adheres to the 5 Simple Keys, it’s one swing. 5 Simple Keys encompasses every swing.
You’ve been in the industry for a long time. Can you talk about how golf instruction has changed since your started teaching?
We actually did a webinar last week called Old School vs. New School Teaching. In old school we used our eyes. We spent countless hours on the lesson tee and observing other teachers and the best players that were there at that time. Today with all the technology, a lot of teachers stand behind their computers and read numbers.
I think the advent of technology is great. But I think we lost sight of the fact that we still have to make our players better. And just because their numbers are better, doesn’t mean that they’re better. So, I think we need to go back to spending more time with the student on the golf course, instead of standing behind our computers and measuring. I mean, measurement is great. If you’re familiar with Six Sigma, the mantra…is “If you can’t measure it, you can’t fix it.” So I’m not against measurement. I think once you have a measurement, you have a baseline and you can start working from there based on the player’s goals.
I think instruction has gotten a little too technology-centered. Technology is great, but it’s overused in a lot of cases. If somebody can’t go to the lesson tee without Trackman or their FlightScope, there’s an issue.
Who is/was the greatest ballstriker of all time?
I think there are four: Hogan, Trevino, George Knudson and Moe Norman
What’s the ceiling on improvement for the average golfer (say a 20-25 handicap)? What are that golfer’s realistic prospects of playing scratch golf?
I think everyone has the potential to achieve anything they want to. The problem is having the work ethic to get it done. If you’re trying to go from 25 to scratch, first of all, that’s not going to happen overnight. And you can’t go to the range and hit balls for 30 minutes and think that you’re going to get better. It has to be much more of a combination of on-course…you need to learn how to score. The 25 handicap, if he had just a decent short game—let’s say they do half of what the PGA Tour average is from 100 yards and in—they’ll lower their handicap five-to-seven shots.
But I have found very few people who will take the time, and have the dedication, and work that hard to get it done. And their expectations based on their current ability don’t match most of the time.
It’s easy to get someone to break 100. It’s easy to get someone to break 90. It’s harder for them to break 80. And it is the toughest to get them to break par. So you take a 25 handicap: It’s real easy to get them down to where they can break 90.
You need to spend at least 70 percent of your time on the golf course, hitting different shots. Even if you can’t play the shots, attempt to hit it…and learn how to score…that’s what the guys on the PGA Tour are really good at. They all basically hit it the same from tee to green. It’s whoever scores best that wins the tournament.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
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” on RG.org 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!
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Tom Stickney
Mar 4, 2015 at 9:07 pm
Chuck is one of the best teachers and educators in the business…PERIOD!
Mike
Mar 4, 2015 at 11:12 am
As a student of Chuck’s I can tell you what he has taught me has been about as far away from Stack and Tilt as you’ll find. I actually came to him thinking he would help me work on my “one plane” swing that i had been working on in the previous 6 months. We did some of his tests and then he said, “I need you to work on giving me your best Jack Nicklaus impersonation.” I was shocked. He widened my stance, not narrowed it, wanted me to feel like I was swaying back and sitting on my back leg (because I was so far forward with the hips in the backswing) and wanted me to pick it straight up and swing it back down on a very narrow arc. What he did for me was about as far away from S&T you’ll find and it turned my game around.