Play by feel
Tiger Woods says he plays by feel. What does this mean to those
of us who don’t play on the
”
Tours,
”
and is there some way of acquiring it? What is feel? The easiest
way of defining it is knowing where the club head is during your
swing. Feel is how a tour player who naturally fades the ball can
hit a draw when needed; they know where the club head is during the
swing. This is why Davis Love told a friend of mine that he could
hit more balls in a week than my friend could hit in a year.
Play by feel
Tiger Woods says he plays by feel. What does this mean to those of us who don’t play on the “Tours,” and is there some way of acquiring it? What is feel? The easiest way of defining it is knowing where the club head is during your swing. Feel is how a tour player who naturally fades the ball can hit a draw when needed; they know where the club head is during the swing. This is why Davis Love told a friend of mine that he could hit more balls in a week than my friend could hit in a year.
Most people aren’t able to commit the amount of time it takes to develop feel with all of their clubs, but you can develop it with your short game. Your short game is based around distance control particularly when you have to make less than the full swing. If you aren’t sure how far you have taken the club head back, you can turn a short putt into something else. Remember two putting isn’t bad unless you have to hit a wedge in between.
Here is a way to start to gain feel. Take a wedge and start hitting a short chip to the green. Pay attention to where you feel the head of the club is during the swing. After you have done this to loosen up, turn the club around close your eyes and hold the head and swing the shaft four or five times. Now turn the club around. The weight of the head should make it much easier to feel. Work on this from different distances. When you move to a different distance and before you hit the ball, turn the club around and swing the shaft. Then hit a shot and see how well you control the head. Do this after every third ball and you are on your way to learning feel. Play well.
Have any golf related questions? From rules to club fitting you can call me at 408-846-4531 or e-mail me at
