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Articles by David Leadbetter
Leadbetter: Why hasn’t Rory McIlroy won a major since 2014?
Rory McIlroy is arguably one of the most naturally talented players in golf, and I have always been a big fan. His athleticism, power, rhythm, and even finesse around the greens are a joy to behold. When he’s in full flow, his game is magnificent and exciting to watch. The big question is, considering his abilities, why has Rory not won more majors? Rory has seemed to be the total package since a young age and has suffered very few injuries over the years.
Learn Hideki's real magic move
By David Leadbetter Photographs by Yuri Hasegawa With the Presidents Cup approaching, plenty of attention will turn to International team star Hideki Matsuyama and his distinctive swing. Broadcasters, podcasters, bloggers and such will undoubtedly point out the obvious – that he briefly stops at the completion of his backswing before starting down. How unusual is this move at the tour level?
Put Yourself In Position To Hit A Solid Tee Ball
If you struggle to hit a good tee ball, you're not alone. I've found that many times the easiest way to get a player to learn a skill or correct a mistake is to have them overemphasize the movement needed to execute the task—or even do the opposite of what they're doing, so they can find middle ground. I call this teaching philosophy the art of exaggeration. Here's a great example of overemphasizing a move to get you to swing with proper width, so you can hit better tee shots.
Golf instruction truths: The secret move top golfers make at the top of the swing for more speed
The closer you examine tour players’ swings, the more subtleties you’ll discover. One such move is so indiscernible in real time, you have to replay it in slow motion or see a 3-D rendition to verify what’s happening. But it is happening, and it’s a big reason the best players can generate so much speed when they swing down into the ball. When you think of coiling during the backswing, you probably think it’s the rotation of the upper body against a stable lower body.
David Leadbetter's open letter to Brandel Chamblee: You're better than cheap shots
It’s sad how a person of influence in the golf world like Brandel Chamblee can spew out some of the nonsense that he does. Brandel was a journeyman tour player and has moved on to become a highly regarded TV pundit, at least in some quarters. His controversial comments can at times be quite refreshing, but personal attacks on people, players at times, and in this case, coaches, are cheap shots just meant to further his reputation as an outspoken analyst.
David Leadbetter's open letter to Brandel Chamblee: You're better than cheap shots
It’s sad how a person of influence in the golf world like Brandel Chamblee can spew out some of the nonsense that he does. Brandel was a journeyman tour player and has moved on to become a highly regarded TV pundit, at least in some quarters. His controversial comments can at times be quite refreshing, but personal attacks on people, players at times, and in this case, coaches, are cheap shots just meant to further his reputation as an outspoken analyst.
How your feet can help you hit a draw
One of the most coveted shots in golf is a draw (the shot curves slightly left for right-handers). You can learn to hit this shot if you focus on your feet. As you reach the top of the swing, you want to have roughly two-thirds of your body weight supported by your foot farthest from the target. And of that two-thirds, you should feel most of it in the heel. At the same time, the remaining weight should be felt a little more in the toes of your front foot than the heel.
How your feet can help you hit a draw - Golf Digest
One of the most coveted shots in golf is a draw (the shot curves slightly left for right-handers). You can learn to hit this shot if you focus on your feet. As you reach the top of the swing, you want to have roughly two-thirds of your body weight supported by your foot farthest from the target. And of that two-thirds, you should feel most of it in the heel. At the same time, the remaining weight should be felt a little more in the toes of your front foot than the heel.
Avoid this common mistake to create more power
Look at old videos of the best swings of yesteryear, and you’ll likely see the golfer’s lead knee move toward the ball during the backswing. At the same time, the lead leg’s foot would roll inward and the heel would come off the ground. For the most part, it’s become a thing of the past. With more emphasis now on fitness and strength and swinging the club from a solid base, the best players really stabilize their lead knee (left for right-handers).
Try this sneaky way to unlock more swing speed - Golf Digest
Who doesn't love Rory McIlroy’s golf swing, especially the way he can fire his hips on the way down and power through the ball. But if you’re trying to rotate your hips even half as well as Rory to hit the ball farther, you should know that his hips are actually slowing down as the club approaches the ball.
How to control speed on downhill putts
The common mistake when putting up or down a slope is to adjust the force applied in the stroke. In other words, giving the ball a whack when you need to get it up on another tier, or gently tapping it when it’s all downhill to the hole. If you’re adjusting how hard you hit the ball from putt to putt, you’ll lose your rhythm, and getting the speed right becomes a matter of luck, not skill.
Try this cure for fat or thin shots
You might have heard of the swing flaw known as the chicken wing. It refers to the bend in the lead arm (left for right-handers) as the club moves through the hitting zone. This bend causes the elbow to jut, giving the arm the look of a bar-food staple. Unfortunately, it often leads to fat or thin shots, especially when the ball is on the turf. It also results in a loss of power and makes it hard to square the face at impact.
Chipping it close is all about crisp contact - Golf Digest
A long, flowing chipping stroke is never a good idea if the goal is to be consistently accurate with these shots. Take the club back too far, and you’ll be inclined to decelerate through impact and dump it. Good chipping is all about acceleration, so let’s make sure your focus in on keeping your speed up as the clubhead meets the back of the ball. To do that, I want you to give the ball a pop with your wedge. The follow-through is short, ending just after contact.
Need more air off the tee? Here's how to max your hang time for more distance
Those stingers you see the pros hit on television look cool, and they’re valuable shots on a windy day, but the last thing most amateurs need is a low-trajectory tee shot. You need more hang time. Studies have proved that the slower you swing, the more you’ll benefit from a trajectory that keeps the ball in the air longer. And thanks to radar systems like TrackMan, we also know that the optimum way to increase air time is to hit up on the ball with your driver.
How to handle a tricky, downhill lie
Usually the area around a green is level with or lower than the putting surface. But sometimes you’ll find your ball on a mound near the green. Sure, it was a lucky break that the hill kept your ball within chipping distance. But now what? This atypical lie presents a challenge for a lot of golfers, because it drastically reduces the chance of popping the ball up and landing it softly on the green—especially if you have a tendency to try to help the ball in the air with a scooping, wristy action.
Don't let the group in front ruin your next shot
Playing golf on a packed course can be a challenge, and I'm not just talking about finishing in time for dinner. What you do while waiting to play your next shot can make a huge difference in your round. -- by David Leadbetter, with Ron Kaspriske Two things to try to avoid: (1) Don't let slow play make you angry. That's easier said than done, but if your mood turns dark, it can negatively impact performance.
Don't let the group in front ruin your next shot
Playing golf on a packed course can be a challenge, and I'm not just talking about finishing in time for dinner. What you do while waiting to play your next shot can make a huge difference in your round. -- by David Leadbetter, with Ron Kaspriske Two things to try to avoid: (1) Don't let slow play make you angry. That's easier said than done, but if your mood turns dark, it can negatively impact performance.
5 quick tips to conquering the downhill chip
Usually the area around a green is level with or lower than the putting surface. But sometimes you'll find your ball on a mound near the green, leaving you with a downhill chip. Sure, it was a lucky break that the hill kept your ball within chipping distance. But now what?
5 quick tips to conquering the downhill chip
Usually the area around a green is level with or lower than the putting surface. But sometimes you'll find your ball on a mound near the green, leaving you with a downhill chip. Sure, it was a lucky break that the hill kept your ball within chipping distance. But now what?
Get long bunker shots to the hole
Long greenside bunker shots, more than 20 yards, can prove troublesome if you try to play them similar to a shorter bunker shot. Simply taking your regular sand club—a 60- or 56-degree wedge—and making a harder swing is not the way to go. The extra effort often leads to the club digging deeper into the sand, which causes the ball to come up way short, sometimes still in the bunker. If you want your shot to cover the distance to the hole, it’s important to take a shallow divot of sand.
You'll Pitch Better If You Don't Hang Back
Great advice to remember when hitting pitch shots is to swing through impact on a shallow angle, letting the bottom of the clubhead slide along the turf. Having said that, I've seen the application of this advice prove troublesome for some amateurs, because they try to do it off the wrong foot—the back foot. This typically happens because the golfer wants to help get the ball in the air with some unnecessary hand and body english. There's no need for that.
Add More Control To Your Bunker Play
You might not believe it now, but there will come a point when you think getting out of greenside bunkers is easy. When that day arrives, turn your attention to improving your control of the ball once it lands on the putting surface—especially on short sand shots. When you need to stop the ball quickly on a green, you have to create a fair amount of clubhead speed. But if you try to get that speed by making a standard-length swing, the ball will fly too far.
Add More Control To Your Bunker Play
You might not believe it now, but there will come a point when you think getting out of greenside bunkers is easy. When that day arrives, turn your attention to improving your control of the ball once it lands on the putting surface—especially on short sand shots. When you need to stop the ball quickly on a green, you have to create a fair amount of clubhead speed. But if you try to get that speed by making a standard-length swing, the ball will fly too far.
An Easy Accuracy Tip For Consistency
Every bad result in golf can be traced back to a root cause. If you're struggling to hit accurate drives, the issue is a lack of clubface control. Many amateurs start their backswings by whipping the driver way inside the target line and opening the face. From there, they re-route the club on a looping path that comes into the ball from outside the target line—the classic over-the-top move—with an open face in relation to the path. You can guess what happens next. The ball slices right of the target.
An Easy Accuracy Tip For Consistency
Every bad result in golf can be traced back to a root cause. If you're struggling to hit accurate drives, the issue is a lack of clubface control. Many amateurs start their backswings by whipping the driver way inside the target line and opening the face. From there, they re-route the club on a looping path that comes into the ball from outside the target line—the classic over-the-top move—with an open face in relation to the path. You can guess what happens next. The ball slices right of the target.
A Different Way To Turn A Slice Into A Draw - Golf Digest
The physics of a slice is uncomplicated. It happens because your club strikes the ball with the face pointing open in relation to the swing's path. For right-handers, that means the clubface is pointing right of the path at impact—that's it. What's not so simple is the psychology behind why so many golfers struggle to prevent the ball from peeling off to the right of the target. I'll skip my Freudian analysis of why you slice. Instead, here's an unconventional, yet simple fix.
David Leadbetter says use your hips to eliminate popping up tee shots
If you're regularly popping up tee shots or the ball isn't rolling very far once it lands in the fairway, you're hitting down on the ball too much. That's OK for an iron shot off the turf, but not if you're swinging a driver. A telltale sign your downswing is too steep is if you're constantly breaking tees in half like you're splitting firewood. If you want to maximize distance with your driver, you've got to hit up on the ball, and a simple fix is to literally stand up during the downswing.
David Leadbetter says use your hips to eliminate popping up tee shots
If you're regularly popping up tee shots or the ball isn't rolling very far once it lands in the fairway, you're hitting down on the ball too much. That's OK for an iron shot off the turf, but not if you're swinging a driver. A telltale sign your downswing is too steep is if you're constantly breaking tees in half like you're splitting firewood. If you want to maximize distance with your driver, you've got to hit up on the ball, and a simple fix is to literally stand up during the downswing.
The Grass Isn't Always Greener
There have been many stories circulating about the state of Lydia Ko's game over the past year. It's been fascinating to read all of the various opinions circulating regarding her game. I worked with Lydia Ko from November 2013 until December 2016. Working with Lydia was a really great experience for myself and my colleague, Sean Hogan. She was an absolute dream student who was a star player before we even laid eyes on her.
A Hands-on Approach to Pitching
Golfers are often told to keep their hands passive when hitting shots—even I've been guilty of saying it from time to time. But what does having passive hands mean? Your hands are the only thing holding the club. They have to do something! Instead of passive hands, think control the hands. Here's one example: Certainly when hitting pitch shots, the hands might feel passive during portions of the swing. The club is moving as a result of the body pivoting.
How To Feel A Proper Release
Many times in golf instruction, the easiest way to get a player to learn a skill or correct a mistake is to have them overemphasize the movement needed to execute the task, or do the opposite of what they're doing. I call this teaching philosophy the art of exaggeration. I use it to improve technique in all facets of the game. For example, a common issue is trying to steer the ball in play.
Put Yourself In Position To Hit Solid Tee Shots
Many times the easiest way to get a player to learn a skill or correct a mistake is to have them overemphasize the movement needed to execute the task—or even do the opposite of what they're doing, so they can find middle ground. I call this teaching philosophy the art of exaggeration. Here's a great example of overemphasizing a move to get you to swing with proper width, so you can hit better tee shots. Many amateurs mistakenly bend the right arm almost as soon as they start the backswing.
Winterize Your Golf Game
You're not into skiing; you can't skate; you built your last snowman 27 years ago, and that whole dusk at 4:25 p.m. thing really gets you down. We get it. Winter sucks. For those of us who don't have a nourishing cold-weather activity to pass the time between golf seasons, the "dark months" are brutal. Even worse, as we peek out the window, wondering if it will ever be playable again, our golf games turn to crap. By the time spring rolls around, we're struggling just to put the ball in play. ?
Compress Your Irons Like A Pro
If you're near a pro who's hitting an iron shot off the fairway, one thing you might notice is the sound it makes. A compressed ball off the center of an iron's face creates this distinctive noise as it cuts through the air, like a burst of steam releasing from a pressure cooker. If you want your shots to sound like that, you've got to hit down on the ball. That's key. Here are four steps—including a drill—to make it happen. —With Ron KaspriskeIllustrations by Todd DetwilerWATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
Ball Buried On The Upslope? You Need Speed
One of the most difficult lies you can get in a greenside bunker is when the ball embeds a little into the upslope, like the PGA Tour's Patrick Reed faced here. This is especially true if the sand is soft. It's difficult from an awkward stance to swing with enough acceleration to get the ball out of a slightly buried lie. But I'll show you in four steps how to generate the power necessary to execute this tricky shot. —With Ron KaspriskeIllustrations by Todd DetwilerWATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
Fat-proof Pitching: Stop Duffing The Short Shots
There's something about shots from 30 to 60 yards that give a lot of golfers fits. The biggest problem is making a backswing that's too long, and then, in fear of hitting the shot too far, slowing the club down as it approaches the ball. The typical result is contact with the ground behind the ball—the dreaded fat shot.
Breaking Bad: How To Curl In More Of The Tough Putts
The biggest problem amateurs have with breaking putts is that they really don't practice them all that much. Even golfers who roll a few before they go out to play usually stick to straight-and-flat scenarios. Rarely will you have a putt of any considerable length that doesn't break at least a ball or two—and usually a lot more.
Groove Your Short Irons
Any time you've got a 7-, 8- or 9-iron in your hands for your approach shot, you've got a real opportunity to knock it close. Don't squander that chance with the notion that you have to swing under the ball to get it in the air. If you want to hit it the desired trajectory, yardage and direction—and get it to spin when it lands so it holds the green—you need to hit down on it and compress the ball.
The One Pitch Shot You Really Need
In an era in which pros such as Phil Mickelson are using 64-degree wedges to loft the ball around the greens, I’m advocating a lower-trajectory shot for most golfers: the pitch-and-run. Assuming you’ve got a fair amount of green to work with, it’s a lot easier to judge distance when you can get the ball to release and roll toward the hole instead of trying to fly it most of the way there.
Step-by-Step: Curing The Shanks
Hitting just one shank can put fear in your mind that another’s on its way, and that kills your confidence. They often happen because your hands are farther away from your body at impact than they were at address, causing the club to strike the ball off the hosel. Fear not the shanks. Use these steps to cure them.Illustrations by Todd DetwilerDavid Leadbetter operates 34 golf academies worldwide.WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
Use Your Dominant Arm To Hammer The Ball
If I tossed you a golf ball and asked you to toss it right back to me, without even thinking, I bet you'd throw it with your dominant arm. What this should tell you is that even though you've got two arms, you feel more comfortable using one over the other. Remember that when you swing the golf club. A good golf swing is a blend of coordinated movement from both sides of the body, but it's really your dominant side that wants, and should, dictate the action.
Try This Grip Trick To Get The Ball Rolling On Line - Golf Digest
Getting into a good setup is crucial to developing a consistent putting stroke. Without knowing anything about your putting, I know you'll make a lot more putts if you start from a technically sound setup. The best part is, you can get off to a great start by making just a few adjustments, no matter what your current setup looks like. Follow these few steps.Illustrations by Todd DetwilerWATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
How To Punch Your Way To Freedom - Golf Digest
Watch the video: Master The Low Punch ShotThere are times when an off-line shot puts you in a place where all you can do is hit the ball low and advance it to a better position. In these situations, you need the punch shot. It's smart, user-friendly and can eat up a good chunk of yardage toward the green. Just remember one thing: To use it reliably, you have to practice this shot.
Get Your Chipping Motion More Consistent
If you're struggling to consistently hit good chip shots, you might want to copy the simple technique many pros use. They eliminate extraneous hand-and-wrist action to create a more reliable chipping motion. This "wristless" shot is so easy to execute, I did it without crushing one of my trademark hats (above). Learn to do it in four simple steps.WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
Step By Step: Stop Tension From Ruining Your Next Round
David Leadbetter: Control Your TensionWhether it's first-tee jitters, the deciding shot on 18 or a round with the new boss, you might be destined for failure before you even take the club back. Anxiety can prevent you from making a full and fluid swing and can corrupt good mechanics. The key is to recognize when it's happening so you can deal with it. Here are four steps you should try.WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
David Leadbetter: Simple Tips To Prevent Shanking Photos
Fix this fault before it ruins your round-or your golf game.
Four Keys For Knocking It On The Green
Parking your tee shot in the sand on a par 4 or par 5 doesn't have to sentence you to a bogey or worse. You can execute fairway-bunker shots with consistency if you focus on stability at address and control during the swing. There's one overriding swing thought you should use: Hit the ball solidly. Follow these four steps to set up success in the sand.Illustrations by Todd DetwilerWATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS
Training Your Lower Body To Hit It Flush
Many golfers get happy feet when they try to take a healthy cut at the ball. They look as if they're spinning out of control, like a car on an icy road. A lack of stability in the lower body puts them in a weak position coming into impact. To consistently make better contact and finish your swing in a comfortable pose, follow these four steps for improved lower-body action.
Finish Strong: Swing it like The Big Easy
After all these years, Ernie Els still swings the club like he's out for a Sunday stroll. There's real power and effort behind his tee shots, but you'd never know that if you judged his swing only by its tempo. On the flip side, many amateurs take a wild hack at the ball, like it just insulted a family member. If you want a smooth-looking swing like The Big Easy's, follow these steps to better tempo.Illustrations by Todd DetwilerDavid Leadbetter is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.
4 Steps To Better Short Irons
Generally speaking, avoid trying to hit your short irons hard. The more aggressively you swing, the more height you're likely to create with those lofted clubs, so the ball will tend to go a shorter distance. If you're lucky, you might get to the front of the green—that's why you see so many approach shots come up short of the flag. There's a much more effective and reliable way to hit your short irons. Start by following these simple steps.David Leadbetter operates 25 golf academies worldwide.
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