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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular game improvement column on GOLF.com that will help you play golf smarter and better.
The Match showed off its newest iteration last weekend, and the product was a hit. Under the lights at Pelican Golf Club, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy took on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in a 12-hole primetime matchup, with the young duo beating their more experienced counterparts.
The Match had plenty of memorable moments and clever banter, but the broadcast also took us inside the ropes with the quartet of top winners. With that unrestricted access, viewers got some of the night’s most valuable insights as golfers offered a variety of game-improving tips.
Below are the top four.
Spieth’s Bunker Lesson
Bunker shots are some of the hardest in golf, and that’s true for the pros too (even if they make it look easy). On the 2nd hole of the night, Jordan Spieth found himself in a bunker, leading to an impromptu bunkering lesson for the spectators.
“It’s very challenging,” Spieth said. “But you have to have speed.”
Speed is the special ingredient to any bunker shot, and this one was no different. But in order to get the ball onto the green and land softly, there were a few other variables to consider.
“You’re trying to get your weight down with the slope in the bunker,” he said. “I’m on a downhill slope here, so I’m probably about 65 percent of my weight on my front foot. You’re really trying to create loft under the ball, with a lot of speed, to get that high, smooth maneuver.”
Don’t aim for the pins
This wasn’t so much advice as a theme that came up throughout The Match. The pros have supreme control over their golf balls, but even then, they rarely point directly at the pins.
If you paid close attention during the match, you probably picked up on the fact that players rarely (if ever) chose a target line directly at the flagstick. Instead, they were always aiming in places that would leave them in more manageable positions if they missed.
“I’m going to aim for the left edge of that bunker,” Justin Thomas said during The Match. “Hopefully it ends close.”
If the best in the world aren’t going flag hunting, you probably shouldn’t be either.
JT’s power move
Justin Thomas is long off the tee, but sometimes even he wants to squeeze a few more yards out of his driver. That’s where this sneak power move comes into play.
On the final hole of The Match, Thomas indicated that he wanted to hit a ball speed of 180 mph off the tee. To help himself hit that magic number, he lifted his front heel well off the ground during his backswing.
Justin Thomas power move.
waldlucas / IG
By lifting his front heel off the ground, Thomas was able to generate a bit more spin on the backswing, creating a bit more speed on the downswing. And while he missed his 180 mph goal (he was clocking 179 mph), it was an impressive display of what he’s got in the reserves.
look at your shadow
Shadows on the course can be quite annoying as the day progresses, but in night golf, they’re almost unavoidable. With floodlights shining from all directions, there was no escaping the shadows and it had a considerable effect on the competitors.
Many times throughout the night, golfers commented on the shadows on the course and the challenge they presented. In fact, something as simple as setting up the ball becomes difficult when the shadows are intense.
“I couldn’t tell if I was too far forward in my stance or too far back,” Jordan Spieth said after stepping on a particularly grim shot.
Shadows are not only annoying, but they can also have an effect on your depth perception. Keep that in mind while golfing in long shade during the summer.
zephyr melton
Source: news.google.com