Jason Day’s short game has long been one of his greatest strengths. He is quite different as there is a lack of hinge in his trees and we hear a lot about his ‘dead’ things.
PGA Professional BARney Putick explains how he did it and how we can learn from the big pump.
Understanding Dismissal
This whole thing has a shot, and I’ve promoted this for a long time, you look at it in terms of low trajectory and high trajectory, and it plays a lot of bad shots with what I call low trajectory.
If you ask your average amateur if he wants to smash an 8 or 9-iron from the front of the green? 90 percent of them will be very sure about that. It’s just when they have something in their way, they really don’t like it.
And I’ll always say to them, you’ve actually gotten the shot, it’s staring you in the face. All you have to do is use the same process with a more treated Club, and it’s like you just split an atom.
So I’m going to put a broken wedge in their hands and tell them to do it again. Now obviously you’re not going to get a lot of height but the club has got a lot of space built in, and I think that’s the bit that suddenly clicks.
Look at this
It’s like an underhand throw where your hand and forearm are parallel to each other. That’s why when you look at him closely he makes him look so simple. But then, so throwing the ball is under.
And if you want to vary the height of the wanderm throw, you don’t add an extra action of the Wrist to if you want to throw it higher, you just take it out more in the arc of the throw.
The situation
I like to just have the feet and the hips just a little bit open because it just gives your hips first.
It’s all about impact and, with little movement, you don’t have the momentum to build that momentum to open a position. So if you’re just a little bit open, it’s like a ball hand position with the foot back, the hands will take the right position by going forward.
The takeaway
I always tell people, just move the club away from your left shoulder. John Daly does his left hand clubbing and I’m a big fan of this. So, do a few swings with one hand before the stroke, to almost match the feel you feel, and then just try and keep that same feel.
Whether you feel like maybe you’re a left-hander or a Lead-ARM that’s held, then the back arm will just go along for the ride, it’s a very useful thing.
A gun
It’s really easy stuff when Jason puts him a little bit open, pulls the weight forward, plays with his sound, hands obviously looking more, straight in, straight with a strong action.
The big key is to make sure the backswing and the swing are the same distance, because I see a lot of backswing and putter types outside.
Stop the scoop
This is always a big mistake. Start by playing it back foot, get the strikes going and you’ll get what I call the Middle Trajectory Shot of Shot.
And then you can take it further in your situation.
Obviously the hands will be more level now, but you almost taught the hands and the body what the movement should be.
So take that time, because in this way, you start very subtly to involve your body, which is the key to hit it well, to find the right low point.
Everyone is standing there and we are almost building slowly, setting up a square and just holding it down with their hands rather than letting the body flow.
To put it briefly
In terms of weight in the front and just a little open stance, it makes it natural in the body. I think that’s when people get involved, and there’s a tendency towards football, things get tricky.
One of the psychologists I work with to get people to hit airflow balls, and tennis balls and squash balls, is just a variation of the clubface feel. We all know the strike and feel of any good shot and this is another good thing to hit.
About Barney Puttick
Barney turned professional in 1979 and worked under Ian Connelly who was widely regarded as Sir Nick Faldo’s original trainer.
He was once tied for third with Greg Norman in the 36-hole race at Cannes, behind Corey Pavin.
He has been based at Mid Herts GC since 2000 and is the leading golf coach of the month.
