Steve Scott, Golfweek’s director of instruction, is back once again at Sleepy Hollow Country Club just north of New York City, this week with a tip to hit more fairways.
Most amateur golfers, in an effort to add more distance off the tee, swing primarily with the upper body. Now, what does this cause in the golf swing? Most of the time, this move will result in an over-the-top action, producing huge pulls or a ball flight that closely resembles that delicious yellow fruit.
How do you fix it? Scott explains his “hips and hands together” swing thought, and how the feeling of your hips firing, then your hands, can get your swing back on plane.
“We always want this lower body to turn out of the way first,” said Scott, “and that allows the upper body to follow suit.”
We’re less than 24 hours away from the first tee shot of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. It’s been a long week, especially having to wait the extra day compared to the normal Thursday start for PGA Tour events.
In the mean time, our Director of Instruction Steve Scott is once again down at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club with another tip, this time on how to enjoy the game more.
Throughout the Ryder Cup this week, the teams will be playing match play. What most amateurs don’t realize is match play is a fantastic way to play golf with your friends and family on the weekends. Forget about your score, forget about missing short putts, and just worry about beating your opponent.
“Get out there, play more match play,” Scott said in the video above. “Have so much fun playing this game, because that’s what it’s all about.”
Aside from leading our lessons, Scott is also the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst.
Not only is our Director of Instruction Steve Scott giving you a great lesson on what to do with your lead hand, he’s celebrating the birthday of one of his mentors, Bob Toski, who turns 95 years old today.
His opponent was none other than our Steve Scott, who, in a gracious move that follows golf etiquette, told Woods he had to move his mark back during a key putt. If Scott would have stayed silent, Tiger’s run would have certainly been derailed, but an act of sportsmanship still rings true a quarter-century later.
“Hey, Tiger – you need to move your mark back,” was released earlier this year (Skyhorse Publishing, $19.99), and is available at movethatback.com.
Aside from leading our lessons, Scott is also the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst.
Steve starts this series of videos by explaining a great way to stay on plane — you need to stay in your lane. Steve uses an alignment stick drill that helps you easily keep everything aligned, thus giving you a great swing plane.
His opponent was none other than our Steve Scott, who, in a gracious move that follows golf etiquette, told Woods he had to move his mark back during a key putt. If Scott would have stayed silent, Tiger’s run would have certainly been derailed, but an act of sportsmanship still rings true a quarter-century later.
“Hey, Tiger – you need to move your mark back,” was released earlier this year (Skyhorse Publishing, $19.99), and is available at movethatback.com.
Aside from leading our lessons, Scott is also the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst.
If you want your pitching game to be solid and healthy, look no further than taking a selfie.
It seems like we always have a phone in our hand. Watch this latest golf instruction video from Steve Scott to see how you can use your phone for the betterment of your golf game: by taking a selfie.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your Before-and-After videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
If you want your pitching game to be solid and healthy, look no further than taking a selfie.
It seems like we always have a phone in our hand. Watch this latest golf instruction video from Steve Scott to see how you can use your phone for the betterment of your golf game: by taking a selfie.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your Before-and-After videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
If you want a set up fit for a queen or king, you’ve got to let gravity do its thing.
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott gives you a good tip to help you set up your shots.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
We all know that the famed island green at the TPC Sawgrass showcases all of the drama as the competitors navigate their way towards the finish, but the par-5 16th epitomizes the strategic elements required for the champion to get their hands on The …
We all know that the famed island green at the TPC Sawgrass showcases all of the drama as the competitors navigate their way towards the finish, but the par-5 16th epitomizes the strategic elements required for the champion to get their hands on The Players Championship trophy.
Let’s dive into the strategy on this hole that often determines the tournament’s outcome, and traditionally is the easiest hole on the course — playing to a stroke average of 4.641 since 1982.
Off the tee
The first decision that the player will need to make is with club selection off the tee. Combining a wind direction that will be out of the northeast (left to right and helping) for most of the week and the fact that it’s already a short par 5 at a mere 523 yards, driver isn’t always the correct play as it will be more difficult to fit into this fairway that bends to the left at about 260 yards off the tee.
Steve Scott is the Director of Instruction for Golfweek. Click the photo to see Steve’s instruction tips.
Left-handers like Phil Mickelson or Bubba Watson can hit the more controllable power fade with their driver, but you’ll see Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy most likely take the fairway wood for the proper right to left shape to match the movement of the hole.
The ideal position for the tee shot will be in the left third of the fairway which opens up the green a lot more for the player where they won’t have to navigate the penalty area that is right and short of the putting surface.
Tee shots that find the right side of the fairway or the right rough will have the less advantageous angle, especially for the traditional front-right Sunday hole location, and the water looms large for a slight mis-hit shot.
Nick Watney takes a penalty drop after hitting into the water on the 16th hole during the third round of the 2011 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Go for it or lay up?
Following the tee shot, the second shot now takes center stage. Should they go for it or lay it up? An exacting shot is required, but it’s a necessary risk to take as since 2003, the players who go for the green in two average 4.46 and are an astonishing 2,950 under par, whereas those who lay up average 4.96 and are only a combined 77 under par.
As they will be looking between 200 to 240 yards to the green, it’s an important risk to calculate if a player is looking to climb the leaderboard. What makes the second shot interesting is that it is helpful if the player hits a left-to-right shot into the putting surface, a shot that is contrary to the shot they just struck off the tee.
Puttview TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (Courtesy of Puttview)
If a player does hit it in the rough and is forced to lay the ball up, the layup it must be far enough back as to not have the overhanging tree come into play for the third, especially for a hole location on the left side. A second shot going for the green from the rough will be simply rolling the dice.
Still work on the green
Once the player gets to the green, the heavy lifting is not completely done. In the last 7 years, the 16th green has an average ranking of 6th (6.42 to be exact) in greens most often three-putted as compared to the rest of the greens on the course.
Puttview TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (Courtesy of Puttview)
Some of this has to do with the multi-tiered nature of the putting surface and some of it has to do with the fact that as players reach the green in two with longer clubs and have longer first putts. Also, one can’t negate the psychological aspect of the ability to pick up a shot with a two-putt birdie and the first putt being lagged too far from the hole in protection of that hopeful birdie.
The 16th will definitely play both a strategic and pivotal role in the finish here at TPC, and the winner will likely birdie this hole all four days. And if history has anything to say about it this year, it will all go down as it did with Fred Couples in 1996, Craig Perks in 2002 or Rickie Fowler in 2015 where a dramatic eagle propelled them towards holding the trophy at days’ end.
(Steve Scott is Golfweek’s Director of Instruction and is working the Players Championship as part of the PGA Tour Live crew.)
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott gives you a good tip to strengthen your short game.
If you don’t want to chili dip your chip, pay attention to this tip.
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott gives you a good tip to strengthen your short game.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott and Averee Dovsek explain the benefits of intentional practice.
To hit great shots and keep them on the map, practice wisely and force your brain to adapt.
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott and Averee Dovsek explain the benefits of intentional practice versus blocked practice.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
