Watch this amazing shot off the road from Charl Schwartzel (click here), the 29-year-old former Masters champion, at the par-4 16th hole at the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions, Durban Country Club in South Africa. With approximately 150 yards to a hole with no clear path, it was a bold move by Schwartzel to draw off the concrete rather than playing it safe. The blind shot flew over the trees nearly went right into the cup making it one of the best recovery shot we have ever seen.
The World’s Best Golf Infographic
We stumbled upon this great piece of infographic from sklz.com on how to improve your golf swing – a great source to improve your golf swing.
Just use Your Tree Iron
At times pro-golfers get a bad swing and the ball may well end up stuck in a tree. Well, when that unfortunate event happens there are 3 ways out for a continuing play,
a. Unplayable – Declare the ball unplayable under Rule 28 and take a one-stoke penalty
b. Lost Ball – One-stoke penalty and return to the spot if the previous stroke and replay the shot
c. Play It as It Lies – Meaning, climb the tree, get into a position and take a swing at the ball. By doing so you avoid the one-stoke penalty.
On the tour, where every stroke counts, the process are apt to choose option c – see the famous examples of Bernhard Langer and Sergio Garcia. These guys really do have every swing in their bag!
One Swing – Jack Nicklaus
How do we control the club face? Here is a simple but brilliant tip from Jack Nicklaus. For all those looking to move from simply hitting to working the ball, a must watch!
Rory Mcllroy – a child prodigy?
Watch this below video (or click here) of Rory McIlroy having a perfect swing with his teeny weeny delicate hands. Truly amazing for a 3 year old!
Rory Mcllroy – The Best Swing in Golf Today
Rory Mcllroy probably has the best swing in golf today. Check out his (click here) slow motion look of his swing to know why.
Shot of the Year?
Another contender for shot of the year.
Bubba Watson is known for his distance and for his skill with a driver. But at this year’s Masters, he became known for his shot shaping.
After Watson and Oosthuizen recorded final rounds of 68 and 69, respectively, the two golfers found themselves deadlocked at -10 for the weekend. On 2nd playoff hole against Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba found himself in the trees with no direct shot at the green. What does a 40 yard hook with a 52 degree wedge look like? The picture to the right shows the flight of his ball, to within 5 feet of the hole.
What did the shot look like live? Check out the video below. Amazing.
Luckiest Golf Shots Ever?
We’re starting a new competition on the Scratch Pad – luckiest and best golf shots ever. We’ll post two competing shots and you let us know which ones you think is best. Or if you think you have a better one, point us to it.
For this round, we have two competing shots – one from the PGA and one from the European tour; one in a tournament, and one in a practice round; both involving water.
First up, Darren Clarke on a long par 5:
Next up, Vijay Singh on a short par 3:
So, whom would you vote for?
Great Swings: Tiger Woods
Great Swings: Nick Faldo
The winnerof six majors and ranked Number 1 in the world for 98 weeks, Sir Nick Faldo was once considered the best the world. In particular, his swing was admired for its consistency under pressure and his ability to deliver “precision strikes”.
How did he get such a precision swing? It was actually built by David Ledbetter over a period of several years, by dissecting each part and then building it up again. Once the pieces were set, they were put together in a full rhythm once again.
When Faldo discusses the keys to his swing, like Hogan he focuses on his right knee – however unlike Hogan he keeps the knee back for a split second before bringing it through the swing. That difference may be more style than substance. As described in Concept Golf, one of our favorite explanations of the golf swing, weight transfer and the lower body (in particular the right knee) will always play a key role in a good golf swing.