Golf Digest Tips, By: Tiger Woods

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Try My Tee-Shot Stinger



Keep your hands leading the club through the ball

Controlling trajectory is part of the fun of the game. I like hitting knockdowns because that's the way the game was played in the old days to combat windy conditions at links courses.

One of my coolest shots is the stinger with a fairway wood. It's a great control tee shot that bores into the wind. I can hit it with the driver as well, using the same technique. It flies low and runs out there nicely.

Basically, I set up in a slightly narrower stance than normal but use my standard ball position, just inside my left heel for the driver and fairway woods.

My swing thought is to keep my hands leading the club past impact by softening my elbows. I take a little divot when I hit this shot with a fairway wood (above). I also get more extension through the shot by keeping the club pointing to the ground as long as possible.

The release point determines the shot shape. I usually hit a little draw with the stinger, releasing the club naturally. If I want to play a low cut, I hold off the release a fraction of a second through impact.

By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By J.D. Cuban
July 2009

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Try My 4-Iron Chip Shot


Bump it over the fringe, and let it roll out

My short game has improved tremendously just by adding more clubs to my chipping options. I've had particular success with a 4-iron on those long chips where you just want to land the ball on the green and let it roll out. I used that shot a few times in the British Open at Hoylake three years ago to get the ball on the ground quickly on those tricky greens.

I use my putting grip (a reverse overlap) because it helps keep my hands working together. Everything else is fundamental to good chipping. I set most of my weight on my left foot and position the ball back of center in a narrow but slightly open stance. That helps me make a descending blow into the back of the ball. But before I do anything, I read the break and pick a spot just over the fringe where I want to land the ball.

Just like on a putt, I try to keep my head still long after impact. That helps me hit the ball solidly and start it on line.


By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By Stephen Szurlej

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Holding Firm Greens


Swing to a high finish for a high shot

Course setup can dictate not only the kind of curvature you want on approach shots but also trajectory. When the greens are firm and the pins tucked, you need to hit it high to hold the green or get it in there close.

To hit the high ball, you have to produce more backspin, which is the result of more swing speed. Try gripping the club at its full length and making a bigger motion -- a higher follow-through and fuller finish. I also might move the ball up in my stance about half a ball and make a little different release to really throw it up in the air.

For example, my left wrist is bowed through impact on low shots. On high shots, though, I don't keep the back of my left wrist pointing to the ground as long. That different hand action can add loft for a high flight.

Depending on the lie, you might want to place a little more weight on your right foot at address. That will help you keep your weight behind the ball and not on top of it. Staying on top of the ball is more of a knockdown position for most players.


By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By Photo: J.D. Cuban

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Tiger Tips: Extend for power and accuracy


Turn your head to the target

One of my main keys to hitting the ball farther and straighter is full extension down the target line. Reminding myself to "shake hands with the target" gets me in the right position. Examples from other sports--baseball batters, hockey players and bowlers, to name a few--also help me visualize extension.

Some players flip the right hand through impact to try to get more clubhead speed. That kind of flash speed would have negative consequences for me, mainly inconsistent distance control and accuracy. Instead of extending down the line, these players flip the handle, the left wrist breaking down and the right hand crossing over the left.

I want the club to release naturally. I've even amended my "shake hands" visual: I'm learning to look at the target as I'm shaking hands. I tend to hook the ball when my head hangs back, so to keep everything moving together I try to get my head and eyes turning through with the club. My friend Annika Sorenstam does this, and it


By Tiger Woods
Edited By Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos By Dom Furore

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Tiger Tips: Turn your chest


Don't swing all-arms on greenside shots

So many times I see my amateur partners butcher a simple pitch shot because of poor technique, anxiety or both. The biggest reason for their failure is that the upper body stops moving through impact, causing a slight mis-hit at best--at worst, they lay the sod over it or blade it.

One of the keys to consistently good pitching is keeping your chest turning toward the target on the through-swing. Your arms and shoulders follow your chest, not vice versa. Look at it this way: If your chest moves away from the ball on the backswing, your shoulders and arms also move. Therefore, if your chest moves back toward the target, your shoulders and arms will follow.

That positive momentum, not the hands and arms moving by themselves, is what propels the ball. Try to "hit with your chest" on pitch shots. I promise you'll make better contact with the ball and hit it closer to the hole, giving yourself more par-save opportunities.


By Tiger Woods
Edited By Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos By J.D. Cuban

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Tiger Tips: How to hit it higher


Focus on your finish to get to tough pins

It's no secret that high-ball hitters have an advantage on our tour, where pins are tucked in some pretty tight places. Hard, fast greens also favor the player who can feather it in with precision.

I've always been able to hit my irons pretty high, but now I approach those shots a little differently. I visualize a high finish before making a few practice swings simulating it, reminding myself to launch it into the air.

Occasionally, I'll take a bigger divot, trying to really spin the ball. Other than that, my technique doesn't change: I play the ball just forward of center, trap it against the turf at impact and stay connected (upper body and lower body) to a high finish.


By Tiger Woods
Edited By Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos By J.D. Cuban

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Tiger Tips: How to spin it from the sand


Lay the face open and swing it fast with the right hand

Because of the way I learned to release the club during my recent swing change, two of my favorite shots--the spinner from the sand and the flop shot--suffered for a while. I?ve always played both shots with a lot of hand action, and the hands are restricted in my new swing. Over the past six months, though, I?ve regained the touch, especially on the bunker shot to a close pin, where you have to get it up quickly and stop it fast.

Here?s how I play it. I grip the club a little more in my fingers to get more flip in my release. This is one time when I think the flip is good. Then, I open my stance, play the ball well forward and lay the clubface wide open but square to the target line. I make a vertical backswing, which sets up a steeper angle of descent into the sand. The key is increased clubhead speed through impact, so I really fire the club through with my right hand. The ball comes out high and soft and settles fast after landing.


By Tiger Woods
Edited By Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos By Dom Furore

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Tiger Tips: Up close


I'll show you how to hit pitch shots that grab and what makes a perfect backswing


ADDING TOUCH
1. On most pitch shots, I open the face and play the ball forward in my stance. That gives me more options. I can leave the face open coming into the ball and hit it high, or turn it down through impact and hit it lower. This is my 60-degree wedge.
2. An open face also lets the flange on the bottom of the club slide more easily along the ground instead of dig, which is critical for controlling backspin.
3. My weight is distributed equally between my feet unless I'm hitting a specialty shot. For example, when I want to play a low-trajectory spinner, I put a little more weight on my left side.

 

GETTING TO THE TOP
1. Using an interlocking grip really helps me feel like my hands are working together. It also helps me set the club properly at the top of the swing.
2. A flat left wrist at the top is the result of having a neutral grip. The angle of the clubface should match the angle of my wrist when the club gets to the top. That means the face is square.
3. A full shoulder turn is essential for power and consistency. The proper position for me means my eyes are level, not tilted left or right, and I'm looking directly at the ball over my left shoulder.



Tiger Woods writes instruction articles only for Golf Digest

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Tiger Tips: Maintain A Quiet Head


Release it only after you've struck the ball

I can't stress enough the importance of a quiet head for solid ball-striking and accurate iron play. However, you also have to know when to release your head toward the target.

Average players tend to move their heads up and down or side to side during the swing. Too much lateral movement often results in a pushed or pulled iron shot because of an inability to consistently return the clubhead to where it was at address. Up-and-down movement, even if done only fractionally, can result in thin or fat shots because your distance to the ball changes.

I try to keep my head still on the backswing and downswing. It moves down a little as I strike the ball, but not laterally. Then I release it toward the target after impact so it doesn't inhibit my through-swing.


By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By J.D. Cuban
October 2009

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Tiger Tips: Fix Finish And Swing


Your follow-through shows what you did

I can tell a lot about a player's swing, diagnose the faults and advise how to fix them all from checking out the finish position. The neat thing is, you can do the same with your swing.

For example, at the finish your hips should have turned so that they are at least perpendicular to the target line. Your shoulders should also be perpendicular to the target line. Your elbows should be bent, wrists recocked, belt buckle facing the target and weight over your left foot (right).

Now for reading faults by looking at the finish. If your hips are less than perpendicular to the target line when your arms and hands are all the way through and the clubshaft is more vertical, you've likely made a hook swing.

If your hips have turned past perpendicular to the target line at the finish, with the clubshaft more horizontal, and your wrists aren't recocked nearly as much as they should be, you've likely made a slice swing.

Check out your finish in a mirror, and try to ingrain the right positions in your real swing.



By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By Dom Furore
April 2009

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Tiger Tips: My New Driver Cut Shot


Grip down an inch and hold off the release

My objective off the tee is accuracy over distance. That's why I've usually stressed swinging within yourself, though it's sometimes hard for me to do. When I'm in control, I feel as if I'm going at about 80 percent of my all-out max.

This year, I've added a little gripped-down cutter with the driver that has allowed me to take better advantage of those short but tight dogleg-rights. I hit this shot 20 or 30 yards farther than my 3-wood while controlling the flight and trajectory to leave a lob wedge into these short holes. By gripping down, I can add control and still make an aggressive move instead of trying to ease up on a standard driver swing, which can cause me to overcut the ball.

To play the driver cut shot, I grip down half an inch to an inch, depending on how far I want to carry the ball. I picture the fairway as a four-lane highway: I aim for the far-left lane and try to fade it to the next lane over. Everything else in my setup and execution is like any other fade. I play the ball just off my left instep in a slightly open stance, then swing along my stance line and hold off the release for a fraction of a second to produce about a five-yard fade.



By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos by Stephen Szurlej

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Tiger Tips: Make Those Bleeders


On putts that slide right, let the putter release

Bad habits can sneak back into your game like a recurring nightmare. That happens to me sometimes when I start missing left-to-right putts -- I call them bleeders -- on the low side. Nine times out of 10 it's because I'm not releasing the putter through impact, not letting the putterhead track to the inside after impact. I'm kind of push-putting instead of swinging on an arc.

In other words, my right hand freezes at impact, restricting the putterhead from moving along its natural inside-to-square-to-inside arc. It's like cutting your follow-through short on a full swing. On a putt, you sacrifice accuracy and distance control.

Making a few right-hand-only practice strokes can remind me to release the putter. Give that a try if you have trouble keeping those bleeders on line.



By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos by Stephen Szurlej 

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Tiger Tips: What's changed in my swing


More stability means a good move into the ball

My reconstructed left knee enables me to finally make the swing that my instructor, Hank Haney, and I have been working on for years. That's because my legwork is so much better with a knee that doesn't shift all over the place and is pain-free for the first time in 10 years. I'm excited that I can hit shots I couldn't hit before without making compensations in my swing.

This driver sequence, taken the week of my win at Bay Hill, shows my normal setup and backswing as I load up on my right side to the top (2). On the downswing, my arms are coming down in front of my body; my shoulders are turning forward, and my arms aren't swinging past my turn at all. You can also see that I'm making a lateral move toward the target while transferring my weight to my left leg (4). This is something I really couldn't do before. I'm able to make this lateral move by shifting my hips forward instead of backing them up through the hit--a habit I'd developed to protect my knee from further injury and, quite frankly, because it hurt like heck sometimes when I didn't. When I would back up, my tendency was to hit the ball to the right. Sometimes I could save the shot with my hands, but it was pretty difficult to do, especially with consistency.



Another difference is, now I can really post up: My left leg stays flexed into impact and straightens in the follow-through (6). Before, it would straighten well before then. This better leg action allows a natural release and extension down the line.



By Tiger Woods
With Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photos By Dom Furore