Karen Palacios-Jansen

Trevor Immelman's Masters win no fluke

It may seem like a fluke that Trevor Immelman won the Master’s, but it just didn’t happen by accident …

I was talking with some friends of mine about the Master’s and one of them said to me “who is this guy Trevor Immelman? He came out of nowhere to win.” I almost choked on my coffee. Although many Americans may think that Trevor Immelman came out of nowhere to win golf’s most coveted tournament, the Master’s, Trevor has actually spent his life preparing to win this championship. Since I have known Trevor for almost half his young life, I thought that I would help everyone get to know golf’s newest major champion.

I first met Trevor back in 1997 when I worked at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida. He was just 16 and he was already a star junior golfer. His family had mortgaged their house to send Trevor to the States to work with David Leadbetter. His parents wanted to give him every advantage they could to help him fulfill his dreams of becoming a professional golfer. Following in the footsteps of other famous South African golfers such as Ernie Els, Nick Price, David Frost and Mark McNulty, Trevor sought out swing advice from David Leadbetter. “Lead” (as he is called by his friends and family) proceeded to help shape the future champion’s swing into the technically perfect form it is today.

While at the Academy, Trevor and his brother Mark spent countless hours working on their games as if they were tour players; studying the swings of some of the best players in the world including Nick Faldo and Nick Price. Since the Leadbetter Golf Academy was a who’s who of golf greats, Trevor was able to associate with and study the traits of champion golfers. He would sit in on video sessions of other players, he would watch pros practice and he who not stop asking questions. Talking with Trevor you would have thought you were conversing with a mature adult and not a 16-year-old kid fresh off the plane from South Africa. I knew back then, that he would be a great player. He practiced and studied the game, not just to win junior and amateur tournaments, but to become a champion golfer. Being slight in build, Trevor set out to become as strong and flexible as possible, enlisting the help of trainer Dave Herman, whom he still works with today.

Not only was he a studious golfer, but a great kid as well. He was very appreciative of the help he was getting in the States and knew the sacrifices his family was making for him. I remember him saying one time, that he was going to buy his family a house someday when he won a tournament.

Although not a big name on the PGA Tour, Trevor has been an up and coming force in world golf competition for the past 10 years. After winning the 1998 US Amateur Public Links, he turned professional in 1999 and played on the second tier professional tour in Europe, the Challenge Tour, and finished tenth on the Order of Merit. He became a full member of the European Tour in 2001 and has made the top twenty of the Order of Merit three times. He has also played on the Sunshine Tour and won the Order of Merit in 2002-03. He has four wins on the European Tour, and in 2004 became the first man to successfully defend the South African Open title since Gary Player in the 1970s. He has played on two President’s Cup Teams for his hero and mentor Gary Player. In 2006 Immelman won his first PGA Tour event at the Cialis Western Open.

Trevor married his childhood sweetheart, Carmenita, on Dec. 6, 2003. He withdrew from the 2006 Open Championship to be with her for the birth of their first child. He finished 2006 in the top 10 of the PGA Tour money list and was named Rookie of the Year.

In December of 2007 Immelman withdrew from the South African Airways Open due to the discovery of a small tumor in his chest. After surgery and countless tests they discovered the tumor was benign. This caused him to miss the first eight weeks of the 2008 PGA Tour season. Although he was having a lack luster year on the PGA Tour this year, Immelman managed to hold on to win the Master’s even after a double-bogey on 16, defeating Tiger Woods by three shots.

So you see Trevor Immelman just didn’t come out of nowhere to win the Master’s, he has spent his life preparing for it.

Forget Augusta National, head over to Sage Valley

Want to play Augusta National but have been denied? Take matters into your own hands. That is exactly what Aiken, S.C., businessman Weldon Wyatt did after being snubbed for membership at Augusta National.

Since they wouldn’t let him play at Augusta, Wyatt pretty much told Augusta to “stuff it” and showed them that he could build just as nice of a golf course. In fact, the motto printed on the scorecard at the exclusive Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C. states “I always thought everyone should have another chance to get even.”

Wyatt and his son Tom set out to create their own personal playground, a mere 15 miles from Augusta National, by building a bigger, better, more beautiful golf course that revivals this country’s most famous golf venue replete with rolling terrain, perfectly manicured fairways, SubAir drainage systems under the greens, stately pines, and undulated greens, not to mention thousands of azaleas and dogwood trees and caddies with white jumpsuits. A Tom Fazio designed course playing 7,344 yards from the back tees, Sage Valley looks and feels like Augusta National.

I had the opportunity to play there yesterday and I will have to say that it ranks as one my best golf experiences ever. From the moment you pull through the gates, until you leave, you feel like you have died and gone to golf course heaven, not to mention that the food is free at the half-way house, playing golf really doesn’t get any better than Sage Valley.

I hate to say that it is more beautiful than Augusta (I have played there too and that was always my favorite), but I will have to say that I think Sage Valley has out-done Augusta in almost every way. In fact, my friends and I gave up the opportunity to go to the Master’s to watch the practice round just to play golf at Sage Valley. There was not even a debate of whether or not we should go to the Master’s or play Sage Valley. We all chose Sage Valley. For Weldon Wyatt, revenge is sweet.

Karen tees off on Sage Valley’s par-4 11th hole named Dogwood.

Caddies at Sage Valley walking up the par-4 3rd hole Cypress.

Golf Tip: Golfers Need to Strengthen Rotator Cuff to Prevent Injury

Many golfers do not pay attention to the function of their rotator cuff and its critical role in the golf swing until they’ve had an injury to that area. Golfer can develop tendinitis, bursitis, and tears in the rotator cuff due to the repetitive motion of the golf swing and from weak muscles.

The best prevention is to strengthen the shoulders. The following exercises will strengthen the muscles that comprise the rotator cuff:

1. External Rotations-Lay on your side, supporting your head with your hand. Place your elbow on your hip and bend your arm in a 90-degree angle with palm facing the ground. Using a light hand weight, lift and lower your arm, rotating your shoulder through a complete range of motion. Do 20 to 25 repetitions on both shoulders.

2. Internal Rotations-Lay on your side, your head supported by pillows or a rolled up towel. Holding a hand weight, place your arm in a 90-degree angle, with your upper arm resting on the ground and your palm facing the sky. Raise your arm up and down, rotating your shoulder through a complete range of motion. Do 20 to 25 repetitions on both shoulders. Increase the weight as you progress.

Find out how you can retool your swing after rotator cuff surgery in my latest article in the March/April may edition of Golf Fitness Magazine available at newsstands everywhere.

LPGA - South Korean women dominate women's golf in 2008

Although Lorena Ochoa leads the HSBS Women’s Champions Tournament, shooting 66 in Singapore, South Korea’s women are making their mark in women’s golf. Since the beginning of the year, South Korean women have been playing amazing golf and in my opinion, will eventually dominate women’s golf. In the past 5 weeks, South Korea’s lady golfers have had an amazing run, check it out …

1. Women’s World Cup of Golf

South Korea’s Ji-Yai-Shin and Eun Hee Ji were beaten only by two strokes by Team Philippines in South Africa at beginning of year.

2. Women’s Australian Open

Karrie Webb defeated Ji-Yai Shin from South Korea after both players finished tied at eight-under-par 284 in regulation.   Webb rolled in a twelve-foot birdie putt on the first play-off hole to take her fourth national title.

3. ANZ Ladies Masters

England’s Lisa Hall came from one stroke behind the overnight leader South Korea’s Hyun Ju Shin to post a three round winning total of 13-under-par 203.

4. SBS Open at Turtle Bay

Annika Sorenstam wins while South Korea’s Jane Park finishes 2nd and Angela Park finishes T-5 after receiving a two- stroke penalty.

5. Fields Open

Paula Creamer wins after South Korea’s Jeong Jang lead almost the entire tournament finishing one stroke behind.

Be prepared to see not only South Korea’s ladies on top of the leader board more often, but also women from other Asian nations. There are 66 players from six Asian nations on the LPGA Tour.

Tiger Woods doesn't have enough time in the day to practice golf

Even after winning his sixth straight tournament title and passing Arnold Palmer on the U.S. PGA Tour’s all-time wins list with a record-setting victory in the final of the World Golf Championships Match Play event, Tiger Woods says that the game is hard and that he doesn’t have time in the day to practice all the different parts of the game.

After being asked about the state of his game in the press room at the post-round interview, he said that he still felt that there is room for improvement in his game. He said (and I am paraphrasing) “the game is fluid, it is always changing. When you are putting well, the ball striking may leave you, when you are hitting the ball well, then you start to putt badly. It is impossible to do everything well. I just feel that there is not enough time in the day to practice all the different parts of the game.”

Tiger must be human because that is the way I feel!

If Tiger doesn’t have enough time in the day to practice his game, what about the rest of the poor guys on the PGA Tour?

Amy Winehouse misses Grammys for rehab - Tico Torres missed them to golf

When you think of rock stars, you think of hillside mansions, all night parties, people in and out of rehab, and self indulgence. Tico Torres, Bon Jovi drummer, is the antithesis of the “rock star” persona. Over the past 23 years, Tico has been a member of one of the most successful rock bands of all times selling over 120 million albums worldwide and topping the music charts with 19 top 40 hits.

This year Bon Jovi was nominated for a Grammy for their “Lost Highway” CD, and Sunday, Tico had to make a choice - go to the Grammys with his band and party like a rock star or stay in Florida and run his charity golf tournament to raise money for one of his favorite charities, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation that happened to be on the same day as the Grammys.

He could have just as well blown of his own event to attend the Grammys. No one would have blamed him, but he didn’t. Tico, a 7 handicap, stuck around to play in his own tournament at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He wanted to make sure that he met and thanked paying participants for coming out to support his charity.

During the event Tico patiently signed autographs and took photos with everyone who asked, and even shelled out $70,000 of his own money at the live auction at the dinner the night before the tournament.

So in this day of out of control and over paid celebrities, it is nice to know that some are doing good and giving back. Amy Winehouse couldn’t attend the Grammys because she had just been released from a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Tico Torres couldn’t attend because of a nobler reason: he had to play golf.

Tico Torres, Karen Palacios-Jansen and pro-am team

Tico Torres Tees off.

Golf Tip: Three Steps to Creating Backspin with Wedges

A lot of my students ask me how to get backspin with their wedges. They see the Professionals hit short shots to greens that back up towards the pin and they want to do that too.

High-handicappers usually have a misconception of how to get backspin with a wedge. They think that they need to get underneath the ball and scoop the shot. This is exactly the opposite of what you want to do.

To get backspin you actually want to hit down. When you strike down on the ball, the ball rolls up the clubface, the ball flies forward, but it spins backwards, so when it lands, the ball will roll backwards and then stop. To do this, you want to squeeze the ball off the turf: hitting the ball first and taking a thin divot afterwards.

Follow these three simple steps to get backspin with your wedge.

First, set up your body slightly open to your target. This means that you point your body left of the target (if you are right-handed) and lean your weight towards your front leg.

Second, play the ball just right of center. You want the ball further back in your stance so that you catch the ball first on your downswing; your hands should be in front of the ball at address and as you strike the ball at impact.

Third, you want your backswing to be more upright or steeper, so you must hinge your wrists freely as you swing back. The worst move you can do when you are trying to pitch and get backspin is take the clubhead low and inside on the backswing. Take it back straighter and let the club work up. This is what is going to help you pinch the ball off the turf and get you the backspin you desire.

Take the clubhead back straight, letting club work up.

The worst move you can do when pitching is take the clubhead inside on the backswing.

Golf tip: Is golf making you fat?

For every additional 30 minutes you spend driving in your car, you increase your chances of becoming obese by three percent, studies say. Although that may not seem like much, but within a few years, it could mean an additional 10 to 30 pounds. Add this to the time you spend sitting in a golf cart while you play golf and you could argue that playing golf could be making you fat.

Hitting a ball every five minutes with bouts of rest in between sitting in a golf cart is not considered appropriate exercise to lose or even maintain weight. Unless you are running to your ball from your golf cart and taking five practice swings before each shot, you are not getting enough exercise.

Playing golf requires a great deal of concentration and may be mentally draining, but swinging a golf club does not require a large amount of energy output. In golf, the energy output is primarily anaerobic (without oxygen) as opposed to running or swimming that are primarily aerobic exercises. Golf is considered a short-term energy sport using energy from the body that does not require oxygen, so you are not burning a lot of calories while you play golf.

Add a couple of hot dogs and a couple of beers to your round and you may actually be in taking more calories than you are burning. To get the recommended amount of exercise you will have to supplement playing golf with real exercise. Consider starting a golf specific workout to kill birds with one stone: work on your golf game and get some well needed exercise.

A well-rounded golf specific workout combines three components:

1. Cardiovascular Training

Walking is one of the best activities people of all ages can do to improve cardiovascular conditioning. Begin your program by walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes gradually increasing your time to 60 minutes. Walk at the fastest pace you can comfortably to carry a conversation, or try to walk fast enough to reach your target heart rate (55 percent to 90 percent of maximum heart rate). You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 then multiplying that number by 80 percent. The ACSM recommends that adults do minimum 20-60 minutes of aerobic activity 3-5 times a week.

Incorporating interval training into your program will help you increase your aerobic capacity. Walk as fast as you can for two minutes, followed by one minute of slower walking. Repeat this sequence 10 times for a total of 30 minutes of interval walking. Also try lifting your arms over above your head for two paces and then back down for two more while you walk to increase your heart and increase aerobic capacity.

2. Strength Training

Strength training or resistance training as it is sometimes called makes you stronger, to hit the ball longer and more consistently. Whenever one of my female students asks me how to get more power in their swing, I take them to the gym to show them exercises to increase their strength especially in their arms and hands, shoulders and torsos. The stronger you are, the faster you can swing the club, which in turn will give you more clubhead speed for more distance.

Essential muscles to develop for the golf swing:

* Abdominal muscles, external oblique muscles and legs: Strengthening these areas provide support for good posture at address and balance throughout the swing.

* Forearms and wrists: Strong hands and arms are important to be able to hinge the club properly on the backswing and hold the angle on the downswing for solid contact at impact and increased clubhead speed.

* Strong upper backs and shoulders: Developing the rhomboid, trapezoid and deltoid muscles allow maximum torso turn to get into the correct position at the top of the swing. Ideally, there should greater upper body turn then lower body turn at the top of the swing.

Strength training can help increase clubhead speed, but added strength will also benefit your short game as well. When your hands and wrists are strong, you will have greater motor control to help you with your touch around the greens.

3. Flexibility

Flexibility is the third key to a golf specific workout that will help you shave shots off your score. To swing a golf club effectively and consistently you need flexibility in all parts of the body. If your muscles are tight, you will be restricted how far you can turn back away from the ball and compromise your technique to get power. Tight muscles also slow motion needed to generate clubhead to get the ball airborne.

Adding golf specific stretches can help in the following areas:

* Improve posture
* Prevent muscle soreness
* Increase range of motion to achieve a complete shoulder turn and more clubhead speed
* Reduce risk of injury

Spending time in the gym will not only shape up your body, but will help trim your score and could keep off those unwanted pounds.

Golf Tip: Winterize your golf game

Most people this time of year hang up their clubs and just wait for spring to come around to play again, but you don’t have to wait for good weather to work on your game.

The winter months are actually an ideal time to work on some aspects of your game. Why not spend a few minutes a day working on your flexibility, strength and swing technique. Spending even 5 to 10 minutes a day swinging a club will keep you supple and loose and you won’t have to relearn your swing after the long layoff.

I developed an exercise program I call Cardiogolf. Cardiogolf is a golf specific exercise program that you can do indoors.

This program is designed for golfers of all levels regardless of age or level of play. Cardiogolf will teach you to condition the specific muscles used in proper swing biomechanics as well as provide low impact aerobic conditioning.

Cardiogolf is a 60-minute workout DVD that combines swing drills and exercises for improving swing technique and clubhead speed.

When you improve your swing technique, you increase your chances of improving performance on the golf course and decrease your chances of potential injury.

Cardiogolf starts with a 10-minute warm-up, followed by a 40-minute cardiovascular and strengthen routine using the Cardio club. The Cardio club is a shorted club designed specifically for this workout and indoor use. The workout also uses hand weights for strength and conditioning and ends with a 10-minute cool-down and stretching routine.

For more information on how to order your Cardiogolf workout DVD visit www.cardiogolf.com.

Golf Instructor and famous husband give thanks

The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the things you have to be thankful for in your life. The end of December also happens to be my wedding anniversary so I am always thankful for my husband and the great relationship we have.

Golf always has been and will always be a big part of our lives. To make a long story short, I met my husband Dan Jansen when he came to take a golf lesson from me when I worked at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida back in 1996. You may remember Dan; he won a gold medal in speed skating in the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

We hit it off, but our time together was brief and after that initial golf lesson I would not see for four years. We re-met by chance at a Gary Player charity golf event at the Floridian Golf Course in Palm City, Florida. Dan, obviously knowing a good thing when he sees it, would not let me get away this time and we were married a year later.

Dan and I have been good for each other. He understands the crazy lifestyle of a golf professional because his life as television broadcaster and motivational speaker is just as crazy. Teaching and playing golf for a living can be a grind. You are constantly on the go, traveling to tournaments and clinics all over the country. It is hard to be the happy homemaker. I don’t have that kind of life that allows me to have a set schedule, so most nights dinners are improvised, laundry, errands and house cleaning go undone and forget about making plans on the weekends and holidays because that is when most lessons and tournaments happen.

But Dan knows that I really love what I am doing, so he is the first one to encourage me to do whatever I have to do better my career. For this I am thankful.

Golf is not only my profession, but it is my hobby and my favorite pastime. So fortunately for me, my husband has grown to love the game as much as I do. He has gotten pretty good too. Since we’ve been married he has whittled his handicap down to 3 from a 10 handicap. Not only do we spend all our free time playing golf on the weekends, but we play on vacations too. We’ve played all the great courses in Pinehurst, North Carolina, Kohler, Wisconsin, Ponte Vedra, Florida and we even got to play Augusta National!

Our new favorite place for a golf getaway weekend is Champions Retreat in Evans, Georgia. In fact we just returned from a two-day trip there celebrating our 7th anniversary. We played 27 holes a day. What a great way to get to know your spouse. So this year I am thankful for my spouse that plays golf. It is fun to be married to someone that loves to play golf as much as I do. Everyone should be so lucky.

Golf Tip: Take a mental profile to figure out your golfing personality

The world’s No. 1 player has been absent from golf since the President’s Cup. Tiger Woods said in an interview last week that he hadn’t touched a club in two months. And like most of us, after taking a break from golf, Tiger said that when he did finally hit some balls that he hit it great. His exact words were “I hit it like a God, and then the next day like a 5-handicapper and the day after that like an 18-handicapper.”

I am sure that Tiger will get back on track before the new year, but why is that after taking a break from playing, the swing may feel great, but then after a round or two there is an immediate lose of confidence and our old self returns? Most likely it is because, after an absence from the game, we are relaxed and have no expectations about how we are going to hit the ball, but then after a few shots, our minds kick in and we start thinking about our swing and try too hard. The relaxed, tension free swing is lost.

As the winter approaches, most of us will have to take some sort of break from golf, so this is a perfect time to work on one of the most neglected parts the game-the mental side. Why not take some time away from the golf course to work on some relaxation and visualization techniques? Why not access your game and set some goals for yourself to become a better mental player?

Take stock of your game and figure out what your playing personality and mental tendencies are. I suggest taking a mental profile. I use The Mental Workshop Profile with my students.

Developed by a very smart guy named Bobby Foster who is a Certified Behavioral Analyst specializing in the DISC Behavioral Style Model. His Mental Profiles system generates personalized information for working on your mental game just as video and launch monitors produce personalized information for working on your swing and customizing your equipment. The profile works great for self-coaching as well as for collaborating with your instructor or coach.

For about the price of a private golf lesson, you’ll spend about 10 minutes answering seventeen multiple-choice questions on the online questionnaire. Your answers go through a series of mathematical computations to produce a 21-page customized report detailing your tendencies.

Your personalized profile will detail your mental tendencies in these five key areas of the game:

Preparing For The Round
Mental Tendencies When Playing Shots
Golf Temperament
Course Management And Shot Selection Tendencies
Working Most Effectively With Instructors Based On Your Learning Style

Armed with your results, you can then work on simple exercises to improve your mental focus. So take some time this winter break and work a little on the mental side of your game.

Golf swing tip: Focus on left arm for solid shots

The golf swing in its most simple form is really only a circle. The radius of that circle, back and through the swing is the left arm (in a right-handed swing.) Good players create a wide arc on the backswing and maintain the radius that they created at address throughout the swing. High-handicappers, on the other hand, in their attempt to create a wide arc usually over do it by over swinging and bending their left arm at the top of the swing, which is the opposite of what they should do.

When a wide arc is established at the top of the swing, the player is now able to drop their arms in the correct position on the downswing which allows the left arm to release through impact and fold correctly on the follow-through. The left arm folding on the follow-through keeps the club on the correct plane and the ball on the target line.

A high-handicapper that collapses his left arm at the top of the swing is now out of position and has to throw the club from the outside on the downswing. From this position he tries to save the shot by extending the left arm on the follow-through, once again, the opposite of what one should do, resulting in the dreaded chicken wing follow-through where the elbow points up instead of down destroying the radius of the circle.

Good ball strikers create a wide arc on the backswing because they accomplish a couple of things:

1) As they swing back, they naturally hinge their wrists, which puts the club on the proper plane
2) They are flexible enough to make a full turn while maintaining the left arm extended.

High-handicappers tend to do the opposite:
1) Because of a faulty grip they are unable to hinge their wrists properly and then usually end up hinging their elbows instead
2) Because they may not be as flexible, they are unable to make a full turn so they cannot keep the left arm extended so they bend the arm instead.

You don’t need to swing exactly like a PGA Tour player to strike the ball well, but don’t do the exact opposite. Keep the left arm extended on the backswing and let it fold on the follow-through. If you have been struggling to hit solid iron shots, focus on your left arm.

Good ball strikers create a wide arc on the backswing.

The left elbow points down, not up on the follow-through.

Golf tip: Can't hit your driver? Here are some solutions to common problems

For the beginner and probably for the majority of high-handicap golfers, the driver is the most difficult club in the bag to hit because it is the longest club and it has the least amount of loft. It will slice more often than not. Here are a few solutions to help you become a better driver.

Solution #1

Learn the difference between hitting an iron and driver.

When you hit an iron, the ball is placed in the middle of your stance, so your angle of attack will be down on the ball at impact. This steeper angle will help you get the ball up in the air since the ball is sitting on the ground. When you use a driver, the ball is teed up and positioned more forward in your stance, so the angle of approach at impact is more shallow or sweeping. If you hit down on the ball with a driver, the ball will pop up in the air or you will give the ball a glancing blow slicing it to the right. So you must take care to set up differently with your driver.

First, position the ball more forward in your stance. Second, start with more weight on your back leg and third, since the ball is more forward in your stance, your back shoulder will be lower than your front shoulder. This set-up will encourage a sweeping motion and help you launch the ball up in the air correctly.

This set-up will encourage a sweeping motion and help you launch the ball up in the air correctly.

If you hit down on the ball with a driver, the ball will pop up in the air or you will give the ball a glancing blow slicing it to the right.

Solution #2 Increase your clubhead speed

To be a good driver, you need to have the correct amount clubhead speed. You need at least 80 miles per hour clubhead speed to get a ball up in the air with a 12-degree lofted club or less. To help create clubhead speed, you need to have light grip pressure. Tight grip pressure kills speed. Light grip pressure allows you to make a full turn and helps you to swing the club freely.

To test your grip pressure, hold the club above the ground and feel the weight of the clubhead. If it feels light, you are holding the grip too tightly. The clubhead should feel heavy. Adjust your grip pressure until you can feel the weight of the clubhead. Most pros waggle the club before they swing to help them maintain light grip pressure.

Solution #3 Get rid of your reverse pivot.

To hit a driver, it is important to shift your weight correctly on the downswing, this move will help you create clubhead speed and promote a sweeping motion. If your weight stays on the front leg at the top of the swing, then you have a reverse pivot. With reverse pivot, you will never be able to shift your weight on the downswing. A reverse pivot will cause your weight to hang back at the moment of impact. This robs you of power. At the top of your swing, the majority of your weight should be on the inside of your back leg. This position helps you brace your weight so that you can push off on the downswing.

At the top of your swing, keep your weight on the inside of the right leg for more power.

Shifting your weight correctly on the downswing will help you create clubhead speed and promote a sweeping motion.

Three things golfers need to know about escaping the rough

High-handicap golfers make the rough rougher than it really is. Some try to “help” the ball out with a sweeping motion, only to have the grass grab the clubface and close it, sending the shot low and left. Others hit down, on top of the ball with a karate-chop move that barely advances the ball forward.

If this is your problem, here is some help: Just set up for a fade which will bring the clubface down on a steeper yet controlled outside-in path, thus producing cleaner contact and a soft-landing cut shot. And remember these three things:

1. Open clubface, open stance

Aim the clubface slightly right of the target and your body-feet, hips and shoulders-slightly left of the target. Do the opposite if you are left-handed.

2. Take an extra club

Opening the clubface effectively turns your 6-iron, say, into a 7-iron, so take one club more to compensate for the ensuing loss of distance.

3. Swing along your shoulder line

Grip the club a bit more firmly, and make your normal swing along the line formed by your shoulders at address.

Remember to accelerate all the way through to the finish and you won’t mind the rough as much.

Golf tip: For power and accuracy keep left knee firm but flexed

“Hit against a firm left side” is a classic piece of swing advice that many golfers misinterpret. They think it means that the left knee should be stiff and straight during the downswing- a mistake that forces tension into the leg, halts hip rotation, prevents proper weight shift to the left side, and destroys clubhead speed. At impact, either the left arm collapses (Fore left!) or the hands don’t release (Fore right!). Not pretty.

Ernie Els had to miss the 2005 President’s Cup while recovering from surgery after tearing ligaments in his left knee while tubing in the Mediterranean on a family holiday. For two years, Els was unable to shift his weight properly into his left side because he would stiffen his left knee at impact.

But after many months of rehab and a few swing tweaks, one which included keeping the left knee firm but flexed, he was back at the 2007 President’s Cup and defeating the Lucas Glover of the U.S.

In fact, if you watched the President’s Cup matches this year, you would have seen that all the good ball strikers had a firm, but flexed knee through impact, not stiff and straight. When you keep your left knee flexed, you’ll be able to rotate your hips fully and freely during the downswing.

This rotation is crucial, not only for building clubhead speed with the rotation of your body, but also for keeping the clubface square to hit accurate shots. By properly clearing the hips, you give your arms room to swing the club down and through the line-in other words, to hit the ball straight. The left leg straightens only well after impact, when nearly the full weight of the body shifts onto the left side as the swing progresses from follow-through to finish.

Again, when it comes to the left knee, think “flexed and firm,” not “stiff and straight.”