2020-05-01_Golf_Digest

66 golf digest | issue 4. 2020

drawing a driver
▶ think up and out for
the right technique

I

knew i was going
to have a good chance
of contending when
I started feeling
comfortable hitting a draw
with my driver in the run-up
tournaments before last
year’s Masters. My stock
driver is a controlled cut,
because keeping it in the
fairway off the tee lets
me take advantage of my
strength—iron play. But

being able to turn one over

is such a huge advantage

at a few holes at Augusta—

especially the par-5 13th,

which I birdied three out of

the four days last year.

For me, hitting a draw

starts with how I set up.

I close my shoulders a little

to the target (aligned right)

and move my right foot a bit

back from the target line,

which helps me turn my hips

better as I get older. On the

backswing, I take the club

more outside the target line,

which helps me feel like I’m

creating room to drop it under

the swing plane on the way

down. “Slotting” the club this

way is how I get that right-to-

left spin on the ball.

I hit down on the ball

slightly for my normal cut, but

for the draw, I have to hit up

on it and swing out toward the

target (above). That up-and-

out feel is good if you’re trying

to draw it. The height of my

follow-through is an indicator

of how high I wanted to hit it.

If I’m trying to send one way

up there, I’ll throw my hands

well above my head.

A

ugusta national demands more specific shots than any other

course we play on tour. It’s no coincidence that 17 guys have

won the Masters at least twice, and that the same guys—even

guys on the Champions Tour—pop up on the first page of the

leader board every year. The reason is, there are certain shots

you must have if you’re going to play well there, but once you’ve

mastered them—pun intended—you’ve always got a chance at the

green jacket. ▶ Take me, for example: I won the Masters at 21, when I was longer

than anyone else, and I won it at 43 (last year), when I finished 44th in driving

distance for the week. I always feel confident going to Augusta, because I know

the shots I need to contend there, and I make sure I have them grooved before

I drive up Magnolia Lane. Here’s what I’ll be working on. —with daniel rapaport

“MY THROUGH-SWING IS MORE

OUT TOWARD THE TARGET WHEN

I WANT TO LET ONE GO.”