Golf Digest South Africa — January 2018

8%

Photographs by Dom Furore

y dad, Claude Har-

mon, had a great line

for his students about

aim:“If you aim at nothing,

you’re always going to hit it.”

To get a handle on where

your shots are going, focus

on starting direction. Here’s

a drill I’ve been using a lot

lately with my players. Take

three alignment poles and

set one parallel to your target

line between your feet and

the ball. Stick the other two

in the ground five to 10 me-

tres in front of you and a metre

apart, creating a window on

your target line.You can adjust

the gap based on how easy it is

for you to hit a goal.

This is a great drill for

monitoring your setup, which

will help if you’re spraying the

ball. Using a 7-iron, step in and

set the bottom of the club

perpendicular to the pole at

your feet – that’s a square face.

Then set your body lines (feet,

knees, hips, shoulders) parallel

to the pole. Now you’re set

up to split the uprights. Hit

some balls going through this

routine.

Remember to use your

normal swing; don’t try to steer

the ball through the poles with

your hands. Drive your whole

body through, and see how

you do.

Butch Harmon is at

Rio Secco Golf Club in

Henderson, Nevada.

For players who want to work

the ball left or right, stick one

alignment pole on your target

line five to 10 metres out.

To fade it, set the clubface

square to the pole, but align

your body to the left (open),

then swing along your body

line. The ball should start left

of the pole and then curve

towards the target (above).

For a draw, square the face,

set your body closed and

start the ball right.

learn to play

draws and fades

How often a golfer

who scores between

95 and 100 gets

up and down for par.

SOURCE: GAME GOLF

TARGET PRACTICE

Hit some goals to rein in your shots

12 / JANUARY 2018 / GOLFDIGEST.CO.ZA

Play Your Best
|
BUTCH HARMON

M

PHOTOS BY DOM FURORE