Setup Control

KJ Choi is working on controllong his setup. In particular, he now finds that if his aim and posture are consistent, his swing and shot pattern repeat nearly every time. KJ is running 2nd in greens in regulation this year on the PGA Tour, and key to this is a consistent set-up. The practice exercise I have given KJ in the photo is a simple and effective way of checking and adjusting your own set-up. KJ has a stake pointing to the target that he wants to set his eyes, shoulders, hips knees and feet parallel to. He has his putting mirror on the ground at an angle that he can look at each of these checkpoints and adjust if needed.

The Masters

Monday of the Masters and I was the caddy for the day for Stuart Appleby. The Masters sticks to the tradition of only player and caddy inside the ropes. Stuart's caddy Joe took the day off so I could walk the course with Apples and we could map the greens and discuss the strategy of how he will play certain holes depending on the pin positions. this is Apples 12th Masters and after last year leading into the final round he is finally full of confidence that he can play this course and be a genuine contender come Sunday. Last week at Houston he drove the ball very well, finishing 7th in accuracy and 17th in distance for the week and 10th in greeens in regulation. That is a very good sign that his ball striking is back to it's best. The key to playing Augusta is precision with irons and the ability to keep the ball on the right side of the pin. some times that means missing the green can be the best option as it can mean a simple up hill chip or bunker shot.

Shell Houston Open Club Testing

This week we are in Houston for the Shell Houston Open. Between Dale Lynch and I we have 9 players in the field that we work with. Dale works with Geoff Ogilvy, Matt Goggin, Steve Allan and Mark Hensby and my players are Stuart Appleby, Kj Choi, Nick Flanagan, Nick O'hern and David Lutterus. KJ Did some comprehensive driver testing on Tuesday. Most of the manufacturers have launch monitors available for use when the players are trying to find the best combination of head design,shaft and ball to maximise their distance and control. KJ looks for a driver that produces 2500 rpm of backspin and between 10 and 12 degrees of launch angle. We tried about 8 combinations before he found one that spun at 2400 and launched at 11 degrees consistantly. This allows KJ to play his preferred fade and still get some run when the ball hits the ground, so he doesn't give up distance. This driver is in the bag this week and hopefully he will be comfortable with it and take it into the Masters next week full of confidence.