Pga Golf Championship

Fulton: Watney's swing starts with a solid takeaway

Make it win No. 2 for Nick Watney as the young American was on fire over the weekend at AT&T National played at Aronimink Golf Club. How about a smooth little 27 on the back nine on Saturday? I mean come on -- 27? What's next 26, 25 coming home on the back nine?

Can you imagine? "Hey, how did you play today?"

"Not bad -- struggled a bit on the front with a 32 but had a 26 on the back nine... should've been a 24".

There's been some crazy low scores in today's game at the professional level. Just when you think they can't go lower -- they do.

Earlier this year when Watney won the World Golf Championships -- Cadillac Championship at TPC Blue Monster, I talked about how well Watney turns his torso through impact. This component of the golf swing is critical when looking to become more consistent because it allows the hands to remain passive through impact, promoting a more repeatable position.

One of the things that really sets the stage for this more repeatable impact is how Watney keeps the club face square during his initial backswing. At the TOUR Academies, we refer to this initial movement as Position #1 and measure it when the club shaft reaches parallel to the ground/target line. At this point in the swing a square club face is when the toe of the club points slightly down once the club shaft reaches parallel.

When you look at the best players in the world, it seems most of them fall somewhere in between the toe of the club face pointing straight up to the sky and excessively down where it it's parallel to the spine angle. Watney is a good example of this, as he uses his "strong grip" and movements of his left hand during the backswing perfectly to keep the toe of the club face slightly down and square to the arc at Position #1.

One of the most common errors during this initial takeaway is to over rotate the club face to an open position. An open club face at Position #1 is when the toe of the club points straight up to the sky to even behind the body. What's difficult about this move is a player can be led to compensate during the rest of the swing for a movement that occurred right away during the first six feet of the backswing.

With that said, what can be difficult to understand here is you will see a lot of professionals with this open club face at Position #1 but demonstrate the necessary components that go along with it on the downswing to a solid and repeatable impact position. However, most amateurs that take the club face back in this same open manner usually don't have the experience and/or time to achieve the same downswing and impact positions. As a result, you will usually see one or all of the following to compensate for this open club face.

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GOLF PGA TOUR Of this year champions who have themselves it jeopardize to date are the ex- champion John Deere Classic Jonathan Byrd (2007), twice winning Mark Wilson, Jhonny Fertile valleys, GIVE Points, Johnson Wagner, Michael Bradley, Brendan Steele, and Bradley Keegan. Up-and-coming of 23 years of age, of Australia sensation of Jason Day, that secondly tied this year in the Masters, also is had it jeopardize. British Open-described players is had it jeopardize and is probable that the match without at night stopping charter Sunday to the Royal St. embarks George. Among them they are Stricker, Byrd, Kelly, ex- champion of Masters and Cedar Rapids (Ia.) native Zach Johnson, Bo Van Pelt, and ex- champions of Abierto the British Todd Hamilton and John Daly. Other qualifiers Abrir recent include to Brian Davis, Bob Estes, Green Nathan Levin Spencer, and Tidland Chris.

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