Academy Manager on Stenson's famous victory

Those of you who watched the new Sky coverage would have seen the players compete in all sorts of weather. What I really liked about the Sky TV coverage is The Open Zone they had based at the practice area. This added feature really allowed golf fans to get to know the players and what they were thinking before they began competition. It was interesting to hear the response of Justin Rose when asked what do you do if you start badly with several bogeys. He replied that ‘you just have to believe in your ability and the amount of time preparing during practice rounds,’ he knew there would be opportunities to claw it back. It wasn’t Justin’s week but he still managed to finish tied 22nd on 1 over par.

To the action, and the final round saw Sweden’s Henrik Stenson claim the famous claret jug beating American Phil Mickelson, which happened to end up in a two horse race. Both players produced a high quality of shots matched by a fine display of putting, which resulted in the lowest ever winning score in Open Championship history of 20 under par. One of the reasons that they ended up 11 shots clear of the rest of the field, was their continuous ability to produce accurate approach shots with exceptional distance control.

To do this they must have a swing that is repeatable and the knowledge on how far they hit each club. Certainly one of the reasons they are able to repeat their swings is because they always use their upper bodies to hit the shot. To create consistent movement we must be using our big muscle groups and not just the small muscles that we have in our hands and arms. Enabling the hands and arms to rotate with the body will most definitely increase your distance and promote a more consistent movement.

For understanding on how far you hit each club we can use the Trackman Radar technology to tell us the landing and overall distances. The Trackman can also aid us with information on coaching the golf swing with important figures to determine progression and understanding.

Henrik Stenson has certainly got a great understanding of his game, and when I think of my own playing success - distance control and aggressive approach shots are definitely key ingredients to performing well. If you would like to improve your approach shots or distance control please don’t hesitate to contact Chris at golfacademy@goodwood.com