Chris McDonnell, Golf At Goodwood Academy Manager, on Danny Willett's victory over Jordan Spieth at the 2016 Masters tournament.
APR 11th 2016
Become a Master with Trackman
The 2016 Masters produced yet another thrilling spectacle with Danny Willett becoming the second Englishman after Nick Faldo to put on the green jacket.
You really have to admire the way Willett took his chance after Jordan Spieth collapsed at Amen Corner. Historically the person that wins the Masters is someone with a deadly short game, and Spieth was on course to prove this fact right with another exhibition of world-class putting. Unfortunately for Spieth, it was his poor iron play into the 12th hole that cost him from retaining the Masters.
Watching Willett play the final nine holes on the Sunday, I really admired his approach shots into the greens with the 14th and 16th being the highlight shots. When the pressure was on he produced a wonderful display of iron shots with perfect distance control that left him best placed on the greens to create great chances of birdie putts. The combination of accurate tee shots, excellent iron play and solid putting along with a great attitude led Willett to victory, but in my opinion it was the timing of his approach shots that put him in the driving seat and increased the pressure on his fellow competitors.
For any amateur golfer out there looking for inspiration from the Masters, I would encourage you to focus on your distance control and accuracy instead of looking for more length on your shots. From my experience, amateur golfers fail to know how far they can hit each club. This is mainly because the strike of the golf shot is inconstant, leading to the ball coming off the club face at different speeds. The only way you will understand your distances with your clubs is by consistently striking the ball better and then measuring this with a ball radar monitor such as Trackman.
The majority of top PGA tour professionals are now using the Trackman technology whilst practicing because it delivers instant feedback on each shot and they can actually see the difference with numbers and not just through video technology. The Trackman is not only a device that measures the distance of your golf shot, it also provides fine details of your swing tendencies with numbers and facts.
For advice on how to strike the ball consistently better or to book a lesson with the new Trackman 4 email golfacademy@goodwood.com or call 01243 520162.