Rickie Fowler’s Four Secret Keys to Great Iron Shots!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Rickie Fowler has had a phenomenal few months, starting in late 2015 and going through January 2016. He had the best record in golf in those few months. What did he change to make him play better? Here, Rickie Fowler with Max Adler explains the 4 keys to his improved ball striking!
On tournament days, I’m already warmed up when I arrive at the course. No matter how early my tee time, I’ll get to the gym and break a sweat first. That way, I’m ready to go so those first swings at the range aren’t lazy ones to get loose.
Right from the start, I’m trying to hit each ball solid and hear that flush sound with my irons. If I’m not hearing it, I don’t panic. I can usually figure out what’s happening with my swing by going through these checkpoints.
1) Are my feet, knees, hips and shoulders square?
Sometimes I ask my caddie, Skovy [Joe Skovron], but you can get a good idea by looking down. You should perceive a bunch of parallel lines pointing just left of your target.
2) How’s my posture?
Now and again I get too bent over, with my head low. The fix is to stand taller and look up a bit. I like how my neck looks long in this photo. My torso has plenty of room to rotate under it.
Check out the Transformation in Rickie Fowler’s Swing.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Rickie Fowler has had a transformation when it comes to his golf swing. He was a good player sitting on the edge until he approached Butch Harmon and asked for help. That was probably the smartest thing he ever did. Butch transformed Rickie into a player who is now considered one of the “Top 4” players. I cannot wait to watch the Masters this year, with Rickie, Jordan, Jason, Rory, Dustin, Bubba, Adam and Justin. Of course, there is a boatload of talented rookies as well! Roger Schiffman, together with Rickie Fowler, plus Dom Furore‘s great pictures, has put together two swing sequences of Rickie. One pre-Butch and one after. Take a serious look. Maybe, just maybe, these can help your game!
FIRING AWAY.
It’s no secret that coming into 2014, I had trouble putting together four good days at a tournament. My final-round stroke average wasn’t perfect—106th on the PGA Tour in 2013. But this year has been a different story: I ranked eighth in scoring on Sundays, more than two shots better than last year. Even though I didn’t win a major in 2014, I was right there in all four of them. I tied for fifth at the Masters, second at the U.S. Open and British Open, and third at the PGA Championship. Each time I felt like I finished strong.
Getting that first move right gets my whole swing on track. Now I don’t need to re-route the club to the inside on the downswing, which required a lot of timing. I feel like my swing will hold up at crunch time. I’m not on or off like I used to be. It’s excellent now, and that’s a great feeling to have. I can’t wait to get back in contention in the majors. Using the two driver sequences here—the top one from 2010,
BEFORE: TOO MUCH BODY TURN TOO EARLY.
Rickie used to drag the handle back and turn his hips and shoulders very early in the swing. The clubhead would lag behind the rotation of his body. Also, his ball position would tend to creep too far back, which contributed to that early turn—he was trying to load up behind the ball. —Butch Harmon
A Routine is Critical to becoming a good putter says Rickie!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I have posted several articles on one pre-shot routine, but non so important as a pre-shot routine in putting. If you don’t think it’s important, watch the very best. Not one of them just walks up to the ball and hits. Watch this video and not only learn, but take it to the course the next time you play!
Watching Butch Harmon and Rickie Fowler working on a four-footer, Butch explains if he took a stopwatch and timed Rickie on his first putt on the first hole and then again on the 72nd hole to win the tournament, the timing would be exactly the same. This is because Rickie’s pre-shot routine is the same every time. Learn from this and develop your own routine for every putt you face on the course!
Dead Straight Drives with Butch Harmon and Rickie Fowler!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I regard Butch Harmon as the best golf instructor alive today. His success with Tiger Woods from 1997 to 2000 is legendary. And now Rickie Fowler is consistently competing for top honors in every major championship due to Harmon’s coaching. Butch has been working with Rickie for several years now, and his swing changes have made him a far better player. Rickie needs a Major Championship to take his stature in the game to the next level! I think Butch is the man to help him with that!
Watch as Butch explains why most amateurs slice and what you can do to fix it!
Rickie Fowler’s Change – Before and After Butch Harmon!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I had no doubt in my mind the moment Rickie Fowler started working with Butch Harmon that this was a recipe for success for Rickie! Butch is not a “mechanical” teacher, and that’s what Rickie needed. Just simple changes that would make a tremendous difference to his game. It is only a matter of time before he wins a Major! Thanks to Roger Schiffman of Golf Digest, in collaboration with Rickie Fowler, for producing this interesting article!
FIRING AWAY.
It’s no secret that coming into 2014, I had trouble putting together four good days at a tournament. My final-round stroke average wasn’t very good—106th on the PGA Tour in 2013. But this year has been a different story: I ranked eighth in scoring on Sundays, more than two shots better than last year. Even though I didn’t win a major in 2014, I was right there in all four of them.
I tied for fifth at the Masters, second at the U.S. Open and British Open, and third at the PGA Championship.
Each time I felt like I finished strong. At Royal Liverpool, I was able to shoot four rounds in the 60s, including 67 on the last day. That tells me the swing changes Butch Harmon and I have been making are exactly what I needed.
About a year ago, Butch and I came up with a plan to make my swing and my game more consistent. After our initial sessions, I regressed. Butch wanted me to work on the changes took a little time before I trusted them under tournament pressure.
One of the big ones is rotating my arms on the takeaway, so the club’s toe moves first, going back, instead of the clubhead going back to the outside and the face shutting, like I used to do. Before I start my swing, I rehearse a takeaway with the club swinging back online and the clubface rotating open. That pre-sets the perfect move off the ball.
Getting that first move right gets my whole swing on track.
Now I don’t need to re-route the club to the inside on the downswing, which required a lot of timing. I feel like my swing will hold up at crunch time. I’m not on or off like I used to be. It’s excellent now, and that’s a great feeling to have. I can’t wait to get back in contention in the majors. Using the two driver sequences here—the top one from 2010,
the bottom from this past August—Butch will take you through the changes we’ve made. I hope they’ll help you get more consistent, too.
BEFORE: TOO MUCH BODY TURN TOO EARLY
Rickie used to drag the handle back and turn his hips and shoulders very early in the swing. The clubhead would lag behind the rotation of his body. Also, his ball position would tend to creep too far back, which contributed to that early turn—he was trying to load up behind the ball. —Butch Harmon
AFTER: EARLIER WRIST SET, CLUB STRAIGHT BACK.
We’ve worked to sync up his takeaway, hinging the wrists sooner and not being as quick with the body. You might have noticed the move he makes over the ball: He practices the first few feet of the swing, making sure he sees the shaft go back right on his toe line. That’s on plane.—Butch Harmon
One of the Best Training Aids Ever – Ask Rickie Fowler!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I have always said that if a golfer is serious about their golf game, there are 4 things they should always carry in their golf bag.
1. At least 2 alignment sticks.
2. An Orange Whip. (Topic of a future post, stay tuned.)
3. A Range Finder.
4. A Putting Mirror.
Rickie never tees off without first doing some putting work with the mirror!
Check out this video below, a routine Rickie Fowler does each and every time before he goes out to play. Most PGA Tour Players use training aids to help them with their game. EyeLine Golf tells me that 18 of the Top 20 PGA Tour players are currently using this device. Shouldn’t you have one in your bag? And practice with it before you go out to play?
