Instruction blog: Lag, closed clubface creates power

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Dustin Johnson has already won twice on TOUR with his all-around game.

There wasn't much paragliding going on this week over the Monterey Peninsula, as Mother Nature took over and shortened the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am to three rounds. After 54 holes, Dustin Johnson was crowned the winner. With high winds and soaking rains, Johnson used his length off the tee and some solid scrambling around the greens to win the second PGA TOUR tournament of his very young career.

Listen to Travis Fulton

PGA TOUR Golf Academy's Travis Fulton breaks down the keys to Dustin Johnson's victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in his weekly segment on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

This win now positions Johnson alongside Anthony Kim as the only two-time winners under the age of 25. I think it is time to elevate Johnson into the same conversation with the other popular young guns on the PGA TOUR.

Johnson, who can just flat-out bomb it off the tee, seems to be putting together an improved iron game along with a short game that is steadily getting better as well. This week at the AT&T, Johnson was second in the field in Scrambling and was the only player to average 300 yards or more off the tee. With this combination of raw power and creative skills around the green, one has to think that Johnson is going to rack up more wins.

What Can We Learn
It is fun to watch the long ball hitters fire it off the tee. Over the last two weeks, we have been treated to two winners who are currently ranked in the Top 10 in Driving Distance on the PGA TOUR. Last week, we saw Nick Watney, currently tied for seventh with an average of 303 yards on his drives, won the Buick Invitational. This week, we watched Johnson, ranked 10th at 301.5 yards, win the AT&T. Although both create power in similar ways, one distinct difference is the way they use the clubface.

Like so many other long hitters through history, Johnson creates a tremendous amount of power as a product of a closed clubface at the top of the swing. What's important to understand is that all of us either have an open, square or closed clubface at the top of the swing. This clubface position, as you would imagine, has a significant impact how solidly you hit the ball. Generally speaking, between the three positions, a closed clubface like Johnson is recommended for most amateurs.

At the TOUR Academies, the three biggest swing flaws we see day-in and day-out are:

1. An open clubface at impact, resulting in a slice.
2. A club head path that travels too much from out-to-in during the downswing.
3. A club head throw-away on the downswing, leading to weak and inconsistent impact conditions.

The fix to one or all three major swing flaws begins with creating a slightly closed clubface position at the top of swing. Here's why:

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Johnson bombs it off the 18th tee at Pebble Beach last week.

1. With the clubface closed at the top, it will encourage a more closed clubface at impact, creating draw spin versus slice spin.

2. One of the major reasons amateurs swing from out-to-in during the downswing is because they are compensating for an open clubface. It makes sense to swing more over-the-top so the ball starts left and then curves back to the right. A player can get around the course with this ball flight.

Imagine if the clubface is now closed at the top and you still swing from out-to-in. The ball will still start left, but this time, it doesn't curve back. So what else needs to change? The club head path now has to be delivered from in-to-out, creating a much better starting direction to now compliment the new clubface position.

3. In addition to the improved club head path, golfers can learn to create more lag in the club head as well as the result of a closed clubface. Again, if the clubface is open at the top, a player will learn to close the clubface by releasing the trail wrist too soon. This casting motion creates a closing effect, but results in the club shaft leaning away from the target, effectively adding loft at impact.

Again, imagine the clubface is now closed at the top of the backswing and you release the trailing wrist too soon. The result is "fore left."

What changes? The trail wrist becomes more educated and holds off the club head's release by creating more rotation in the lower body through the hitting area. With increased lag, the club shaft will now lean forward, resulting in an accelerating and descending club head as well as a de-lofted clubface at impact.

All of these preferred characteristics are seen with Johnson's swing. With the clubface closed at the top, Johnson has a swing path that is delivered from the inside with a tremendous amount of lag in the club head as it reaches impact. With is body rotated, the shaft leans well forward with a clubface that is slightly -- you guessed it -- closed.

Just Because
I must admit I was a little bummed out that we didn't get to enjoy the final round of the AT&T. The beauty certainly turned into the beast at Pebble and interrupted our Sunday tradition here in Florida where we enjoy each final round on TV while partaking in some food and beverages. Not only was Mother Nature in a bad mood on the West Coast, she took her toll here on the East Coast as well, shortening the Daytona 500.

Now I must say I was bummed about the golf, but with NASCAR, I just can't say the same. To be honest, I just don't understand NASCAR from the rules of the race to why fans get so excited about "their" driver. At first I thought NASCAR was just too repetitive, boring and predictable for me, and then I thought to myself, "Well those are all the same characteristics of the Seahawks offense." You all know how I feel about that.

So I have come to the conclusion that I am simply a bad driver and obviously don't appreciate talent behind the wheel. So I would now like to apologize to all those that have followed me when I leave my right blinker on while rolling down the freeway. I am sorry to those that have been with me when I hit the gas and let off -- hit the gas and let off -- hit the gas and let off -- in an attempt to simply do the speed limit. And finally, I am sorry for leaving my wipers on when it's not raining. Yes indeed, I am a bad driver and will just never appreciate the sport we call "driving."