Crane keeps it simple claim victory at Torrey Pines

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Ben Crane's consistency led to victory at Torrey Pines.

If you were to look up a recipe for a simple and repetitive golf swing that is built for accuracy -- you would see a picture of Ben Crane's. It's certainly not the most powerful move on the PGA TOUR, but one that results in a lot of consistent and high-quality golf shots.

Listen to Travis Fulton

PGA TOUR Golf Academy's Travis Fulton breaks down the keys to Ben Crane's win at Torrey Pines on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

I guess it's only fitting Crane would have a golf swing that would be considered simple and perhaps boring, as this seems to match his even-keeled personality and very deliberate approach to playing the game. After falling two holes behind the group ahead of him Sunday, Crane just kept hitting greens in regulation, dropping the occasional long putt and before long -- he was hoisting the crystal for his third PGA TOUR victory. We have all played with this type of player before. You know the ones that just cruise along and really do nothing flashy but yet at the end of the day they've won the Nassau.

Crane's golf swing is a good model to follow if you are looking for greater consistency. It is a nice example of how you can simplify your swing to hit repeatable shots. In today's pro game, there is certainly a premium on distance; however, players are continuously trying to blend their swing to provide enough accuracy to compete favorably on a weekly basis.

A lot of this simplicity takes place during Crane's backswing where he allows for a good turn with the body, but yet makes a relatively short swing with his arms, hands and club. This results in a very simple backswing that promotes a much more efficient path to the proper impact. Let's break down Crane's backswing a bit further.

Crane's body motion during the backswing is efficient because he allows his left shoulder to move behind the ball. However, when doing this he stabilizes his lower body by keeping his right foot down and right knee bent. This solid post position minimizes hip turn and creates a compact look. When searching for accuracy, it is important to understand that a player should not try to overturn during the backswing in an attempt to hit it farther, as often times a bigger turn doesn't always equate to more clubhead speed at impact. When searching for accuracy it is generally best to keep the body motion at a minimum to achieve a more efficient backswing.

With the body in a good position at the top of the backswing, Crane swings the arms up to a comfortable three-quarter length position with the hands traveling just above the right shoulder and the club shaft short of parallel. Even with the driver this week, Crane was able to maintain this much shorter position at the top of the swing which has helped him not only hit more fairways (currently 33rd in driving accuracy) but more greens as well (currently third in greens in regulation).

This approach is one you are seeing with many PGA TOUR players. In fact, on Sunday, Mickelson flew out his swing coach Butch Harmon so he could tighten things up a bit. Over the years, Mickelson and Harmon have made Phil's body motion more compact and arm swing much shorter to hit more repeatable golf shots. Look for these swing adjustments over the last couple of years to possibly propel Mickelson to theNo. 1 spot in the world as the season continues.

Just Because

Well, things continue to move along in 2010. February is now here and the famous "Groundhog Day" is on Tuesday. Now I gotta tell you, it has been a cold winter here in Florida so I need that little groundhog to not see his shadow this year. I can't deal with this, enough winter here in the Sunshine state -- throw us a bone, rodent.

Have you ever watched the movie "Groundhog Day"? It's an old classic where Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again -- we've all been there from time to time. You know it is funny one of the biggest barriers in the game of golf is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is actually the clinical definition of insanity and often times can be another one of those weird parallels on life and golf.

So here's the deal, maybe the New Year resolution has already worn off but it's not too late -- there's still time whether that little woodchuck see's his shadow or not. Don't be like Phil Connors this year in the movie - be like Phil Mickelson and get on a plan towards better golf in 2010.

Travis Fulton is PGA TOUR Academy's Director of Instruction. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR. To learn more about the TOUR Academy, click here.