Kaymer's toss shot ability leads to major title glory

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Martin Kaymer has enjoyed much success on the European Tour.

The PGA Championship never seems to disappoint when it comes to drama down the stretch and this year was certainly no different. It's always great to watch tournaments when so many players have a chance to win on the back nine.

Listen to Todd Jones

PGA TOUR Golf Academy's Todd Jones breaks down the keys to Martin Kaymer's win at Whistling Straits on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

I feel bad for Dustin Johnson. The guy played so well all week and just when it looked like he would conquer these final three holes to win his first major championship, everything changed. Not only did Dustin miss the par putt on the 72nd hole to win, he was denied his spot in the 3-hole playoff with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson after a ruling on Johnson's conduct in the "bunker" on the final hole.

I am just thankful he didn't make that demanding par on the 18th as that would've been just too much to stomach.

Martin Kaymer is a player that a lot of you may have not heard much about. He is a player I have enjoyed watching on the European Tour and is a name that has now been officially included on the list of young impressive players on the rise. In fact, he was my dark horse in the office pool at The Open Championship where he played very good as well; however, this selection didn't allow me to include him in my picks for The PGA Championship .. bummer -- I know.

Kaymer is another good example of someone who can get it out there a good clip off the tee, has a strong iron game and an excellent short game. The German can simply hit all the shots and he proved this weekend in Kohler, Wisc. that he wasn't afraid to hit any of them when the pressure was on.

One of the shots that Kaymer is so good at is that lofted shot when around the greens. This week at Whistling Straits, players were forced to loft the ball up in the air with some spin in order to get the ball close. With heavy rough and some difficult pin's to get out, Kaymer was forced to utilize the bounce of the club head in order to get the ball up and down.

Bounce is the difference between the leading edge and the trailing edge. This wide, rounded mass behind and below the leading edge of the clubface can really help when trying to loft the ball up higher and down softer. Kaymer hit a lot of these shots to perfection en route to the PGA Championship.

At the TOUR Academies, when introducing how to use the bounce of the club head, we like to start with a shot we call the "Standard Toss" shot. This is a shot that will carry between roughly 25-50 yards and requires a player to utilize the bounce of the club head in order to hit it properly. A Standard Toss shot segment begins by learning to take a sand wedge and set the club shaft angle more perpendicular to the ground at address. The most common error when trying to hit these types of shots is leaning the club shaft too far forward at address. This shaft angle promotes the leading edge of the sand wedge and can result into a very steep looking divot at impact.

As a result, so many of us fall into this vicious cycle of hitting shots fat and then overtime thin as well -- as we learn to come out of our posture in order for the steep divot not too occur. Although there are times that we must lean the club shaft forward in order to hit the right shot, there are also times to ease up on the leading edge.

With the club shaft more perpendicular at address and the ball position in the center of the stance, you are set-up now to utilize the bounce of the club head. The bounce will allow you to continue to hit the ground but will create a divot that will be much shallower. This impact dynamic will allow the ball to launch higher and promote a more controlled motion resulting in more confidence.

After much success with the Standard Toss shot we then move along to the "High Toss" shot. This shot now allows the students to lean the club shaft slightly away from the target at address with the ball position more forward in the stance. This dynamic at address will now promote even more arm swing in both directions with the appropriate rate of turn in the body. These long and lazy swings will teach students how to control their body throughout the motion resulting in the appropriate distance control. You will notice on these shots when the club head hits the ground, the loft and bounce of the club head is now really exposed allowing for you to lob the ball way up in the air.

Martin Kaymer is great at both of these shots as he executed not only these two but so many others around the demanding greens of Whistling Straits. Regardless the shot he faced, Kaymer always did two things to help execute the shot:

Stand to the Handle -- Whether the club shaft is perpendicular or leans slightly away or towards the target, it's encouraged to position your body so the butt-of-the club is pointing at the belt buckle or slightly left of it. With the body positioned to the handle, it is a lot easier to keep these shots on-line and support the motion of the golf club.

Go with it -- Whether you are hitting it low, medium or high, it's encouraged to let your upper body turn and open up towards the target as the club swings through. Learning to support the arms, hands and club through impact with the turning of the torso can lead to more consistency around the greens.

Just Because
What if Dustin Johnson makes that putt on the 72nd hole? I can't even imagine after him jumping around in happiness on the 18th green thinking he just won a major championship to only be told what had happened previously back in the "bunker".

It really was too bad for Dustin Johnson and the PGA that the finish had to occur like it did. Take nothing away from Martin Kaymer as the guy was great down the stretch and deserves the title but I think we are all left with a bad taste in our mouth after what happened.

The reality is Dustin Johnson is for real. After the guy fell apart on Sunday in the U.S. Open, he has come back and shown us all that he plans to be around for awhile. This guy's game is awesome and one would have to think he is going to get his major championship here real soon.

Hang in their Dustin.

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.