By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

All I want for Christmas is a putting stroke like Brandt Snedeker. In fact, go ahead and throw in his overall approach to putting under the tree as well. It was this approach that propelled Snedeker to the 2012 TOUR Championship and FedExCup title.

What I like about Snedeker’s approach to putting is just how committed and streamlined everything is. Most of the time, Snedeker looks as if he is just playing a casual round of golf with his buddies, with no stress or expectation levels. He just steps up to the putt, aims the face, gets comfortable with the body, takes a look and then lets it go. It seems so simple, but for those of us that have played this game competitively, we know this can be very difficult to do.

To get to this level, you have to work on your approach and overall routine. Go to the practice green and play 18 holes, with every hole as a par 2. Play this course over and over, with a goal of establishing a personal best. Learn from these rounds and establish an approach to putting that you can rely on.

In addition to Snedeker’s approach to putting, his stroke is also a big component. At the TOUR Academies, we get a lot of questions about Snedeker’s putting stroke because it is not the long, fluid stroke that we have been accustomed to over the years from great putters. Rather, Brandt’s stroke is like his routine: It's short and quick -- but very effective.

Regardless the type of stroke, one of the things that make Snedeker such a good putter is his ability to align the face to the intended target at impact. When you can do this, then you can hit the putt solid and start the ball on-line.

So as we wrap up year No. 4 of my blog on PGATOUR.COM, I challenge all of you to take a page out of Brandt Snedeker’s approach to the game and work on your putting this offseason.

Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

Another week -- and another win for Rory McIlroy, as the young Northern Irishman is making the game look too easy as of late. As I stated last week, I am running out of things to talk about when it comes to the game’s newest superstar, so I took a moment to think back to all the great golf Rory has played this year. Besides all the big drives, laser-like irons and solid putting, I find myself thinking about some of the great bunker shots that have helped him win four times this year on the PGA TOUR.

A major key to great greenside bunker play is creating enough loft at address so you can create the speed necessary to hit a high, soft shot. One of the most common errors we see at the TOUR Academies is players who don’t open the club face enough and/or lean the shaft too far forward at address. This dynamic creates a lower initial launch angle, promoting the player to create a short arm swing and/or decelerate to counter the lack of loft.

Here are some things to consider at address to help create an environment that allows for enough loft, which promotes the bigger arm swing and acceleration.

1. Put the clubface open with the shaft neutral to leaning slightly back. Look at adding loft not only through the clubface but also by not leaning the club shaft towards the target. Although there are situations that call for this, most greenside bunker shots call for the hands to be more in-line with the club head to leaning slightly back in relationship to the target to create the loft needed for the shot.

2. Ball position forward, in stance with the butt of the club pointing at belt buckle. With the shaft more neutral to leaning slightly back, it is important to position the body so the butt of the club is pointing at the belt buckle. This will help secure a forward ball position, leading to a higher launch.

3. Weaker grip. Oftentimes, I will encourage my players to move both their hands on the grip towards the target (weaker) which allows the clubface to open more during the backswing. This is an advanced approach, but it can help those who normally have a very strong grip and struggle out of the bunker.

Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.

ON THE MARK ARCHIVE: Tips from Mark Immelman

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

In week three of the FedExCup Playoffs, the top 70 players congregated at Crooked Stick Golf Club for the BMW Championship.

Play was frenetic from the first hole on Thursday morning. Birdies were the order of the day and the star-studded leaderboard sported a blend of current Hall-of-Famers and a few players who may well earn nomination to the hallowed halls in St. Augustine later in their careers.

One of those Hall-of-Famers, a three-time major champion and past world No. 1 Vijay Singh, topped proceedings. At 49 years young the affable Fijian has not only been, and indeed still is, a great champion, he has always been an effervescent source of advice and counsel to many a young professional. You more than likely will not be able to bend Singh’s ear but you can still learn a thing or two about top-flight golf from watching him and his performance in Indianapolis.

Practice, practice, practice (but with a purpose): I firmly believe that no great endeavor or achievement comes without a great and concerted sacrifice. Singh is the embodiment of that belief. He practices as hard as, and if not harder than, anyone in the world’s game. The beauty about Singh’s practice though is that he never ever hits a practice shot (or putt) without specifically addressing a certain issue in his technique.

Watch Singh on the range and you will always see him making very deliberate practice swings as he attempts to groove whatever swing fundamental he is working on. Further, you will always see him practicing with alignment aids and shafts or umbrellas set in position as aids. (These serve as guides and force him to make the correct body motion and swing shape.) In other words, Singh never just gets out there and beats balls – his work and practice is always directed and focused and the way I see it, if a Hall-of-Fame talent sees the need to do it that way, there is no reason whatsoever that all other golfers should not do so too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment: Perennially a marvelous ball-striker, Singh has battled a balky putter throughout his career and his travails have been well-documented. Over the recent stretch of events, and this week especially, Singh has begun to find some form with the flat-stick though. (Through two rounds Singh took only 47 putts and was second in the field in Strokes Gained-Putting.) In my opinion, aside from his phenomenal work ethic, Singh’s ability to bounce back from putting slumps is his open-mind and the fact that he is prepared to challenge tradition and try anything (within reason) to find success.

Over his career, Singh has used a myriad of short putters, long putters, grip variations and putter styles in an effort to make more putts. So just like Singh has, do not be afraid or resistant to experimentation. That secret that you are looking for may be right around the corner if you are just prepared to look with a different perspective. So keep an open mind and practice with a purpose. Singh does so and it has proved beneficial over a long and healthy career.

Good luck.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

OK, so I am running out of things to talk about regarding Rory McIlroy. What can I say? The young man from Northern Ireland is on top of the world. McIlroy, once again, was just fantastic with his third win on the PGA TOUR this year at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

One of the things I have always liked about McIlroy’s swing is how good he is in transition from the top of the swing to the downswing. This critical part of the swing is one area that professionals separate themselves a great deal from amateurs. With McIlroy, you may have noticed how his clubshaft flattens out on the downswing. Many amateurs steepen the plane during this first move towards the golf ball.

In order to create this flattening in the shaft, focus on two things:

1. Weight transfer needs to start from the ground up. It's very critical to allow the weight to move into the lead foot during transition. This will move the lead knee, followed by the hip over the foot. This aligns the body to rotate through impact.

2.  The torso needs to stabilize during transition. Lower body weight shift is discussed often, but stability in the torso is often overlooked. McIlroy does a great job of keeping his shoulders relatively closed as the lower body shifts. This differentiation is not only needed to flatten the clubshaft, but can also create a tremendous amount of potential energy that can be delivered through the clubhead through impact.

Practice these two movements slowly while gaining an awareness of both your lower body and upper body. These very movement patterns lead to more accuracy and length, just like it does for McIlroy.

Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.

ON THE MARK ARCHIVE: Tips from Mark Immelman

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

The Deutsche Bank Championship (the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs) at The TPC Boston was an out-and-out birdie fest through three rounds. For all intents and purposes it was a case of attack and make birdies by the bushel or you were likely to get lapped by all and sundry. Every player near the top of the leaderboard through three rounds made a string of birdies in a row or a bunch of birdies in a stretch of holes. During the morning of the first round Tiger Woods made six in a row en route to a 7-under 64. That afternoon, after a bogey on his first hole, Rory McIlroy made five birdies in eight holes through the middle portion of his round. Then in the second round McIlroy posted a second successive 65 which was underpinned by another blitz in which he made and eagle and four birdies in another eight-hole span. Round 3 produced more of the same. Dustin Johnson made five birdies in eight holes, and tournament-leader, Louis Oosthuizen birdied holes four through ten for an incredible seven in a row. That got me to thinking about momentum and how it ebbs and flows during a round and a tournament and it highlighted a valuable lesson we can learn from watching the pros: Momentum is variable and at some stages during the round it can be with you and at other stages it can be against you. In order to take advantage of this golfing truism you must be acutely aware of the value of momentum make decisions and plays accordingly. If you feel like momentum is on your side, go ahead and make aggressive plays and decisions within reason. To quote Louis Oosthuizen, “The swing felt great, so I just started going at pins.” On the other hand, if the cards are stacked against you and the momentum is not going your way it is advisable to make calls and plays that are more conservative. I am aware that this tip may appear logical but all too often I see golfers playing defensively when they have a good score on the cards and too aggressively when things aren’t going well. So from now on adopt the following mind-set: Play conservatively and aim for the safe side of the target if you are not playing well because it is unlikely that you will be able to “attack your way out of trouble.” Avoid potentially disastrous plays and do everything in your power to salvage a decent score. On the other hand, if things are going well, do not drop the hand-brake and protect your score. Remind yourself that you are the player who did the work to assemble the score on the card and keep doing exactly the same things. That all being said, remember always that momentum is variable and it can turn at any moment – when it does and the flow of your round changes, be savvy enough to adjust your approach from aggressive to defensive or vice versa. Good luck. /mi

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy After a fairly quiet year in 2012, a couple 1-hour lessons from local pro Darrell Kestner helped Nick Watney get back in the winner’s circle at The Barclays. Who says you can’t take golf instruction before a big tournament? Kestner -- a great player in his own right -- is one the industry’s most respected teachers so it’s not a surprise to see the impact he had on Watney’s putting stroke. According to reports, Watney was getting too much on his heels at address which would lower the angle of the putter shaft. As a result, the putting stroke was getting too much in-to-out, making it difficult to match the putter face at impact. This is a great example of how the setup can create an environment where the putter head responds in a way leading to the player having to work harder than needed. The goal of the putting setup (including the grip) is to create an environment where the path of the putter head is correct leading to less stress to match the angle of the putter face at impact. Here is how this held true with Watney’s adjustments last week: 1.) Weight should be on the center of the feet. One of the most common errors in the setup is players stand too close to the ball. As a result, the eyes get over the ball but the weight has to counter towards the heels. Therefore, many players need to scoot back away from the ball until they can still get the eyes relatively over the ball with the weight more centered on the balls of their feet. 2.) Putter shaft needs to be vertical enough at address so the forearms can be on the same plane as the putter shaft. If the putter shaft is too low at address then the forearms will be on a much different plane then the putter shaft. To help ensure this, make sure you grip the putter more towards the palms with elbows soft and rolled toward the body. These two setup alignments are just a couple that can lead to a more natural stroke and better results on the greens. Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.

ON THE MARK ARCHIVE: Tips from Mark Immelman

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

During late August and early September, most PGA TOUR players have their collective interests occupied by two things – the four FedExCup Playoff events, and football. This week, the final 125 players descended upon Bethpage State Park Black Course -- site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens and a course widely regarded as one of the toughest in the world.

The biggest challenge might be the greens, which firmed up considerably in the third round. Sergio Garcia, who took the 54-hole lead, described the challenging A.W. Tillinghast greens this way: "The greens were very, very firm out there, so it was difficult to hit it close to some of the pins, even from the fairway."

This gives a big advantage to a good lag putter. Sadly, I find that a lot of my clients rarely – if ever – practice lag putting.

Mark McNulty (a veritable magician with the putter) gave me an invaluable lesson a long time ago. As a young player, he developed a love for lag putting and would spend hours on the practice green hitting the longest putts he could find. He would criss-cross the green, hitting uphill, downhill, right-to-left and left-to right putts of 40 feet and beyond with the goal of making clean contact and avoiding three-putts.

As he hit these putts, he would go through his pre-putt routine (including reading and surveying the green) every time, and treat each putt as if he needed to two-putt to win the title.

Being a good long-range putter will reduce the pressure on both your approach shots and your short putting. To lower your scores and your stress levels, practice putts of 40 feet and beyond, just like Mark McNulty did (and I'm sure still does). As you practice this very important element to good scoring, strive for crisp contact and good speed control.

Good luck.
/mi

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

Sergio Garcia is back in the winner's circle on the PGA TOUR after a Monday finish at the Wyndham Championship. When I think of Sergio, I think of a golf swing that has tremendous lag on the downswing, resulting in consistent contact at impact.

Lag is a concept that most amateurs would love to understand better. Lag is important, because we need the clubhead to trail the lead wrist on the downswing all the way to impact and beyond, down to the swing's low point (adjacent to the lead shoulder). When done correctly, the clubshaft will return forward at impact, assuring a clubhead that is accelerating and moving down.

What's interesting is that even though the lead wrist has some influence to this, the big factor lies in whether or not the trail wrist stays bent on the downswing. One of the most common errors on the downswing is this: The trail wrist will lose its bend too soon, resulting in clubhead throwaway. As a result, the clubshaft will lean back at impact, leading to inconsistent ball flight.

At the TOUR Academies, one of the drills we like to use to promote more lag is the "two-tee" drill. Here is how it works:

1. Chose an 8-iron.
2. Tee up a ball in the middle of the stance.
3. Place a second tee halfway into the ground about an inch to an inch-and-a-half in front of the first tee (towards the target).

Start with small swings. The goal is to retain the bend in the trail wrist down through impact. What's important is you want to hit down past the golf ball -- therefore, the second tee is a great visual to help create more lag through impact, supported by good rotation in the body.

When done correctly, you will see both tees either break (or come out of the ground), resulting in solid contact just like Sergio.

Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.

ON THE MARK ARCHIVE: Tips from Mark Immelman By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM I am sure you’ve heard the cliche, “Drive for show and putt for dough.” In many instances that rings true, but this week at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. it is only a half-truth. The organizers and sponsors of the Wyndham Championship decided to revamp the historic PGA TOUR venue and the replaced the old Bent-grass greens with Champions Bermuda grass. They also grew the Bermuda rough up to a height of 2.5 inches and coupled with the firmer, faster putting surfaces, the historic venue is proving a complete challenge from tee to green. All of a sudden a premium has been placed on driving accuracy as the rough, described as “brutal” by Gary Woodland, has gobbled up errant tee-shots and made advancing the ball to the green impossible at times. Indeed most of the players who found themselves near the top of the leaderboard through two rounds were those guys whose games are built around accuracy and precision. These conditions highlighted for me a great lesson we can learn from the pros at the Wyndham Championship this week. I am of the opinion that accuracy trumps power off the tee every day. In  layman’s terms -- and as a golf coach, who I highly respect, once ingrained in me -- “The woods are filled with long hitters.” To drive the ball more accurately, there are a few ideas you can employ:

• Gear down and hit a shorter club: Make an honest assessment of the likelihood of you hitting the ball into the fairway. If that assessment is not too good then go to a club that gives you a better chance of getting the ball in play off the tee. For example, this week, Tour rookie, Harris English (T3 through two rounds) admitted that he has hit a lot of three-woods and five-woods off the tee.

• Pay attention to your ball position: The ball position can have a huge effect on the direction of your golf shots. Too often golfers misunderstand and/or disregard the location of the ball in relation to their stance and swing. So, as the pros do, monitor your ball position before you check anything else - ensure it is correct and you are more likely to get the ball in the fairway.

• Pay attention to your shoulder alignment: Too often golfers align themselves by focusing on their feet instead of focusing on their shoulders. Remember that the path of your swing is influenced more by your shoulders than it is by your feet. Therefore, correct alignment of the shoulders is paramount to consistent accuracy.

• Time your delivery: The most fundamentally sound swing can deliver a huge selection of crooked shots if it is mistimed. Remember that straight shots are a function of a clubface that is square to its arc and square to the target-line at impact. Hence good timing and sequencing is very important. So, spend less time trying to unwind (rotate) your body violently or trying to delay the release of the club in the downswing. Rather, unwind your body and release the club at a speed that promotes a squaring of the face through impact.

Good luck. Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy Rory! Rory! Rory! The 23-year-old superstar from Northern Ireland is now on pace -- like Tiger was at this age -- towards Jack Nicklaus’ major championship count of 18. What else can be said? The golf that Rory McIlroy displayed on Sunday to win the PGA Championship was really special. You could simply pick any part of Rory’s game and learn from his technique and style; however, this week I think it is only fitting to talk about how he hit his new driver. As he has all year, Rory was bombing his driver all over Kiawah Island, and I would say was benefiting quite nicely from the shaft change he made coming into the PGA Championship. Although it is unrealistic for most all of us to create enough clubhead speed to even come close to the yardage that Rory hits his driver, it is possible for us to hit it as straight as he does. The driver is one of the most difficult clubs to set up. Why? It's the longest club in your bag with the least amount of loft, and it also requires a forward ball position. With the ball placed well forward in the stance adjacent to the lead shoulder, there are two things you need to watch out for at address and can learn from McIlroy: 1. The club shaft at address needs to be in-line. One of the most common errors with the driver is to lean the club shaft too far forward. This club shaft alignment promotes a steep attack angle, robbing you of power and accuracy. Rory is a great example of someone who doesn’t lean the driver forward at address, allowing him to get behind it and achieve the necessary attack angle. 2.  Shoulders need to be square to even slightly closed.  With the forward ball position, it is so easy to "face the ball".  Often times, players will need to feel closed (to the right for a right handed golfer) with the shoulders in order to get square.  From the target line view, you should be able to see a little piece of the left forearm above the right to be square. These two setup alignments with the driver at address are so important. If you can achieve this, you can improve your attack angle through impact, leading to more power and accuracy. Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.