Woods has been more consistent off the tee this year. (Heathcote/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

Make it four wins now for the world’s No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods. The reality is Tiger was one flag stick width away from making it five wins and his 15th career major championship. Add it all up and he has been as dominant to the start of this season as he has ever been.

When watching Tiger this week at THE PLAYERS Championship, I saw a player who has come full circle from his struggles just a couple of years ago. Make no mistake, Sean Foley has helped Tiger get his game back on track and now you are seeing the best player of our time getting back to rewriting the record books.

One of the things that Tiger has improved upon considerably is the path of his clubhead in relationship to the target line through impact. Not too long ago, Tiger had the clubhead too far behind him on the downswing, resulting in a clubhead path that was too much from in-to-out. As a result, Tiger was hitting big pushes and draws. What’s important about the path of the clubhead is generally speaking the more the clubhead works away from zero (target line) the bigger the dispersion you are likely to have with your ball flight.

A noticeable change that has helped Tiger achieve a more consistent downswing path is allowing his lead arm to work more under his left shoulder during the backswing. During his struggles, Tiger’s lead arm was moving away from his body and then rotating too much over his shoulder line. The result saw the club shaft get laid off leading to his downswing frustrations. 

Now, you will see how Tiger keeps his lead arm much closer to his body which allows for less rotation to the top. As a result, the club shaft is now on plane, allowing for a more reliable downswing path back to impact. This improvement in the path of the club head has now positioned Tiger to work the ball both ways and at different trajectories with all clubs. This progression was clearly evident on the 72nd hole at TPC Sawgrass. For months we have been only been seeing fades out of Tiger; however, with the tournament on the line Tiger hit not only one draw but two to seal his second PLAYERS Championship.

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.

Derek Ernst's downswing move is one to watch to maximize your speed. (Redington/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

Hello, Derek Ernst.

What a win at the Wells Fargo Championship by the young American to capture his first PGA TOUR title. Not bad considering the 22-year-old wasn’t even sure he would get in sitting as the fourth alternate entering the week.

So many things to be impressed with concerning Ernst’s performance, and two things really stood out for me as I watched him hit great shot after great shot late on Sunday afternoon. First and foremost, here we have yet another young player looking so poised and comfortable on the big stage. In many ways, it was Ernst who looked like the veteran down the stretch that was under such control executing under tremendous pressure.

There are a lot of reasons that point to this great poise at such a young age, but perhaps none more than all the competitive rounds he has played along the way. There is a lot to be said and learned from playing competitively and having success along the way. These building blocks from junior golf, to high school, college and finally professionally teaches young players how to prepare, compete and win.

Secondly, I really like the way Ernst uses his body on the downswing. Derek has a golf swing that creates a lot of speed through impact but yet still looks compact and under control. The key to this speed is the sequence in which he uses his body on the downswing. In golf instruction, we call this “Kinematic Sequence.”

Kinematic sequence is a term that really has come to the surface under the education of the Titleist Performance Institute. This group has done a great job of shedding more light on how the body needs to work to maximize your speed. The sequence of the body on the downswing should work as followed:

1) Hips – The downswing should start with a lower body weight shift. Allow the weight to move into the ground through the lead foot. As the hips shift laterally towards the target be sure to stabilize the torso by keeping it closed during this initial transition.

2) Torso – After the initial shift in the hips and stability in the torso, then the torso can begin to turn, however make sure this turn is not the first movement during the initial downswing. As the torso begins to turn you will feel the lead arm now stabilize by loading up against the chest. This pressure from the lead arm to the side of the chest is not only powerful but offers great structure to the swing as well.

3) Lead arm – Once the lead arm loads against the chest it can now be propelled off the chest. This can be a great feeling of this stored energy finally being released; however, as the lead arm starts to go you are not quite there yet, as the clubhead needs to be lagging as a result of a bent right wrist.

4) Clubhead – The final piece to the sequence is the clubhead. This can be the result of great speed if the trail wrist stays bent to impact and slightly beyond. In many ways, this clubhead lag can be a result of the sequence defined above increasing your club head speed and maximizing its timeliness through impact.

A lot to take in I know but movements that can be learned. My advice to you is to find out how you are using your body and begin to get the sequence in order so you too can maximize your speed.

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.

Billy Horschel keeps the shaft in line with his lead forearm during the initial backswing. (Cohen/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

One of the more underrated golf swings on the PGA TOUR is Billy Horschel’s. This is the golf swing that has so many good components, from very sound body movements to an efficient use of his arms and hands. All year, Billy has treated us to not only some great swings but some solid golf, and this week at the Zurich Classic, he got that first PGA TOUR win.

One of the things that lead to great consistency and power during Horschel’s swing is how he keeps the club shaft in line with the lead forearm during the initial backswing. The initial backswing is measured from address to when the club shaft reaches parallel to the ground (halfway back). During this period of the backswing, Billy does a great job of keeping the club shaft in line with the lead forearm. This relationship is a key one that so many amateurs can learn from.

One of the most common errors during the initial backswing is this relationship quickly comes out of line. When this occurs, the lead hand goes into a bowed position allowing the hands to move away from the body and the club head to move quickly behind the hands. This very common mistake can be a major problem in the progression of golf swings because not only is the club shaft immediately off plane, but the body almost always doesn’t turn to its capability. As a result, the body, arms and hands are always trying to overcome this error on the downswing to manufacturer a descent impact position.

The benefit of keeping the club shaft in line with the lead forearm is it allows the hands to stay closer to the body and the club head to work up the plane. Often times when learning this, amateurs will feel as if the hands are “in” and the club head is more “out”. Although this can feel very different at first, it is the correct relationship and direction for so many golfers.

Once achieved, you will feel a more efficient shoulder turn during the backswing and the ability to get the club head back to the inside on the downswing. As a result, a good impact can be achieved more instinctively like Billy Horschel.

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.

Graeme McDowell hit quality knockdown shots during his win at Harbour Town. (Lecka/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

Another great finish at the RBC Heritage this week as Graeme McDowell got it done at Harbour Town. Certainly, it was not a surprise to see the Irishman play so well in tough, windy conditions on Sunday as the sporty little knockdown shot he hit during the first playoff hole turned out to be the difference.

I love to watch the PGA TOUR when the wind is blowing because it really separates the guys who are controlling their ball flight. In windy conditions, there is a premium on controlling the impact condition because any small issue can be greatly exaggerated.

Often times, I will take many of my students and teach them how to hit a knockdown shot early in lesson plans. This allows students to shorten their swing frame and begin to control the club shaft, club head and club face at impact. At the TOUR Academies, we call these the “Big 3” and each is critical when trying to hit that 6-iron through the wind like Graeme McDowell did late on Sunday afternoon.

Club shaft: The significance of the club shaft when hitting a knockdown shot is to lean it forward at impact. If you are a player that leans the club shaft away from impact, then you are more than likely going to struggle in the wind. In order for the club shaft to lean forward you must learn to keep the trail wrist bent through impact -- learning how to do this in a smaller setting like a knockdown shot is highly recommended because it will teach the importance and value of this critical fundamental in the golf swing.

Club head: With the club shaft forward, the club head can now be moving down. This is another key piece of a knockdown shot because the club head needs to be moving down through impact. Again, if the club shaft is leaning away from the target, then the club head is more than likely moving up through impact. However, what’s key here is most of you don’t need to steepen your overall swing shape to hit down. If you get too steep with your swing shape then you run the risk of the launch angle being too high, so continue to make your same swing shape with high emphasis on forward lean in the club shaft with a club head moving down, creating a nice shallow divot.

Club face: With the club shaft forward, the club face will be delofted. This is critical because the club face has huge value to the overall launch angle of the ball. If it’s delofted then the ball will launch at a more penetrating angle – thus knocking it down. In addition, it’s important that the lead hand squares the club face up through impact. Be careful that when keeping the trail wrist bent through impact you don’t “hang on” to the club face. This means the lead hand knuckles are too much to the sky. This creates an open club face and usually higher shots to the right. Instead, feel the back of the left hand “turn down” – knuckles to the ground. This closing effect to the club face is needed not only for trajectory but overall direction as well.

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.

Adam Scott relied on his long putter to win the Masters, his first major victory. (Ehrmann/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

First off, let me congratulate Adam Scott for his win at the Masters. I’m sure many of you share the same thoughts and feelings after watching Scott lose the Open Championship with such heartbreak last summer.

It was a great Masters in so many ways. Even if Angel Cabrera would have prevailed and won his second Green Jacket, it still would’ve been a great tournament. But it felt more special with Scott winning. The reality is Scott deserved this major championship, not just because of what happened last year, but because the Aussie has done all of the things necessary to claim a major.

One of the areas that needed to improve was Scott’s putting, and the extended putter has completely changed his game. At first, I found myself chuckling a bit about Scott with the long putter. Here you have this young, fit, good-looking Australian using this putter that was primarily only seen on the Champions Tour. Well, after watching the last two putts fall on Sunday at Augusta National, things don’t look that weird anymore.

One of the biggest things the long putter can offer a golfer is less face rotation during the stroke. With the putter shaft closer to vertical (90 degrees), the putter face will open less during the backstroke and close less through impact. This is significant. In order to be a great putter you must be able to return the putter face to a square position so the ball will start on the intended target line. For those who struggle with too much face rotation, the long putter is certainly an option.

Since changing to the long putter, Scott has seemed to hit his intended target line more often. As a result, he has been able to focus on the speed of the putt and become much more instinctive. After all, this instinctive environment is what we all want on the greens. Sometimes completely changing your putting style is needed.

I applaud Scott for doing the things needed to get his game to the highest level.

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.

Rickie Fowler works on his putting Wednesday in preparation for the Masters. (How/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

Let’s change things up this week. Instead of talking about last week’s winner (congratulations Martin Laird), a brief preview of the Masters is in order. After all, it is the first major championship of the year, and the unofficial beginning of the golf season.

Yesterday, I walked the grounds at Augusta National. As always, it is looking perfect. Defending champion Bubba Watson was on the range early working on his game along with the rest of the best players in the world. As expected, the crowds were huge.

After walking the course, I found myself with so many things to write about. But let’s focus on a couple of things to watch, and a few players who are primed to be in the hunt.

1.) Lag putting – One of the most overlooked areas in the game is lag putting. This week you will see the best players work extremely hard to two-putt, not only from long distances but from close to the hole in certain situations.
Avoiding three-putts is an area that most amateurs need to work on. How many times do we go to the practice green and work on long putts? For most, not too often, but this is an opportunity to easily save strokes. This will be a must this week for those competing for the green jacket.

2.) Approach shots – Like all golf courses, Augusta National has some green-light flags. There are others you just don’t mess with. Some players fade it; some draw it. The reality is there are many times the players will be aiming away from the flag stick.

This is an approach so many of us should take more often. There are hard pin placements on every golf course and aiming away from them is a good call in order to make more pars and minimize damage.

3.) Selections – There is only one day left to fill out your Masters pool, so let’s look at a few names to consider. It’s been a great year for instructor Sean Foley. His three players have all played very well. Therefore, my selections this week are all from his stable: Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan.

Enjoy the Masters everyone!

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.

D.A. Points has two wins and a runner-up finish in the last three years on TOUR. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

EQUIPMENT: What Points carried in his bag at the Shell Houston Open

As I sat and watched D.A. Points win The Shell Houston Open on Sunday, I thought to myself, "This guy has some of the best practice swings before each shot."

So many times at the TOUR Academy, we encourage players to take the things they “self-discover” from their practice sessions and transfer these ideas to the golf course. Sometimes, these things can be done in the way of a swing thought, or even an exaggeration of the concepts during practice swings.

Earlier this year, we broke down Tiger’s practice swings and their intent to help him feel a more "left swing" direction. This week, we were treated to two more very creative rehearsals by D.A. Points to help him transfer what he is working on at the practice facility to the golf course.

The first -- and I must say, a new one for me -- was D.A.’s practice putting strokes as if he had the long putter. You may have noticed Points lead hand was positioned around the sternum area with the lead elbow pointing at the target, just as if the end of the long putter was in hand. D.A.’s right hand was actually on the grip as he moved the shoulders back and through a couple times.

I am only guessing but it appears the purpose here was to help D.A. get his shoulders moving during the stroke around a steady head. With the long putter, the shoulders need work in a more “rocking” sensation around a fixed point, promoting less arc and face rotation. With the grip end anchored or “pretend to be anchored," this can help eliminate head movement and get the shoulders working. Generally speaking, the more side-to-side movement with the head, the more the hands will take over, and not the shoulders.

The second noticeable practice swing was that of his full swing. Here, Points took a couple hard practice swings keeping his trail foot down. This lack of movement in the trail foot trains D.A. to stay in his posture because it allows the pelvis to move up and back, rather than towards the golf ball. In addition, this emphasis on the trail foot can help stabilize the torso through impact, allowing the arms and hands to release properly past the chest.

One of the things D.A. guards against is his trail foot coming up to the toe quickly on the downswing. This results in loss of posture and a torso that can get out ahead of the arm swing. As a result, clubface rotation is reduced, resulting in shots missed to the right. With that said, I love the creativity of the practice swings to help maintain his feelings and thoughts even during tournament golf.

Good stuff D.A. Keep them coming!

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.

Woods made 19 of 28 putts from between 7 feet and 20 feet last week. (Greenwood/Getty Images)

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

I have been trying to get a hold of Steve Stricker so I can personally get a putting lesson, too. I mean… WOW! What a difference in Tiger Woods’ putting since he received those helpful pointers from one of the game’s best putters.

It is amazing  just how many long putts these professionals make when they get it going with the flat stick. Over the last two weeks, Tiger’s putting has been ridiculously good –  the man appears to be putting to the ocean right now.

Here are some of the changes I see with Tiger’s putting that has led to this tremendous run on the greens:

Grip weaker – With a slightly weaker left hand grip, Tiger is able to manage the rotation of the club face more efficiently. It appears that Tiger got the left hand too strong which was leading to overrating the club face through impact resulting in the ball starting off-line. A weaker grip has decreased the amount of the club face rotation and helped align the putter face at impact. 

Shaft slightly more upright – With a weaker left hand grip, the left wrist appears to be a bit more un-cocked as well leading to a slightly more upright shaft angle. The significance of this is it allows Tiger’s trail forearm to soften so the angle of his right forearm is more consistent with the angle of the putter shaft. In the past, Tiger’s right forearm was much more vertical then the angle of the putter shaft. Although this was clearly effective too, I like this look for Tiger and what it means for the path of the putter head. 

Shaft more forward – This adjustment allowed Tiger to utilize the true-loft of the putter face once again. It appears Tiger got the putter shaft leaning a bit too far back at address. As a result, this added loft at impact affecting his distance control and had a closing effect on the face leading to once again a ball starting off-line. With the shaft more forward the ball is rolling much truer again and on the intended line.

These three set-up adjustments have once again created an environment at address where Tiger can be more instinctive. This instinctive environment is what we should all strive for because it promotes the proper path and face relationship through impact. Good set-up adjustments can mean the world to not only professional golfers but also amateurs. Putting, more than any shot in golf, needs to be instinctive and what you do at address will determine your long term outcome 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.

Kevin Streelman jump-started his final round with this 85-foot chip on the third hole at Copperhead.

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

One of the biggest shots of Kevin Streelman’s life was his short pitch shot on the third hole Sunday at the Tampa Bay Championship. After a perfectly executed golf shot, Streelman got some much-needed fortune when the ball found the bottom of the cup. This short game shot from the greenside rough is a shot we see a lot on the PGA TOUR, and over the last couple of years, has adopted the name "Hinge and Hold."

However, what’s interesting is this particular "Hinge and Hold" technique has got some mixed press on what it may (or may not) be suggesting. Therefore, let’s see if we can clean it up a bit and explain exactly how Streelman hit the shot in Tampa.

“Hinge” defines the key movements of the backswing. A good hinge allows the clubhead to work up the line of the lead forearm, creating a needed angle between the forearm and clubshaft. Streelman did a great job of hinging the lead wrist this way. Even though the clubhead was moving up the plane, the lead forearm and clubshaft still remained in its inline relationship. As a result, the clubface can rotate slightly open, so when the clubshaft reaches halfway back, the toe of the club is pointing to the sky.

One of the most common errors in the backswing is this: A player will hinge the lead wrist where the lead hand becomes bowed. This movement sends the clubshaft quickly out of line with the lead forearm, allowing the clubhead to move behind the hands. This technique doesn’t promote the clubface to rotate open, but rather. stay closed and off plane, leading to needed compensation on the downswing.

“Hold” suggests the movements of the downswing thru impact. What’s critical here is that as you turn through impact with the body to maintain the bend in the trail wrist. When done properly, the inline relationship between the lead forearm and club shaft will stay inline well after impact. Even though the lead wrist is un-hinging, the clubshaft alignment to the lead forearm stays intact, allowing the clubface to square up thru impact.

The term “Hold” can be misinterpreted sometimes because it suggests that you don’t unhinge the lead wrist and/or allow the clubface to square up. Rather, “Hold” originated from the fact that most amateurs release the trail wrist too soon, sending the clubhead well past the lead wrist thru impact.

Therefore, “hold” is a term to help decrease this from happening, and keep the hands more passive so the alignment of the lead forearm and clubshaft can be met and sustained through impact just like Kevin Streelman demonstrated on Sunday.

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.

Little/Getty Images

By Travis Fulton, Director of Instruction, PGA TOUR Academy

At the TOUR Academies, we get a lot of questions why Tiger Woods' practice swings are so far to the left -- or in many eyes -- over the top. Every time I watch Woods take a practice swing, I cringe a little, because although Tiger needs to swing more left during his swing, most amateurs need to do just the opposite.  

When Tiger started under the tutelage of Sean Foley a couple years ago, one of the things they've done is get Tiger's swing direction more to the left in relation to the target line. Historically, Tiger has struggled on the downswing getting the club “stuck” behind him, which affected his swing direction. His swing moved to the right, resulting in pushes and hooks. Foley has done a terrific job rebuilding Tiger’s backswing so he can now swing more left through impact, creating a more reliable ball flight.

What’s interesting about the golf swing is that swing direction is different than the actual clubhead path. Swing direction is simply the direction you are swinging in relationship to the target line. You would think that if I swing left of the target line, then my path would be left. However, this is not always true because you must factor in the attack angle of the clubhead as well.

Attack angle simply indentifies whether you are hitting down or up on the ball relative to the ground. To keep it simple: The more you hit down on it, the more it affects the path of the club head to the right (from the inside). For example, if you hit down on the ball 3 degrees, then this affects your path 3 degrees to the right. Now, say you hit down on the ball 3 degrees with a swing direction to the right 3 degrees. Your path will now be six degrees to the right. This combination of hitting down and to the right is what’s needed for most amateurs -- who are swinging across their body to the left -- because it gets the path of the clubhead working from the inside, creating the opportunity to hit a draw. However, in Tiger’s scenario too much of this became detrimental and needed to be changed to get his full swing back on track.

This swing change to the left has gotten Tiger’s clubhead path closer to zero (target line). For simple math, take the above example again with an attack angle of 3 degrees down. Again, this affects the path of the club head 3 degrees to the right; therefore, Tiger is now swinging to the left. Call it 3 degrees to achieve a clubhead path that is close to zero.

A bit confusing, I know, but it's one of the reasons why you have seen the rebuilding of Tiger’s swing for the third time. After watching him this week in Miami, he's back for good.

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.