How to Play Golf by Luke Donald Ep. 1/2

How to Play Golf by Luke Donald Ep. ½ Mizuno Luke Donald Beaconsfield Golf Course 19th May 2008-Episode 1 Joe: But among the tee with PGA Tour star and Ryder Cup Player Luke Donald, a chance to see from him what he works on his golf swings so Luke from start to finish— Luke: Well a lot of things I work on with my coach, I really basic fund now so I’m always checking the grip, always checking my posture and how far away I am from the ball getting those things right. If I can get those things right then it makes my swing fall into place better. But you know getting a bit more in depth to my swing as I said I work a lot on my set up. Checking that I’m getting the right ball position and with my ball position I don’t tend to look at my feet so I tend to pick a spot in my body where the ball works to so with a sand iron if I was playing with a sand iron it’s going to hit me roughly around my left eye. 5 iron might be a bit more towards my left ear and a driver if I set up like the driver and it should hit me somewhere in the armpit. Joe: Right. Luke: Always checking these things, checking my knees up to flex on the right distance away from the golf course I’m not on my toes or my heels but somewhere in between and then you know obviously we have certain other aspects in my swing that I’m working on. Joe: So the basics and your coach Pat Goss from Chicago. Luke: From Chicago. Joe: When he looks at you he will start by looking at grip set up and those sort of things any club golfer could look at. Luke: Absolutely, I think if you, you know I play so many pro ams that you see all of these things that are always wrong and honestly as I have the strong grip or the grip that’s to much in the palm. They’re not going to create a enough hinge to hit the ball far and I’m always checking that the fundamentals you know first of all lining up if I’m on the range I always put a club down to pick up a good target. It’s just simple things like this that help. Joe: And Pat checked you out, he’s got you happy, you’re happy with the setup what happens then in the swing, a lot of it should flow naturally. Luke: It should flow naturally you know some of the things when I’m just on the range working not on the golf course once I’ve got my good fundamentals and my good set up I have a tendency to get the club away a little bit shot with club face is down so I’m always working on getting the hands and a little bit closer to the body hinging up and getting the club a little bit more vertical and then at the top I have a little bit more cup in my wrist. If I get this way a little bit that’s when I get in trouble. And from there really I’m just trying to get my legs and my body working together in good synchronization. So the legs go a little bit before and I work on trying to get the knees at impact working on the same line as where I’m going. I have the tendency to get my legs a little bit going to fast. The legs gets this way was a bit of a gap between knees and not in the same path and as a result my hands get a bit high and sometimes hit a shot to the right. So really I’m just working on with nice and level and solid through impact with my legs and just letting the arms go through. Joe: You’ve bee pretty much a consistent ball striker, have you kept insistent swing? Luke: I think so I think generally it might be told in a little bit different way and how Pat is explaining it but it’s always the same thing, you know I’m trying to get the club a little bit square to the top nice and wide on the way down and nice follow through and nice and high at the finish. Joe: If there was one tip you could pass on, we’re talking to the club golfer not the aspiring talker what would you pass on to him? Luke: I would say practice is short, you know as I have said I plan a lot of primes and you know most people proficiently get around the green in 2 or 3 shots but when they get to the green They don’t know the proper fundamentals to play the proper chip shots and work on the speed and the green as well. Joe: Thanks Luke. Luke: No problem.