We know it’s difficult to find time to practice during the week. When a Saturday or Sunday tee time rolls around, you’re hoping to find some spark or productive swing thought that will help you break 100, 90, 80 or whatever your scoring goal may be.
With the weekend warrior in mind we created Bump and Run, a weekly Q&A with some of the game’s top instructors. Each Friday, a teaching professional will occupy this space and answer questions directed toward improving your game. This week it’s Brian Mogg, swing coach for Tiger slayer Y.E. Yang.
BRIAN MOGG Accomplishments: Students (past and present): Web Site: Contact: 1-800-954-2672 |
The Korean-born Yang stood mano-a-mano with Woods in the final round of the PGA Championship last week, and took down the world’s No. 1-ranked player with the help of an eagle chip-in and a dramatic birdie on the final hole. Yang defeated Woods by three strokes, despite entering the final round with a seemingly insurmountable two-stroke deficit ' Woods had been 14 of 14 in majors when either leading or sharing the lead heading into the final round.
‘On the Wednesday before the tournament, I told [Golf Channel analyst] Brandel Chamblee that Y.E.'s playing well enough that Id be shocked if he didnt finish in the top 10 or 20,’ said Mogg. ‘He might even have a chance to win. He did everything I thought he would do.’
To submit a question to Mogg or one of our teachers, please e-mail bumpandrun@thegolfchannel.com and check back every Friday to see if your question got answered.
Yang didn’t flinch at all in the presence of Tiger. Why did he seem so calm?
That didnt surprise me. Its not his makeup at all. He puts less pressure on himself than any golfer Ive ever met. You cant say Tiger lost, Y.E. truly won the event.
The 3-hybrid shot Yang hit to 12 feet [from 210 yards] on the final hole to seal the deal...how he’d do that?
Y.E. Yang celebrates his birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
He just about made it in the practice round, from about the same distance, so I felt hed hit a good shot. The credit to him is hes thinking Tigers going to knock it stiff, so he has to be aggressive. Thats a fantastic tip for amateurs ' instead of hitting a safe shot, he hit a much more positive shot. As for how to hit a hybrid, Y.E. is very much a swinger of the golf club. He doesn’t hit at the ball, he lets the ball get in the way of his swing.Since you started working with Y.E. 18 months ago, what is the biggest change you’ve seen to his game or his swing?
He used to get so far in front of the ball with his lower body and hes gotten a lot better at staying behind it. We had an epiphany of sorts in January at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. We were on the range at Poppy Hills on Monday night, it was freezing cold, and I started doing a drill where I held his head in place as he swung. And, for the first time, he felt like he didnt sway forward. I knew if he could feel his head staying back just one time he could work his right shoulder more under his chin instead of across his face. He literally started smoking the ball. He finished top 25 at Pebble then won a few weeks later in Florida.
A good tip there is to keep your left ear, left eye, and left cheek behind the ball at impact.
Any advice for the weekend warrior? Something that may help them drop a shot or two during their Saturday or Sunday round?
To use Y.E. is as an example, play within yourself. His tempo is within himself, his control of his swing is within himself. If you want to pick on Tiger a little bit sometimes he goes at it so hard he starts falling around. For the golfer who doesnt play that much, you cant force your swing to happen. You wont have the timing.
Any tip on how you can stay within yourself on the course, in case your tempo gets a little too quick?
Try to finish on balance on your feet in the finish, and have equal or constant grip pressure throughout the swing so youre grip pressure is never changing, squeezing or hardening.
One of our readers, Joe, writes in: I constantly hold onto the club and have a chicken-wing finish which causes thin and weak shots. Can you help?
Id have him make left-arm only practice swings with a short iron. Inevitably, because the club is so heavy, you have no choice but to fold the left arm down. Youve got to fold the left arm down after impact to square the clubface.
Brian Mogg Instructional Videos
