Fulton: Stricker's swing fairly easy to emulate

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Steve Stricker hit some incredible shots last week at The Memorial. He made an ace on Friday on the eighth hole, and made two eagles in a four-hole stretch in Saturday's round. But it was the PGA TOUR veteran's stellar iron play and solid putting that put him back in the winner's circle for the 10th time.

I use Stricker's swing as an example for many of my students. Like a lot of amateurs, Stricker is not overly long off the tee. He has a simple swing that many of us would do well to emulate. His short game is solid, but it is not flashy. The similarities end, however, with Stricker's putting. There is no question one of the best putters in the world.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to write about Stricker's game -- from his incredible putting to his repetitive use of the swing plane during the full swing. After watching him hit so many great irons shots this week, I thought it would be fitting to talk about some of the components in his full swing that allow for his precision.

When golf instructors discuss the backswing, they will often say "make a good turn, but a short swing". This advice applies to many of us, because we either don't make a good turn and/or have a long arm swing that is disconnected from body. Stricker is a good example of someone who makes a good turn, but doesn't over swing. In fact, you may have noticed this week that his swing stopped at roughly the three-quarter position at the top.

One of the most common errors for amateurs is that they over swing the club to the top. With an iron, many amateurs will swing well past parallel. The lead arm can also break down, which usually accompanies a body fault or two. The over swinging of the arms and club is noticeable for some, but some others have no idea that they look like John Daly at the top. It is often times a good idea for amateurs who over swing the club to try and shorten their arm swing to achieve more of a three-quarter backswing like Stricker. However, it's important that they still achieve an adequate shoulder turn. Here are some things to think about when doing this.

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1.) Left shoulder/Left arm -- Stricker does a great job of allowing his lead shoulder (left) to work down towards the ground as he turns his shoulders. In order for a player to stay in his or her spine angle to the top of the swing, the lead shoulder must move down and across the mid-line of the chest to where it points slightly behind the golf ball. As this movement occurs, I recommend keeping the head relatively stable.

As the left shoulder works down and across, the lead arm needs to stay attached to the side of the chest. One of the most common errors during the backswing is for the lead arm to come off the side of the chest, which allows for a much greater range of motion. The good news is that if a player stays in his or her spine angle as defined above, he or she will promote a real sense of the lead arm staying under the lead shoulder, which will restrict the amount of arm swing.

2.) Wrist Hinge -- Another important component of Stricker's swing is his wrist hinge. The wrists are very flexible, and can move in different planes of motion, which allows for a great deal of club head travel. With Stricker, his wrist hinge has always been educated, allowing the shaft to be put in a great plane at the top of the swing. Wrist hinge should be felt as followed:

a.) Lead wrist should cock -- extend your lead arm in front of you pointing the fingers straight ahead with the back of the wrist facing the target. A wrist cock is a vertical motion where the wrist cocks at the top of the wrist allowing the fingers to go straight up -- as if they were working up a wall.

b.) Trail wrist bend -- extend your trail arm in front of you allowing the palm of the wrist to face the target. A wrist bend is a horizontal plane of motion where the wrist bends at back of the wrist allowing the fingers to go back -- as if they were working on a table.

Both of these planes of motion will create an angle between the club shaft and forearms, which leads to power and consistency. In addition, these motions will encourage the club shaft to sit on the proper plane at the top of the swing at the three-quarter position, where the butt-end of the club still points at the target line, achieving a shorter swing like Stricker's.

Just Because

I have to say this has been a great weekend for the TOUR Academies. First off, I want to congratulate Steve Wheatcroft on his incredible play this week on the Nationwide Tour. Wheatcroft shot 29-under par to win by twelve in Maryland -- that's right, 29 under for four rounds. This win is extra special, as Wheatcroft's coach is Todd Jones -- the Head Instructor at the TOUR Academy TPC Sawgrass. The two have been working hard the last few years, and to see Wheatcroft play like he did this week was awesome and well deserved.

I would like to congratulate Bob Gilder for his win in Iowa on The Champions Tour. The 60-year old Northwest native and has now won 10-times on The Champions Tour. He overcame a four-stroke deficit over the last four holes to win for the first time since 2006. I had the great opportunity to get to know Gilder and work on his game back in April, so it was great to see him play so well.

Congratulations again to both Wheatcroft and Gilder on their wins this past week from all of us at the TOUR Academies.