Strategy Secrets

A Different Take on Rhythm

In terms of the swing, people sometimes say, “I’ve got to have good rhythm”, but that’s never been the way for me. It’s always mechanical. I’ve never had a lot of swing thoughts relating to rhythm. For me, rhythm is more about getting into the flow of the game. It’s nice to get to a good pace as if it gets slow it can affect you. You’re out there for a long time so you’ve got to somehow find your own way of creating your own pace, because you could be waiting forever.

Blend Caution and Aggression

I’m naturally aggressive. I’d rather risk and regret than not take any chances and regret. I feel that will help you develop as a player. I’ve hit a lot of greens over the last five years - 77% or so - and I think it’s because I never give up the centre of the green. If I have a left pin I’ll hit a draw from the centre out, and to a right pin I’ll fade it in. I hate to have to aim outside the green to attack the pin, but if you feel really good, you do it.

When to Attack

Early in the tournament you probably wouldn’t go for it, but coming down the stretch needing an eagle on a par 5 to have any chance of winning … well, you’re not playing for second. Other times it might be one in 10. Is it worth it? You’ve got to be good at calculation. Can you save yourself if you do get in trouble? That’s also when it’s good to have a caddie to play ball with - is it worth it? I like to shape the ball, but if you hit every shot on the range yet never put it in play, what’s the point in practising it?

Learning from Phil

I played with Phil Mickelson in March and he has an unbelievable wedge game. It’s like he says: “My wedges do exactly what I need them to do. They react exactly how I want.” If he took my wedge it probably wouldn’t quite react the same with his attack angle. I learnt a lot from Phil and the way he explained it was really simple. Obviously it’s his way of doing it, but I feel like it made sense. People say he’s kind of ‘hinge and hold’ - you know how he holds it through the ball - but he still releases it. He also uses the bounce and the leading edge exactly how they were designed.

The Mental Side

I think it’s underrated. It’s probably as important as the long game, the short game, everything, because if you can’t control what’s between the ears, it doesn’t really matter how good you are.