On Course Tips From Keith Mitchell | Playing Lessons | GolfPass

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Keith golf can be a very cruel game
we’ve got three golf balls here they’re
no more than about six feet apart but my
goodness completely different
circumstances especially considering
we’ve got 60 yards to a flag over a
bunker no green to work with what in the
heck are you going to do with these
three shots for us the first ball here
we have a great lie we’ll definitely try
to throw that ball all the way to the
flag get some spin on it get some height
on it and try to get this ball up and
down second one you just got to take
your medicine here with that line no
matter what kind of technique or speed
you have there’s no way you can get
spent on the ball with that case we’re
going to have to aim this ball right
hope it catches the slope and probably
have best case scenario 15 or 20 ft best
case the bunker shot here we have a
decent lie and we could take this flag
on it’s definitely going to be a tough
shot because it brings in the the short
bunker into play and it brings the water
into play I would go for it I can’t
promise I can pull it off but I’m going
to give it a shot fantastic well Keith’s
going to show us the tricks of the trade
and a whole lot more just a little bit
later in the show we’re just getting
started with Keith Mitchell on Playing
[Music]
[Music]
Lessons Playing
Lessons presented by Bush
now
we’ve got a 400 yard par 4 here it works
a little bit right to left it’s 231 to
carry the dog leg walk us through your
process here and certainly how it
relates to hitting a t-shot from right
to left or cutting the ball well this is
a great hole to decide what club to hit
off the te because the dog leg ends at
about 275 and then if you take a little
bit more left you get a little more room
get closer to the green but you have a
tree and then the on the other side of
the Fairway kind of runs off so this is
a great hole in a tournament where you
know I’d be talking to my caddy and
trying to figure out which shot to hit
so today let’s see I don’t know if we
got much wind it’s gusting up to about
half a mile hour at the moment here
beautiful day exact Sea Island so I
always tend to hit a fade with my driver
no matter what so this hole it might you
know to the eye look like you need to
hit a draw but when a fairway is shaped
like this and you’re hitting a fade you
actually have more room for the ball to
land because a a pull will go farther a
heel cut will go shorter right as long
as you can hit it without any
obstruction so it’s about 270 through on
this straightway so we’re going to have
to take this ball I would say land it
right over the right center of this oak
tree right here start it just left of
that right about there I think that’s
the one nice
shot all right let’s go make a bur
you win the Honda event a couple years
back and tell us about where you were
heading into that week I mean it’s a a
really tough Golf Course typically
played in a lot of win tough finishing
stretch you know on the Range that
Tuesday and Wednesday how were you
feeling about your game I had been I’ve
been hitting the ball pretty well prior
to that but my scores weren’t showing I
think I’d missed four out of six Cuts
leading into that event so you know if
you look at the stats my game probably
wasn’t there but I felt good about it I
felt like my game was really trending
and it was the first week on Bermuda
grass I grew up in the South so I had
the Bermuda after playing the West Coast
I came home kind of reset and something
clicked and I got comfortable in the
Bermuda greens and then next thing you
know it just kind of all the cards fell
my way and also those courses are a lot
more difficult so your course management
is very hit it in the middle of the
green tput be as patient as possible and
you’re probably going to beat the
field but I’ll never forget standing on
the 17th T Ricky making a probably a
35-footer while I’m waiting on the te to
um I think at that point it was the tie
and I knew he had a par five coming up
so I’m watching this kind of unfold in
front of me and it gave me a little bit
of motivation I was like well if if he
can step up here and do this why can’t I
and I hadn’t proven to myself that I
could yet so that was the first time in
my career that I felt like I managed
those nerves properly that’s amazing on
the PGA tour you’re considered to have a
top 10 head of hair does that wow how
does that factor new to me no trust me
there’s a lot of talk about this so does
that you know factor into the visor
absolutely it does visor uh I I I got to
give my dad credit for the visor he wore
a visor his whole uh I mean still does
if you if you’re out there watching um
you know if you look across the Fairway
when or I guess when you and just are in
front of me okay when I’m in the group
behind got it got it look back and
you’ll see you’ll find my dad’s
spot all his friends call him doc but
he’ll have a vior he has he has a bunch
of hair coming out I I so I got to give
him credit right of the hat to exactly I
love
it boy another epic view here at the
plantation course at Sea Island we’ve
got 102 total 94 to carry over the left
greenside bunker let’s talk about this
shot let’s talk about how aggressive you
want to be you know this is a flag
you’re going to see at the RSM classic
when you play here late in the year talk
about also managing spin you know for
guys like you that you know hit the ball
so flushed and so crisp you are you a
guy that has a conversation with your
caddy about flying it right next to the
hole or you looking to take this two or
three yards behind and use a little
sauce well this is actually a great pin
because we probably will have this so
considering the bunker is as you said
only eight yards short of the flag and
you got it looks like plenty of green
past that flag we will definitely try to
fly this ball past the hole that that
way you have the biggest margin of error
and these greens today are perfect but
the grain flows away so when you play
Bermuda greens when your ball lands down
grain it’s actually going to probably
pitch a little farther than if it lands
into the grain it’ll probably spin
back boy that looks really good from
here boy I think that can close to going
in good shot thank you you got five feet
up the hill there for birdie we’re going
to conc that one come here to the front
of the green that’s kind of You by the
way thank you well you know it’s why I’m
here but what you know let’s throw this
ball down here and have a look at this
incredibly difficult chip it’s something
maybe you might see more at an Open
Championship here but we’ve got a very
severe angle you know looks like
possibly you can play it out to the
right or maybe take the ball through The
Fringe how would you go about getting
this ball up and down very kind of you
to give me the putt but very mean of you
to make me try to understand this Chip
Shot you can’t go directly at the flag
here you have the collar from the bunker
coming in then you have a straight down
slip if we have to get this ball up and
down and we do and then then we are
definitely going to have to go through
that collar I can’t fly it all the way
the hole just because of severity of the
slope but we’re going to try to kill
this ball right on top of the collar and
then just let it trickle down probably
land it just in that end of the grain
patch before and I tell you what this
you gave me a good one here
pal
oh that made a nice
sound good for
Speed well we got to speed right
unfortunately the break was uh you
didn’t give me a good read
[Music]
buns okay Keith we’re on a par three
here it’s 145 yards quite possibly the
easiest and most accessible ho location
you’re ever going to see let’s talk
about expectations here certainly not a
whole lot to deal with in terms of wind
I mean could you find yourself in in a
situation where you feel like you should
make two so much of the time that you
can kind of get in your own way
absolutely with with this pin this
number the conditions we have you’re
going to aim right at it because you
don’t have any trouble for a long way
either side you know it’s one of those
shots it’s like those straight uphill
putts that you just the only thing you
can’t do is miss it you know and we
should knock this ball close and
hopefully we have a really good chance
for birdie or just pick it up out of the
hole and go to the next
first live hole-in-one ever on Playing
Lessons coming up right here Keith
Mitchell
everybody I like what I see a
lot oh man that is a trained
professional ladies and gentlemen do not
try that at home you got nervous there
for a second didn’t you great jot thanks
what’s this putt doing bones breaking a
little left right center Pro
good read there it is nice birdie there
put through your Shadow let’s move it
back here about 15 feet or so and if you
would you know with a putt of this
length talk us through a little bit more
of your process on the greens you know
when when does it start where do you go
first things first I’ll just kind of get
the lay of the land I’ll notice there’s
a slope over here bunker this way that
green should fall to the right so
overall I feel like this putt will move
right but what I’ve learned is I want to
read the putt
from a dress before I I actually hit the
putt so that I know what it feels like
over the ball and what I want it to feel
like over the ball so before every putt
I’ll stand over like this feel like I’m
going to hit the putt get a feel for it
I’ll step
back confirm my read from here and so
that when I do walk into the putt it’s
not the first time you know I’ve been
there I know what I want it to feel like
I know what I want it to do so here it’s
definitely going to break a little bit
right early it should straighten up like
we you know the last P we had so I’m
going to play this ball a little bit
outside left I’ll get set and put my
putter
down I’ll take one look at the
hole and then I’ll pull the
trigger and it goes a little something
like that just like that so in terms of
putting what what is the the one thing
you work on the most in terms of your
stroke being at its best setup when I
putt my best is when I feel square and
comfortable with my alignment to where
I’m trying to hit the ball with you know
the with the putting stroke only being
you know this far the most important
thing is where you set up because you
don’t have a lot of time to you know
either manipulate or reroute if you’re
not so I I do most of my training on a
tool that really makes sure my
alignment is where my putter is aimed
and that way I have a
consistent setup where if your setup’s
consistent and same every time it’s a
lot easier to calibrate you know your
reads and your speed and then after that
it’s speed training because if I’m set
up where I want to be set up and aiming
where I want to aim everything after
that is all just speed related because
if you’re aiming a ball out left but you
hit it too far you’re going to miss it
probably high and then if you did hit it
too soft you can miss it low so you can
have perfect alignment and a perfect
read and miss the putt if you don’t have
speed so for me it’s all about alignment
and speed okay well that’s two birdies
Keith and we got part five to go let’s
go get the last one let’s do
[Music]
it okay Keith these three shots from
some 60 yards and a couple involve a lot
of pain very little green to work with
of course we see one sitting up quite a
bit but just take us through your whole
process with all these shots please um
well to start in the
bunker I definitely have to look at the
distance here you got a bunker short and
water long so if we clipped it I think
it would come out too low have too much
Skip and might it brings water long into
play blasting it with my lob wedge or my
sand wedge I don’t think I can hit it
far enough I’ll try to hit this very
similar to a greenside bunker shot just
take longer club and a much much more
aggressive faster swing try to land this
ball just over the bunker put enough
height and spin on it that’ll stay short
of the
water
go
not too bad that was close I’m going to
give myself a a B+ on that one bones got
to be the hardest shot in golf and and
if you were playing with a middle
handicapper in a proam you know would
you send them a little bit more to the
right and and then you know what would
you recommend to them in terms of
picking it or blasting it I would tell
them blast the bunker shot all day long
play it out to the right if it comes out
cleanly you know it can catch that slope
and feed down to the hole you know
you’re just trying to trying to avoid
the big number here we’re trying to
survive from this position I mean it’d
be nice um to try to get this ball up
and down and hit a great shot but your
chances are so slim that we’re probably
going to tell them to give it uh some
room to the right I got you and of
course we’ve got this we’ll save the
easy one for later we’ve got this
horrendous situation also so you know
incredibly thick lie here again no green
to work with I’m assuming the
expectations if anything or are even
less than on the previous shot I agreed
with a bunker shot you do catch it clean
you and get some height and spin out of
this rough there is no chance so I’ll
take my lob wedge here I’ll chip it out
to the middle of the green and try to
give just a look at a putt for par we’re
basically punting here that’s exactly
what we’re doing if you knock it you
know decently on the green you have a
putt for par if not the worst case
you’re going to make bogey if we’re in
this spot right here that’s that’s you
know we kind of deserve it I hate to say
it nicely done releasing into the left
center of the green a little bit more
and uh might have had a little closer
chance but again just taking your
medicine there in in a tourament if you
found yourself in this position have you
ever in your career finded your caddy
for being
here um I would ask him how in the world
did we get here and he would say well
you’re the one that hit the shots now
that’s right all right good good
response okay good and of course the
third one here sitting up very nicely
from some 60 yards something tells me
this will be a little less stressful for
you um it is we’re going to make sure um
grooves are perfectly clean again guys
you know clean
grooves is is a Monumental difference in
terms of spin um so with this good Lie
from 60 yards we can hit it far enough
to get enough height and enough spin
that we will actually take this ball at
the flag so we’re going to open up that
face just be weary a lot of times when
your Li is so good you can go under it
right so I just kind of make sure I try
to figure out exactly how far that ball
is sitting off the turf so that I can
get solid contact so again if it’s in a
bad lie you know you know it’s all way
in the ground take a divot here you need
to just be conscious of your bottom the
bottom of your Arc to make sure you’re
catching that ball
cleanly this looks really good just like
that lot of spin Nice
Shot thank
[Music]
you
[Music]
time now for laser focus presented by
bushel when you get to a t- shot and you
feel like you want a little bit extra
distance off the tea that the fact that
you’re a cutter of the ball that you
like to fade it does that ever does that
voice in your head ever say you know
maybe I should turn one over to get a
little more something out of it it’s a
great question bones um the answer is no
for me and the reason is is my equipment
set up to be optimal for a fade and I
can swing faster and I know the ball’s
still going to fade and it’s because of
what the equipment can do these days it
can reduce so much spin that when I hit
a cut I don’t necessarily lose distance
I can actually swing a club faster with
a cut motion and as long as the
equipment is dialed in to take the spin
down then I don’t lose any distance I’ll
simply gain it modern equipment is
amazing isn’t it it really
is 560 yard par five here water and sand
the left side little hurting wind are
you going to possibly reach back a
little bit for a little bit more here in
terms of trying to have a a shorter
second shot increase your chance of
possibly making
three well this whole accuracy is
equally as important as distance um if
you notice we have some bunkers left and
we have some trees right that kind of
leads off into some a Sandy area so if
we don’t hit this Fairway no matter how
far we hit it we won’t be able to go for
the green so this is a a a really good
example of a hole that yes you you want
to get as much out of your drive as you
can so you have a chance to go for it in
two but if you don’t hit the Fairway you
don’t have a chance so I mean would I
like to reach back yes but if that is
somehow going to decrease my accuracy
then I’m just going to hit my normal
drive and I mean I do swing pretty hard
most I don’t a lot of people say they
have an extra gear I I think that I
really have one gear so we’re just going
to hit my fade my drive and go from
there okay let’s see that gear here
Fairway
first
[Music]
that is really hit hard left side
flirting with the
sand good swing we’ll
see we need a birdie but we’ve got some
stress here on this par five for our
second shot here we got 238 total but
looking out to the right we’ve got 160
to carry a bunker 215 through you know
if we decide to lay this ball up are you
having something of a flashback here uh
a little bit it’s uh definitely a
reachable par five 18th hole um when I
uh ended up buring last hole at the
Honda to win um I pulled it left and hit
it in a bunker I had to lay up and had
to use my wedge and my putter to win
instead of using my power in my uh long
game so similar situation definitely um
you know as you would not advise me to
go for the screen um you’ve already
given me my layup number you gave me
that before the PIN number so we’re
going to just lay up try to uh hit a
good wed shot and a good but and I got a
six iron here I feel like that’s safe to
get over the bunker the lip of the
bunker but also get it far enough down
the Fairway where I have a short shot
into the into the green and for our
viewers at home you’re going to be
standing out of the sand here the ball’s
going to be below your feet what
adjustments are you going to make I try
to have uh the same uh height from the
ball at all times so the only way to do
that would be just bend my knees a lot
more to get down even with the ball um
so you know I’ll take my
stance right here try to get as stable
as possible and then and I’ll just judge
how far I need to get down so you know
I’m definitely bending um you know four
or five Ines lower than normal here make
sure I got a clear swing good Target and
just try to hit the best shot we
can great
contact and because you’re not getting
the typical leverage that you would in a
golf shot are you taking more Club as a
result absolutely um this six iron
usually goes 200 yards but I knew from
this lie uh with my stance and coming
out of the sand it was probably going to
go only about 170 180 so that gave us
enough room to cover the left bunker but
not to go through the Fairway on the
other side all right let’s go to work
got to make another
birdie you got 92 front door 108 total
with a little bit of hurting wind let’s
say that 108’s playing about 114 115
talk us through the shot if you would
it’s a ABS it’s a perfect tweener as we
call it where I hit my 54 Just sh 115
but when it’s when I hit it that far I
tend to get a little higher with a
little more spin you lose some control
so I’ll take my
50° um choke up a little bit a little
shorter back swing and try to maintain
full acceleration through the ball so I
try to take um distance off um and
choking up and length of back swing that
way I’m
consistent with my speed to the ball on
all my clubs so well a 50° choke up
about an inch just a little bit shorter
back swing try to hit it 115 to land it
at
108 beautiful
tempo right over the flag great shot
thank
you well a kicking par it’s going to
have to be
Keith thank you so much you’re such a
fun guy to be around we really
appreciate your time and all the great
information you gave us that was awesome
thanks for having me hopefully we uh
showed the people what they want and
that we are human out here sometimes
absolutely right of course great thanks
to the plantation course at se Island
but our biggest Thanks goes to our
viewers at home thank you for joining us
here today on playing
[Music]
lessons