Four shots needed to win The Open

PGA Professional Barney Puttick outlines what the world’s best golfers will need to do this week at Royal Liverpool to lift the Claret Jug – and what lessons we can all learn from them.

1. Pre-shot putting stroke

I have always really enjoyed Darren Clarke’s routine of standing behind the putt, then a practice stroke while looking at the hole before then moving into the putt. In my opinion it’s a far more effective way than practising at the side of the ball as players will then misalign things when they move into the putt. It might be only subtle but you are looking at the putt from a different angle and it’s a semi distraction that you don’t need to have.

Sometimes I will get players to putt on the line from a yard or two behind the ball and then move in as I find that amateur golfers set up to it better this way.

Obviously many of the greats have done it from the side, Tiger and Greg Norman were brilliant at it, but amateurs tend to set up poorly and, when they practise from behind the ball and then move in, they do it better. Another good tip is to visualise the putt and step straight in so there’s no time to second-guess yourself.

2. Speed in the sand

In 1969 Tony Jacklin went in 11 bunkers and got up and down in two from all of them.

There are 82 bunkers at Hoylake so there’s a strong chance that everyone will go in a few. Although people know about setting the weight forward and opening up the stance, players then move backwards through the shot as they try and lift it. They will go into the sand and not complete the stroke.

We want to encourage speed through the shot so try and have your hands finishing above the lip at the end of the stroke – by doing this you will give yourself a better chance of

keeping up the speed.

3. Flight control

With the wind coming in off the Irish Sea it will certainly be a factor at some stage. An interesting stat is that a 20mph wind would add around 10 yards to a 150-yard shot but take off 25 into it!

All the Open champions are great wind players, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington immediately spring to mind, and we will often see them hitting a 6-iron from 100 yards into a strong wind.

As we all know the lower the ball goes, the less effect it will have. To keep it low move the ball back in your stance and get used to playing a three-quarter swing to reduce the spin and lower the flight.

When practising start off by hitting an elongated chip-and-run and then extend it. A smaller swing with a straighter-faced club has less chance of the spin being affected.

Amateurs often pull these shots so a good tip is to open the stance up a bit as players don’t clear the hips properly when the ball is back in the stance. They get stuck and the club comes over the top and things get a bit pully.

It’s the same on a chip shot; open up the stance a little bit as it gives the hips a bit of a head start to clear and the arms can go to the target rather than getting stuck behind it.

4. Clarity of thought

The great champions have wonderfully clear minds and are decisive on the course. There are lots of distractions, both mental and physical, on a big links course and we want to quell those.

First, get your yardage, think what type of shot is needed and pick your club. With your pre-shot swing you are getting the body ready so really focus on a positive rehearsal which will give you a better chance of a positive result.

Often a simple thought of swinging the arms to the target will banish any second guessing mid swing.

We hear a lot about committing to the shot but what’s a good way to make that happen so we’re not second-guessing things mid stream or trying to steer it? Picking an intermediate target is good, this worked pretty well for Jack Nicklaus for years. Rory McIlroy also picks out a spot two feet ahead of the ball and he then knows that he’s aiming where he needs to. It’s a lot easier to aim at a point just ahead of the ball than something 200 yards away.

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About Barney Puttick

Barney turned professional in 1979 and worked under Ian Connelly who was best known as Sir Nick Faldo's original coach. He has been the head professional at Mid Herts Golf Club since 2000 and he is a Golf Monthly Top 50 coach. He was recently made an Honorary Member of Hertfordshire Golf.