GolfPlus Aug 2018 Digital Edition (August 2018) | Page 43

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
‘Control the speed
and start line to hole
more putts’
My practice routine changes depending on how I’m
playing, but on a typical day I will spend 60 per cent of
my time working on putting and my short game. A lot of
my short game practice is based around startling the
ball on the line and speed I want to. If you do that with
the correct read then you will hole the putt.
Practice
one-handed to
improve feel
From four feet I make 10 putts
with just my left hand on the
club, followed by 10 with the right
and then 10 with both hands as
normal. Add a narrow tee gate in
front of the ball to make it harder.
SHORT GAME:
KEEP YOUR LEGS
QUIET
My biggest piece of advice for
shots around the green is to
keep your lower body quiet.
Keep your knees bent and
weight forward and treat the
shot more like a putting stroke
so you let the club do the work.
Holding a straight right wrist
helps to slide the club under
the ball rather than scooping it.
Match putter speed
and stroke length Start the ball on
your intended line
My stroke is quite slow so I take the
putter back further than many would
as I’m not hitting the ball as hard.
My stroke is the opposite of Brandt
Snedeker’s pop stroke. Both work,
but match the length to your speed. I have a chute-like putting aid that
ensures I start the ball on my intended
line. I’ve found it’s much easier to do
this with my shoulders perfectly square
to the target line. You can replicate this
with tee gates or canes.
GolfPlus
AUGUST
2018
51