Rickie Folwer delves deep, with his coach Butch Harmon, into how he found his swing again. Have a big rundown of everything that happened at the DP World Tour Championship where Rory McIlroy and Nicolai Højgaard both came away with silverware. We have prepped the ultimate golfers trip to Ireland, which includes three of the best championship golf courses on the Emerald Isle. If you are looking at getting fitted for a new set of golf clubs, Club Lab Golf in JLT is the newest state-of-the-art facility in Dubai. LIV Golf is landing in Abu Dhabi with some big names lined up and we grab an exclusive ‘Quick 9’ with The Godfather of Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin.

All this and much, much more in the December 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the December 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Fowler will be headed to Rome after shooting a (really) low score himself, according to Butch Harmon. The legendary swing coach shared that Fowler made 14 birdies and four pars in a Ryder Cup tune-up at Medalist Golf Club. With Medalist playing as a par 72, that would be a 58 also. There’s just one small twist.

Harmon says Fowler played the “way forward tees” that he and his brother, Craig, play. If that means the “Gold” tees there, then that’s just under 6,000 yards. So not exactly the same test Fowler and Team USA will face at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club next week.

 

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Still, that’s pretty impressive scoring. And it can’t hurt the confidence level as he heads into a fifth career Ryder Cup.

Also, it’s not like Rickie can’t rack up birdies on much longer and tougher set-ups. The guy made a US Open record 10 of them during the first round this year at Los Angeles Country Club. And he reportedly shares the course record at Medalist (62 from the back tees) with Tiger Woods. No big deal.

Anyway, nice round, Rick. Now excuse us as we head to the front tees this weekend.

Main image: Butch Harmon Instagram

The post Butch Harmon says Rickie Fowler made 14 birdies* in Ryder Cup tune-up (*With one small twist) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Modern launch monitors have taught us exactly what makes the ball go where it goes, but most golfers would be smart not to get too caught up in technicalities. Decades ago, Jack Nicklaus described a simple way to shape shots, and it’s every bit as valid today.

Jack said to hit a fade—his preferred shot—aim the clubface where you want the ball to come down, and align your body to the left (for right-handers). To hit a draw, do the opposite: Aim the face where you want the ball to finish and align your body to the right. For both ball flights, swing the club where your body is aimed.

Here’s the procedure, starting with the fade (above). After sighting your target from behind the ball, step in and aim the face at the target. Next, set your feet, making sure your stance line is well to the left. (Remember, a square stance is parallel-left of the target line, so you have to be farther left than that.) Your body lines—knees, hips and shoulders—should point where your feet point. Then swing where your body is aimed. The ball will start left and curve right.

“To shape a shot, better to change your setup than your swing.”

Now, take the draw. Aim the clubface at the target, then arrange your stance and your other body lines to the right. Swing where your body is aimed, and the ball will start right and curve to the left.

What I really like about this method is, you get most of it done at address. I see golfers trying to roll the face closed for a draw or hold it open for a fade. Jack’s way is better.

• • •

Dom Furore

GOLF’S NO. 1 MISTAKE

People ask me all the time, What’s the biggest fault you see with amateur golfers? My answer: They don’t take enough club. They take the club that requires a career shot to get to the target.

Optimistic? No, more like unrealistic. You should base your club selections on the average distance you get out of your clubs. Take one more than you think you need, and then swing within yourself. Trust me, you’ll make better contact and hit your target a lot more often.

The post How to make the ball curve appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It happens on putts between four and eight feet. The putts that are just too long to be given, but short enough that you’re still expecting to make them. That dynamic has the effect of robbing golfers of confidence. Golf Digest’s No. 1-ranked teacher, Butch Harmon explains:

“I call it ‘wish putting,’ because you wish you made it after you missed it,” he says. “You’re trying to wish it in because you’re afraid of it.”

It’s an anecdote Harmon tackles and thankfully, he’s got a solution to that problem. Here’s what to do.

1. Don’t ask if the putt is good

If your opponents give it to you, then great. But don’t expect them to give it to you. It can put you in a negative, fearful frame of mind, and distract you from the task at hand.

2. Aim the face first

After you read the putt, step into the putt, but align the face of your putter before anything else. Aiming your putter where you’re intending is one of the key tenets of good putting, Harmon says, so dedicate some specific time to getting it right.

3. Elbows in

Harmon says golfers, especially when struggling with the yips, should practice keeping their elbows close to their torso. This helps prevent your big muscles from taking over.

“Think about where the yips come from,” Harmon says. “They come from your wrists and arms.”

4. Get comfy

Another simple, but essential, piece of advice from Harmon is to make sure you’re comfortable over the golf ball. If you don’t feel comfortable over the ball, you’re not going to make a confident stroke, he says, which is the key to conquering wish putting.

5. Putt with your left ear

Once it’s time to hit the putt itself, Harmon says to think of putting with your left ear (for right-handed golfers). Your left ear should stay facing the hole, and if you do that, you’ll never give yourself a chance to look up early.

“I’m never going to see it go into the hole,” he says. “I’m going to hear it go in the hole.”

The post ‘Wish putting’ is ruining your short game. Here’s how to fix it appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Speed bump.

That’s how Butch Harmon characterised the final-round 75 that his new-again student Rickie Fowler shot on Sunday at the US Open. As infectiously positive as Harmon is as a teacher, you wouldn’t think there was much good to say about how Fowler limped in at the Open, going from a share of the 54-hole lead to finishing five shots behind breakout winner Wyndham Clark. But Harmon wasn’t changing his tune.

“It wasn’t the day he wanted, but he put himself in position, and he’ll learn from this and use it,” Harmon says. “It’s just a speed bump in his career, and it’ll help him. It shows how far he’s come but that he still has work to do. He can get better.”

Not that long ago, Fowler had a knack for climbing leaderboards in major championships. In 2014, he finished top five in all four majors, and overall, he has had 12 top-10s. But Fowler’s game started slipping in 2019, the year Harmon, then 76, stopped traveling to tour events. They agreed that Fowler should seek out a teacher who could be with him on a regular basis. It was an amicable split, but there was always a sense of unfinished business.

For the next three years, Fowler’s struggles snowballed, and he dropped as low as 185th in the World Golf Ranking (from a career high of fourth in 2016). He was plagued by old swing habits, including a flat, laid-off backswing and a quick tempo that can drop the club behind him on the downswing, leading to big misses to the right.

Some of those mistakes showed up again on Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club, along with a shaky putter that was rock-solid during the first three rounds. But the work and persistence that got him into the final pairing on Sunday should not be overlooked, according to Harmon.

“When Rickie went through his bad stretch, it was brutal to watch,” Harmon says. “I knew how good he could be, but his swing wasn’t producing. After a while, he lost his confidence, too. But he never wavered as a person, signing all the autographs and giving his time. If the world was full of Rickie Fowlers, it would be one hell of a place.”

It seems Fowler had to hit bottom before realising what he needed. Last November, he asked Harmon if he would help him again with his game. “I was overjoyed,” Harmon says. “It had to be his decision, and when we started, I knew right away we could make fast progress.”

At first, their renewed relationship consisted mostly of swing videos over text and talking on the phone. Harmon’s brother Craig is a member at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, where Fowler practises and plays. Craig would keep an eye on him and report back to Butch on how Fowler was swinging and the results he was getting. A Harmon two-for-one.

“After a while, Rickie started coming out to Vegas to see me,” Harmon says, “and we could both see the path back — even better than before. Golf is a cruel game, and sometimes those bad times, if you can get through them, really help you going forward.”

Harmon says they didn’t have to reinvent Fowler’s swing. What they did was exaggerate some of the moves they’d worked on during their first stint together. Things like creating more hip rotation on the backswing, turning his chest back over his right knee, and getting his arm plane more upright at the top. “Once we got his backswing in a better position, he could be athletic and use that great speed he has through the ball.”

But Harmon knows that improvement isn’t a straight line. “I always say: ‘Bad shots are part of the process,’ and we saw some of that in the final round. Rickie hasn’t felt that kind of major-championship pressure in a while, so this is a very positive step. He’ll win this year, maybe more than once. Maybe at Hoylake (at the Open Championship next month).”

And that’s exactly what Harmon texted Fowler in the minutes after the US Open ended. His performance proved that his swing is working, that his confidence can be high again, that he belongs with the best players in the world. He didn’t win the US Open, but this disappointment might be the necessary next piece in the comeback of Rickie Fowler.

Speed bump.

The post Why Butch Harmon thinks Rickie Fowler will be better than ever appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

We’ve all been there: You’re playing pretty well, and then you slice a drive out-of-bounds or top one into the water. A series of stupid mistakes follows, and suddenly you feel like your game is spiralling out of control.

You’re not alone.

The good news is, bouncing back after a bad shot is easier than you might think.

Butch Harmon has revealed his favourite tips for recovering quickly and keeping a round on track. Watch the clips below to find out what they are — and the 10-yard rule that can rescue even the most agitated golfers.

Have a short memory

Most golfers struggle to put bad shots behind them. Having a short memory after a miscue is a skill that can take your game to the next level. Just look at the pros.

“One of Dustin Johnson’s greatest strengths is that the last shot never happened,” Harmon says.

Johnson is one of many tour players who use this skill multiple times a round — and it’s not just golfers. Many elite athletes apply this mentality in their sport.

“Think of a cornerback in the NFL and how many times he gets beat before he stops a pass play or makes a great tackle,” Harmon says.

This kind of perseverance might not come naturally to you, but Harmon explains that letting go of your mistake will allow you to be more focused on the next shot, which will open up more opportunities for a comeback. With practice, you can definitely get better.

The 10-yard rule, explained

After a mistake, Harmon says to remind yourself that you can’t go back and fix it, but you can control what’s happening next and the shot you have to play.

“If your mind is still thinking about the three-putt or the dubbed chip or the boned shot out of the bunker where you made double-bogey, there’s no way you can give 100-per cent effort on this next shot,” Harmon says.

This distracted mental state is likely the reason that a single slip can wreck your round. By implementing the short-term attitude that Harmon suggests, you can step up to the next shot completely focused and avoid careless mistakes that snowball into big numbers.

“If you give 100-per-cent concentration and effort on that shot, you’ve given yourself the best chance to hit a good one,” Harmon says.

After all, it’s not about eliminating mistakes — we all make them. It’s about minimising the damage and moving on quickly.

And Harmon says his 10-yard rule is one of the best ways to do that.

Harmon says being upset after a bad shot is natural and that every player needs to process their emotions in their own way. This isn’t a green light to throw clubs or have a tantrum, but if you’re someone who needs to vent a little, Harmon has a solution.

“You’ve got a 10-yard rule,” Harmon says. “You can get as mad as you want at yourself for 10 yards, but after you walk that 10 yards, it has to be out of your nervous system. You have to be focused on the next one.”

Think of Harmon’s 10-yard rule as a trigger to refocus yourself. Once you cross that imaginary boundary, commit to letting the last shot go. Having a set space to vent will help you compartmentalise your emotions and move on from your mistake faster.

“It might take you five minutes to walk 10 yards,” Harmon jokes, “but try it. It’ll help.”

The post Butch Harmon: My 10-yard rule is the key to bouncing back appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

1. Let the lie dictate your shot

When you approach your ball after your tee shot, the first thing you should do is evaluate your lie. If you’re in the fairway, you can proceed as normal. But if your ball is in the rough, take a good look at your lie. A flier — a ball that’s sitting on top of the grass — may help you hit the green. But if you find your ball sitting down, Butch says to remember that loft is your friend.

“Take a very lofted club. The loft on the club will help me jump the ball out of the grass. The strategy is to get the ball back in play and give yourself a chance for the next one.”
— Butch Harmon

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2. Get your number to the middle

So many amateur golfers shoot the number to the pin, pick the corresponding club and don’t think about much else. Strange, Butch says, because pro golfers almost do the opposite.

“The flags they shoot at when they have the proper number, meaning the number they’re comfortable with for the club they want to hit. If they don’t have that number, they’ll dump it in the middle of the green.”
— Butch Harmon

Butch goes on to say that your default should be just that: get your number to the middle and play to it.

[divider] [/divider]

3. Find the ‘no go’ zone first

No golfer goes into a shot planning on hitting a bad one. Yet the smartest golfers plan for that eventuality anyway. When approaching the green, Butch says to identify where you least want to go and work backwards from there. He uses an example of a pin tucked on the left side of the green.

“Missing left, that’s the no-go zone, don’t even look at it. Pick a smartly conservative target behind the green that will give you room for error.”
— Butch Harmon

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4. Study the slope

This is something many golfers do already, but it’s worth reiterating. Sometimes golfers get so laser-focused on the pin that they forget their surroundings, even when they may help you. Using the example of a right-to-left sloping green, with the pin tucked left, Butch explains that your best chance of getting your ball close isn’t by aiming straight at the pin, but using the slope.

“Aiming at the middle of the green and letting the ball take the slope will actually give you a better chance of a birdie putt than going straight at the flag.”
— Butch Harmon

[divider] [/divider]

5. Pick a target behind the green

You’ve probably heard the phrase “aim small, miss small.” It’s useful advice, but it can also be difficult when you’re aiming for bigger, wide-open spaces like the middle of the green.

“I’m aiming at that bushy tree in the distance. I know if I start my ball right there, when it lands, it will release down towards the hole.”
— Butch Harmon

[divider] [/divider]

Butch Harmon. JD Cuban

6. Take an extra club

Amateur golfers under-club themselves all the time, Butch says. There’s simply no point lying to yourself about how far you hit the golf ball — unless you like missing the ball short. It doesn’t matter how far you hit it, it matters that you know how far you hit it. If you’re not sure, then when in doubt, club up.

“Very seldom do I see players take enough club, they take the club they need to hit absolutely perfectly. One of the best strategies I can give you is, if you think it’s a 7-iron, take a 6. If it’s a 6, take a 5.”
— Butch Harmon

[divider] [/divider]

MORE: Claude Harmon III on life inside the LIV Golf ‘family’

7. Sometimes laying up is best

Sometimes, you’ll encounter a shot you simply don’t like the look of. Maybe there’s water or a bunker — or both — short of the green, and your swing isn’t feeling great that day. Rather than forcing yourself to hit a shot that feels uncomfortable, Butch says to listen to what your emotions are telling you and choose a different path.

“Take a wedge, lay up, that way you can pitch it on and still give yourself a chance to make a par. If you use the right strategy, you’ll be able to avoid those high numbers.”
— Butch Harmon

[divider] [/divider]

8. Bogeys won’t kill you — doubles and triples do

A common theme in all Butch’s advice so far is to think about the shot after the one you’re about to hit. Your goal is to leave yourself a low-stress next shot. That’s true when you’re in the middle of the fairway, Butch says, and even more important when you’ve missed the short grass.

“What you’re trying to do is take double-bogey and triple-bogey out of play,” Butch says. “That’s your main goal, getting yourself out of trouble and back into play.”
— Butch Harmon

[divider] [/divider]

9. Don’t be a hero

Along those lines, Butch’s best advice can be summarised simply.

“Don’t be a hero! You’ll end up being a zero. Play the right shot.”
— Butch Harmon

It’s tempting to ignore it, especially after you’ve hit a good drive and smell blood in the water. But good golf is boring golf, and it’s not the spectacularly good shots that lead to good scores. It’s knowing how to avoid the spectacularly bad ones.

[divider] [/divider]

10. Remember the goal

And finally it’s worth remembering the advice Butch started with, and returns to frequently throughout: check your ego. It doesn’t matter how you get there, all that matters is that you arrive at the destination safely. Your scorecard will thank you for it.

“There’s only a box that requires a number in it, not a ‘how you did it’.”
— Butch Harmon

[divider] [/divider]

Good advice from the best coach around that the rest of us would do well to follow.

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The post 10 tips from Butch Harmon that will eliminate your blow-up holes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
It was a player-coach pairing that some people never loved, and now Rickie Fowler apparently is parting ways with his instructor of the last three years, John Tillery.

Tillery told ESPN on Tuesday that he’s no longer working with Fowler, who hired him in September 2019 after Butch Harmon cut out travel from his teaching schedule. Some in the industry questioned the move at the time, and the results of all the work with Tillery have not been fruitful.

Fowler, 33, hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the WM Phoenix Open in early 2019 when he was still working with Harmon, and this past season he notched just one top-10—a tie for third at the CJ Cup in October 2021. Hovering around the top 125 bubbles in FedEx Cup points, he was the last player to make it into the playoffs and was ousted after the first event when he tied for 64th in the FedEx St. Jude after he opened with a promising 65. He played in only one major, tying for 23rd in the PGA Championship.

In a February 2021 interview with Golfweek, commentator Brandel Chamblee said he didn’t understand why Fowler left Harmon.

“He’s got a good coach [John Tillery] but I disagree with the philosophy that he’s coaching, which is more flex in his right knee. … I cannot believe Rickie left Butch. Get on a plane and go to Vegas. He had a wonderful relationship with Butch. It’s a risk working with anybody. It could work out or it might not.”

For 2021-22, Fowler ranked outside the top 100 in most of the tour’s major statistical categories, with only driving distance (27th with a 309.4 average) and strokes gained/around the green (31st at .274) as pluses. Particularly troubling was Fowler’s putting, for which he was 161st, losing .253 to the field.

“Man, I love the guy,” Tillery told ESPN. “This job will punch you in the gut sometimes. As a coach, there’s nothing better than watching your guys succeed, and nothing worse than watching them struggle. The Xs and Os of what they need to do is the easy part, but getting it done can be a challenge sometimes, and we didn’t get it done. I’m pulling for him and wish him nothing but the best.”

Tillery’s current stable of players includes Kevin Kisner, Sepp Straka and Hudson Swafford—the latter two having won the tour this season.

Fowler has fallen to No. 178 in the Official World Golf Ranking after climbing to as high as fourth in 2016, and just before the FedEx St. Jude he parted with caddie Joe Skovron, who’d been on his bag since Fowler turned pro.

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Get your FREE September edition of Golf Digest Middle East here

The post Rickie Fowler makes another change in parting ways with coach, per report appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Fed Ex Cup play-offs are fast approaching and the DP World Tour, LIV Golf series and both the Ladies European Tour and LPGA begin to ramp up for their respective finales.

We take a look at Laguna resort in Thailand now golfers are travelling more once again, speak to Carlota Ciganda about the women’s game, catch up with Saudi stars Faisal Salhab and Saud AlSharif, provide plenty of tips for golfers of all ages and abilities and discuss the vision of MyGolf Dubai.  We also ponder why the 7-wood is the new must-have club in your bag.

All this and much more in the August 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

See below for the third issue of the Arabic edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The post Get the August 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here in both English and Arabic today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

We’ve got a deep dive on the 43rd Matches, including a unique sit down – in a pink flamingo no less – with American stud Brooks Koepka. Don’t miss our Ryder Cup “File” and “Dossier” features either, a fascinating look at everything American captain Steve Stricker must know to “whip the Europeans”, and the inside oil on how Padraig Harrington can help the Euros “spank the Yanks”.

Elsewhere, we chat with Trump Dubai-based freelancer Alex Riggs who has embraced social media to become an online tutor to (mostly above average) Joes and Janes everywhere and land a plum gig on GolfPass, the Golf Channel off-shoot owned by NBC Sports. The Canadian has even landed a role coaching NBA superstar Steph Curry courtesy of his digital profile.

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club professional Matthew Brookes has a series of stretches that will help you cool down and ensure you’re ready for your next pre-round warm-up, while Butch Harmon shares a simple tip to flush it off downhill lies that are commonplace in the Middle East. We also head to Glen Oaks in Old Westbury on Long Island, the private New York club nicknamed the “Augusta of the North” which is set to host the penultimate leg of the LET’s new Aramco Team Series next month.

There’s also a fascinating take on the triumphs and tragedies of trying to earn a start on the PGA Tour via cut-throat Monday qualifying. All this and much more in the September 2021 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

All this and much more in the September 2021 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided or download the bumper September 2021 issue FREE to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the September 2021 issue of Golf Digest Middle East FREE today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.