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5 things you can learn from 18-year-old major champion Brooke Henderson

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Copy Brooke Henderson.

No, don’t copy her swing or her putting stroke (but that may not be a bad idea either); copy her attitude, because the wonderful self-expression and joy she brings to the game is worth celebrating and showcasing for young players … or any player.

Young golfers today look to Jason Day, Jordan Spieth or Rory McIlroy (for obvious reasons), but they may want to model their attitudes after the 18-year-old Canadian on the LPGA Tour. Brooke Henderson seems to have a great recipe for both enjoying the game, remaining humble and playing some pretty spectacular golf that is generating great results.

In a time where everything seems to be overstated, Brooke Henderson won the Women’s PGA Championship in an understated manner. No fist pumping, no running around, no over-the-top drama: just hitting shots like she is capable of, enjoying the experience, connecting with the audience and matter-of-factly finishing at the top of the leaderboard.

No Fear

Brooke Henderson pic

Photo Credit: Joe McLean, Flagstick Golf Magazine/FlagstickGolf.com

Fear is a major interference in golf. We can look forward and consider all of the “what ifs” that could potentially happen, and most of the what ifs you might consider don’t have a positive effect on your game. Then there’s bringing the past forward. The tendency is to bring those things that really didn’t work out to the present moment, and those thoughts and feelings don’t help.

Brooke Henderson plays without fear. As an example, while most players at the recent Women’s PGA Championship highlighted the narrowness of the Sahalee fairways and that drivers wouldn’t be the play, Henderson stated to the media early in the week that driver would be the play for her. It’s her strength, and narrow fairways would not be a problem, she said. In a very self-aware manner, similar to Dustin Johnson in the U.S. Open, she used her driving as a weapon at the PGA, played to all of her strengths, leveraged her advantages and fully expressed herself.

In a recent interview, Henderson was asked about nerves and anxiety and her response was: “I used to get a bit nervous but then thought, ‘What’s the point of that, really?’”

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

What was most refreshing about Henderson and watching her win the PGA was the overall environment she creates within herself: a relaxed joy that produces great smiles after good shots, some disappointment after bad ones and a self-awareness that she understands her unique abilities and uses them. There was also a complete clarity following the winning putt in the playoff. She was determined to congratulate playing competitor Lydia Ko with a genuine embrace and acknowledge caddies and volunteers.

What can you learn from Brooke Henderson to become a better player?

Brooke Henderson pic2

Photo Credit: Scott MacLeod, Flagstick Golf Magazine/Flagstick.com

No. 1: Clearly understand your natural abilities and leverage them

Brooke Henderson’s swing motion hasn’t changed much from the 10-year-old in the picture above. The swing is dynamic and produces club head speed. Know what you naturally do well, and use that to your advantage at every opportunity. Her swing has evolved, but there hasn’t been a lot of tinkering since the early days.

No. 2: Be your own best friend on the course

Brooke Henderson has her sister on her bag to support her, but also seems to manage her own voice to create a genuine, honest climate within herself. A negative voice is a distraction and creates self doubt.

No. 3: Don’t be afraid to try new things

Henderson put a new putter and new irons in her bag the week of the PGA and had complete confidence they would do the job for her.

No. 4: Stay in the moment and enjoy the challenge

It’s cliché, but staying in the moment eliminates distraction and fear from the game. Projecting forward with “what ifs” and bringing negative experiences back from the past will create doubt and fear, and cause performance interference to the shot at hand.

No. 5: Lighten up

Even as a professional, Brooke Henderson has fun playing the game. She embraces the competition, enjoys what the game offers and expresses herself. Emotion is a part of her game in a positive way. Celebrate your own good shots and enjoy what’s going on on the course.

brooke_henderson_shoes

I think we can all learn a lot from the young Canadian, now ranked No. 2 in the world, who has “I love golf” stitched into her golf shoes.

After all, it’s just a game… isn’t it?

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John Haime is the President of New Edge Performance. He's a Human Performance Coach who prepares performers to be the their best by helping them tap into the elusive 10 percent of their abilities that will get them to the top. This is something that anyone with a goal craves, and John Haime knows how to get performers there. John closes the gap for performers in sports and business by taking them from where they currently are to where they want to go.  The best in the world trust John. They choose him because he doesn’t just talk about the world of high performance – he has lived it and lives in it everyday. He is a former Tournament Professional Golfer with professional wins. He has a best-selling book, “You are a Contender,” which is widely read by world-class athletes, coaches and business performers.  He has worked around the globe for some of the world’s leading companies. Athlete clients include performers who regularly rank in the Top-50 in their respective sports. John has the rare ability to work as seamlessly in the world of professional sports as he does in the world of corporate performance. His primary ambition writing for GolfWRX is to help you become the golfer you'd like to be. See www.johnhaime.com for more. Email: [email protected]

21 Comments

21 Comments

  1. rr

    Jun 26, 2016 at 2:54 am

    Redrum

  2. LHR

    Jun 25, 2016 at 3:26 am

    No, he calls you that because that’s what we call people like you cos that’s the truth

  3. about time

    Jun 24, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    Do In Gee next.

  4. Jack

    Jun 24, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    “No fist pumping, no running around, no over-the-top drama…”

    And what’s wrong with a little celebration? Going to be a lifeless robot your whole life?

    • John Haime

      Jun 24, 2016 at 9:40 pm

      Hey Jack,

      Thanks for the comment.

      If you’ve watched Brooke play – there’s a consistent joy in how she plays throughout the round or tournament as compared to many players who have so much bottled up tension and anxiety – that the “drama” I am speaking about is almost a sense of relief in a big outburst. The difference with Brooke is there isn’t any tension/anxiety – as evidenced by the smile, small fist pump and complete awareness.

      Celebration is great – especially spreading it out over 72 holes. But, most players, in your words, get in robot mode, the tension/anxiety builds over 71 holes and then the emotion becomes uncorked on hole 72.

      I think we can learn from the consistent self-expression from Brooke Henderson. Her approach looked refreshingly professional – natural and poised.

      • Rich

        Jun 28, 2016 at 8:25 pm

        Absolutely couldn’t agree more. She is fabulous young golfer and I think a true challenger to Lydia Ko. Women’s golf is in great shape with Brooke and Lydia at the top.

  5. Tc

    Jun 23, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    I think it’s time this website only allowed comments by signing in with a proper email account and credit card number to get rid of immaturity like Smizzle

  6. M Smibble

    Jun 23, 2016 at 3:03 pm

    clean it up bro

  7. Emmizzle

    Jun 23, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    ur gonna get a whipping for that disgraceful comment. hope ur sister slaps u too. dont be mad cause lydia ko kicked ur butt even w a stroke a hole. GO BROOKE

  8. Jackson Galaxy

    Jun 23, 2016 at 10:38 am

    Here is the WITB

    http://ping.com/tour/prodetails.aspx?id=19068

    Yes that is a 48″ driver shaft, but she grips down on it quite a bit.

    • Emmizzle

      Jun 23, 2016 at 2:45 pm

      THANKS.

    • Double Mocha Man

      Jun 23, 2016 at 8:59 pm

      That link is a Ping website. Apparently Brooke has all Ping clubs. But no putter. OMG, did she choose something other than Ping?! C’mon Ping, man up (woman up) and show her putter, even if it isn’t yours. You’re wusses. I swear I saw her with a putter on TV!

  9. Smith

    Jun 23, 2016 at 9:22 am

    Damnit M Smeezy, I like where your head’s at.

  10. Weekend Duffer

    Jun 23, 2016 at 8:38 am

    And include more detailed shaft info

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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