Davis Love, Jr. (1935-1988)
Class of 1999
The 10 Commandments of Putting
1. Accelerate through the ball.
2. Keep the hands close together.
3. Putt with your eyes over the ball.
4. Hit the top half of the ball to promote a smooth roll.
5. Play fast putts off the toe of the putter, but never play slow putts off the heel.
6. Putt on the last hole just as you did on the first. (How often have you seen a golfer give up during a bad round, as if putting didn't matter any more? The golfing gods remember that stuff; they'll get you next time.)
7. The putter should be soled level, not with the toe up.
8. On long putts, speed is more important than line.
9. On short putts, line is critical. Get the line right, putt the ball on the line, give it enough hit, and the ball will go in.
10. Follow through to the hole.
— From Every Shot I Take by Davis Love III
Bob Toski
Class of 1999
Relax Your Arms for More Yards
Tension is the enemy of speed. In golf, your arms allow your hands to create swing speed; relaxed arms mean faster hands. Here's an exercise to underscore the point. Pick a spot on the carpet (or put a tee in the ground) and swing an iron back and forth at the spot, trying to brush the spot or club the tee. You'll find that hitting the spot becomes easy and you can swish the club quite fast if your arms and hands are relaxed. Tighten them, and suddenly it's very tough.
Paul Runyan
Class of 2000
Fairway Woods Need a Steady Head
By far the leading criterion of fairway wood play is stability and precision of head position. The ball must be hit exactly at the bottom of the arc, not on the way down, and not on the way up, unless the lie is unusually bad in one case, or unusually good in the other. To do so consistently, your head must be anchored, with the back arching strongly to hold you in place.
— From Paul Runyan's Book for Senior Golfers
Class of 2001
Repeat After Me
The only purpose of the golf swing is to move the club through the ball square to the target at maximum speed. How this is done is of no significance at all, so long as the method employed enables it to be done repetitively.
Class of 2002
Feel the Clubhead
Hold the club straight up with the shaft perpendicular to the ground, and feel the weight of the clubhead. Can't feel the clubhead at all, right? Too light.
Hold the club in front of you, parallel to the ground. Causes a little pull at the top of your wrists, right? Too heavy.
Hold it pointing halfway between the first two positions. Close your eyes. Focus on the weight you feel: just right. That's the weight you want to feel throughout your golf swing.
