Big Play With David Glenz

Retief Goosen sewed up his win by stiffing a five-iron from the rough at 16 to make the only birdie of the day on any of the three closing holes

ANALYSIS

LIKE MANY OF TODAY'S PROS Goosen has a fluid, athletic swing, meaning he aggressively unwinds his body through the ball in the same way a home run hitter smashes a baseball. The key to such a swing is the rotation of the trunk around the lead leg, which creates a whipping action with the arms, the hands and the club. Such a swing allowed Goosen to hit an outstanding mid-iron from the heavy rough at the 481-yard 16th hole at East Lake. He controlled the shot well enough to put it within three feet for a critical birdie that iced the Tour Championship.

THE TIP

Swing a Bat From the Rough

PLAYING A SHOT FROM THE ROUGH while maintaining control of the ball is a snap if you synchronize the unwinding of the torso with the arms, the hands and the club through the hitting area. To get the feel for such a swing, grab a bat, take a stance and then step into the pitch while keeping your hands back (left). As your weight shifts forward, rotate around your left leg as you hit the ball with the barrel of the bat (inset).

AND ANOTHER THING ...

"TIGER WOODS says he's trying to fix his swing by getting his arms in front of his body, but that is what's creating the problem."

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"BIRDIE AVERAGE is the most important statistic on Tour. Vijay Singh was 149th in driving accuracy but first in birdie average."

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"IF THE USGA would limit driver length to 43 inches and loft to 9.5 degrees, the average driving distance on Tour would go down."

David Glenz teaches at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, N.J., and is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher.

COLOR PHOTO

ANDREW GOMBERT (GLENZ, 3)

COLOR PHOTO

COURTESY OF ABC (GOOSEN)

COLOR PHOTOMONTAGE

ANDREW GOMBERT (GLENZ, 3); JIM GUND (BACKGROUND)

COLOR PHOTOMONTAGE

ANDREW GOMBERT (GLENZ, 3); JIM GUND (BACKGROUND)

IMPACT