If there’s a player in the world of golf today who loves to give out advice and knowledge, then Padraig Harrington has to be right up there as the main man.
Harrington has got his own show called ‘Paddy’s Tips’ and he’s always so keen to help others through his experience.
A three-time major winner, Padraig Harrington knows a thing or two about winning and most importantly, how to swing a golf club.
Over the years, we’ve seen and heard from Harrington on a number of issues amateurs face with their golf game.
One of the big problems any amateur has is getting their driver to behave. A good tee shot can set the tone for any player and speaking previously on how to improve with driver, Harrington recommended people take a look at Ben Hogan.
Padraig Harrington’s tip for keeping the driver on plane
Harrington’s explanations are often top notch so when he’s dishing out information on how to hit driver better, it’s always worth listening.
Key to being good with the big stick is keeping things smooth and natural through both the back and downswing.
And according to Harrington, it’s all about rhythm.
“Especially with the pros, when they’re taking a practice swing in a static environment, they only ever swing about that long. They don’t make a full swing, because we don’t want any of this lifting, ok,” Harrington explains.
“So, nice and tight with the backswing, good bit of rhythm and I would recommend to people at home in their garage, especially during the winter, years ago if you looked at Hogan they’d have lovely waggling going on, their feet were dancing, and they hit that backswing with speed and that keeps the club right on plane.
“They got a lovely wrist cock because of the speed of the backswing so get that nice rhythm going and then hit.”
What Padraig Harrington has told amateurs about green reading
Just as important as being good with the driver is being able to make putts.
It’s one of the biggest differences between the pros and the amateurs in that pros will often be up and down in two most of the time, whereas amateurs can often three or four putt and cost themselves plenty of shots.
Luckily for us though, Harrington has also shared his top green reading tip.
“The low side of the cup, you see how it breaks down during the day? (Points towards the hole, which has wear and tear on one side). You see how the low side frays? Always aim away from that side,” Harrington explained.
“The machine cuts vertically, but the roots are going with the slope. The roots on [the low side] are inside the cup and have been cut, and that’s why they fray. You see the roots for this lip (pointing to the uphill side of the hole)? They won’t break, because the roots are going away from the hole.
“When you’re standing over it get a feel for it. If you feel uncomfortable, it’s always more break, it’s never less.
“People say, ‘I don’t feel good, I’m just going to hit it firm and straight.’ That will always make it worse. Always add break.
“The higher you go, the better your putting stroke is going to be. If I go too high I have a nice stroke. It’s always better if you’re not feeling great to go high.”
With Harrington getting towards the end of his career barring the senior tour, we can expect to see and hear much more of this stuff in the future.
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