Ship Shape Shot-making with Sean Hanley

Admit it. Working the golf ball, either from left-to-right or right-to-left, isn’t exactly your forte. You play for a cut, and it draws. You play for a draw, and it cuts. Well, Sean Hanley, Director of Instruction at the Golf Digest School at Cranwell in Lenox MA, is here to help. Hanley, commonly known as the Doctor, has given over 10,000 lessons since he began teaching in 1986. He is widely regarded as one of the preeminent teachers in Massachusetts, an honor bestowed upon him by his peers in Golf Digest Magazine. We recently spent an afternoon at Cranwell dissecting the proper fundamentals required to produce a cut and a draw. As an added bonus, Hanley also provided insight into two common problem areas for most golfers: 1) Collapsing of the left wrist vs. pronating of the left wrist; and 2) How to improve your bunker play. Enjoy.

Q: What is the simplest way to play a cut shot (where the ball moves from left-to-right for right-handed golfers)?

A: First, you need to aim your body lines (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) left of the target line. (In the illustration, the arrow is aligned to his intended target. The two parallel lines, aimed left, show where his body is aligned and where his ball will begin.) Next, set your clubface a little open and swing along your body line.  This creates an out-to-in path relative to your target line (the arrow). Now, all you have to do is make a normal swing. Vary the degree to which you open the clubface depending on how severely you want to shape the ball from left-to-right. The more you open the club face, the more the ball will cut or slice.

Q: What is the simplest way to play a draw (where the ball moves from right-to-left for right-handed golfers)?

Just like playing a cut shot, you need to align your body lines in the direction you want to the ball to start. Instead of aiming left of your target, this time you need to aim to the right. (In the illustration, the arrow points to Hanley's intended target. The two parallel lines, aimed right, show where his body is aligned and where the ball will start.) Next, close your clubface. This will produce a right-to-left ball flight. Aligned right, with a closed club face, your ball will begin to the right then draw left toward your target. Again, the more you close your clubface, the more the ball will draw or hook.

Q: What is the difference between collapsing and pronating of the left wrist?

A: Most people think to make the ball go up, they have to swing up. They think their divot should be behind the ball, so they catch the ball with the club coming up or on a shallow angle of approach. This usually collapses the left wrist, forcing the club head past the hands. What we're trying to do is hit the ball first then the ground. Players who lead with their hands as their left wrist pronates trust the loft of the club. The loft of the club is what allows the ball to elevate. Most people have height in mind and they tend to leave it open or scoop it to get the ball in the air. But you get it in the air with a slightly steeper angle of approach, hitting the ball first and creating backspin.

Q: How much distance do you lose playing from a bunker compared to a regular shot? What drills do you give your students to improve their bunker play?

A: The student needs to know how far they hit a sand wedge with a full swing because there going to lose approximately 2/3 of there distance when hitting a greenside bunker shot. If you only hit your sand wedge 45 yards with a full swing, you're maximum distance with a sand wedge will only be 15 yards.  To hit a proper greenside bunker shot, a slightly steeper angle of approach is required. This drill with a towel approximately eight inches behind the ball helps them get steeper and prevents from sweeping it. We used to place a 2X4 behind the ball instead of a towel, but that scared the students (laughing).

Q: What is the strangest thing you have seen during a lesson?

A: One time on video, I had a person hitting a driver and they actually caught their tee shot. It was on a high tee, and the person got ahead of it and came down very steep--which is not good for a driver. The ball popped up, and as it did, he saw it out of the corner of his eye and caught it with his right hand.  I said, ‘Let me see you do that again’ (laughing).

Q: What have you learned from your 10,000+ students?

A: We can give them the information, but it’s up to them to get out on the practice tee and do the work. I've learned from every student I've ever taught. Each one is different in their own way. When communicating with a student, I try to choose the right words so they understand what it is they need to do, why they need to do it and how they will correct it and to always remember to enjoy the game and the experience of the challenge to improve.  If I can get them relaxed and comfortable with me, they're much more absorbent as far as what they're going to learn. I'm learning everyday. I like to see the improvement of every student.

Thanks, Sean.

Want to learn more from The Doctor? Call 413-637-8271 to book a lesson with him today.