By LANCE HANLIN
lhanlin@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5540
Two-time defending champion Boo Weekley may be a funny guy, but his golf game is no joke, especially at Harbour Town Golf Links.
His swing has changed some over the years, but two basics remain. One is to keep his head steady. The other is to make a controlled hip turn. To unlock the other secrets of his championship swing, we first looked to the best in the business — Tiger Woods swing coach Hank Haney.
“First off, he’s a great player,” said Haney, who runs the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy here in Beaufort County. “He has shown that at a lot of different places. ... Also, some courses just fit your eye and you feel comfortable there. He’s always played good here and I’m sure he will play well here again this year.”
Haney was unable to break down the finer points of Weekley’s swing due to his contract with Golf Digest, but he did introduce us to his right-hand man, veteran instructor and fellow swing guru Peter Krause.
Golf Magazine labeled Krause one of the Top 100 Teachers in America. He was also PGA National Teacher of the Year in 2005. Krause spent a few days studying photos and video of Weekley’s swing for The Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet. Here are his findings:
ADDRESS
His posture is good. His head is in line with his back before he begins his swing.
GRIP
His left arm is a little above his right and his right hand is a little underneath the club. This grip is a little on the strong side.
TAKEWAY
He has a really good takeaway. The club goes up on the shaft and the clubhead is directly in front of his turn, between his arms and opposite his hands.
PLANE
His club is above and parallel to the original shaft plane, which is good. At the top of his swing, his left forearm and wrist line up right on the plane, but with his strong grip, the clubface is closed.
DOWNSWING
He keeps the right shoulder back behind the left shoulder on the downswing. This is good for the average guy to keep in mind.
IMPACT
At impact, I can kind of see his eyes starting to turn and rotate toward the target. That’s going to keep him from flipping his hands over so he doesn’t hit too big of a hook.
FOLLOW
His eyes are out in front of him and the toe of the club is pointing at the target. The club is directly in front of his turn again.
