Level up your cutting game with this beautifully simple Seve Ballesteros drill bit
To win 90 games around the world you have to have all the skills and Seve Ballesteros clearly has that.
The swing was as nimble and graceful as ever, with the word “swashbuckling” always popping up when describing the Spaniard’s style of play, and he had plenty of distance off the tee.
I was talking to Bernard Gallacher a few years ago about the bend in Sevey’s kickoff, and he was quick to point out that in his early years, before his back started to break down, Ballesteros’ kickoff was much straighter than everyone thought.
In a separate chat, his caddy at Latham, Dave Musgrove, said claims he was a parking lot champion were a total exaggeration, citing only footage.
We obviously don’t have the stats right now, but we all know his superpower is around the greens. Consider that many of his great shots involved chip shots that either went in or nearly went in.
When he won the 1983 Masters, his last shot was 18. Winning by four shots, the Green Jackets were locked in, but the touch was another story.
Five years later at Latham, where he won his second Open Championship on Monday, he hit one of his best chip shots, getting up and down in seemingly bad positions before shooting a 65 to beat Nick Price by two strokes.
Wedge guru Bob Vokey always ranks Sevey among the best in the short game. The Spaniard was very picky about the setup of his golf bag. When they were together, the Spaniard’s golf bag only had 56° clubs, and later Vokey’s bag contained a 60° wedge club.
Interestingly, Ballesteros likes his wedges to have a flatter lie angle (“short strike, short club”), so they become two degrees flatter to help get the club under the ball.
But the most striking thing about the Spaniard’s short game is its simplicity. It may look sexy, but it’s not, and he only introduces a lot of spin when it’s really needed. So whether it’s a maracas or a lob, he’s going to hit it differently, otherwise everything will go like a long underarm delivery.
The whole idea is to hit the ball on the green, let it run, and use as little loft as possible.
In Sevi’s own words
In a short gameplay video Ballesteros made in Dubai, he explains the fundamentals of low stakes and high stakes. Not surprisingly, they are very similar, just with different clubs.
“I’m going to choose a sand wedge. The reason for that is the pin position is very close to the edge. And, I’m going to choose the edge as a reference point.
“Now let me show you the technique. First, I stand in a good posture, with my feet together, my feet, knees, hips and shoulders all square, but the target is to the left.
“Then I put the weight a little bit on the left side. Also, I keep the clubface slightly open. I move my hands forward a little bit.
“Also, the ball is set up in the left heel. Now, I’m ready to hit the ball. I’m not going to use any wrists at all, just like a normal chip shot. I’m going to try to take the ball over the edge.”
What about the low one?
“Right now, we have a very similar shot, the same distance. But, I’m going to pick a different club, the 9-iron.
“This club has a smaller loft area. The reason is that I have more green to work with. Also, I will be using the edges as umpire points.
“The technology is very similar to a bunker. The only difference is the loft.”
