I was nervous about Brooks Koepka.
Not sure if nervous is the right word. I think “apprehensive” is a better word because it includes the chance of being excited. I was thrilled to have Koepka on the range for a 30-minute interview and chat. I just wasn’t sure if he’d be willing to play. The whole point of our range hangout film series, “Warming Up,” is to get inside the minds of golfers. I didn’t know how far Koepka would go. I don’t think he was either. That seems like a good start.
Lesson 01: Don’t think about anything
Koepka took one of our reporters to the range with him and said he wasn’t going to be very good at this. As soon as the cameras started rolling, he said the same thing again.
As he hit his first 56-degree wedge, he said, “I don’t think of anything. I know you won’t like this answer.”
I think he thought that nothing could stop the gathering. The talk is over. But the thought of having nothing was interesting. That was really interesting. When we think of the world’s best players, we often imagine that they are more advanced than us, that they know more about the swing, and that they have a secret that we will never find out. Koepka, on the other hand, finds that being able to simplify things and clear his thoughts is the key. The holy grail of golf is to not think about anything. Brooks, say more…
Read More: Top 100 tips from teachers on how to lower your handicap? There are only 4 words.
Lesson 2: Don’t worry about a bad warm-up
Koepka had two of the worst warmups he could remember, but he still won his fifth major title. If you ever feel stressed during a bad warmup, read this.
Koepka said, “This year at the PGA, Saturday and Sunday was the worst warmup I’ve had in a long time.” “Wow, those shots are really, really bad.” The flights on them—I fade the ball, so they could be drawing. The dips were deep. It was not good. It doesn’t really matter, though. This is just a warm-up. I’m fine. You shouldn’t have any trouble with it.”
Lesson 03: Being a weird guy is fine
Koepka only hits his odd irons when he practices, so the phrase “odd guy” really means that. The nine, the seven, and the five.’
He said, “To be honest, you’ll laugh. This drives my caddie crazy, but all the weird clubs wear out so quickly.” “Those irons don’t have as good of a wear spot as the others.” I don’t practise with any evens, not even when I’m at home. That way, it’s always the same thing because it’s always the same places.
I tried to make it clearer: he only hits a 6-iron when he’s actually playing golf, right?
He said, “Yeah, really, that’s pretty much it.” That’s it. Follow any odd-numbered way of life that works for you. Even more so if every few months you get free clubs.
Lesson 4: Don’t think about anything else
It was clear after reading this: Koepka said, “I just try to make it a reaction sport.” “Think about it all the time: If you have no time, you can roll up a piece of paper and throw it in the trash. It usually goes in.” But if you really think about it, more and more—you see it, guys do it all the time—they waggle their tails. You’re thinking, “Oh boy.” Things are not going to go well. You can tell they don’t feel good. Make it a sport of reactions.
Koepka said that depending on how he feels about the ball, he might hit the ball in a different way than he had planned. For example, the ball might have drawn instead of faded, but it still went in the right place.
Lesson 5: Make sure you know the basics.
You’re not as good as Brooks Koepka for this.
Making sure I’m set up the same is the only thing I do every time. It’s like a religion to me. The grip is the same. “That’s all.”
He sets up to the left of the target, ready for a fade. He knows where his feet should be and how far to the left his shoulders should be if he looks at the goal. At least he knows most of the time.
“If I’m lined up right, my shoulders are straight, and the clubface is good, I should get the same spot every time, right?” “My swing, I’ve probably done the same one for 27 years since I began.”
He says it over and over that this isn’t easy. It’s always hard for him to queue. But that only makes it more important to check the basics again.
“This guy Warren Bottke taught me when I was just starting out; he trained me when I was really young: P.G.A. Position, grip, and balance.”
Koepka always stands in about the same way. He has a weak interlocked grip, and at the top of his swing, his wrist is not quite straight. He’s always trying to get everything in line. After that? He said, “It’s just turn and burn.”
Lesson 6: Tell yourself that someone else is working harder than you are
Koepka used to make it sound like he didn’t practise or work hard between events, right? He was telling himself that story, too.
He said, “I don’t work hard enough in my head.” “I feel like the most lazy person in the world.” But why don’t you come practise with me? I go there a lot. For example, I was at Grove [XXIII], which is in South Florida, before Augusta last year, and I think everyone was sick of seeing me there. It seemed like all day, every day.
So why the wrong turn then?
“Do you know what makes you work a little harder? Do you always feel like you’re not the hardest worker? As long as I believe someone is working harder, faster, or better than me, I’ll never be able to catch up. That makes me think, “Okay, I need to get to this point, I need to get to that point.” It’s not enough to just win.
I told him that there might be a little something wrong with him. It was okay with him.
Lesson 7: Your eye is the best Trackman
That is a great quote: “Your eye is the best Trackman.” However, Koepka thinks that way.
“[Launch monitors] can get so complicated that you forget that a half-degree difference in how you hit the ball can change those numbers a lot.” You might think you did something and then look at it and think, “Wow, this is so different from what I saw.”
He says you should believe your eye.
Lesson 8: Don’t think about what might happen
Koepka knows that golf shots can be pretty scary. He just tries to stay away from that process.
You could throw a ball into that hole right now if I told you to. But if it were really life or death, you might think about it and ask yourself what you’re doing. But that’s—that has effects. And when you play golf, you know that each shot has an effect. Okay, if I miss the green or make bogey here, I could lose this golf event. So now you’re getting scared. You’ve done it a million times if you don’t think about what will happen—”Hey, I’m just trying to hit the shot.”
Koepka said this could be used in other high-stakes games.
He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I’ll beat you in bags all day.” “Ask Mr. Johnson.” “He is aware.”
When he said it, I felt it.
Lesson 9: You don’t have to curve it a lot
At least not very often. As the game went on, I was amazed at how little Koepka’s ball bent. A garden here and there. A fade is what he likes, but that fade doesn’t fade very much. Last but not least, I asked Koepka to hit a huge slice just for fun.
“I’ll just crack my feet open.” Aim very far to the left. “I feel like I always have the clubhead in my hands,” he said.
He moves his stance back a bit and tries to keep the clubface from turning. Oh, no. The shot went around the two palms that split the range in half, just like he said he would.
I agreed by nodding. Did making that shot make him happy? He gave a shrug.
“It’s more of a thing to please a lot of people.” Because I’m behind a tree, I might only hit that shot every six months. It does not happen very often, though.
Lesson 10: Each ball you hit at the range should be important
Koepka says there are times when he has trouble performing at his best.
He said, “I’m awful.” “I’ll be lucky to break par if I play with my dad and brother.” That’s not possible for me. My mind can’t get there, and I can’t hit a golf shot for no reason.
He says that changes before big titles. This is kind of the key to Koepka’s success. What he did to become so powerful. The kindness.
“Everything I hit on the range or every putt I make when I’m practicing for the majors is important to me.” Other people who are watching might not understand what it means; they may never find out. But I care a lot about that before it happens. “Every ball has a purpose.”
It’s likely that Koepka has spent a lot of time on the driving range hitting important shots as we get ready for another major title season.
The whole thing is below, and you should watch it. I hope you enjoy it.
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