In this video Alex Elliott explains how top hit 7 epic shots at the Belfry.
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00:00Welcome to the legendary Brabazon course here at the Belfry, home of four Ryder Cups.
00:11We've teamed up with Callaway and Alex Elliott and I are going to show you how to play seven epic shots.
00:24We're here at the third hole on the Brabazon.
00:27It's a reachable par five, so a real tempter.
00:30Alex has got his tee shot quite a way down, but as you can see, we've just slipped over into the rough here.
00:36So there's a decision to be made.
00:38Alex, what are you thinking right now?
00:41I guess there's two options, depending on how your game's going right now.
00:44You could have started well and you might feel confident enough to take this on.
00:48Other options you've got here is if your game's not feeling quite good, and sometimes we have those days,
00:52is we could actually lay up down this right hand side.
00:55But, we've seen people play these shots.
00:59I want to take it on right now as well.
01:01So, we're in the rough.
01:02Now, with this ball sat down a little bit, we've got to sort of use a club that's going to help us get it in the air.
01:08Out of the fairway, we could probably get away with those long irons, the four iron, potentially something around there.
01:13But 190 yards out, I'm thinking hybrid.
01:17Help me get that ball in the air, a little bit of help is all I need here.
01:20Great stuff.
01:21Right, so you've decided you're going for it.
01:23Yes.
01:23We've got the hybrid.
01:25Talk us through the technique of how you're going to play this shot.
01:28So, I guess there's sort of a feeling I want people to use here.
01:31I sort of kind of teach along sort of the feeling route.
01:34So, ball position is really key.
01:36We need to make sure we've got the ball in the correct position.
01:38And the feeling through the shot, I want people to attach this very close to an iron shot.
01:44Let's not try and help it in the air.
01:45Let's try and feel like we get a little bit of a downwards hit.
01:47And on a downwards side as well, that's really, really important.
01:51So, in terms of ball position, what I really like to see for golfers with the hybrid is
01:55a club head inside their left heel.
01:57Probably where they're going to attach their longer irons or potentially like a five wood or three wood.
02:02But then the feeling through the hit, and I do this for every single shot out on the golf course,
02:07make a few practice swings, just inside the ball, looking where I want to contact that ground.
02:13So, I'm really looking to sort of brush that grass in front,
02:15not sort of get a feeling of scooping it up into the air.
02:20And I think it's amazing.
02:22You see some of the best players on tour do this.
02:25They do exaggerated feelings relative to their swing thoughts from their coach,
02:29but also relative to the shot that they've got.
02:32Absolutely.
02:32All right, there we go.
02:33So, we've got take a hybrid to help you get it up in the air.
02:37Make sure you're aware of that ball position and make sure you get down into it with that
02:41exaggerated feel.
02:42You've talked us through it.
02:43I've talked a big game here.
02:44You've talked it up.
02:45Now, let's see it in action.
02:47Okay, so here we go.
02:49Work through your routine, take on one of these shots,
02:52and we all know our playing partners will enjoy it just as much as us, if we get it on.
03:02Oh, that looks pretty.
03:03I'll go a little.
03:08So, you're up around the green, chipping a puck for a birdie.
03:14Epic shots call for epic locations, and it does not get any more epic or iconic
03:24than the 10th hole here on the Brabazon course at the Belfry.
03:27Look at that behind me.
03:29We can all remember Seve Ballesteros being the first man to knock it on there.
03:33The amazing Ryder Cup moments we've seen.
03:36You're here.
03:37You stood on the tee.
03:38What's the thought process about how you're going to tackle this incredible golf hole?
03:43I think first and foremost, if you're here, you want to have a go, don't you?
03:45Yes, you do.
03:45You just want to have a go.
03:47I think if we look at this logically, we've got to sort of put it in that category of
03:51it's just another drive.
03:53Now, I know it's not.
03:54I know it's not, but if we're going to hit our drive our best
03:58and give ourselves our best opportunity of getting it near or getting it on, I think
04:02if we stick to sort of three simple rules, good alignment, try and put some good rhythm
04:09on it, and in your head, really try and hone in on the target rather than a wide open fairway.
04:16So triple track ball, what I would do in terms of like my routine, and actually not just for
04:21this hole, I'd do this on every single hole, I'd always stand behind and place my lines
04:29down towards target, so I know straight away I'm aligned to where I want to be.
04:33Yeah.
04:34Second, I'm going to take my stance, build my stance around that, honing on my target
04:41rather than looking in that wide open space.
04:42So in this case, a very tight front flag.
04:46And now all I want you to picture is, can you be balanced?
04:50Because this would be very easy for any golfer of any level, just to give it a little bit more
04:55because of the situation and think, can I get it there?
04:58So be balanced and try and not make it more than it is.
05:01And just on shot shape, obviously most amateur golfers and certainly myself included,
05:05we play with a fade, verging on a slice at times.
05:08That suits this perfectly, so let's roll with it, let's go with it, set up allowing for that shape,
05:14taking it into the hole.
05:15And if we're honest, if we hit a good one and it does leak a little bit right,
05:18we might get a friendly bounce off the tree and end up on the green.
05:21Well, let's see how lucky we're feeling today.
05:23Hopefully very.
05:25So ball down, keep checking your target, checking your alignment,
05:30build your stance around those lines on the ball.
05:34Last thing, be balanced.
05:36Oh, that looks pretty.
05:43Be good.
05:44Oh, if that's the right length.
05:47Oh, he's right over the top of it on the green.
05:51There you go, epic moments, epic shots.
05:54We're on the 17th, another beautiful hole here.
06:03It's a par five.
06:04It's reachable.
06:05Every chance to go for it in two from here, Alex, but just one problem.
06:10Those branches are overhanging, but you've got to go for it, right?
06:13A hundred percent.
06:14I think this is a great situation, risk and a bit of reward here, or a lot of reward.
06:19Where the green's set, with it sort of funneling with those bunkers,
06:21it sort of lends itself to that ball, landing short, running up towards that flag,
06:25if we can pull it off.
06:27So with that in mind, we've got to play a punch shot, essentially,
06:30to get it under these branches and running up onto the green.
06:34Explain to us how we do that.
06:35So the first thing we've got to sort of go for is the lowest lofted club in our bag.
06:39Now, for some people, this may be a six iron.
06:42Some people, it could be upwards of a three iron.
06:44We've got a three iron here, so I'm going to choose my three iron.
06:47If you've got a six iron, five iron, just choose your least lofted club.
06:51So we've got to control a few things here.
06:54How much we hit down on the golf ball and the loft the golf club has at impact.
06:58Also, we could put speed into that mix as well.
07:01So we want to feel as though we're going to hit more down and reduce our loft.
07:04Now, there's a lot of these things that we can do at the address position.
07:07So let's work through in sort of like a five stage map, as I kind of like to think it.
07:13So first off, let's grip down that golf club.
07:16It's going to help us control the speed.
07:17Second, we're going to build our stance with that ball towards the back of our stance.
07:23Number three, can we get a little bit of weight on our left side?
07:26Yep.
07:27Number four, I always like to do this without going too much into detail.
07:31We need to make sure that we're bodies aiming a little bit left,
07:34because we're hitting it earlier in our arc.
07:36So aim a little bit left with that body.
07:38And then the fifth point, try and put a smooth three quarter swing on it.
07:42All these factors help us control angle attack, help us control the loft of the club,
07:47and hopefully see that ball fizz out nice and low.
07:50Great stuff.
07:50Let's see it in action.
07:51Let's go.
07:52So I think as we've spoken about throughout this whole series,
07:55it's having a routine that you can stick to on these shots.
07:58So pick the target.
07:59I'm going to walk in, gripping down that golf club,
08:02place that golf club down, ball slightly back in the stance, weight left.
08:08Now we're in a position to go.
08:12Very nice.
08:17Chasing up in between the bunkers onto the putting surface.
08:21You've got an eagle putt.
08:28We're on the 15th.
08:29Another beautiful hole here.
08:31Alex has hit a very, very rare bad shot.
08:34You've got yourself in a little bit of trouble.
08:36You're short-sided.
08:37Yeah.
08:38There's a big old yawning bunker in front of you.
08:41What are you going to do to save your par from here?
08:43Well, I think there's only one thing to do, isn't there?
08:45Flop shot.
08:46Big, high flop shot.
08:47We're thinking Phil Mickelson style here, aren't we?
08:49Oh, 100%.
08:50Like, it's almost like the hero shot.
08:53If it comes off good, you're a hero.
08:54If it doesn't, it can make you look a little bit of a fool.
08:56So what are you assessing to decide whether you can carry that off?
08:59I think the most important thing to do is I always work it from the ball to target,
09:03like a ball to target line.
09:05So I'd have a look at my lie.
09:06I think if we're going to hit this flop shot,
09:08we want that grass just to be cushioning that ball up a little bit.
09:11On a bare lie, we might have to look at a different option.
09:14I then would walk around this bunker and probably walk to where I want to land it.
09:18Yep.
09:18Because you get a good understanding.
09:19Take this hole here, for example.
09:21We've got a bit of a backstop.
09:22Not a lot of green between the fringe and the flag.
09:25So assessing it, going to where your target is,
09:28and you can get a full good understanding of where you want to hit that ball to.
09:31Great stuff.
09:32So we're going to go for the most lofted wedge in the bag.
09:37How are you setting up for this one?
09:40I keep it really nice and simple.
09:43Bunker shot is all I'm sort of thinking.
09:45So I would walk through a routine.
09:47So I'd place that club down with the face open on the ground.
09:51I would then take my hold.
09:52If you look at that there, Kit, like my hold to me is relatively neutral,
09:56but relative to the club face, the club face is really, really open.
09:59And then place that club down behind the back of the golf ball.
10:03And for a lot of people now, it would be a bit of a scary situation.
10:05That club face looks like it's pointing a little bit to the right,
10:08but we'll correct that in a second.
10:09So then take a nice wide stance with the ball just favouring the left half.
10:15And then this is the key thing here.
10:16You sitting down a little bit and getting the weight a little bit left
10:21actually will get that loft pointing somewhat to target.
10:24Right.
10:24I want you to actually work through a different sort of feeling in release.
10:28I want you to imagine there's a little smiley face on that club face.
10:31Yep.
10:31As you're swinging through, can you point it back at you?
10:34Rather than most people would release a club like this,
10:37we want to feel a little bit more of an element of this.
10:41Brilliant.
10:41Make sure you take a few practice swings.
10:43Get used to the lie as well.
10:45You've got to get used to that club working through the grass.
10:49Picture how much force you've got to put into it.
10:52Because I think the hard thing for most amateur golfers and club golfers is
10:55it requires a lot more speed than you think.
10:57Yeah.
10:59So place your club down, take your hold, ball up in your stance,
11:03sit down a little bit, mirror that loft back at you.
11:06Now that's very high.
11:12Very soft.
11:12Banded soft.
11:13Catch it on the right level and that is a very makeable par putt.
11:23It's the tricky 16th now.
11:25We've got an approach but it's a difficult one.
11:28We all know how tough it is to be good from fairway bunkers.
11:32You're in one right here, Alex.
11:33That pin is tucked.
11:35What are you going to do?
11:37I think, again, it's like we've had in this whole series.
11:39Have a little bit of a formula for these big epic shots.
11:42So first and foremost, have a look at the lie.
11:45Because if this is not lying well, we can get a bit of a clump of sand behind it.
11:48Sometimes even get a fried egg here.
11:51We've got to take our punishment and just take it out of the bunker
11:54and use the most lofted club.
11:55Then I'd have a look at the side profile.
11:57How quick have I got to get this ball up over the lip?
12:00Because how many times do we think,
12:03yeah, you know what, I can get a six iron and get a five iron out of here?
12:07We leave it in the bunker.
12:08Double bogey staring us back in the face.
12:11So we go lie.
12:11We look at the side profile.
12:13I then choose a club.
12:15So I've got 135 here.
12:17This would probably be a comfortable nine iron for me.
12:19But I'm going to go wedge.
12:20I'd rather get this ball out, come up short,
12:24and I've got a chance of making a bogey at worst.
12:26Again, if I leave it in here, we're talking making some big scores.
12:31So then take a nice normal hold.
12:33I wouldn't change too much on that.
12:35I tend to go with my wedges anyway in the middle
12:37and an even amount of grip at the top and the bottom.
12:40Normal ball position.
12:42And this is where it differs from what we would have as a traditional bunker shot.
12:45We usually screw our feet right into the sand.
12:49We're staring a fat shot.
12:51So I think we want to sort of make sure we've got a compacted bit of sand under us.
12:56So we've got a stable base.
12:57So our final point is then pick out a little bit of a mark in front of the ball,
13:01make sure the legs stay a little bit quieter through the shot
13:04and really focus on trying to hit down on the ball, not get it in the air.
13:09And just one other point.
13:10Are we doing anything with the ball position here to encourage that we make sure we get contact
13:15on that little white sphere before the sand?
13:17You might want to put it a little bit further back in your stance.
13:19I mean, with a wedge, traditionally you're going to have it sort of towards the back of your stance anyway.
13:23If you're on a bit further away, taking more like a seven iron, eight iron,
13:27you might want to put it half a ball to a ball back in your stance.
13:30Brilliant. Let's see you take it on.
13:31If you can get it close to that pin, that really is an epic shot.
13:34It's a tight flag.
13:35So a little bit of digging, keep the legs nice and quiet.
13:42Beautiful contact.
13:45Just a little bit short, but I'm not turning this situation into a double bogey.
13:51Give yourself a chance to save your partner.
14:00Here we are on the 18th tee at the Brabazon.
14:03It's a beautiful golf hole, but what an intimidating shot.
14:08Sometimes you just have to take it on.
14:10And when there's water lurking short and you know, the more you bail out,
14:14the more difficult that second shot is going to be.
14:16This is one of those moments, isn't it, Alex?
14:19Definitely. Like you said there, you bail out right.
14:22You're probably laying up for your second here.
14:23Yeah. So how are we going about hitting that absolute bomb off the tee?
14:28Well, we've got to stand up and deliver.
14:30That's first and foremost.
14:31And we'd go with driver here.
14:32Definitely.
14:33So I would tend to have in my golf game.
14:36And as I go through around, have sort of three different tee heights.
14:40My low one.
14:41If it's a little bit of a chippier one into the wind, my medium one,
14:44one, which I sort of class as my fairway finder.
14:47And then what I call is my bombs away tee height.
14:50I love it.
14:51So what I look for here is, as I'm addressing the golf ball,
14:57is actually having half a ball above the face.
14:59I tend not to have this.
15:01I sort of have a quarter usually on like my fairway finder shot.
15:04So first and foremost, half a ball above the face.
15:07And I want to address the ball, ball up in the stance.
15:10That's really, really key.
15:11And just remind yourself, check what you could do nice and simply.
15:14Address it in the middle of your stance with your feet together.
15:17Just turn your left toe out.
15:18Move your right foot away.
15:20I know right away I've got that ball in the correct position.
15:24Next point.
15:24Can I make sure my shoulders are actually feeling
15:28as though they're parallel to my feet line?
15:31A lot of golfers, ball up in the stance.
15:33Sort of get a little bit this way.
15:34And all this is going to encourage sort of this notion.
15:37If you think about it logically, if you get behind it,
15:40we've got a better chance of this upwards hit.
15:42And finally, I call it like my gears sort of theory.
15:46Most of the drives that I hit sort of fairway finders,
15:48sort of gear four in our car.
15:50This one, we've got to step up.
15:51We've got to go gear five.
15:53So we've got to feel like we've got to be balanced.
15:56But we give it just that little bit more.
15:58Absolutely.
15:58Well, this is a new tee box here for the British masters.
16:02You are the first person to hit a ball off it.
16:05So no pressure.
16:06I feel it.
16:08Let's give it the bombs away.
16:09So walk in, right shoulder back.
16:13Gear five with some balance.
16:19Oh, there's a bit of turn on that as well.
16:22So the line here is trying to start it at the bunker.
16:24And if you do get it to turn on that left edge,
16:27you're absolutely in the perfect position.
16:29Perfect.
16:29So aggressive off the tee, committing to it, nailed it.
16:33And now you've set yourself up for that iconic approach into the 18th here at the Belfry.
16:44Here we are in the fairway then at the 18th.
16:47And what an epic shot you are faced with right now, Alex.
16:52We've got the plaque down there from Christie O'Connor's magical two-arm in that Ryder Cup.
16:58Fortunately, two-arm isn't one of the options we need today with all the technology at our disposal.
17:04We've got a few options here.
17:05You can go hybrid, long iron, perhaps even a lofted fairway wood.
17:09What are you going to do from this position?
17:12I'm going to go three-iron.
17:13Notoriously a probably difficult club for most club golfers.
17:18For a couple of reasons, really.
17:20If I don't quite get it, I know I've got the cover over the water.
17:23And if I hit my Sunday best, I'm not going to go long.
17:27So that middle of the road sort of club for me there.
17:29I figure if I went a little bit longer, back edge, downhill chip, don't like the fancy of that one.
17:34No, you don't want that.
17:35Using that long iron though, that brings the microscope onto your ball striking.
17:40As amateurs, we can often struggle when we get into those long irons.
17:43Yeah, I think we look down on it, we don't see a lot of loft on the club.
17:48Nine times out of ten, get a little bit thinny in that right shot.
17:50And that's certainly in a lot of wet trouble right here.
17:53So I think if we just think of three simple things, and these can be thought of off the golf ball.
17:58Number one, ball position.
18:02Number two, can we feel that club is traveling a little bit lower through impact,
18:06rather than trying to scoop this ball up high.
18:09And the final one sort of ties into that second one.
18:13And I would simply make some movements.
18:15I mean, if we look at all the top tour players, we've mentioned this in the series before,
18:18of having a feeling to take into a shot.
18:20Most club golfers, a little bit fadey.
18:23So I would really try and feel, we have this sort of long right arm feeling,
18:28and this released down towards target.
18:31So make some little practice motion, just like this, without a golf club.
18:36And you're getting a great feeling.
18:37And nine times out of ten, this will probably send it dead straight.
18:40All right, we've got the pin tucked away there on the top of the three tiers.
18:45Yeah.
18:45This is your moment.
18:46I'm feeling the pressure.
18:47Show us something epic.
18:48Come on, you've got this.
18:50Walking in, ball position.
18:52I want to feel it's a club head and sort of on the right edge of this club head here,
18:56on the heel side, inside my left heel.
18:59Down, mirror that feeling, hit it away.
19:07Oh, what a strike that is.
19:09If that is the right club.
19:11That is all over it.
19:12It's up there on the back tier.
19:14I think you might have about six foot.
19:16That is a truly epic golf shot.
19:21There we have it.
19:21That is how to hit seven epic shots here at the Belfry.
19:27I hope you enjoyed those tips from Alex.
19:29Next time you're on the course and you're faced with one of those situations,
19:33do what he said and you'll have some epic shots of your own.
19:37Thanks for watching.