Answered some questions from the comment box.
Q. Which wedges/loft do you have in your bag and what system do you use for distance control? I have always tried to master the full and half swing with each wedge. Giving me 4 full wedge distances and 4 short distances where I take back the club until my left arm is parallel to the ground and then follow trough until my hand are at the same heigt as my chest. How many secure wedge distances do you have or do you go entirely by feel?
A. I go by feel and ball flight. I have three different ball flights; soft, medium and hard with all four wedges (47, 52, 56 and 60 degrees). I have never been able to do the system you do but I wish I could. I think it’s a good system. Keep doing it and maybe add some different flights to cover all shots depending on green speed and green firmness.
Q. Sometimes I can blast a wedge 15 meters past the flag due to a very low trajectory (my hands sometimes gets way in front of the ball). Do you have any problems like these and how do you practice trajectory, divots and consistancy in general?
A. I usually do a lot of split handed shots. Place your right hand further down the grip than normal and hit shots. Try all different shapes and try to hit very shallow divots.
Q. Lets say you have a 60 meter shot and a 70 meter shot in you repertoar. On this particular hole you need to hit the wedge 65 meters. How do you shave of or add five meters to a wedge?
A. Just by feel and maybe soften the swing. Also, try to grip down on the shaft. A lot of good players do that.
Q. To bad the last put didn’t get in, hope you’re happy with your result anyway!
I noticed that you have other shoes than before, what happened to the other? Thought the old one’s were so cool, classic and different from the other players- quite similar to Jimenez shoes!
A. I just had some really bad blisters last week and needed some light shoes. The old ones will be back soon:)
Q. Hello! I start the swing a little outside the plane with a closed clubface and ”set” my hands very late at the top of the swing. Do you have any tips to get more on-plane on the way back and keep the face neutral and not closed?
A. Try to put balls down on a arc form which I showed in the ”Monaco practice video”. It’s easy to see how the hands and clubs should follow the right patch.
Q. How does it feel to play on tour? Are you nervous on the first tee?
A. I feel more and more comfortable. Felt very out of place when I first got on tour but when I started to post some good results I felt more at ease. Now, I love to get out there and compete. Before I was always really nervous on the first tee, now I get more nervous before some crucial shots. Although, at the British Open I had some serious butterflies before teeing off.
Q. Where can I buy the book ”Bag Man” written by your caddie Colin Byrne? Also, when does his new book come out?
A. I’m gonna find out where you can buy the books. His new one is coming out this week. I’m heading over for the book launch tomorrow.
Q. I read you have car as a keen ”hobby”. Do you have a car or thinking of buying some fun car? What is your dreamcar?
A. I love cars and have tried a few cool ones. Driving a Toyota Auris at the moment. Don’t know what’s next.
Q. Hi Alex, great playing so far! I saw you said in an earlier blog that there are two main things you want to improve with one of them being getting more into your right side. I struggle with that also….. My hips tend to slide a bit which makes my upper body tilt a little. Is there anything specific you work on in regard to getting you more into your right side?
A. Throwing golf balls down the line of the target makes you work on your natural swing. I throw a lot of balls during the winter break now to get the right feel. Just grab a ball and throw it like it was a pitch and bounce it just a little in front of your feet and let it head in the direction of your target. It makes your swing work better and more naturally. There are a lot of other things you can do but it’s tough to say when I haven’t seen your swing. Send in a video and I will have a closer look.
Q. Great round with that foot :-/ Nice that you hang in there, respect!
Strange when you look at the #1 tournament of the year on tour and hardly any people out there . Is that not a strange feeling to play when its so big money online, and it looks like a challange event behind the ropes ?
A. Yeah, it felt a little weird but the last two days even my group had a lot of people and there were a lot gathered around the finishing holes.
Q. Great score today i didnt manage to catch it on tv so couldnt see the course what holes were playing the most different to practice? How do they make the course harder for tournament days? Your foot looks very painful what shoes were you wearing? Good luck for the rest of the week mate
A. All holes were a little different in the tournament compared to during the practice. They stop watering the course or they reduce the amount of water they put on it. The course got a lot firmer but it still was very playable. Somtimes, courses gets super hard but not this time. I was wearing old shoes. I love old shoes because they are comfortable but maybe they were a little too old and used around the heel so I got those nasty blisters. I was about to quit in the middle of the first round but I just made it and got great treatment.
Q. Sounds like your coach really shaped how you think about your golf! That is really good!
Where you still at college when Anthony Kim went to OU?
A. Yeah, I played at the same time as Kim. He was extremely good then as well. Remember playing with him at the Big XII Championship in Texas one year and he won and I finished second. Next time I saw him was when we were paired together in the 4th round of The Open last year. He beat me both times. Not good:)
Q. Quality stories your coach seems like quite a character!!! I was wondering are there any other pros on the tour circuit now that went to college with you?
A. Hunter Mahan was my teammate and Anthony Kim played at the neighbour college, OU. There were a lot of other players that play on all kinds of tours all over the world now. It was great playing in college to get to know a lot of the players that come out now.
