Brooks Koepka’s Crazy Stats: A Look Back At The 2018 Golf Season - Guest Post

Brooks Koepka’s miraculous 2018 season was almost derailed before the calendar struck January 1st, 2018.

A wrist injury in late December of 2017 was so severe that Koepka didn’t pick up a club for ninety-one days and forced the golfer to wear a soft cast for two months.

After sitting out the Masters, Koepka took the time to heal and focused his attention on defending his U.S. Open win in 2017. At Shinnecock, Koepka held off Tommy Fleetwood for a one-shot victory and won his second straight U.S. Open title.

Koepka added a victory to his major total later in 2018 at the PGA Championship.

So what made Koepka’s year so special? Here’s a deeper look at a few of the statistics that drove Koepka to be named the PGA Golfer of the Year in 2018.

Stat #1: 8th on the PGA Tour with Driving Distance of 313 yards

Due to the wrist injury in late 2017, Koepka wasn’t healthy enough to play in the 2018 Masters. So, despite missing almost the first third of the PGA Tour season, Koepka still finished the year with a Driving Distance average of 313 yards.

Koepka’s ability to hit the ball over 320 yards came into play during the final round of the 2018 PGA Championship. When many of the golfers were dealing with tough decisions off the tee box at Bellerive, Koepka was putting the golf ball in places only one other golfer could touch as he averaged 324.2 yards of driving distance, good for second at the 2018 PGA Championship. Koepka’s long drives were the primary reason why he posted six birdies during Sunday’s final round score of 66, good for a two-shot win over Tiger Woods.

Stat #2: 3rd on the PGA Tour with a 2nd-round scoring average of 68.94 strokes

Brooks made the cut in 15 out of the 17 tournaments he played in 2018. The reason he advanced into the weekend at such a high rate was because of his exceptional play during his Friday rounds.

Unlike his 2017 U.S. Open where he had two great rounds under his belt heading into the third round, Koepka struggled in round one of the 2018 U.S. Open. Brooks had two double bogeys and two bogeys over the opening 18 holes to finish with a 75 on Thursday. In danger of missing the cut, Koepka put together the most clutch second round of his career the following day. Six birdies against two bogeys in the second round put Koepka in a tie for third place and gave the Florida-native a renewed sense of confidence heading into the final two rounds.

At the 2018 PGA Championship, Koepka’s first round of 69 placed him five strokes behind the leader, but his record-tying 63 the next day vaulted him among the top players on the leaderboard and put him in a prime position to win his third career major.

Stat #3: 4th on the PGA Tour with a clubhead speed of 122.42 mph

When you look at the leaderboard of the hardest swingers on the PGA Tour, you’ll see several familiar names. Golfers with major victories such as Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Bubba Watson are all over the top of the leaderboard for highest average clubhead speed in 2018. Amateurs are catching onto the secret that professional golfers have known for years, that higher swing speed off the tee box equals shorter second shots that lead to better birdie chances.

Already known as one of the longest hitters on tour, Koepka’s raw swing speed statistics tell us why that is true. With an average clubhead speed of 122.42 mph, Brooks is one of the hardest swingers on tour, and his distance regularly puts him in a position to score low rounds. With a grip on the club of extreme quality, Koepka’s elite swing speed allows him to play the game with an aggressive and attacking style.

Stat #4: 1st on the PGA Tour with a Final-round scoring average of 68.27 strokes

One of Koepka’s most significant accomplishments in 2018 was his ability to close out tournaments when he had the lead. After playing an up-and-down first three rounds at the U.S. Open, Koepka needed a steady hand on the final Sunday to pick up his second straight U.S. Open title. With four golfers tied for the lead at the beginning of the fourth round, Koepka followed a shaky third round score of 72 with a title-clinching 68.

Koepka also needed an exceptional final round on the last day of the PGA Championship even though he held a four-stroke lead over Tiger Woods as both golfers teed off that day. But it didn’t seem like he would need to dig much after a birdie on the first hole pushed Koepka’s lead to five strokes. But a combination of two birdies by Woods and two bogeys by Koepka over the next four holes erased Koepka’s lead and made the final 13 holes appointment viewing for golf lovers everywhere.

Koepka stayed steady by bombing long drives over 320 yards to create multiple birdie opportunities over the last 12 holes. His five birdies down the stretch held off the resurgent Woods for his second major title of 2018.


Bio: Jordan Fuller is a golf enthusiast with over 25 years of experience on the green.

Over this lifetime, he’s fallen in love with the game and now teaches golf to amateur players in Omaha, Nebraska. He also loves to write and, every now and then, shares his learnings about the game in articles.


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An Odd Golf Coincidence?

For those people who believe in odd coincidences...Matt Kuchar and Lee Westwood have more of an attachment than just being pro golfers.

Was it just their "time" or did fate play a role in the same day wins of both Matt Kuchar and Lee Westwood? This fact, by itself, would appear coincidental but there's more...both golfers also won on the same day four years ago (April 20, 2014) and not again until this past Sunday (even though both have been in contention).

I wonder if any betting parlor determined the odds of this Kuchar - Westwood happening...a million to one? As much as lightning striking in the same place twice? Will this same occurrence happen again in 2022?

Being unable to solve this riddle, Golf for Beginners moves on to what Kuchar and Westwood did to secure their victories. Below are a few quotes from the pros.

Matt Kuchar was hoping to create more of a cushion for himself, "I certainly didn’t want a 3-footer on the last hole to win this thing, I was hoping to have a three-, four-shot lead and some wiggle room."

Lee Westwood's plan was to remain calm, aim and shoot at his target, "Until now, my emotions have felt really under control all day, which is what I’ve been working on. I was just trying to hit fairways and stick to my game plan and hit it in the right places.”

How can amateurs use Kuchar's and Westwood's plans to secure their own wins, whether it's with their regular foursome or at a business tournament?

To gain more of a cushion during your golf round, try hitting more safe shots to get onto the green in regulation, giving yourself more birdie opportunities.

As far as remaining calm, take a deep breath before each shot. With regards to aiming and shooting at a target, you should first have a repeatable pre-shot routine - after this process is "in the bag", try visualizing one shot at a time.


Photo by Peter Lewicki on Unsplash

Just When You Thought You Knew the Rules of Golf...

The rules of golf are in effect to protect all players - they can either help or hurt players during a round but it is essential to learn their lessons.

Below are several recent rules infractions and how professional golfers dealt with the consequences.

RULES INFRACTION #1: Rule 15-3b

This week, the world of golf is discussing the former NCAA women's champion who was DQ'd after playing a ball which had been deemed out of bounds and moved back into bounds, reportedly by her mother!

Former NCAA individual champion at USC, Doris Chen, played a golf ball that she knew had been moved back into bounds resulting in the rules breach. "Ms. Chen did not correct her error before teeing off on the next hole, thus resulting in the DQ penalty."

Golf Lesson learned by Doris Chen? "My caddie and I didn’t see anything happen. We were looking for the ball. I didn’t see the ball move,” Chen said. “It was just what the homeowner said. … In my mind, I thought I was just supposed to play the ball as it lied. … "

For all of the inexperienced golfers reading this, Miss Chen stated, "I realize now I should have called for a rules official to investigate."

RULES INFRACTION #2:  Scorecard Snafu

A group of Oregon State teens, unaware that they were playing from the wrong tee box were disqualified after reading a scorecard incorrectly.

Twelve high school students were supposed to play a hole which was 172 yards - even though they were playing the blue tees, the scorecard said that, for this hole, the red tees were playing a similar distance. The teens switched tee boxes and were made aware of their mistake after they finished the hole.

Golf Lesson Learned by the Oregon golfers? If there are any rules handed out before a tournament, read and stick to them. If there are any questions about the rules, see golf lesson learned by Doris Chen.

RULES INFRACTION #3: Golf ball collision

For the majority of players, knowing the rules of golf can also help you when there are no officials around, case in point, Xander Schauffele at the WGC-HSBC Champions Tournament.

Picture this: Final hole on Sunday with three golfers in contention, Schauffele, Finau, and Rose - Rose's golf ball collides with Schauffele, sending both balls into the water. After gasps subsided, Schauffele remembered Rule 18-5:

"According to the rule, which covers a ball at rest moved by another ball, Schauffele must replace his ball where it was previously on the green at no penalty. Rose, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. He had to play his ball wherever it came to rest after the collision, and for him, that meant he had to take a drop on his way to a bogey 6."

The Rules of Golf are there to protect you and to make the game fair for all - sometimes, however, golfers, such as Justin Rose, suffer from them. Still, it's better to know the rules of any game in order to protect yourself.

KINONA Review - Flattering Golf Sportswear for Women

KINONA has set out to create golf sportswear which is not only comfortable but also flattering - after slipping on their latest autumn resort wear, chic and elegant are also added to the list!

Female golfers, in my opinion, want to dress for golf but, at the same time, we want to have an enjoyable time on the course without worrying about clothes which don't fit, or feel,  just right.

Ladies...how many times have you adjusted the shorts under your skort, or had to tug on your waistband to keep it from sliding below the hips? After slipping on the "Start to Finish Golf Skort", I now believe this problem has been solved!

The KINONA Start to Finish Golf Skort is an easy-to-wear garment which can carry you through eighteen holes and beyond...I just didn't want to remove it!

The waistband on this skort is wider to help smooth out tummy bulge, the shorts are made from a perforated moisture-managing fabric which is soft and undemanding and there are pleats on either side for when you feel like spinning after sinking that birdie putt.

During a round of golf, KINONA has taken care of those times when you are so busy reading your line that you forget you are bending over; the back waist is made slightly higher so that you don't have to worry about pulling down your shirt in the back...now you can focus on the golf, girl!

The Resort Collection features the lovely KINONA Modern Mix Longsleeve Golf Top (see photo) which pairs perfectly with the Start to Finish Golf Skort. This top is strikingly fashionable and it's warm enough for autumn mornings that transition into late afternoon 60's temperatures. The fabric is stretchy but not snug so it offers you a slimming look, the collar will cover your neck for the early morning then simply zip down and pull up the bracelet sleeves as the sun shines on you and your game.

For women who want to project a sense of style, to look flirty and feminine without sacrificing quality and fashion, take a look at what KINONA has to offer -their website says it all and I agree, this golf clothing has both "style and sass".

3 Golf Swing Power Leaks You Can Avoid

Standing near the tee box last week, I watched as a golfer took his swing and noticed the results from his efforts - the grunt from the player didn't surprise me, nor did the golf ball's lack of distance.

The golfer believed he made a decent enough effort, which he did...the ball moved forward...but the outcome could have put him farther down the fairway and in a much better scoring position.

He'll never become a scratch golfer that way! I wondered if he knew of his inherent swing power leaks.

I pulled out my smartphone and took notes. Golfers can play for thirty years without taking a lesson and be happy in their ignorance - Golf for Beginners seeks to make players think about their swing and game to make the sport more enjoyable.

For players of the sport that read this golf blog, I have put together a list of basic problems which are fixable on the driving range so that you can come out swinging on the golf course!

4 Golf Swing Power Leaks and how to fix them:

1. Decelerating: This means you are slowing down the club (and your golf swing) before impact. The proper impact of the golf club is just after the golf ball. An article in GolfInfoGuide.com offers the thought of driving a nail into a board - I was told by my golf instructor to think about chopping wood...either way, you get the idea.

2. Chopping at the ball and not finishing your golf swing: GolfDistillery.com says it best...hit through the golf ball, not at it. The ball is not the target, the ball is in the way of the swing!

3. Backing up when you're taking a swing: The dreaded "reverse pivot" usually comes from improper weight shift. "The reverse pivot results in a bad weight shift. This is the No. 1 killer of proper golf swings," says Ernie Boshers, in a teaching article in Golfweek.com.

This golf blog is no substitution for receiving golf instruction from a qualified professional - make an appointment with your PGA teaching pro today if you think you have a golf swing power leak.

Add any golf swing power leaks to the comments section of this golf blog and tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

The 5 Phases of Scratch Golf - Lessons Learned for Breaking 80 - GUEST POST

The Logic of Scratch Golf - Lessons learned from my journey to breaking 80 is a guest post written by Carlo Reumont of Fast Learners. 

Please see below for his bio.

Playing a single handicap is a dream come true for most amateur golfers. And rightly so!

In my personal experience, I can say golf is a lot more fun since I got my score below 80.

Why?

Because I am not working golf anymore, I am truly PLAYING golf. After all, it is still (just) a game.

Looking back, emotionally it was an adventure full of ups and downs, twists and turns.

Logically, however, my path was straightforward. I went through five phases in developing progressively as a golfer.

Today I would like to share this logical process with you because I believe any golfer, with an ambition that results in smart, consistent practice, can break 80 and play scratch golf.

Once you have the right practice routines cut out for you and found the right golf clubs for you, it just repetitions and smart practice.

Naturally, this is only a small portion of the wealth of knowledge and exercises available to play scratch golf.

For some handy ideas of how to save shots, without changing your swing, you can get and implement the steps from this 6 Step Guide.

The five phases to playing scratch golf

So, where do we start?

Let us start with the END IN MIND:

Phase 5 - Bring your score home

Yes, there are many reasons to go out and play golf: enjoy nature, connect with friends, get your mind off every-day life, exercise, hit a good shot or two (or three), the atmosphere of the country club and so on.

Still,

if golfers are honest, the greatest joy in golf is tied to numbers - to our score.

But, what is a low score? For us amateurs, let us choose even PAR as a relatively objective indicator of solid golf.

And how do we shoot PAR?

Asking that would be like asking “How do you bring the horsepower of a car onto the road?” There are too many possible answers to point at only one thing.

So again, for our purposes, and starting with the end in mind, let us go with the following:

To score PAR, you must be able to bring your score home.

Let me explain:

Playing PAR or birdie once, or even twice, is NOT enough to play PAR on 18 holes. To bring our score home we want to stay out of trouble and, on top of that, be able to capitalize on the good shots we make hole by hole.

It sounds easier than it is!

Try playing two PARs or two birdies in a row and see how your mind and your heart start racing in excitement - excitement that distracts and gets you off course.

Getting the score home has a lot to do with curbing our enthusiasm and staying focused. And this plays into our cards on the green as well. Putting is mostly mental. In conclusion, you will sink those PAR-saving putts and birdie chances more likely than not, once you can get your excitement out of the way.

(As we break down this logic, we will see that the mental part of the golf game is not always essential. When you don’t have the mechanics of chipping and pitching down, for example, you can be in peak state all you want, it will not help!)

Let’s move on!

What brings the score home?

Let us go another step backward keeping the end in mind. What are we building on, when we are bringing our score home?

“Great ball striking!” you might be thinking.

Close, but not quite there.

There is an intermediate step. What if you have excellent ball striking skills that play the ball into the water or out of bounds?

Good ball striking and playing good shots are two different things in golf. Not every good shot comes from good ball striking and not every good ball strike is a good shot.

Phase 4 - Master the golf course

To bring your score home you must learn to master the golf course.

This is phase four.

Golf courses are designed - with hazards, yardages, out of bounds and downright traps. Anyone can learn to play straight shots on the driving range. Yet managing to bring these skills on to the golf course is a skill per se.

Mastering the course means to know your own game and to play it according to the conditions of the course and the weather; it means to calculate risk reasonably; to have multiple ideas to play one shot; to have options with the clubs available.

As far as I can tell this is all about experience. In this phase, we transition from WORKING golf to PLAYING golf. Until here, the golf swing is very much in our head. But from here, we are to play freely and spontaneously.

So, this was phase number 4. Let us think a step back again and ask the following questions with the end in mind.

Where does mastering the golf course come from?

What enables us to get this good, that we can play the course, instead of the course playing us?

In other words:

When do we have free capacities to put our focus on mastering the course?

It all relies on the earlier phases.

Phase 3 - Get consistent with all clubs

Once we can skillfully swing the club at the ball with not only one club, but the range of clubs.

This is phase three.

Let us imagine for a second that hitting the ball well is simply a given part of your game (spoiler alert: this is phase two).

Once this has become a part of our game, we naturally look for refinement options outside of our own swing, meaning our decision making on the course:

tee off positions,

thinking a shot or two ahead to get into an advantageous angle when playing onto the green,

when to challenge your luck and when to play it safe,

which club to use when approaching (depending on how much green you have to play with)

...and so on.

Playing well with one club of the tee is not good enough. You must learn to play well with various clubs from various lies. All professional golfers show how this is done.

One of the best examples ever to be seen on tour was the Spaniard Seve Ballesteros. Seve would play out of a green-side bunker with a 3-iron.

Now...

You don’t have to do like Seve to play scratch golf. But you do want to be so flexible in your options of playing a shot.

Scratch golfers are willing and able to play a range of options that come spontaneously. In the end, this point is all about increasing your options to navigate around the golf course.

So far we have collected the following logic:

1. We want a low score.
2. To play a low score, we want to be able to bring our score home. (Phase 5)
3. Before that, we want to be able to master the course. (Phase 4)
4. Before that, we want to swing the club at the ball with a range of different clubs. (Phase 3)

Why trying to hit the ball fails

So, thinking backward again, what might we need to master shot-variations with a range of clubs?

Phase 2 - Master ball striking by swinging at the ball

We need to learn to swing the club at the ball!

Notice:

this does NOT mean we want to learn to hit the ball.

Think logically here: We cannot hit the ball. The golf club hits the ball. We can merely swing the club at the ball.

There is a world of difference!

Hitting the ball implies trying to swing. Swinging the club at the ball implies getting in flow and trusting it.

You catch my drift?

So, yes, we want to get the ball closer to the hole. Still, we will only achieve that once we have a way of swinging the club precisely.

Next time you hit the range, don’t practice hitting balls. Practice swinging the club at the ball. See what a difference it makes!

One of the most empowering aspects of this approach is that focus on what we can control: our body movements.

Appreciate the Process

We can practice the fundamentals of the swing step by step, session by session, and learn to appreciate the process that makes a great golfer.

PROCESS comes before performance. It’s logical, isn’t it!?

And still we are not done with digging to the core of the process of becoming a scratch golfer.

The end of the yellow brick road

You have come quite a way with me in this post. Congratulations! It will be worth, trust me!

There is still one step to think of even before we swing the club at the ball.

It’s a baby step, yet a very crucial one.

A logical step only very few amateur golfers make and most professionals and naturally good amateurs speed through naturally:

Phase 1 - Forget the ball and develop a proper golf swing

“Develop a proper golf swing!” Yea, this may sound self-evident, but it might be one of the best kept “secrets” in golf.

As long as we do not swing the club properly, we cannot hit the ball properly.

Logical, right!?

Yet what do most golfers do when starting out?

They try to hit the ball.

But I ask you:

How can you hit the ball if you cannot swing the club??

You and I both know:

it does not take a ball to determine whether we can swing the club or not.

Swinging the club is as different from hitting the ball, as hitting the ball is from playing a good shot; as hitting a good shot is different from mastering the course; as mastering the course is different from bringing the score home)

You see the logic here?

It is simple, but it is difficult at the same time.

This is the bottom line:

Learning to swing the golf club is the starting point of your journey to play scratch golf.

When we now look at where we started, we have the following learning path:

1. Forget the ball and develop a proper golf swing
2. Master ball striking by swinging at the ball
3. Get consistent with all clubs
4. Master the course
5. Bring your score home

So, how does this sit with you? How are you feeling? Motivated? Overwhelmed? Inspired? Ready for action? Curious to find out more?

This is a journey that has worked for me. And trust me, it will work for you if you work it - no matter where you stand in golf right now.

Learn to swing the golf club

Starting with this simple exercise is something you can practice anywhere - even without a ball.

Practicing without a ball might even be beneficial. Swinging the club back and forth in your backyard, in your living room or in the park can get you focused on what matters in your swing, instead of getting all revved up about hitting the ball.

As stated earlier, this is only a small portion of the wealth of knowledge and exercises available to play scratch golf. For some handy ideas of how to save shots, without changing your swing, please find out more at www.thefastlearners.com.

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Hi, I’m Carlo Reumont.

I started playing golf in 2001 and recently achieved my goal of becoming a scratch golfer. Now I help people to play golf – simple, good, repeatable golf – whether they are beginning, re-starting or finetuning.