A Lesson Learned: Camilo Villegas puts the sting to the fiel

Buyinggolfonline.com / 2010-03-09

his years Honda Classic turned out to be a fantastic event with Camilo Villegas winning his third PGA TOUR title by 5 shots over Anthony Kim. The Champions Course at PGA National with the famous “Bear Trap” and with the variable weather conditions made for a great week of golf.

The Lesson Learned this week from the Honda Classic focuses on the type of swing Camilo and other PGA Tour Professionals were using to better control the trajectory of their golf shots in an attempt to play the extremely difficult Champion course at PGA National. Because of the high winds and demanding layout this week at the Honda many shots required the lower flight to stay out of the wind and avoid the many water hazards. It was a pleasure watching Camilo hitting those types of shots this week. Here is how you can go about developing the “stinger” type shot that will control the golf balls flight and direction:

1. Work with your local PGA Professional on your basic golf fundamentals.

2. Start with short irons and smaller swings. Hit down on ball with chip and pitch swings. Make sure to lean golf shaft forward so hands are ahead of ball.

3. Add body pivot. Still focus on leaning shaft forward, this de-lofts club and helps to compress down on golf ball.

4. Next, take a mid-iron and go to ¾ swings. Focus on hitting down on the ball with an aggressive body pivot on downswing. This creates more lag in the swing.

5. Finally, try this swing with a 3-wood, and driver. When using the Driver, tee the golf ball lower. Also, check out my “find the fairway” video on PGA.com.

I would suggest that you work on this on the range first. When you see the lower trajectory, go out and try it on the course in practice. When you are comfortable and feel confident with this type of swing then use it in competition. This lower shot is great in the wind or on demanding par 3s like at the Bear Trap. Camilo used this type of golf swing throughout the tournament effectively. Even during the final round, when the weather was nicer, he still played numerous shots with the athletic “stinger” swing. He was in total control of his golf ball. Camilo’s golf swing creates tremendous club head lag; that is why he hits the ball so far and controls the club face so well. He is a great champion. Look forward to watching him in the majors this year.

Contact your local PGA Professional for additional help with your game.

Good luck

Chris Czaja is regarded as one of South Florida’s top PGA golf instructors and is entering his 20th year at Boca West Country Club. A PGA Professional since 1993, Czaja was named the 2009 Southeast Florida PGA Teacher of the Year. Czaja is a graduate of East Carolina University and has also been one of the top playing PGA Professionals in the South Florida section. As a PGA Professional, Chris has won numerous chapter and section PGA events. He has played in 3 National Club Professional Championships and was a member of 3 South Florida Section PGA Cup teams. He also spends significant time involved in a number of national and community charities. Chris can be reached at Chris.Czaja@PGA.com