While I was coaching one of my students Steven Tiley at the KLM Open this year we got the chance to spend some time with Brett Rumford. Brett is known to have one of the best short games in the world if not the best and is great at explaining his methods.
Read below to see my personal notes from the session:
1. Used a Titleist 58 degree SW, 4 degrees of bounce similar to a M grind. Was ground extra from the tour truck at the heel. 2. Looked a lot at the granulation of the sand. He explained the sand in Holland was quite a wide grain so would explode more on the face. Reason for white powder after a bunker shot on the club face. He felt out of this type of sand it was hard to get a lot of height and spin. Difficult to get the club coming out the sand quick enough. Links sand had a thiner granulation so it was easier to get height and spin.
3. He talked alot about the follow through position to get the club to come out the sand quicker in thick grain sand. Said situations when you wanted to stay in your body angles all way to finish but talked about staying in angles only until impact but in the through swing don't be frightened to feel the body straighten and come up and out the sand quickly this will help the club leave the sand quicker also especially in thick sand. 4. Brett talked alot about good chip shots and bunker shots is about using the bounce. Lee Trevino same where you get the bounce under the ball and the club comes out of the sand quickly. Spin comes from getting the bounce underneath the ball. Same in Chipping. 5. Chipping and Pitching just full release of the shaft. Described it as a flick but a flick you catch with the body turn. Demonstrated a very full re-hinge, release look in the through swing but you catch it with the turn. This ties in with many of the top short game instructors today who don't want to see too much shaft leanat impact.
