This edition of Finding the Tips is primarily dedicated to the fundamental teachings of one of the most influential and sought-after golf coaches in the world, Pete Cowen.

There are three videos to watch, each approximately 20 minutes long.

I know that’s a lot of content. But believe me, it’s powerful stuff. Pete Cowen will help you:

• Improve your golf posture

• Find your swing plane

• Swing back and through with control and power

Invest an hour. It’s a lot less costly than booking him for an hour-long private lesson!

In this issue

• Golf according to Pete Cowen

• On the lighter side

• Next time in Finding the Tips

Golf according to Pete Cowen

Pete Cowen is a professional golfer who played on the European Tour in the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in seven editions of The British Open with his best finish a tie for 36th. He was also a European Tour champion, claiming the 1976 Zambia Open.

And while he was a great player by most definitions, he did not become a household name as a result of his play on the golf course.

He became the head professional at a golf club that was a Ryder Cup venue, Lindrick Golf Club. It was there that he established his golf teaching bona fides. A number of the world’s best professional golfers began to seek him out and he left Lindrick in 1997 to become a full time Tour coach.

His list of clients includes former world number one Lee Westwood, and this list of major champions: Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Danny Willett, Sergio García, Darren Clarke, Henrik Stenson, Gary Woodland and Brooks Koepka. Many other players on both the PGA Tour and European Tour have worked with Pete Cowen.

Now it’s your turn. This edition of Finding the Tips focuses on Pete Cowen and his Pyramid of Learning, presented in three parts.

Part 1

Part 1 deals with aim, stance posture, balance and body action. These are the foundations and walls of the golf structure. Get these right and you’ll be able to advance your golf game to new levels of competency.

Part 2

In Part 2, Pete introduces his view of the body action in a golf swing, calling it a Spiral Staircase that moves the weight around and up to the top of your backswing, and then down and around to impact and follow through.

He also talks about swing plane and how to find your swing plane. With that discovered and implemented, you’ll only need to use simple wrist movement and body turn to complete the swing.

Part 3

In Part 3, Pete talks about developing speed and pressure in your swing through the use of the correct arm movement. He emphasizes rotation of the trail forearm as the clubhead prepares to make impact with the golf ball. Pete also directs you to find the correct angle of attack toward the golf ball, neither too steep nor too shallow.

He talks about developing a consistent pre-shot routine that helps you visualize the shot that’s needed. The routine also prepares you to make a good swing every time.

Pete Cowen’s instruction is simple and much of it can be learned at home. Do 15 minutes of Cowen’s drills every day, none of which require you to hit a ball, and your understanding of the golf swing will improve. And so will your scores.

On the lighter side

Older golfers tend to tell the best golf jokes. Let me know if you like this one.

Next time in Finding the Tips

Rob Cheney Golf is a channel that promotes use of the stack and tilt method of swinging the club. The basics of the method are described by five two-word imperatives. These imperatives are:

1. Weight forward

2. Shoulder down

3. Hands in

4. Arms straight

5. Tuck hips

I’ve been interested in stack and tilt since learning that former Masters Champion Mike Weir uses the method. Others known to have used stack and tilt include Aaron Baddeley, Grant Waite, Charlie Wi, and some students of Sean Foley including Justin Rose and Sean O’Hair.

Today, for the first time, I took a crack at stack and tilt for 18 holes, The results were eye-opening for me. I hit more solid shots in that round than in nearly any other round from the last 10 years. I plan to continue along the stack and tilt path.

Of course, I’ll still bring you tips and drills from the best golf coaches on YouTube, no matter the swing methods they espouse.

In the meantime, help me grow this newsletter by forwarding this issue to any of your golf friends who could use some help with their games.