CHARPTER SIX 第六章

HOW TO NAIL FAIRWAY WOODS 球道木杆 （1）

*** Play The Versatile Clubs 万能杆

Whereas a lot of golfers use the 3-wood almost exclusively from the fairway, I tend to use mine mainly from the tee. Because distance isn’t problem for me, I often go with the 3-wood instead of the driver just to keep the ball in play. But sometime when I’m playing a monster par 5 that is almost unreachable in two, I’ll go for the green with my 3-wood, hoping to attain as much distance as possible while also exerting some degree of control and precision. The best example of this type of shot is the 3-wood I play on the 18^th hole at Pebble Beach in the final round of the 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

对于很多球手而言，三号木是球道的首选，我却主要用来发球。在距离与我不是问题的情况下，为了能控制球，我经常用三号木而不是一号木来发球。有时候五杆洞特别长，两上几乎不可能，我也会在球道攻果岭时用我的三号木。希望又能有距离，又不失控制和准度。1998年AT&T圆石滩职业业余配对赛的第四轮的十八号洞，我攻果岭就用上了三号木。

Coming to the last hole I was trailing my good friend and neighbor, Mark O’Meara, by two strokes. Mark was play just behind me, and I knew I probably need an eagle to have a chance. A good driver left me with 267 yards to the front of the green, just inside the first cut of rough. Fortunately for me, the PGA Tour had applied the lift, clean and place rule due to heavy rains earlier in the week. So I placed my ball in a perfect cup cake lie just into the first cut of rough. I was licking my chops just waiting to get at it.

我追着我的好朋友和邻居马克奥美拉，他在我后面一组，还剩一洞时，他还领先我两杆。我想只有抓到老鹰才能有机会。一号木后，还剩267码到果岭前沿，就是果岭环外。幸运的是，由于这周的大雨，球手可以选移球位，也就是可以擦球后重新放置。所以我把我的球置放在球道边的短草区如蛋糕般鼓起的草上。我觉得我不可能失误了。

The shot itself wasn’t so easy. It was cold and the wind was blowing into my face and slightly from right to the left, toward the water that guards the left side of the fairway and green. Now, when the wind is blowing from the right, I usually elect to fade the ball so it’s curving into the wind. But to reach the green, I had to play a powerful draw.

I aimed at the edge of the grandstand to the right of the green, got set, then swung as hard as I possible could. I smoked it. The shot came off just as I saw it in my mind’s eye, drawing beautifully and reaching the front of the green. I didn’t make the putt for eagle, and the tap-in birdie wasn’t enough to catch Mark. But that shot affirmed what I knew deep inside: That I could attempt a difficult shot under pressure with everything on the line, and actually pull it off.

冷风吹着我的脸，有点冷，果岭和球道的左侧有水，而风正是从右向左，这一杆并不是那么容易。一般情况下，如果风从右侧吹来，为了抗衡，我会选择打fade，但是这一次，为了能上果岭，我决定打一个有力的draw。

我瞄着果岭右侧观众看台的边缘，准备，然后全力一挥。球按着我的设想快速向前飞去，一个漂亮的draw，停在果岭的前部。但是二推，小鸟就不足以撼动马克了。通过这一杆我更加肯定我内心所想到的：压力之下，风险中，我也能精彩击球。

*** Address: Act Naturally 瞄准

*** Sweet Back to Sweet Through 轻松上杆甜点击球

I like to sweep the ball cleanly off the turf with the club-head moving absolutely level with the ground at the moment of impact. I don’t like to pinch the ball off the turf, and I sure as heck don’t want to hit up on the ball as I do with my driver. To encourage this level angle of approach, I take the club-head away from the ball in the same manner I want it to swing through on the downswing—low to the ground with a nice, wide arc. This not only promotes the right swing path and angle of approach, it establishes good tempo and smooth rhythm.

我的球道木在击球的时候，杆底保持与地面的绝对平行，将球从草上扫出去。不是从上向下的撞球，也不是像一号木一样向上击球。为了保证平扫击球，我上杆的路径配合着下杆的路径，上杆弧度低而宽，这样不仅保证了我的挥杆轨迹和击球角度，而且也定格了速度和节奏。

*** Tiger Tale: A Big Shot, On Demand 压力之下的完美一击

No doubt about it, many of my best performances have come at crucial times in big tournaments. I’ve played well in the clutch often enough to give the impression that I can play my best golf simply by willing myself to do so. I only wish that were the case. Unfortunately, there times when my touch is not sharp, my swing isn’t where I like it or the putts just don’t seem to fall. At those moments, no amount of concentration, positive thinking or inspiration can make me play my best. I guess it’s part of normal cycle of peaks and valleys that every athlete experiences. The trick, as every good golfers knows, is being able to score well when my game isn’t firing on all cylinders.

在重要比赛的关键时候，我总能出人意料地打出好球。似乎只要我想打好，我就能打好。我多希望这是真的。而实际情况是，我的感觉会出错，我的挥杆会不在状态，我的推杆会离谱。在这样的时候，集中注意力啊，正面思考啊，突如其来的灵感全都帮不到我。我觉得作为运动员，都会经历低谷期与高峰期，和大多数的球员想的一样，在这种当我不能全力以赴的时候，我还是希望能有过得去的成绩。

A case in point is the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Despite having a five-stroke lead at one point in the final round, I wasn’t at all comfortable with my full swing. For some reason I couldn’t draw the ball well at all. My fade was working beautifully and I had full control over trajectory, but my intentional draws were either staying out to the right or hooking too much. A series of loose shots and unsuccessful recoveries allowed Sergio Garcia to cut my lead to one as I came to the last hole, a tough par 4 that demanded a right-to-left ball flight.

Mentally, the sparks were really flying. Should I gamble on a risky draw, which, if successful, would leave a relatively short approach? Or should I go with a dependable fade I knew I could hit in the fairway but would leave a much longer shot to the green? I thought about it for a long time, then elected to go with a draw. The hole design asked for it, and I was just angry and determined enough to say “the heck with it” and take my chances. I teed my ball and committed my self to the right-to-left ball flight. I took a deep breath, relaxed, and muttered to myself, “Let’s aim for the inside of the ball and turn this bad boy over.” I made a full turn and swung aggressively, aiming for the inside quadrant of the ball and keeping my head well to the right so I would release the club properly.

1999年，芝加哥附近的梅地那乡村俱乐部PGA锦标赛。在最后一轮，我曾一度5杆领先，但我的挥杆总让我感到不舒服，我打不出draw，fade倒是打的挺好，弹道也在控制之中，但是我有意打出的draw不是滞留右边就是左拐的太多。一路打不起精神，救球频频失利，最后一洞的时候，加西亚已经赶了我四杆。这是一个难缠的四杆洞，需要一个右到左的球路，我激灵了一下，我是否可以再试试draw？如果打成了，那么就会剩下很短的攻果岭一杆；当然我也可以打目前我很拿手的fade，球会在球道，但是距离果岭就长了，我犹豫了好长一会，然后决定打draw，这一洞的设计就是要让球手打draw，我必须抓住机会，我必须试一试。架好球，告诉自己是打draw，深吸一口气，放松，喃喃自语：瞄着球的内侧打，使劲打。我充分转肩，瞄着球的内侧（球四分，靠近自己的那一侧）尽力击球，留头，送杆。

I’ve hit better tee shots, but I can’t remember when. I just smoked it, the ball hooking about five yards and stopping in a perfect spot smack in the middle of the fairway. From there I hit a pitching wedge hole-high to the right of the flag, and two-putted for the win. I didn’t feel ecstatic so much as relieved. That was pretty harrowing stuff.

Nothing in golf is harder than playing a shot you haven’t practiced, or one you otherwise feel you aren’t capable of. One of the TV commentators later pointed out that it took courage, confidence and a lot of nerve to hit the shot anyway.

For those who think that tee shot was courageous, I have a confession to make: I didn’t hit my driver. I hit my 3-woods.

架梯的球好打，球往左拐了大约5码，停在了球道中间一个很好的位置，接下来我用了劈起杆把球放到了旗杆的右边，二推，我赢了比赛，克服了心理的疑惧，我感到从未有过的欣喜。打高尔夫，如果没有练习，要想打出自己想要的球或者打出自己能力范围外的球，那是很难的，一个电视评论员事后指出，能打出这样的球，需要勇气，自信，控制力。

架上梯的球确实要容易些，我那一杆没用一号木，是用三号木发球的。

*** At the Top: Easy Does It 上杆顶点

Although the fairway wood shot is designed to crank the ball out there a long way, I don’t like to sacrifice a millimeter of accuracy. I keep my swing very controlled. I don’t lengthen my swing unnecessary and I take special care not to let tension creep into any part of my body.

Look closely, and you can see how the fairway wood swing differs from my driver swing. Note that both my feet are planted firmly on the ground. Although I allow my hips to turn, my lower body is quieter than with the driver. See how I allow my left arm to bend a little at the elbow? By keeping it soft and supple, I can generate plenty of speed while preserving touch and control. My club-shaft is short of parallel, too, I turn my shoulders quite a bit, but I don’t want the club to get away from me so my hands are quiet at the top.

球道木击球距离远，但不能牺牲准度。我的挥杆是在控制中，上杆弧度不是越大越好，身体的放松非常重要。

球道木与一号木的挥杆是不同的。我的双脚踏实在地面，我的胯部转动，但是我的下盘比用一号木时更稳实。我的左臂在肘这里并不是平直的，这样能保柔度和灵活度，并能在有所控制的情况下提高杆头速度。我的杆身并不与目标线绝对平行，我的肩膀转动到位，我的杆不会离开我很远，这样我才能保持我的手感。

*** Don’t Miss Your Plane 挥杆平面

Swing the club down on the ideal swing plane is important with every club in your bag, but it’s especially crucial with fairway woods. Midway into my downswing, I like to see my club-shaft aligned perfectly with the ball. If the club were more vertical at this point, my downswing would be too steep. If the club were more flat or horizontal, I’d have to spin my lower body frantically in order to hit the ball solidly.

When the club-shaft is on plane, two good things happen. The club feels light and balanced, making it easy to generate all the club-head speed I need. More important, there is little chance of hitting a big slice or hook because the club-shaft is all but trapped within that perfect little channel I’ve created. From here, it’s actually easier to hit a good shot than a bad one. That’s a satisfying feeling that produces confidence.

不管用什么杆，挥杆平面是必须在意的，对于球道木来说，尤其如此。下杆的一半，我的杆身与球形成的平面如下图所示。如果这个平面太直了，那我的下杆就陡了，如果过于扁平，那我就必须通过身体的旋转来保证击球的扎实。

如果杆身刚好在平面，我会感到杆身重量的适度和平衡，利于我挥出杆头速度。更重要的是，slice 和 hook 就不太会出现，因为杆身好比是嵌入在那个我自己创造的沟槽中了。心里更自信，要出错也不易。