A Lesson Learned: John Deere Classic and U.S. Women's Open

July 13, 2009 -- If you're a golf fan like I am, you may be exhausted at the weekend that we all just experienced.

I hope your weekend involved getting out and playing some golf, but even for those that made golf a spectator sport this past week, there was enough drama, excitement and action to get the heart pumping pretty good. The John Deere Classic, even with its weather delays, managed to finish up with on Sunday with many players having to fit in two complete rounds on the final day. And I'm sure many people also watched some of the action at the U.S. Women's Open, what a great tournament and great finish that was. A birdie on the final hole to win a major championship -- that's not too bad either.

• Complete Coverage of the John Deere Classic

• Ji overcomes Kerr at U.S. Women's Open

Steve Stricker came out on top at the John Deere Classic -- not bad for a guy who started the tournament even par after one round. (Of course, shooting a course-record 61 in the second round helps you to get right back into the mix!). Eun Hee Ji ended up on top at the U.S. Women's Open, but this championship may be remembered as much as the one that Cristie Kerr, who led by two shots coming into the final round, let get away as much as the one seized by Ji.

And as I watched some of the action happening at both tournaments, it brought to mind one of the most fundamental instruction tips I remind my students of. The golf swing can be simplified greatly by concentrating on two key concepts: Balance and Timing.

Steve Stricker's story is well known, but for those of you might not be familiar, here's a quick recap. In December of 2005, Stricker -- who had experienced moderate success on the PGA Tour for lost his Tour card at Q-School and eventually fell to 337th in the World Rankings. But instead of bemoaning how he had "lost" his game, he went to work. He hit balls out of trailer out into the snow -- thousands of them -- until he found the balance and timing he knew would get his game back on track.

Did it work? In 2006, he was the PGA Tour's Comeback Player of the Year. Amazingly, in 2007, he improved on that performance so much that he again won the Comeback Player of the Year Award. He vaulted up to no. 4 in the world rankings and has been consistently in the top ten ever since. And of course, this past week, he wins his second event of the year. His work on balance and timing obviously paid huge dividends.

Conversely, Kerr, who had led most of the Women's U.S. Open, seemed to have it clicking on all cylinders as she entered the final day as the only player under par and with a two-shot lead. But you could tell from her first hole, where she hit a poor drive and ended up with a bad bogey. You could tell she was battling her timing and balance all day.

The number one fault I see in amateur players involve these two concepts. Most right-handers have a tendency to use too much of their right side in their swing -- which prevents the club from doing what it is designed to do. Hang on your right side too long and the clubface stays open, resulting in the weak slice you see so often from higher handicap players. Others will overcompensate and you'll fire off the right side too fast and you then get a snap hook.

So what do you do? You have to allow the left side to pull the swing. I see tips in certain magazines that tell you to keep your sternum or belt buckle over the ball as you hit, but they rarely tell you how to do that.

My suggestion: Make sure your right shoulder, right hip and right knee all come through together on your swing -- that will keep your swing in balance and perfect the timing. Not too much right side, not too much left. This isn't a quick fix, it's going to take some time. But the practice and patience will be worth it. Ask Steve Stricker if it was worth it for him!

Go see your local PGA Professional for more help in getting your swing in better balance and the timing of your swing perfected.

Chip Spiler is the PGA Director of Golf at Chateau Elan Golf Club located in Braselton, GA. Lessons can be booked with Spiler via the Chateau Elan website at http://www.chateauelan.com/energize/golf-school-atlanta/