Kaymer's Possible D-Plane Strategy

[dbl]

I heard during the 2nd round HSBC Shanghai broadcast a commentator say that Kaymer had been working on a few things (since his PGA win..which we've heard) and that currently he is drawing his irons and hitting his driver straight or with a fade. Immediately popped into my mind that this would be a dplane result if he was choosing a straight plane line (and straight face) and hitting down with the irons (hook) or up with the driver (fade).

For actual play, he could aim the driver's plane line toward the left rough and have it fade back, and for the irons aim at the right side of the green. I don't recall Brian's numbers about this situation but I roughly recall for 3-4 degrees down that he was posing the irons would hook (could be wrong) - in any case the player would just modify face and path and AoA ever so slightly to achieve (maybe) a desired slight-draw and slight-fade.

Turns out there are several holes at my usual course where I employ a driver fade very similar to this, and for draw pin locations also. I just hadn't pulled this together. We hear so much about "aiming left" with the irons that...the above strategy gets little talk. Makes sense to me and would be a good way to play. What do you all think?

 

[DCgolf]

he could just be doing it with ball position change. ball back draw, ball forward fade with no major swing change needed... Path is inside iron face and slightly outside driver face

 

[dbl]

That's a good point, DC. While I might have thought it was "safer/better" to draw the driver and fades the irons, the dplane makes it easier to go with this combo.

 

[Kevin Shields]

My bet would be there is some swing change involved. Kaymer has a pure fade swing so I cant imagine him working toward a draw without some mechanical changes.

 

[earthshine2k]

Kaymer said he wanted to draw it so he could be better equipped to play Augusta. He wasn't ready last April, but maybe he's coming into form w/ his new draw action.

 

[dbl]

Sunday, of the fairly good camera angles I could see, he hit draws to left hand pins, and hit fades to 2 ( that I could see) right hand pins. I think hitting his shots gave him a pretty good bit of confidence, and it carried over to making his putting be 'easier.'