As far as training aids go, Wyndham Clark’s use of a wooden coat hanger on Monday at Royal Birkdale certainly ranks among the most random.
The reigning US Open champion pulled out the household item during his range session ahead of the 154th Open Championship, holding it against his club grip with the hook parallel to the clubface.
“Mondays are my technical days,” Clark said. “You won’t see me doing a bunch of that stuff the rest of the week. My swing’s gotten a little off. I kind of hit it kind of crappy, especially on Sunday, or just yesterday.
“Yeah, the coat hanger is for wrist angle, trying to get a little more inflection in my left wrist so I can square the face more. I get my wrist cupped and I’ve been trying to get it flatter. I feel like that’s the best way to do that.”
Clark and instructor Pat Coyner began using the drill to correct wrist cupping, a common swing fault where the lead wrist bends backward at the top of the swing, often leaving the clubface open at impact. He typically takes between 15 and 20 swings with the coat hanger before setting it aside.
Clark, who won the US Open at Shinnecock Hills last month, is looking to add a second major of the year and a third of his career at Royal Birkdale.
