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Trouble Shots Around the Green

One question I am always asked is, “How do you get backspin when playing shots to the green?” Hitting the ball first creates backspin. If the club hits the ground even slightly before the ball you will not be able to spin the ball. Having a clear picture in your mind is the first step to successfully hitting the ball first and the ground after the ball. Far too many players think of getting under the ball, which is the opposite of what you want to happen. Have a visual focus on the top of the ball or even in front of the ball will help with contacting the ball first.

1. HARD PAN

The biggest challenge for golfers playing from hardpan is more psychological than swing technique. Players try to get under the ball to help it in the air, this only causes a player to ether hit the ground first or miss the ground as the club is coming up and skull the ball over the green. On nice fluffy grass, players are more relaxed which helps the swing and hitting the grass first is more forgiving than hitting the ground first on a hardpan lie.

Keys:

• Trust that the loft of the club will get the ball into the air.

• Leaning your weight to the front foot is the most important (Photo1). During the stroke, keep your weight on the front foot. This is necessary to insure hitting the ball first. Players will have a tendency to move their body backwards in an attempt to get under the ball to help it in the air.

• The other fault players make in an attempt to help the ball get up is to use their hands in a scooping motion. Keep your left wrist flat going through the ball. I think of keeping my right wrist bent back going through impact, which is the same thing with a different thought.

2. BURIED IN ROUGH

Just as with other bad lies around the green,fight the urge to help the ball out by trying to lift it out. You need to have more of a chopping motion to cut down through the grass. The downward swing and the loft of the club will bring the ball up. Any time a ball is sitting down – whether it be long grass or a hole-like divot – picture a “V” type swing. The up motion of the club in the back swing and the down motion of the club in the downswing will get the ball out of the long grass.

Keys:

• Open stance

• “V” swing – Take the club up off the ground with an earlier wrist break.

• Face the toe of the club up to sky; check your clubface position; feel like the club is going straight away from the ball as it goes back and up.

3. LOB SHOT

The lob shot is one of the most difficult shots to hit in golf. Since it is a risky shot to play, only use it when you absolutely have to. Use your most lofted club. The lob wedge or 60-degree wedge has made this shot a little easier to play. You can use a sand wedge to play the lob shot but the bounce on the sand wedge makes it difficult to hit from tight lies and impossible for the average golfer to hit from hardpan.

Keys:

• Open stance; feet, hips and shoulders open to target to adjust for an open clubface

• Open clubface; the higher you want to hit the ball the more you need to open the clubface.

• Play the ball forward in your stance; inside your left heel (if you are right handed); weight on the front foot; place 60% -70% of your weight on your front foot and keep it there through the shot.

• Stay steady; keep your body and your head as still as possible.

• Use your left side; pull through with your left arm. Look for a finish where the clubface is facing the sky. Swing the club on the line of your stance.

4. FRIED EGG IN BUNKER

When the ball is buried in the sand, the advantage of bounce on the sand wedge is no longer an advantage. You need to cut into the sand to get the ball out.

Keys:

• Open stance; feet, hips and shoulders 10-20 degrees left of target; • Close the clubface (photo 4); closing the

club will take the bounce off the club so that it will dig into the sand bringing the ball up and out.

• “V” type swing; take the club vertically up in the back swing so that the downswing can have a chopping motion down to the ball.

• Make an aggressive swing. Expect the ball to come out low and release.

Get to the practice green and try these shots before you get to the course. These are the shots that can save you strokes each round. They can be fun to practice too.