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Iron Play Tip: Let Your Hands Lead The Clubhead

It’s common for many amateur golfers to flick at the ball with their iron shots, believing this will help the ball into the air and lead to getter shots. It doesn’t

Pitch Tip: Go For Crisp Contact

It has been said that a golfer can have the worse tee-off in the history of the game, but still come out of a round scoring below 90 so long as he has mastered his short game.

And of course, the pitch shot presents itself in a majority of the ball’s shots to the hole. So how exactly does a player learn his or her ideal pitch shot?

Answer: The ideal pitch shot is one where the ball rises steeply to the top of its flight and then lands softly with little or no run.

With this in mind, you should encourage a slightly descending angle of attack on the downswing. The goal is crisp, ball-turf contact and lots of backspin.

However, you must not quit on the shot at impact; this will result in too large a divot and a loss of distance. Instead, stay focused on making a positive swing through the ball and to a neat finish.

How To Hit A Decent Fade Shot

Hitting a fade shot involves moving the ball through the air from left to right for the right-hander and right to left for the left-hander.

1) Aim the clubface where you want the ball to finish

Pitching Tip: Use A Shoulder-To-Shoulder Swing

One of the most common mistakes that amateurs make when hitting pitch shots is to make a full swing and try to hit the ball too hard. The ball tends to balloon into the air, with no control, spin, or trajectory.

Remember, pitch shots are all about control. It’s not a contest of how far you can hit it. So, think in terms of making a

How To Learn Distance Control: An Easy Drill

Good distance control is the foundation of successful iron play. What you need to do is try to establish your own personal yardages for each club.

Use your time on the practice ground to establish how far you hit each club

Iron Play Tip: Understanding Ball Position

Ball position is a fundamental aspect of iron play. Any confusion or lack of awareness of this part of the set-up can, and probably will, have dire consequences on the state of your approach today.

Here is a useful rule of thumb: Play your wedge shots with the ball in the middle of your stance, then move the ball progressively further forward in your stance as the club gets longer.

As a guide, the 5-iron is just over a ball’s width forward of center; the 3-iron is further forward still, inside your left heel.

The reason for doing this is that it helps encourage the correct angle of attack as the clubhead approaches the ball

How To Hit A Long Bunker Shot

The number one rule from any fairway bunker is to take a club with sufficient loft to clear the front lip. If it so happens that the club also has the distance to reach the green, consider that a bonus.

Clean contact is everything with this shot, because sand soaks up the energy in the swing and therefore even slightly heavy contact results in catastrophic loss of distance.

1) Choke down on the grip about an inch. This will hold the clubhead up off the sand and help to promote clean contact with the ball.

2) Shuffle your feet into the sand to give yourself a secure footing. This will lower the base of your swing, so choking down on the club is key.

3) Make a smooth, well-balanced swing and make sure you hit down into the back of the ball, rather than trying to help it into the air.

You should be striking the back of the ball rather than the sand. If you catch the sand before the ball, it will feel heavy.

Chip Shots From The Bunker

When you step foot into a bunker to blast out your shot from the sand and save your score, consider going against the grain and leave your sand wedge behind.

Blasphemy! You might say…

But the fact is that there are numerous times when a chip shot is without a doubt the best strategy shot to make to get the ball out of the sand and closer to the hole.

First, Check 2 Things:

1) Chipping the ball will cause a low shot, without much climb, so there should be little-to-no lip on the trap.

2) Plenty of putting surface should exist between the trap and the hole.

Assuming that both of these conditions are right, feel free to have your caddie hold onto your sand wedge and pull out your 8 iron or 9 iron.

Hit firmly down on the ball, without hitting any sand behind the ball. Now focus hard, keeping your head steady, as this is a delicate shot. The ball should come out clean and crisp with a lot of over-spin so expect a bit of run.

A Secret Sand Shot

There is a unique sand shot that could otherwise be a little known secret amongst professional golfers. It was years ago during the British Open when I saw Phil Rogers take a bunker shot I’ve never seen before.

The setup for this secret bunker shot must have the ball located in the sand very near the back bank of the bunker. And the bunker wall must be so steep that you will not be able to draw the club back in your normal fashion.

This particular shot can be attempted hundreds of times without success unless you have the right recipe. Here are the instructions:

1. Simply assume your normal trap-shot stance.
2. Now pick the club straight up, but breaking your arms the same as you would if you were picking up an ax before chopping a piece of wood.
3. Now hit down approximately 2 inches high on the ball with overly strong right-handed action.

There cannot be any follow-through all or else the clubhead will bury itself into the sand. The arc of the shot is up and down instead of back and forth, just like a woodcutter, but your shot will be a success.

The Secret To Having The Best Lie

When you have the opportunity for a perfect lie, why give yourself a mediocre one? I ask this question to myself every time I’m on the golf course and I see golfers, some good and some bad, hitting a tee shot on a par-3 hole without ever teeing up the ball.

These golfers just drop the ball and then roll it around with the end of their club until they