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Posts Tagged ‘golf shot’

Ever get trapped by a tree?

“yeah, she had her arms all around me”…

OK, that’s a different subject. I’ll talking about being in a very poor shot position on the course - where a tree if preventing you from making a good shot.

The best way to approach the situation of being trapped by a tree, so to speak, is to put yourself into a trance.

Put the pocket watch down, that’s not the kind of trance I’m talking about.

Listen, every golfer tends to miss a high percentage of shots that are in serious trouble, such as one where a tree limb is totally preventing a full backswing. And all too often, the reason for a mess is not the awkward lie, but rather a failure to be able to concentrate on the execution.

 Switch Your Thoughts 

You start to think about the tree instead of hitting the ball. What you should do for any such shot as this is to take your position over the ball and try a tentative backswing. Once you have established how far back you can take the club, repeat the restricted swing over and over until you feel comfortable enough to make the swing within your restricted zone.

Once you have done this, put yourself into a trance and forget about the obstacle. Put all your concentration into striking the ball as firmly and properly as possible. Even if your club hits the tree on the backswing, you are now prepared for this and your new-found concentration will help you to complete the shot.

(when I snap my fingers you’ll be the best golfer in the world… )

Hit em straight

Ben

No, I’m not calling you a FatHead…

I’m talking about the Fat Shot.

The “fat shot” means that a golfer is hitting the ground behind the ball instead of the ball itself. This can be a very frustrating habit that takes its toll on your scorecard, not to mention your ego!

Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this problem.

The issue is typically nothing more than your head (yes, your head, not the club head) changing its plane during the swing, which in turn changes the plane of the swing itself. This happens from either dipping your head before impact or allowing your head to sway to the right during the backswing.

The cure is obviously to keep a steady head throughout the entire swing. If hitting fat is a frequent mistake you make, try taking some practice shots and have a partner pay close attention to your head to see if it is dipping or swaying.

If it is dipping, then just stop. If your head is swaying, you can help yourself by pushing down hard against the inside of the right foot during the backswing, thus preventing any tendency to shift your head to the right.

Hit em straight (and not fat)

Ben

Truth be told, one of the best things about golf is having a good LIE… :-)  

Seriously though - 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.

Drives me crazy…

These golfers just drop the ball and then roll it around with the end of their club until they “think” they have a satisfactory lie. Most of the time that’s far from the truth (pardon the pun). In any case, it’s certainly NOT the best possible lie.

 The Guaranteed “Best” Lie 

Even on the most accurately mowed tee areas, tiny blades of grass will come between the ball and the clubface should the ball not be totally clear up and above the ground. These tiny blades of grass can reduce the backspin as well as magnify any mistakes you might make in your swing.

The most frequent result is a shot that holds its line pretty good but has a tendency to “sail” up and over the green. A par three hole is already hard enough as it is without making any mistakes that could be easily prevented.

What you need to do is always tee up the ball so that it sits above the top of the grass. You now are clear for a clean, crisp shot, with absolutely no obstructions from grass.

The “fat shot” means that a golfer is hitting the ground behind the ball instead of the ball itself. This can be a very frustrating habit that takes its toll on your scorecard, not to mention your ego!

Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this problem.

The issue is typically nothing more than your head (yes, your head, not the club head) changing its plane during the swing, which in turn changes the plane of the swing itself. This happens from either dipping your head before impact or allowing your head to sway to the right during the backswing.

The cure is obviously to keep a steady head throughout the entire swing. If hitting fat is a frequent mistake you make, try taking some practice shots and have a partner pay close attention to your head to see if it is dipping or swaying.

 If it is dipping, then just stop. If your head is swaying, you can help yourself by pushing down hard against the inside of the right foot during the backswing, thus preventing any tendency to shift your head to the right

Of all of the miss/hit shots in golf, the shank is probably the most dreadful. The shank happens when you make contact with the ball using the hosel of the club. One of the main causes of the shank is standing too close to the ball at address as it crowds you. The second reason for a shank is shifting your weight forward on your left foot before making impact, causing the hosel of the club to hit the ball.

The key is to set up evenly, and when you hold your club, be sure that there is just over a fist’s length of space between the end of the grip and your body.