1) Mastering The 56-Degree Wedge
2) Frame Your Putting Stroke
3) Playin' In The Rain
======================================
1) Mastering The 56-Degree Wedge
======================================
Here's a tip on what clubs to carry in your bag: Many teachers recommend carrying three wedges, a pitching wedge plus two utility wedges. That might be difficult under some circumstances. But if you substitute a hybrid club for two of your longer clubs, you gain a one-club advantage, allowing you to carry the extra wedge. There's a range of lofts between 52 degrees and 60 degrees that provide versatility around the green.
The 56-degree wedge is among those clubs. You can hit all kinds of shots with it when you're close to the green. You can open the face and hit a high lofting shot, or play the ball back in your stance and hit a bump and run. Mastering the 56-degree wedge also prepares you for hitting the 60-degree wedge, the ideal club for making flop shots.
Here are five tips to hitting a 56-degree wedge:
* Determine the type of shot required
* Open your stance slightly at address
* Position the ball based on the shot
* Keep your hands ahead of the ball
* Use a descending blow
If you continually stub short wedge shots, it could be because you're not using a descending blow. A good drill for players who stub short chip and pitch shots requires a friend's help. Have him or her hold his hand just above and beyond the ball at address and catch it in the air after you've hit it. (I've done it hundreds of time and it doesn't hurt.)
In addition to teaching you to make a crisp descending blow, the drill forces golfers to keep the club low after impact, so as not to hit the other player's hands. That keeps the golfer from scooping the shot or lifting up and skulling it.
Gary Player once said that 70 percent of all golf shot are played around the green--a startling but accurate statistic. Work on your wedge shots, especially with the 56-degree wedge, and you'll turn three shots into two when around the green.
======================================
2) Frame Your Putting Stroke
======================================
Nothing's more frustrating than putting a ball offline. Instead of sinking the putt, you leave yourself with a tap in, even though you had the right distance. If the green is sloped away from you, you drift several feet away from the hole, with a difficult putt coming back. Either way, you're adding strokes to your score.
Lining up your ball properly is a key to putt well. No matter how close or far you are from the cup, if the put isn't lined up properly, it has no chance of going in, even if you have the right speed. And compensating in mid-stroke for misaligning the putt seldom works, if ever.
Many weekend golfers try to push or pull the ball to get it on target instead of starting square and trusting their stroke. They sideswipe the ball, send it off line, and have problems with distance control. Instead, line up your putts by using this visual device. Try framing the ball.
Next time you're putting, picture a framing square as it relates to your putter and your line. The vertical part of the tool should be parallel to the face of your putter, and the horizontal part should be parallel to the target line. Keep the putter on line and the face square, and the ball will go where you aim it.
Here are 5 other keys to keeping your putts on line:
* Position your eyes over the ball
* Remain still during your putt
* Square up your shoulders
* Keep you hands over (or just ahead) of the ball
* Form a neutral union of your hands
If your putting is offline, it can be frustrating. Use the framing square to line up the putt and commit to the five keys mentioned above. If everything is in order, trust your stroke and make a good putt, accelerating through impact. Almost half of all your strokes during a round of golf are putts. Keep them to a minimum and your will reduce your scores.
======================================
3) Playin' In The Rain
======================================
Q. What do you recommend when playing in wet, soft ground conditions, when irons have a tendency to stop short in the ground or on approach shots over hazards when the SW can cut into the ground? I end up advancing the ball a lot shorter than the intended distance or hit it straight into the hazard
A. Many golfers don't use enough club in the rain. You need to take more club when playing in wet conditions or when the ground is soft. The ball doesn't travel as far in the rain or in wet conditions as it normally does, and the ground decreases roll when the ball hits. So take an extra club to compensate.
Also, sweep the ball off the ground. Wet turf is heavy turf. Hitting the ground results in a fat shot that goes nowhere. Instead, focus on sweeping the ball off the ground with minimal contact. Try picking the shot cleanly from the turf.
A great drill to practice sweeping the ball is "Clip the Tee." Stick a tee in the ground (no ball) and use a 6 iron or a 7 to "clip" it out. A clipped tee will pop straight up. If you can consistently do that, you'll greatly improve your ability to sweep a ball off the ground. Clipping the tee means the club head is square, the swing path straight, and the ground untouched.
In addition, stay dry when playing in rain or in wet conditions. Above all, keep you grips dry. Once your grips get wet, the length of your shots tends to decrease substantially. Also, take off your gloves and put them in your pockets. Dry gloves improve your grip. If all else fails, wrap your handkerchief around the grip (it's legal).
Until next time,
Go Low!
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today.
Posts
