If shots against the green’s collar give you trouble, you’re not alone. They baffle many a weekend golfer. Shots like these can cause you a lot of trouble if you don’t play them correctly. The question is: How do you play them? You can’t use your putter. If you do, you won’t get good roll on the shot. And you can’t chip it because the grass behind the ball is too high.
Here are six keys to playing this shot:
- Use a sand wedge or pitching wedge
- Grab the club where the shaft and grip meet
- Set the ball off your back foot
- Hover your wedge close to the ball
- Use a putting stroke
- Strike the top half of the ball
This shot is tricky. You need to strike the ball just above its equator, almost as if you were intentionally skulling the ball.
Use your pitching wedge or sand wedge for this shot. Choke down on the shaft until you come to where the grip meets the shaft.
Also, play the ball off your back foot. Lean toward the target, so most of your weight is on your front foot. Then hover your wedge as close to the ball as possible without touching it. But be careful you don’t bury the clubface in the grass.
Aim for the top half of the ball with the club’s leading edge. Use a putting stroke. Now apply the same force as if you were putting the ball the same distance.
It takes practice to master this shot, but it will save you strokes. Hit it correctly and you’ll get some good roll on the ball and leave your self a highly makeable putt.
