Golf Instruction & Help 7/15/2010
Thursday, July 15th, 2010In this issue we’ll discuss…
1) Punching It From A Fairway Bunker
2) Pop It Over Trees
3) Question of the Week: Get Back To The Basics To Hit Solid Irons
4) Article – How To Salvage A Bad Round
5) Article – Placement And Putting Are Key At British Open
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1) Punching It From A Fairway Bunker
What do you do if you’re in a fairway bunker, but you’re so close to the hole that a full swing with a short iron rolls off the green? Good question. If the front of the green is clear of obstacles and the lip is small, you can play a punch shot that lands short and then rolls to the pin. This type of shot accomplishes two things: It gets you out of the bunker and it encourages solid contact so you don’t leave the shot short.
Here are six keys to punching one from a fairway bunker:
* Use a 6-, 7-, or 8-iron
* Position the ball back of center
* Take a narrow stance with your weight forward
* Hinge your wrists at the start of the swing
* Focus on making ball first contact
* Keep your wrists firm at impact
Let your distance from the pin determine club selection. With a 6-iron, a bunker punch shot carries about 100 yards and rolls about 50 yards.
Set up with the ball back of center and the shaft leaning forward. Use a narrow stance but shift your weight to your front foot. Your sternum is in front of the ball to create a downward angle of attack.
Hinge your wrists as soon as you start your backswing. Use a narrow arc and cut your backswing when your hands reach hip height. You won’t need more power than this.
Pinch your knees at the top of your backswing and focus on making ball-first contact on the way down. Keep your wrists firm at impact—maintaining the clubshaft angle you created at address. Now swing.
You don’t need a full finish, since you’re just hitting a punch shot. Instead, focus on your backswing, downswing, and impact. With this shot, the ball flies low to the ground and runs to the green.
2) Pop It Over Trees
Laying-up in front of water or punching out from the rough can save you strokes. But some times you have to go for it, like when you’re playing a match and you’re stuck behind a clump of trees. That’s not a good place to be even with a good lie. But knowing how to hit extra-high approach shots pays off here. With a few minor set-up adjustments, you should be able to loft the ball high enough to clear the trees.
Below are five keys to hitting extra-high approach shots:
* Position the ball forward in your stance
* Hinge your wrists early and aggressively
* Stay behind the ball with your body
* Keep your hands even or just behind the clubhead
* Finish extra high with your follow through
The secret to hitting high approach shots is steepness. You must use a more vertical than normal downswing to really hit down on the ball and create the steepness you need to fly the ball high. Here’s how:
Position the ball forward in your stance, toward your front heel. After soling the club, set your hands even with the ball or just behind it, and rotate the clubface open a few degrees to provide extra loft on the shot.
Hinge your wrists early and aggressively in the backswing to attain the steepness you need to get the clubhead up quickly. Hitting down on the ball causes it to rise quickly and fly extra-high.
Keep your body behind the ball on the downswing. You should feel as if your front ear is behind the ball at impact.
Keep your hands even or slightly behind the ball. Getting your hands ahead of the ball—as you do with normal iron shots—delofts the clubface, which will prevent you from making it over the obstacle.
Finish high with your follow-through. Try to bring your hands higher than your front ear on your finish while staying in balance.
While playing it safe on the golf course often pays off, you sometimes have to go for it. When that happens, knowing how to hit an extra-high shot pays off.
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3) Question of the Week: Get Back To The Basics To Hit Solid Irons
Q.
Dear Jack:
“How do you make solid impact with your irons? I can hit from a 7-iron to a 3-iron and seldom hit the sweet spot. No matter what club I use there is little variance in the distance the ball travels in the air.
Thanks for your help,
James Neely ”
A.
Thanks for the question, Jim. I suggest you get back to basics:
First, check your ball position. Play short iron shots in the center, middle iron shots an inch forward of that, and longer iron shots another inch forward.
Second, check your set-up. Things like weak left-hand grip, poor posture, and bad aim often prevent solid contact. Study your set-up in a mirror. Make sure it’s solid. If not, change it. Practice your new set up in front of a mirror until it’s ingrained.
Third, check your weight shift. Good iron contact comes from a descending strike. To hit down, your weight must be moving toward the target. Many golfers hang back on their right sides when hitting irons. Also, make sure the knuckles of your left hand are pointing down when making your downswing.
To improve your irons, hit balls with your left hand only. Keep hitting them one-handed until the feeling is ingrained. Also, hit balls with your feet together. It will improve your balance.
If all this doesn’t work, consider taking a golf lesson or two from a teaching pro.
If you’ve got a golf question you’d like answered, send an email to us at questions@howtobreak80.com and we’ll review it. I can’t guarantee that we’ll use it but if we do, we’ll make sure to include your name and where you’re from.
If you want to truly discover the secrets of shooting like the Pros and creating a more reliable and consistent swing, check out: http://www.HowToBreak80.com
Also, for past issues of this newsletter and some of my most recent articles, visit our blog at www.HowToBreak80.com/blog
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article – How To Salvage A Bad Round
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/how-to-salvage-a-bad-round.php
5) Article – Placement And Putting Are Key At British Open
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/placement-and-putting-are-key-at-british-open.php
Until next time,
Go Low!
Jack
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About the Author
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 and Shoot Like the Pros!”. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicaps quickly. His free weekly newsletter goes out to thousands of golfers worldwide and provides the latest golf tips, strategies, techniques and instruction on how to improve your golf game.
















