Low short game shots
By Tim Mahoney
The average professional golfer on any of the world tours hits an average of 11-13 greens a round. As a result, 5-7 opportunities are presented for an up-in or an actual chip in. After 35 years of teaching golf around the world, mastering the chip shot is the fastest way to lower your handicap, provide more enjoyment and assist all levels of golfers an opportunity to exceed their personal objectives.
At the Mahoney and Troon Golf Academy we have eliminated shots titles: chipping and pitching and have replaced the situation with a low shot or a high shot. In all short game situations the player’s goal is to land the golf ball safely onto the putting surface and allow the golf ball to release to the hole. Successful short game results are the effect of a correct set-up, swing motion, and club choice.
Club choice is the effect of the lie of the ball, the amount of green you have to work with and the distance you are away from your desired landing area. Worse the lies choose a higher lofted club. More green you have to work with, take a lower lofted club to allow for more run out. The further you are away from the landing area, choose a higher lofted club in-order to land the golf ball safely onto the green. When in doubt, choose the higher lofted club and produce a lower ball flight.
Preparation in the short game is 90% of the success of the end result. For a lower lofted shot, position the ball towards your back foot, lean your body weight towards the target with the shaft leaned forward. Keep in mind that the golf club will bottom out directly below your nose, Position your head in front of the ball and the club will find its low spot in front of the ball.
During your swinging motion, minimize the amount of hand action and pivot on the back swing and allow your upper body to turn back with arm motion. The club head should remain under your hands. On the forward swing allow your resisted core hips to initiate the motion with limited hand and wrist motion. The club head should remain under your hands. Hold your finish until the ball comes to rest.
Eliminate the shot titles during your golf rounds and attempt to the control your short game shots with elevation. Set-up, club choice and motion will give you controlled results and lower scores.
Controlling Trajectory in the Short Game
In executing short game shots, inside 50 yards (pitches and chips), a player’s ability to control the ball’s flight trajectory can be just as important as controlling the ball’s direction and overall distance. A golfer has options to create consistent ball flight trajectory and as a result consistent shot patterns swing after swing.
Option One – Ball Choice:
A golfer’s choice of golf ball will have an affect on a golf ball’s flight characteristics. It is the dimples on a golf ball that are responsible for its flight characteristics. Their design (size, shape and pattern) will help dictate the ball’s trajectory. The size and depth of the dimples affect performance. Shallow dimples generate more spin on a golf ball than deep dimples, which increases loft and causes the ball to rise and stay in the air longer and roll less, which is advantageous when playing to elevated greens. Deep dimples generate less spin on a golf ball than shallow dimples, which decrease loft and causes the ball to stay on a lower trajectory, with less air time and greater roll, which is advantageous when playing to low elevated greens.
Option Two – Ball Position:
A correct ball position helps you contact the ball crisply and achieve the proper trajectory on the shot. Ball position affects the path and the angle of approach the club takes into the ball which ensures a consistent loft angle of the club at impact. With the ball positioned too far forward, your shoulders align left of the target, thus creating a swing path that is too steep and out-to-in. If you locate the ball too far back toward your right foot, your shoulders are closed, which creates a swing path that is too shallow and in-to-out. You will be able to produce consistent ball flight trajectories only if the ball is positioned correctly in your stance. For chip shots, position the ball about two inches back of center. You want to strike the ball with a descending angle of approach creating a low trajectory, running shot. For all wedges and pitch swings from normal lies position the ball in the exact center of your stance.
Option Three – Swing Technique:
To create a low trajectory chip or pitch shot, set your hands slightly ahead of the ball. A forward hand position will naturally de-loft the clubface, helping to start the ball on a low trajectory. Also, concentrate on making a rhythmic swing with a slightly slower tempo on the forward swing. A slower tempo will produce less spin, helping to keep the ball on a low trajectory. Stay level with your hips as you swing through impact. Feel as though the handle of the club leads the clubhead through the hitting area to prevent adding loft to the clubface at impact. A low trajectory shot means a low finish. The lower you want to hit it, the lower you want to finish, not only with the hands and arms, but with the clubhead as well. While it is okay to play the ball back in you stance to produce a lower trajectory, it is not advantageous to play the ball forward in your stance as a means of getting a higher trajectory. Playing the ball forward in you stance moves it ahead of the bottom of your natural swing arc. To hit a higher shot, the first choice should always be to take a more lofted club and make your standard swing. The second choice is to open the clubface, aim your swing line to the left of the target and keep the ball exactly in the center of your stance. Keeping the ball in the middle of your stance ensures crisp contact.
Option Four – Club Selection:
The easiest way to vary shot trajectory from a normal lie is to choose a higher degree lofted club or choose a lower degree lofted club. If you need a higher soft landing shot, choose a lob (60 degrees), sand (56 degrees), gap (52 degrees), or a pitching wedge (48 degrees). If you need a lower running shot, choose a 9 iron (39 degrees), 8 iron (34 degrees), 7 iron (30 degrees), or 6 iron (26 degrees). It is easier than creating a different swing or changing your mechanics. Clubs are designed with the clubface having different lofts. It is loft that makes a golf ball take flight on an ascending trajectory, not an upward direction of swing. The club actually hits the ball in a horizontal or slightly downward angle.
Choose the option that works best for your game. Your golf ball selection will be based on the design of the golf course that you’ll be playing. Under normal lie conditions, you’ll want to maintain a consistent ball position for crisp club to ball contact. Vary the length of your swing technique to produce low or high trajectories. And choose your club wisely. Practice with different lofted clubs and observe the ball flight trajectory patterns. Take your observations to the golf course.
“Find your distance potential”
One of the keys to playing golf in this era is to hit the ball long. As golf courses continue to be designed longer and more difficult, hitting the ball with power allows players the best chance to score. Although Tiger Woods has possibly the greatest short game in the history of the game, it is also a huge advantage the he has been consistently ranked among the longest hitters during his career. How can you hit it longer?
Quite simply, there are two keys to hitting it long: solid contact and speed. Hitting the ball in the center of the face with maximum speed will allow you to hit it as far as you can. This combined with the latest in club and ball technology can help you find your true distance potential.
The first thing you should determine is if you hit the ball solidly with your current swing. The easiest test is to use face tape that can be found at most golf shops. Place a piece of tape on your club and hit a shot. The ball will make a mark on the tape which will show you your contact point. Hopefully you will find you are consistently finding the center of the clubface. Make sure you test both woods and irons as you want solid contact with all clubs.
If you find that your contact is not as solid as you would like, look at two things to improve your swing. Make sure your posture at set up and throughout your swing is in an athletic position that you maintain during your swing. Good posture will help you swing the club around your body consistently “on plane” which leads to center hits.
Once you are satisfied with your contact point, the next key to distance is trying to increase your swing speed. In the golf swing there are three power sources that will help you swing the club faster. The combination of proper wrist action, an arm swing that puts the club in position throughout the swing and a powerful body pivot that supports the swinging action of the club will allow the club to swing consistently and produce power.
Finally, if you feel you are making solid contact and are using your power sources, make sure your equipment fits your swing. Clubs and balls that are fitted specifically for your swing will probably give you an extra few yards as well.
Learning to hit the ball longer is a very fun part of the improvement process. Examine your current swing and determine your needs. With a little practice, hopefully you will find a few more yards.
Remember if you do hit the ball farther, you will have shorter approach shots to the hole. It is important to work hard on short game distance control so you can take advantage of your distance and hit it closer. This should take pressure off your putting game and allow you to improve your scoring average.
Fairway Bunker’s
Fairway bunker shots are regarded as some of the more difficult in the game. Adding distance, a high lip and a difficult lie and the task is almost impossible. There are several myths when it comes to fairway bunker shots, and I hope to dispel some of those this week. Golfers, must keep in mind, when facing a bad lie (bad lie is defined as when there is question about the lie), the first objective is to advance the ball to a good lie. Second objective, never attempt a miracle shot after a poor one. Finally, never attempt a shot that you have not practiced. Keeping these objectives in mind, fairway bunker shots will become an easier task.
When faced with a fairway bunker shot, preparation is the most important element. Keys for the set-up:
1. Club choice- take enough loft to clear the lip. Golfers should never hear “ball-thump.” As a reference 1 more club should be utilized. High lofted fairway woods are an excellent club of choice, assuming limited loft is need.
2. Position the golf ball back in your stance. Your impact objective is a steeper angle of approach, striking the ball first and sand after. The rearward ball position will assist in steepening the angle.
3. Gripping down on the club. Shorten the club about an inch. The shortened club will reduce the chance of striking the sand prior the ball.
4. Dig your feet into the sand about an inch. The lowering of your feet will reduce the amount of lower body motion during the swing. Excessive amount of lower body slide will result in an incorrect bottom of the swing.
5. Lean your body weight towards the target. As you lean your weight allow the grip end to move towards the target. The weight and the hand adjustment will move your swing bottom towards the target, resulting in a steeper angle of approach.
The adjustments in your set-up will steeper the angle resulting in ball/sand contact. Checkpoints during the motion:
1. Make a balanced swing. Holding your finish until the ball comes to a rest guarantees success. Inability to hold the finish is an indication of an out of balance motion.
2. Allow the upper body to wind against the lower body on the backswing. The lower body must resist and hold. The coil generated is a power source. If the lower body does not hold, the swing bottom will occur behind the ball, resulting in sand and ball contact.
3. Maintain swing posture throughout the motion. Turn the upper body on the backswing and clear the lower body on the forward side. Golfers must maintain their measurement and posture throughout the motion. A conscious attempt to lift the ball will result in a shallow angle.
Golf is a unique game, due to the fact; they never face the same shot twice. Consistency is the result of developing a repeating swing motion. Pre swing adjustments are utilized when faced with different lies. Golfers should 1 swing with different set-ups. Perfect your swing, make a few simple address adjustments and the fairway bunker shot will be a simple one.
Controlling distance with your Wedges
Golf is a unique activity where you have the combination of distance, direction and trajectory control of the golf ball. In the short game the ability to score is directly related to controlling the distance of the golf ball. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler have the ability to control the distance of their wedges within 95% of the required goal. For an example, on a 30 yard shot, Spieth has the control of his wedges to hit the ball 28.5 yards, a differential of 1.5 yards in total distance.
Distance is controlled by club choice, length of club at address, length of swing, elevation of the shot, solidness of the strike and the speed of motion. All golfers should have a minimum of 3 wedges with the lofts of 48, 52 and 56 degrees of loft. All wedges should have a differential of 4 degrees of separation. As you work with the wedges identify the distance of ½, ¾ and full swing.
Length of club at address will have a direct impact on the speed of the motion throughout. Golfers should attempt to grip down the shaft, ½ of a grip and a full grip. Combine this with different length of swings as well. A shortened club will work with a shortened swing and a long club will work with a long swing. All wedge swings should be balanced or symmetrical on both sides of the motion. A partial backswing should match a partial forward swing. The golf swing needs to be balanced in order to control speed and distance.
A mirrored impact position and address, of the will assist with controlling the loft of the club. The impact position should be identical to the starting position. Unlike the full swing where the shaft needs to be forward leaned for speed in pitching the shafts needs to match.
Solidness of the strike is the effect of the angle or plane of the swing. A vertical swing motion will produce a toe hit and conversely a horizontal or flat swing will produce a heel hit or a shank. The club must be swung on the desired angle or right angle to your spine.
Distance control in the short game is the effect of the club, speed, length of swing and solidness of the hit. Control these variables and you to will pitch like Spieth.