Think of a clock when
a few different clubs such as your three most lofted clubs, plus a couple low lofted ones also, like a 6-iron or even a hybrid. Again, there are lots of
ways to hit the shots. That’s the beauty of the short game. Who says I have to hit sand wedge from a greenside bunker? I don’t have to hit my pitching wedge from 90 yards out. I often use a 9-iron or 8-iron, even though I can hit my pitching wedge 115 to 120 on a full swing. When I’m teach- ing shots inside 100 yards, espe- cially from inside 60 yards, I’m teaching my students to use three things: tempo, length of swing and loft. I want to know that if I have my pitch- ing wedge and I swing my left hand back to 3:00 and swing through to 9:00 the ball is going to go a certain distance. I know if I make the same swing using my 8-iron, the ball is going to go a bit farther and on a lower trajectory. I want to
let the length of my stroke and the loft of the club dictate how far the ball will travel. As long as I keep the same tempo in my swing and turn through the shot, I have number of shots (and clubs) I can choose from. On a normal shot, the only thing I change is weight distribution and width of my stance; on a longer pitch my weight will be more evenly distributed to both feet. As the shot gets shorter I will narrow my stance and place more weight on the target side (left leg for right-handed golfers).
Once you have
A metronome is a useful tool in mastering tempo
the concept and start to master tempo you will find that the short game won’t
be so frustrating. And who knows, you may even spend more time on the chipping green than you do on the practice tee. Remember, if you have
problems with any other part of your game, see your local golf professional. We can help.
grooving the length of your swing
Let’s keep this simple. • Grab your 9-iron, pitching wedge and sand wedge. • If you have a short game area like we have at Poppy Ridge, find a spot about 15 to 20 yards from the center of the chipping green. We are going to hit some simple shots with these three clubs from the same distance. • Let’s start with the sand wedge. Set up with a fairly narrow stance parallel to your
target line. Your feet should be about at the outside of your hips. • Keep your hands in the center of your body. This should point the butt end of the club just to the left of your belly button forming a lower case “y” with your arms and the shaft of the club. • Set about 60% of your weight on your left leg (right leg for you lefties). • Now think of the clock and swing your arms back to 8:00 and through to 4:00, letting your body turn through the shot. • Practice this move with each club making the same rhythmic swing. You will discover three different shots that go three different distances with three different trajectories. You will find that you may only need to swing to 7:00 and 5:00 to get your 9-iron to go the same distance as swinging your sand wedge 8:00 to 4:00. • The most important thing to remember is to turn your body. • The longer the shot, the more body turn. The shorter the shot the less body turn.
FALL 2010 / NCGA.ORG / 63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76