Short Game Shot Selection is a Tale of Two Lies

When faced with a shot from around the green, the lie of the ball will dictate your club and shot selection.

In this video I am demonstrating two shots from the rough about 60' from the pin.  On one shot the ball is sitting "up" and on the other the ball is sitting "down".  Each of these lies will require a different club selection, but the shot shapes are very similar.  In both instances, the ball flight is low.

When the ball is sitting up in the rough, a sweep shot is the best selection, but when the ball is sitting down in the rough, the pinch shot is required.

There are situations which may call for a flop shot or a higher ball flight and I will review those in the near future.

Learn to Finish your Golf Swing in Balance with Proper Footwork

These are two simple drills which will help you finish your golf swing in great balance.  Make sure your are swinging smoothly from backswing to downswing.  Any sudden shift of power will disrupt your foot work!

No Standing Ovation for this Swing!

If you are consistently hitting the ball thin (not taking a divot with irons) and to the right of your target, then you may be "standing up" in the downswing.  In other words, you have not maintained the posture needed to compress the golf ball.  In the picture below, the body is too upright and the club is trailing too far behind the body.  The hips have been thrust toward the golf ball instead of rotating as they should.  From this position it will be difficult to square the club face by impact and my club is destined to hit the 2x4 on the ground I have used for alignment...OUCH!

The correct position would look like the picture below.  Note how my spine has more angle than the above picture.  The golf club is in a much better position to deliver the ball to the target.  This is due to my hips staying in position and not moving closer to the ball as they have in the picture above. The hips are rotating as they should and this will be evident in my finish.  My club is now traveling down the target line.

Try this drill is you are hitting shots as described above.

Set up with a 7 iron and place a guide in the ground touching your backside.  Here I have used an old shaft inside a foam noodle.  An alignment rod would work as well. Make sure you copy the above set up.  My shoulders are over my toes and my arms are hanging very relaxed from my shoulders.

On the backswing, try to keep in contact with the guide, but more importantly, on the downswing, you want to remain in contact as well.

Correct downswing!

If the hips rotate properly, your finish will look like this.  Once I have made impact, the hips complete their rotation and I finish tall with my hips square to the target.

Let's Find you More Clubhead Speed!

While stretching is very good for your golf swing, I also like to use these training aids to help you find more clubhead speed.  I recommend doing a little work with these training aids daily to help you find more flexibility and balance in your golf swing.

Backswing Drill to get you on the Correct Circle

I like to think of the backswing as a "tilted" circle.  The angle of this circle would be considered the "plane" of the backswing.  A plane which is too steep or too shallow will cause ball contact and directional issues.  This is a great drill to help you feel and develop a proper backswing. 

Work on small shots with a lofted club such as a 9 iron.  Give yourself some room so you do not hit the alignment rod which is set at an angle. I recommend placing the rod at least two feet behind your golf ball and set at the same angle as the shaft at address.

Pitch and Run Shots from 20 Yards and In

The "pitch and run" shot is a very useful and safe shot to hit.  This shot can be hit when the landing area is fairly flat and you have room for the ball to run once it is on the green.  Typically, I will hit this type of shot when my ball is anywhere from 5-15 yards from the edge of the green AND I have 10-15 yards of roll out room.  In this video I am using my lofted wedges, but if there is enough green for the ball to run out, I may use as little as an 8 iron for the shot.  If at all possible, I will use the "pitch and run" method as it requires less swing and eliminates errors caused by making a bigger swing.

Here are some stop action photos of the pitch and run.  Note how the swing (and my hands) stay low on the backswing and finish.

Drill for Improved Pitch Shots

In an earlier post (Oct. 30, 2012), I discussed and provided pictures of this drill to help you hit more solid pitch shots.  This video just serves as reinforcement of the importance of a good impact position!