Connect with us

Instruction

Playing Lesson: How would you play these shots?

Published

on

All too often, I see golfers frustrated and confused after taking lessons. Many practice diligently, but don’t see the results they want on their scorecard. They improve their game, skills and ball-striking, but not their score.

Often, this is due to scoring mistakes rooted in improper course management. No matter how drastic your improvements, if you’re still making the same mental errors, your scores won’t improve, at least not at the rate you want.

Below, I take you through some shots and situations I encountered while at Puerto Peñasco, just south of the border of Arizona on the Northern part of the Sea of Cortez, where the hilly lies and green-side slopes give you more than you can ask for by way of a challenge. I hope that offering my thoughts in this playing lesson will encourage you to think more critically during your rounds of golf.

Tee shot: Reachable Par-5

Here is the tee shot on No. 18. The fairway slopes from right to left, the wind blows from right to left and the fairway pinches in around the bunker on the left side of the fairway, which is the normal landing area.

As a reachable par-5, the risky play is to hit driver into the smallest part of the fairway. The slope of fairway and predominate wind could force the ball too far left into the deep bunker, however, where going for the green probably isn’t an option. The safer play is to hit a shorter club off of the tee, taking the bunker out of play, and aim for the widest part of the fairway, but from there it becomes a three-shot hole.

Which shot would you choose and why?

StickneyCourse3

I do my best to make my golfing decisions through logic, not emotions, unless the state of the match dictates a different strategy. In this situation, I’ve hit 13 other tee shots on the day, so I should have a very good idea of how I’m playing and what type control my swing is providing. If I feel confident and the conditions are favorable, then I will hit driver in hopes of reaching the green in two.

If my misses that day are going right, I’ll hit fairway wood, since most of the trouble is on the right on this hole. But if my misses have been left, or hooking, then I may just aim a touch right and allow the wind and my hook to bring the ball back into the fairway. At worst, I’ll still be able to reach the green in three shots.

Remember to use your trends, confidence and the conditions to help you find the fairway off the tee. Sure, sometimes you will hit the ball out of play, but if you use all the information you have at hand you’ve done all you can do.

Where to lay up

After your tee shot (congrats on finding the fairway, by the way), you cannot reach the green and you have to lay up with a hybrid or long iron. The lay-up shot is to a fairway that slopes uphill from left to right, and the pin is cut on the right center of the green. From the picture below, you can see that most of the trouble is on the right side of the hole and the predominate wind is from right to left.

Where would you aim?

StickneyCourse5

First of all, I take into account what yardage I want to have into the pin. Personally, I want to hit my lay-up shot as close to the green as I can, since that offers me the best chance to make birdie. This isn’t the case for everyone, however, so make sure to figure out the approximate distance you want into the green, then subtract that from your total to the green.

For me, I want to lay up with the longest club I can where I KNOW I’ll have no trouble finding the fairway a majority of the time. Once I have selected this club, the next thing I must do is make sure I find the best “look” to the pin for my third shot. Let me show you what I mean, because simply being on the correct side of the fairway can make your next shot easier or harder.

Option 1

StickneyCourse6

Option 2

StickneyCourse7

Both options have the same yardage to pin, but are from different sections of the fairway.

  • Option 1 offers a clear shot into the pin and the ability to use the slope to my advantage with a left-to-right shot.
  • Option 2 shows the look from the far right side of the fairway, leaving me an uphill, partly blind shot into the pin with a false front short of the pin.

As we know, whenever you hit the ball from an upslope you can usually guarantee that you’ll leave the ball short. If you do so here, the false front will grab your ball and funnel it down farther short and right of the green, leaving you a difficult fourth shot for your up and down.

Remember, your goal is to leave yourself the best yardage possible for your strengths AND to make sure you leave yourself an angle into the pin that works for the conditions and your normal shot pattern. There’s nothing worse than blocking yourself off from the pin location due to improper planning on a lay-up shot. Watch the Masters next month and you will see what I mean; when players leave the ball in the wrong place, they have issues making pars, let alone birdies!

The long bunker shot

Here’s an example of a shot that haunts the average golfer, and can certainly cause a blow-up hole that ruins your handicap and score for the day. So let’s take a look at the situation.

We’ve bailed out right on an approach shot, and now we’re faced with a long bunker shot with fairway between the green and the pin. The wind is into us, the fairway and green run away from us toward the ocean, and the conditions are firm. The ball won’t hold the green unless we’ve hit the shot nearly perfectly.

What kind of shot would you play here?

StickneyCourse8

Most people in this situation would try and pick the ball out of the bunker, or hit a long bunker shot with a sand wedge onto the green. Both shots are lower percentage because, first of all, very few practice these shots and secondly, there are red stakes just past the green.

What would a better player do from here? The first thing I would examine is the lie and the lip of the bunker. As you can see, the ball is sitting up very nicely and the lip is basically out of play, which gives us a few other options. The next thing I would examine is the firmness of the sloping fairway in front of the green. As stated earlier, the slope is running toward the green, and since the wind is blowing there is no moisture in the grass to help stop the ball.

So what’s my best play? I would first make sure I took the big number out of play. By hitting a picked shot or long bunker shot with a sand wedge, I can make a 2, 3, 4, 5, or even more. But if I choose a higher percentage shot like a bump-and-run, landing the ball well short of the green and depending on roll to get it there, or a bunker shot with an 7, 8 or 9 iron, both options take big numbers out of the picture. Sure, I could hit the safe shot like a buffoon and make a big number, but the odds are that I won’t and a par or bogey is the worst I’ll make.

Sometimes, being a hero or trying to “look” like a Tour Player is out of the question because of the risk/reward. Personally, I would look at this shot as one where I hit a bad approach and I need to escape with nothing worse than a bogey. The odds of me making par are slim, so let’s not make double trying to get cute.

Remember that hitting the “right” shot is not always the one that gives you the most style points in the end.

Flop, or not?

This is a very typical green-side shot that gives people fits and usually causes much more anxiety than it should.

Think about how you would play this shot.

StickneyCourse1

Here you can see that we have our ball just off the green, but we have to loft a shot in the air to a tight pin with a green that’s running away from us. Most of the time, I see the lob wedge coming out and the Phil Mickelson super-flop swing warming up!

As you know, these are shots that beg to be left short on the mound, giving you the opportunity to hit the same shot all over again! So what’s the best play?

Take your time to look around the pin… what do you see? There’s a backstop just past, which means we won’t have to hit the super flop and can use a more square-face shot, which offers more consistency. From here, you can make your normal pitch swing, land the ball between the fringe and the pin, run it up the slope, and watch it drift backward down to the pin again. Two chances to make it for birdie!

Not every shot requires you to hit the super flop. The key for most players is to opt for the shot that’s easiest for them to pull off time after time, and still allows them to get up and down. Phil practices flop shots every week at a tournament site, while you probably only play on the weekends and rarely practice your short game.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to use the backstop and take short and the mound out of play? Chances are you’ll hit a better shot than you think and won’t even need the backstop.

Your Reaction?
  • 153
  • LEGIT24
  • WOW4
  • LOL1
  • IDHT6
  • FLOP4
  • OB0
  • SHANK13

Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. Richard Grime

    Apr 21, 2016 at 9:20 am

    How come all of you WRXers are hitting a hard draw 330 down the pipe. I’m off 9 and hit a hard draw 230 if I Flush it!

  2. Other Paul

    Apr 1, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    If Stickney is using a long iron or hybrid im sure everyone on WRX is hitting a 7iron. Except Mark Crossfield… He he he. Just kidding. I love Mark. Though seriously, i would be hitting the 7 iron if Mr.Stickney is hitting a hybrid ????

  3. Allan

    Apr 1, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    Great article. The last scenarios would’ve been clearer if there were estimated distances to the pin.

  4. Brandon

    Apr 1, 2016 at 12:11 am

    Why can’t I just carry the bunker on the drive, and a hard draw with a sand wedge out of the bunker??

    • devilsadvocate

      Apr 1, 2016 at 12:41 pm

      Well for starters if you carry the bunkur your not playing your next shot from the bunker

  5. Robert

    Mar 31, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    It took me 26 years of hitting golf balls before I finally learned how to play golf. My bad rounds went from being in the low to mid 80’s to mid to high 70’s. I quit trying to hit every shot straight and perfect at the flag. I instead played a game where I played to the right spots of the course working the ball left and right when needed. It was a giant wake up call.

  6. SV

    Mar 31, 2016 at 7:15 pm

    Reachable par 5. 3 wood, lay up to option 2. Reason: left-handed hooker. Option 1 appears to leave the ball above the feet, accentuating a hook. Therefore the shot comes in hotter, making it harder to hold the green. For option 2 play 5 yards past the pin and don’t fool with the false front. Result: shot at birdie with a “certain” par.

  7. John Daly

    Mar 31, 2016 at 5:59 pm

    pick up your ball and start drinking is always the right answer

  8. Philip

    Mar 31, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    At the end of last season it finally clicked how to play the percentages and that aiming directly at the flag is not necessarily the best option for a low score.

  9. Brad

    Mar 31, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    Fantastic article… Very well thought out, and extremely practical. Keep it up Tom, this was a great read! Maybe because I sided with most of your decisions… but nonetheless, great job.

  10. Christen_the_sloop

    Mar 31, 2016 at 9:24 am

    Had me until lay-up.

    • Ian

      Mar 31, 2016 at 3:16 pm

      Ain’t no shame in a snowman if you were going for it in two.

      • Joey5picks

        Mar 31, 2016 at 6:15 pm

        So a boldly-made 8 is better than a conservatively-made 4 or 5? Are you available to play some money games? I could use the extra cash.

        • Ian

          Apr 1, 2016 at 12:20 am

          Hero over conservative any day. There is an article on wrx showing that aggressive play wins out over loss aversion.

          • SouthbayZ

            Apr 1, 2016 at 4:30 pm

            If Im not mistaken the article you’re referring to talks about the methods of tour players with tour player short game and recovery abilities. Single digit scrambling percentage folks might benefit from conservative play.

        • Christen_the_sloop

          Apr 1, 2016 at 11:09 am

          Every hole I play these days has OB left and right. Taught me to focus a lot more and not worry about the result. I’m slinging a draw out there 330 odd yards down the pipe.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

Published

on

Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW1
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK2

Continue Reading

Instruction

How a towel can fix your golf swing

Published

on

This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

Your Reaction?
  • 11
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW2
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP2
  • OB0
  • SHANK8

Continue Reading

Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

Published

on

You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK2

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending