The Chili Dip, The Flub & The Skull…. for some, the scariest shot in golf is the short sided flip wedge that’s sitting down in the grass. As is the case with many short game shots, the basic fault can often stem from trying too hard to ‘hit’ or to ‘help’ the ball. These tendencies can cause short, quick & tense motions that at time can hit a decent shot, however, also create some violent misses.
Let’s focus on two important aspects that must be used to create success with this shot; Rhythm & Entry Point.
Entry Point refers to the place that the club enters into the grass. Too often people will try to hit down right behind the ball in an effort to ‘catch it clean’ and with a ‘descending’ blow. This leads to a quick chopping motion where the margin of error is diminished to either a skulled or chunked shot. To combat this tendency, we are going to aim for a spot well behind the ball…just like a bunker shot! The distance behind the ball will be dictated by how deep it sits in the grass. The deeper it rests, the further you will need to contact the grass behind the ball. This will give the clubhead ample time to get through grass and under the ball. We must also make sure that our angle of attack is very shallow so that we can use the bounce on the club to keep from digging into the mud. Moving the ball forward in your stance can help drastically with a steep angle of attack.
Rhythm speaks to the speed and tempo of the swing. Any time you want the ball to fly high and soft, you must also employ a rhythm & swing that is high and soft. Think of the way Fred Couples swings a club, specifically how his downswing is so effortless and tension free. It’s as if his arms and the club simply fall back to earth with gravity’s pull. There can be no ‘hit’ or ‘effort’ in this motion.
A swing that is ‘high’ means that the backswing must be extraodinarily long for the distance to be covered with the shot. This will allow you to slow down the speed of the stroke to give it that Freddie rhythm. It will also keep you from getting to short which always leads to a quick and jumpy down swing.
As with any shot in golf, employing a sense of lack of caring for the outcome will give you a great advantage over your opponents. Some describe it as a leap of faith in your own abilities… Remember to Be the Ball!!
Let’s focus on two important aspects that must be used to create success with this shot; Rhythm & Entry Point.
Entry Point refers to the place that the club enters into the grass. Too often people will try to hit down right behind the ball in an effort to ‘catch it clean’ and with a ‘descending’ blow. This leads to a quick chopping motion where the margin of error is diminished to either a skulled or chunked shot. To combat this tendency, we are going to aim for a spot well behind the ball…just like a bunker shot! The distance behind the ball will be dictated by how deep it sits in the grass. The deeper it rests, the further you will need to contact the grass behind the ball. This will give the clubhead ample time to get through grass and under the ball. We must also make sure that our angle of attack is very shallow so that we can use the bounce on the club to keep from digging into the mud. Moving the ball forward in your stance can help drastically with a steep angle of attack.
Rhythm speaks to the speed and tempo of the swing. Any time you want the ball to fly high and soft, you must also employ a rhythm & swing that is high and soft. Think of the way Fred Couples swings a club, specifically how his downswing is so effortless and tension free. It’s as if his arms and the club simply fall back to earth with gravity’s pull. There can be no ‘hit’ or ‘effort’ in this motion.
A swing that is ‘high’ means that the backswing must be extraodinarily long for the distance to be covered with the shot. This will allow you to slow down the speed of the stroke to give it that Freddie rhythm. It will also keep you from getting to short which always leads to a quick and jumpy down swing.
As with any shot in golf, employing a sense of lack of caring for the outcome will give you a great advantage over your opponents. Some describe it as a leap of faith in your own abilities… Remember to Be the Ball!!