Shot Tips

Course Management

1. Better to be short and straight on the drive than right or left. Often those drives end up shorter and further a way from the hole. Keep the tempo and hit it straight and consistent.
2. Better to be short and have an uphill putt than long and have a tough chip off the back! One less club.
3. One yard uphill equals one yard more of distance and vice versus. Don’t change swing just pick different club.

Slope & Uneven Lies

Slope The first thing to understand is how slopes affect club selection. As a general rule, one yard of elevation change (up or down) equals a yard of distance. For example, if you have a shot that measures 100 yards up a hill that rises 10 yards from ball level to hole, those 10 yards must be added to the total – so it's a 110-yard shot.

Uneven Lies

Hitting shots from uneven lies in golf requires adjustments to your setup, aim, and swing to account for the slope of the ground. Here are some general tips for handling common uneven lies:

Ball Above Feet (Right-Handed Golfer)

1. Stance Adjustment:

   • Widen your stance to maintain balance.
   • Bend more from the hips to get closer to the ball.
   • Adjust the ball position slightly back in your stance.

2. Aim Left:

   • The ball is likely to curve to the left, so aim slightly to the right to compensate.

3. Club Selection:

   • Consider using one more club than usual because the slope may cause the ball to travel shorter distances.

4. Swing Path:

   • Swing along the slope; don't fight it. This helps prevent pulls or hooks.

Ball Below Feet (Right-Handed Golfer)

1. Stance Adjustment:

   • Widen your stance for stability.
   • Bend more from the hips, allowing the club to reach the ball.

2. Aim Right:

   • The ball may tend to go right, so aim slightly left to compensate.

3. Club Selection:

   • You may need one less club than usual since the slope could increase the distance.

4. Maintain Balance:

   • Be cautious of your balance, as it's easier to lose it on a downhill lie.

Uphill Lie

1. Stance Adjustment:

   • Place more weight on your front foot.
   • Adjust your stance to match the slope, angling your shoulders accordingly.

2. Aim Slightly Left:

   • The ball may go right, so aim a bit left to allow for the slope.

3. Club Selection:

   • Consider using one more club because the slope can reduce distance.

Downhill Lie

1. Stance Adjustment:

   • Shift weight slightly toward your back foot.
   • Angle your shoulders to match the slope.

2. Aim Slightly Right:

   • The ball may go left, so aim slightly to the right to compensate.

3. Club Selection:

   • You may need one less club since the slope can increase distance.

Sidehill Lies

1. Evaluate Slope Direction:

   • Adjust your stance and aim based on whether the slope is left-to-right or right-to-left.

2. Balanced Weight:

   • Ensure balance by distributing your weight evenly between your feet.

3. Club Selection:

   • Account for the potential change in distance based on the slope.

General Tips

• Practice on the Range:

  • Spend time practicing shots from various uneven lies on the driving range to develop confidence and consistency.

• Maintain Flexibility:

  • Flexibility is crucial for adapting to uneven lies. Work on your flexibility through exercises and stretches.

• Stay Relaxed:

  • Tension can affect your ability to adapt to uneven lies. Stay relaxed and maintain a smooth swing.

Clubs

The Driver Swing

• Inside of front foot ball placement
• Wider stance than normal
• Tilt at waste. Not legs.
• Ball teed up 3/4 of ball showing. Slight toe up at address.
• Club shaft should be close to vertical. With tilt it will lean a bit. Don’t manipulate it into place.
• Shoulders level with the feet at target. Don’t move shoulder forward
• Hands placed under chin
• Club face should match spine angle in backswing
• Loose hands, whipping action with rotating should feel like pulling a sledgehammer
• On the downswing. Right shoulder should point down and forward, not swing out, causing a swipe across the ball.

Fairway Woods

make sure the swing plane is more shallow and wraps around. Also don’t worry about the position of the club head face at address if I turn my hips it will be square when I hit the ball.

Because you're playing the ball further forward in your stance with long irons and longer clubs...the clubface will be more likely to close before impact.

• 5 Wood - make Sure the ball is not too far forward or too far back in my stance. You should get the feeling of trying to swing through the ball but not having to reach. Make sure you have with but are still standing upright don’t worry if the swing plane feels a little over the top it’s OK.

Hybrids

• Hybrid - Make sure that you are hitting it like an iron. Also that you are standing upright and that the ball is not too far away from you. Take some practice swings to make sure her swing angle angle is correct in this position.

Long Irons

If I had any tips for long irons, it would be to actually try to swing much slower: most people tend to feel like they need to kill the ball with long irons. Just make solid contact and trust that the club will do the work.

Irons

make sure the left hand is flat in the backswing and the left arm stays flat against the body in the downswing. Also really concentrate on the weight of the clubhead letting it catapult through and hit the ball towards the target rather than swinging at the ball. Really try to always get that feeling of effortless rotation and whipping of the clubhead.

Shot Shapes

Fade

• Check the grip, not too strong
• Tee the ball up, encourage less spin
• Open up the club face just a touch (careful!)
• Open up stance a few inches (left foot back)
• Feeling on takeaway should be keeping the club head in front off the hands
• Good rythym and upright stance, not hunched over
• Swing the club head down like a sledgehammer, pulling it

MAKE IT AN ALL-BODY SWING

The death move on the downswing is starting with your hands and coming over the top. People do this because they think that to produce a fade, the club's path has to cut across the ball from out to in, but that's just a slice. The funny thing about a real fade is that it feels almost exactly like you're hitting a draw. You're attacking the ball from the inside and feeling all your big muscles—legs, upper body, arms—moving together toward the target.

Wind

Calculating distance in the wind – Headwind

A great rule to use is to add 1% for every 1mph of headwind. So the following distances would change like this:

• 100-yard shot into a 5mph wind = 105 yards
• 200-yard shot into a 5mph wind = 21yards
• 100-yard shot into a 10mph wind = 110 yards
• 200-yard shot into a 10mph wind = 220 yards
• 100-yard shot into a 20mph wind = 120 yards
• 200-yard shot into a 20mph wind = 240 yards
• 100-yard shot into a 30mph wind = 130 yards
• 200-yard shot into a 30mph wind = 260 yards

Calculating distance in the wind – Downwind

When playing downwind use 0.5% instead, so judging your distance in the wind would look a bit like this:

• 100-yard shot with a 5mph tailwind = 98 yards
• 200-yard shot with a 5mph tailwind = 195 yards
• 100-yard shot with a 10mph tailwind = 95 yards
• 200-yard shot with a 10mph tailwind = 190 yards
• 100-yard shot with a 20mph tailwind = 90 yards
• 200-yard shot with a 20mph tailwind = 180 yards
• 100-yard shot with a 30mph tailwind = 85 yards
• 200-yard shot with a 30mph tailwind = 170 yards

How to Hit Driver Into the Wind

1. Drive the ball into the wind with a smooth, solid swing. Swinging too hard will create an excess of backspin, which will cause the ball to balloon up into the air. This results in a loss of distance and control on your tee shots. The key is to swing a little slower.

2. Stay on balance during your swing when playing in windy conditions. Widening your stance will stabilize your base, which will help you maintain your balance during the entire swing. This stabilizing effect will lead to solid contact, resulting in longer, straighter drives.

3. Swing with a downward strike on the ball, as you would do when hitting an iron shot. Start by positioning the ball back in your stance, 2 to 3 inches from your front foot. Next, address the ball with 65 to 70 percent of your weight forward. These changes in your setup position will naturally place your hands slightly ahead of the ball upon impact, which effectively will reduce the loft of your club face during the shot.

4. Create a lower ball flight by choking down on the grip by 1 or 2 inches, then moving slightly closer to the ball at address. These two changes will help shorten and smooth out your swing, which will provide solid contact for increased power.

5. Finish in the proper position for a low-flying ball flight that is ideal for hitting into the wind. The finish position should end no higher than waist-high, much the same as when you are hitting a punched iron shot. This abbreviated finish will keep your ball flight low and help you to hit the ball solidly. Practice this and see how often those low-flying drives start splitting the fairway, especially when you're hitting into the wind.

20 mph cross wind example

When hitting a driver in a 20 mph crosswind from left to right, the amount you need to aim left will depend on several factors, including the severity of your natural fade, the design of the hole, and the specific conditions of the day. Here are some additional tips for hitting a driver in these conditions:

1. Tee Height: Consider teeing the ball slightly lower than usual to reduce the impact of the wind on the ball's flight.

2. Stance and Grip: Ensure that your stance and grip are stable and comfortable. A firm grip and a balanced stance can help you maintain control of the shot in windy conditions.

3. Visualization: Visualize the shot you want to hit, including the initial direction and the expected curve due to your fade. This can help you commit to the shot and execute it with confidence.

4. Aim Adjustment: For a swing speed of 95 mph, the ball will be in the air for a relatively long time, giving the wind more opportunity to affect its flight. As a starting point, you might aim about 20 to 30 yards left of your target, but this can vary based on the factors mentioned earlier. It's important to observe the actual behavior of your shots and adjust accordingly.

5. Wind Reading: Pay attention to the wind throughout your round, as its direction and intensity can change. Look at the flags, trees, and other indicators to gauge the wind's impact.

6. Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt your strategy based on the results of your shots. If you find that your ball is being carried further right than expected, you may need to aim even further left on subsequent holes.

7. Mental Game: Stay mentally flexible and avoid getting frustrated by the wind. Accept that some shots may not go exactly as planned and focus on making the best of the situation.

Ultimately, the key is to practice in windy conditions and develop a feel for how much you need to adjust your aim and swing. If possible, work with a golf coach who can help you refine your technique and strategy for playing in the wind.

Punch Shot for Wind

• Place ball on back foot instep
• Move hands forward in your stance
• Return hands to same forward position at impact
• Should feel like you are picking the club up

Playing Yardage Scenario:

• Your ball is located in the fairway, 100 yards away from the pin.

Factors to Consider:

1. Roll-out: The expected distance the ball will roll after it lands. For this example, let's say your ball tends to roll out 3 yards with a wedge.
2. Wind: There's a helping wind (wind blowing from behind) that you estimate will add 4 yards to your shot.
3. Elevation: The green is 2 yards higher than where your ball is located on the fairway.

Calculation Steps:

1. Start with the distance to the pin: 100 yards.
2. Subtract the roll-out: Since the ball will roll out an additional 3 yards after landing, you want it to carry only 97 yards (100 - 3 = 97 yards).
3. Adjust for wind: With a helping wind adding distance to your shot, you adjust the carry distance by subtracting the wind's effect: 97 - 4 = 93 yards.
4. Adjust for elevation: Since the green is elevated, you need the ball to carry further to reach the green. Adding 2 yards for elevation gives you a final adjusted carry distance: 93 + 2 = 95 yards.

Final Playing Yardage:

• Your playing yardage, considering the roll-out, wind, and elevation, is 95 yards. This is the distance you aim to carry the ball with your shot, ensuring it lands and stops near the pin.

Out of the Rough

• In medium rough risk a high-loft wood or hybrid
• There are occasions when the rough is spindly but not so heavy, in which case you can often risk a high-loft wood or hybrid club but, again, slightly open the clubface before re-gripping and allow for a right to left flight as the club closes toward impact.

Playing out to the rough tips

This example demonstrates the importance of adjusting your perceived distance with various external factors. By understanding and applying these adjustments, you'll be better equipped to select the right club and approach for your shot, leading to more accurate and effective play.

1. Assessing the Lie and Adapting Your Swing: Understanding the thickness of the rough and how it affects the ball's flight is crucial. They suggest adjusting your stance and swing speed to compensate for the rough's resistance. The goal is to minimize grass interaction by playing the ball slightly back in your stance and swinging with more force.

2. Choosing the Right Club:

   • Emphasizes the importance of selecting a club that matches your ability to generate speed and the specific conditions of the lie. For instance, using more lofted clubs in thicker rough to ensure the ball can be elevated out of challenging positions. They also stress the importance of tailoring your bag to suit these frequent rough encounters, suggesting hybrids or higher-lofted clubs as more effective choices than long irons for most amateur golfers.

3. Strategic Play and Course Management:

   • Advises on playing strategically from the rough, considering the safest areas to aim for around the green, avoiding hazards, and accepting when it's necessary to play for a safer, more conservative outcome. They highlight the significance of practice and experience in learning how to handle various lies in the rough and the impact of conditions (wet vs. dry) on the ball's behavior.