Breaking 90 : Control trajectory – Brief Article
Jack Lumpkin
The basic chip shot won’t be enough to get your score under 90. You’ll need a pitch that flies the ball over trouble and lands it on the green with less roll. You’ll also need to learn to feel the right distance with your short-game shots by using your imagination. Here’s how.
Let wedge’s loft provide height
A pitch shot is vital when you need to get the ball up to an elevated green or over a bunker or other hazard. Avoid “helping” the ball up; don’t make a scooping motion. Keep the image in your mind of the left arm and shaft forming a straight line just after impact, not before. Square the face to the target line and trust the loft of the club to do the work of getting the ball in the air.
Thinking it makes it so
The object is to get the ball in the hole, so focus on the target, not technique. Iron out the mechanics on the practice green. On the course, score is all that matters.
Attempt shots you know you can hit
Trying a short-game shot you haven’t practiced almost always costs you strokes. Go with what you know, practice what you don’t.
Another way to feel it
Good players rehearse the right feeling for a shot. You can do this, too, by getting in the habit of brushing the same amount of grass with each practice swing.
Give short shots some feeling
Your short game will be an asset only when you develop a feel for distance. One way to do this is to practice tossing balls to a flag on a practice green. The more you do it, the more you’ll match a certain body feeling to a certain length shot. Then, when you get on the course, imagine what type of toss would best fit the shot you have. Using your imagination will get those short shots closer.
COPYRIGHT 1999 New York Times Company Magazine Group, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
