Updated Pitching Thoughts (Copy)

This article is an update on the many pitching and chipping articles I've written over the last few years. Not much has changed since I did the Wedge Project video, but there are certain elements I have a deeper understanding about. Experience and the smart guys at PING have gone a long way towards advancing my understanding. Let's take a look...

Discussing pitching at a Three Day Golf School

• Great pitchers typically take little to no divot, flight the ball low and generate high spin rates

• Lower trajectory shots are significantly easier to gauge than higher ones

• When struck correctly lower trajectory wedge shots will almost always have more spin than higher shots

• Most golfers perform better when they deliver 45-ish degrees of loft at impact off a normal fairway. The club they use is irrelevant

• The quality of the face to ball interaction (friction) is primary in generating spin and determining the launch angle

• The quality of the lie plays a big role in determining the friction generated at impact

• Any moisture/matter that gets between the face and ball will typically decrease friction and thus increase launch angle and reduce spin. Control will be also be reduced

• I used to say that sand increases friction and that is often the case, but I've found it depends on the 'angularity' of the sand

• Cleaning the club face should be done often and with a wet towel - don't use a tee

• The primary role of grooves is to disperse moisture and matter from between the face and the ball and NOT generate spin

• Older clubs with worn down grooves will typically not spin the ball as much as a fresh wedge (all else being equal)

• Premium golf balls, when struck correctly, will always flight lower and spin more than non-premium golf balls (Urethane cover indicates a premium ball)

• The optimal technique is primarily based around managing the club to ground interaction 

• As the player alters trajectory so shall the club to ground interaction change. Lower shots with less loft will often lead to a steeper angle of attack

• Controlling what the handle does through impact is integral to controlling the club to ground interaction

• I've come to learn that there is no single ideal spin loft to generate the most spin. Each different lie, situation, golf ball and golfer would require their own unique "optimal" spin loft

• I've been a proponent of draws for pitch shots, but I've seen too many golfers have success with fades and draws to continue advocating strictly for draws

• For stock, and thus lower flighted, shots the bounce plays less of a role than you might imagine

• The worst thing to work towards with your wedge play....stay down. Please don't EVER work towards that

• I've become a big fan of 'core' distances. Depending on the amount of time you have I'd recommend practicing two or more of these 'core' distances and really taking ownership eg. 30/50/70/90 yards

• Incorporate variety and skill development into any and all forms of practice

I have found there to be a multitude of different, and somewhat unusual techniques that work well for certain individuals. A good general guideline that might help:

With the weight slightly favoring the front footy and utilizing a narrow and relatively square stance with the ball positioned centrally, be sure to keep your chest rotating through the strike in order to have the sole of the club skimming/gliding along the turf. Stay tall and keep the chest moving!

All the best.

Fix Your Most Common Chipping Mistakes

The two most common mistakes I see golfers battle with when chipping are poor pace; the club head travels in a jerky fashion or at speeds that are often too fast for the requirements of the shot and they struggle to get the club to bottom out in the correct location relative to the ball. Pace and low point! Watch the video below and then let’s check in on some of the key points…

Here are a few points to take away:

Pace

• Feel an even, ‘tick, tock” type pace as you swing the club back and forth

• A good practice is to hit a few simple chip shots with a 7 iron. This will give you an excellent sense of what the pace should feel like

• Try to feel the transition be as passive or gentle as you can. That change of direction needs to be silky smooth

Low Point

• The practice rehearsals I demonstrated in the video are very important. Practice those both, away from the course and when playing

• Feel your weight staying forward in the backswing as this will aid you in being able to shift the low point forward

As with anything, practice is integral to improvement. Try a few of those 7 iron shots in practice and don’t allow yourself to make a practice motion without having the intent of getting the club to bottom out of the target side of the ball.

I hope these ideas prove to be helpful to you and your enjoyment out on the golf course. Thanks, as always, for your support and readership.

Brett Rumford

A Green Reading Pact to Save Strokes

Speed is king when it comes to putting and far too many golfers are wasting time and effort on trying to get the perfect read and line. Please watch the full 52 seconds of the following video for my full explanation…

The average PGA Tour golfer makes 1.5 putts from beyond 20 feet per tournament! Please read that stat again. They hardly make any longer putts and, unfortunately, neither do we. Of course we all make some, but let’s keep it real. When one goes in from the depths, celebrate and enjoy the moment. The key for most of us is to deliver the appropriate speed into the ball with a “good enough” idea pertaining to the line of the putt.

Putting Pact:

For all putts outside 15 feet I will simplify my green reading by selecting one of the five possible options: Straight; slight right to left or left to right; and big right to left or left to right.

We don’t need perfection when it comes to green reading as very few golfers actually start their ball on the intended line, but we do need speed and distance control when faced with these longer putts. My thinking here is that if we can mentally clear the way for more attention dedicated to the speed we will experience fewer three putts and be happier golfers…. and people!

Please give this one a try. I know you’ll perform better on the greens.

Elevate Your Shortgame

Move the upper body up through impact when chipping. Wow! This idea is relatively new to golf instruction and very new to most golfers. Far too many everyday golfers are doing their utmost to stay down through the strike as the clubhead approaches the ball. Staying down only stalls rotation and forces the arms to collapse. Please don’t do that!

Please watch the above video a few times and really pay attention to what the chest and upper body are doing as the club gets close to impact. Ideally I’d like to move up more as I know all of the following great golfers do this: Stricker, Woods, Ballesteros, Spieth, Day, Na and Zalatoris. Quite a handy line-up there if you were building a team of world-class chippers!

Know that as you experiment and try to implement this into your chipping motion it will feel strange and you’ll never be moving up as much as it feels like you are. Have a friend take a video and keep chipping away - you too can be like the Jeffersons and move on up.

Have fun with this idea and please give it a try. I’d love to hear from you how it worked out for you.

To learn more about how to wield your wedges around the greens check out my Wedge Project HERE

An Important Chip Tip!

As golfers we typically don’t have very good awareness regarding how we are moving. We know what we should be doing, but we have a hard time executing the intended move. My explanation in the following video addresses one such situation. Watch…

A few notes:

• I know this might sound contrary to what you’ve been trying to do for a long time, but consciously try to move forward and up through the strike

• Feel that the trail shoulder makes a concerted “push” towards the target throughout the downswing

• Something that has worked for my students and I has been to push off the trail foot on the way down into impact

• Don’t ever try to stay down or back

Watch what two of the best in the business do on the way into impact. Mr. Jose Maria Olazabal and Mr. Brett Rumford…

I hope you find some of these ideas to be helpful to your game and that ultimately you are able to experience more joy out on the golf course. Thanks for reading and watching!

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Precision Pitching

We would all like to get the ball up and down from inside 100 yards, but the reality is that for the majority of us we are more likely to take four to get down than we are to take two. Most of the top players and coaches I’ve discussed pitching with over the years have shared that they utilize some form of a template to encourage feel and familiarity with all the different shots we encounter from inside 100 yards. Here are a few ideas that I’ve found to work best for the everyday golfer. Watch….

I have three primary wedges that I might use for playing pitch type shots. There’s a strong chance that you have a slightly different wedge make up to the one I have. The idea here is to limit the two most lofted clubs to a comfortable distance less than a full swing. Here are my thoughts with each of my clubs:

58º

• A full swing will carry 85 yards with this club but I never will attempt to hit it that far

• I will use this club outside of the chipping zone all the way up to 60 yards and no further

• A sensible “core distance” to practice with this club is 50 yards

• Ball position is always centered with a narrow stance and the weight favoring the front foot 60/40

54º

• A full swing will carry 100 yards with this club but I will not try to hit it that far

• This club covers the 60-90 yard range which means a sensible “core distance” will be 75 yards

• I will also focus on the feel required to hit this club both 60 and 90 yards

• Set up and approach is the same with all pitch type shots

50º

• This club covers the 90-110 yard range

• A sensible “core distance” to practice with this club is 100 yards

• An important feel with this club is to practice what 90 yard shots feel like

• Keep in mind that a full swing for this club is 110 yards and I will use this club for that distance by reverting from a pitching set up to my full swing set up

This will take a little thought and some planning, but doesn’t anything that’s worthwhile doing? Create your zones, commit to the plan, anticipate some early stage discomfort as you acquire the necessary skills and build appropriate practice habits over time.

Give it a try and I know you’ll reach out fairly soon to say how much better you’re able to control your golf ball from inside 100 yards. All the best.

Thanks for reading!

TrackMan: Definitive Answers at Impact and Beyond

trackman 4

Here is some interesting, albeit older, data mined by TrackMan from the PGA and LPGA Tours….

(Please note that these are all averages)

• PGA Tour - Each club in the bag hits the ball the same average height– 30 yards.

• LPGA Tour - Each club in the bag hits the ball the same average height – 25 yards.

My take away here is that slower club speeds will typically always hit the ball at lower peak heights than players with higher club speeds. My findings using TrackMan over the years have also shown me that slower player typically need to deliver more loft at impact, they need less shaft lean and they need to hit down less than their higher speed counterparts.

• In conditions that eliminated any roll, an average PGA Tour player would hit a driver and a 5-wood 500 yards; a driver and a 7- iron 441 yards; and a driver and a PW 405 yards.

• In conditions that eliminated any roll, an average LPGA Tour player would hit a driver and a 5-wood 405 yards; a driver and a 7- iron 361 yards; and a driver and a PW 327 yards.

I’m not sure about you, but those are some hefty differences. Far too many courses I play have the ladies tees way too far back! I find that in general, both men and women play golf courses that are too long for them. An interesting exercise is to multiply the distance you CARRY a 5 iron by 36 - that’s the maximum length golf course you should be playing.

• The carry distance gaps between irons for PGA Tour players are typically greater from club to club than they are for LPGA Tour players.

This indicates that higher speed golfers have an easier time spotting a distance difference between each club. It’s amazing how many ladies say they hit all their irons the same distance! You don’t, it’s just quite often difficult to determine much of a difference. As overall club speeds get slower the player should ideally carry fewer clubs so as to be able to establish differences between clubs and reduce overlap.

Tony Finau using Trackman at Ping HQ

Some useful General information:

• Shot direction is primarily determined by a combination of face angle, club path and impact location.

• The ball launches primarily in the direction of the club face - approximately 75-85% on full shots.

• For putting, shot accuracy is determined primarily by the face angle - the softer the hit (as in chipping and putting) the greater the effect of clubface. In putting the face accounts for 95+% of where the ball goes.

• Face angle (largely) determines the launch direction while shot curvature/shape is mostly determined by the club path relative to the face angle. Think of it this way: when a ball is struck with a descending blow, i.e. ball first, ground second, the attack angle is down, yet the ball goes up. The ball goes up due to the angle/loft of the face!

• The initial ball direction falls between the club face angle and club path yet it greatly favors the face angle.

• The further apart the club face and club path diverge from each other (basically - point in different directions) the more the ball's spin axis tilts and the more curvature exists on the shot.

• There isn’t really ever side spin - it is merely back spin on a tilted axis and the more the axis tilts, the more the ball flight curves.

• The average male golfer swings a driver somewhere between 82 and 88 mph.

• A carry distance of 100 yards for ladies is typically equivalent to a carry distance of 130 yards for men; 200 yards for ladies is equivalent to 250 yards for men.

• A par four of 350 yards for ladies is typically equivalent to a par four of 430 yards for the men.

• The most important factor in increasing carry distance is clubhead speed. With the driver, for every 1 mph you add to your swing speed you stand to gain around 2.75 yards.

• An increase of 1” in the length of a club will typically only increase the clubhead speed by 1 mph.

• The quality of the hit is very important as it relays clubhead speed into ball speed. Smash factor is calculated by dividing the ball speed by the clubhead speed. A smash factor of 1.5 is most often only attainable with the driver.

• The ball spends 1/2000th of a second on the clubface. That means it would take a scratch handicap golfer almost 28 rounds of even par golf to have the ball be on the clubface for one second!

I have been privileged to have access to TrackMan in my teaching for almost 10 years now. I can unequivocally say that it has helped become a better teacher and coach. Yes, it’s a costly piece of equipment, but one that has paid dividends time and time again for me. There is no possible way I would be where I am today without this little orange box!

Improve Your Putting Skills

If you’re fed up with wasting strokes on the greens then this challenge is for you. Try this putting drill the next time you’re out practicing on the putting green. It will challenge and engage you to the fullest…

One tee, three balls, a putter and a plan! While you might never get to a point where you hole all 18 putts, you will start to develop your skill with the putter in hand. Prepare to be engaged! All the research shows that when we are engaged we learn, and when we learn, we improve. I believe that if we wish to become better at completing a task (hit the ball into the hole) then the more ways we can complete the task, the better we become. Have some fun with this one and see if you can beat your personal best score each time you accept the challenge.

Watch the What?

Oh you’re going to like this one! This is a little drill I discovered a few weeks ago that will help any golfer who has issues with those small motion chip shots around the greens. Watch…

A few ideas that will help if you tend to struggle from close range:

• Mark up the club face with a Sharpie dot to give you something to follow visually

• Determine what your range is for watching the clubhead

• Practice variety by alternating between smaller chips where you watch the face and bigger ones where you watch the ball

You might be wondering why this works so well? The reason is that it encourages a synchronized rotation through the strike with almost the entire body. Everything flows through impact together. Whether you’re a teacher or a player, whether you need this or not, tuck this little nugget in your back pocket for when you or a friend find yourself in the chipping doldrums.

Thanks for following along!

Some "Different" Chipping Ideas

I’m sure we’ve all at some point or another received the all-time classic chipping advice - get the ball back, weight forward and trap the ball! You won’t hear anything like that in this lesson, but you will perhaps hear and see something you haven’t caught on to before.

Two of the best wedgers in recent memory have been Jose-Maria Olazabal and Brett Rumford. I’m sure you’ve heard of Ryder Cup star and Masters winner Olazabal, but you may not have heard of Rumford. The journeyman pro from Western Australia has won six times on the European Tour and has recently been battling wrist injury. Take it from me when I tell you he is as good, if not better than, anyone you’ve ever seen.

While their form in the video above is not identical (whose is?) there are two important movements they both incorporate. In the backswing they both shift the pressure forward, onto the front foot and in the downswing they both elevate or stand up through the strike.

Notice in the image below how Jose-Maria has moved ahead of the red line as he reaches the end of the backswing. My current opinion is that this stimulates motion (pressure shift) and encourages the chest to rotate through impact.

View fullsize

In the following image you can clearly see how Brett has elevated from the end of his backswing into the strike relative to the red line. This is perhaps the biggest mistake I see golfers make when wedging. They attempt to “stay down” and thus limit rotation and change the radius of their strike. This can have a mortifying effect on strike quality. And we all know that strike is king when it comes to the shortgame!

Be aware that these are not the only two great players that incorporate this motion - just two of the best.

There you have it, two simple ideas to go and try to incorporate into your next wedge practice session. Play around, be patient and I know you’ll start to crisp up your strikes around the greens. Thanks for reading and please share with a friend in need!

Shortgame - Land the Plane

Whenever you struggle with chipping and pitching you’re not making solid contact with the ball. The strike is off. This could take the shape of sticking the club in the ground or completely whiffing the ground. Landing the plane is an analogy I came up with many years ago that refers to how we should get the sole of the club to interact with the ground. There should be harmony. Watch….

A checklist to help you improve the quality of strike when wedging:

·      Feet should be narrower rather than wider

·      Weight should favor the front foot – slightly

·      Keep your chest rotating through the strike

·      Feel that you elevate slightly throughout the downswing

·      Avoid trying to stay down

·      Limit the hand and wrist action

One of the big no-no’s I see with golfers who struggle with the club to ground interaction is this over-riding objective to STAY DOWN. Stay away from it. It will wreck your ability to repeatedly land the sole of your wedge harmoniously on the ground through impact. So many of the world’s best wedgers actually lengthen the radius of the motion by elevating in some form or another.

Practice helps, but the correct concept is always the best starting point. Start with a few practice swings keeping the plane on the runway for as long as you can. Clip a few shots and then get to work on taking ownership of the motion.

Thanks for reading/watching and I sincerely hope this information in some way contributes to your enjoyment of this awesome game.

Updated Pitching Thoughts

This article is an update on the many pitching and chipping articles I've written over the last few years. Not much has changed since I did the Wedge Project video, but there are certain elements I have a deeper understanding about. Experience and the smart guys at PING have gone a long way towards advancing my understanding. Let's take a look...

Discussing pitching at a Three Day Golf School

• Great pitchers typically take little to no divot, flight the ball low and generate high spin rates

• Lower trajectory shots are significantly easier to gauge than higher ones

• When struck correctly lower trajectory wedge shots will almost always have more spin than higher shots

• Most golfers perform better when they deliver 45-ish degrees of loft at impact off a normal fairway. The club they use is irrelevant

• The quality of the face to ball interaction (friction) is primary in generating spin and determining the launch angle

• The quality of the lie plays a big role in determining the friction generated at impact

• Any moisture/matter that gets between the face and ball will typically decrease friction and thus increase launch angle and reduce spin. Control will be also be reduced

• I used to say that sand increases friction and that is often the case, but I've found it depends on the 'angularity' of the sand

• Cleaning the club face should be done often and with a wet towel - don't use a tee

• The primary role of grooves is to disperse moisture and matter from between the face and the ball and NOT generate spin

• Older clubs with worn down grooves will typically not spin the ball as much as a fresh wedge (all else being equal)

• Premium golf balls, when struck correctly, will always flight lower and spin more than non-premium golf balls (Urethane cover indicates a premium ball)

• The optimal technique is primarily based around managing the club to ground interaction 

• As the player alters trajectory so shall the club to ground interaction change. Lower shots with less loft will often lead to a steeper angle of attack

• Controlling what the handle does through impact is integral to controlling the club to ground interaction

• I've come to learn that there is no single ideal spin loft to generate the most spin. Each different lie, situation, golf ball and golfer would require their own unique "optimal" spin loft

• I've been a proponent of draws for pitch shots, but I've seen too many golfers have success with fades and draws to continue advocating strictly for draws

• For stock, and thus lower flighted, shots the bounce plays less of a role than you might imagine

• The worst thing to work towards with your wedge play....stay down. Please don't EVER work towards that

• I've become a big fan of 'core' distances. Depending on the amount of time you have I'd recommend practicing two or more of these 'core' distances and really taking ownership eg. 30/50/70/90 yards

• Incorporate variety and skill development into any and all forms of practice

I have found there to be a multitude of different, and somewhat unusual techniques that work well for certain individuals. A good general guideline that might help:

With the weight slightly favoring the front footy and utilizing a narrow and relatively square stance with the ball positioned centrally, be sure to keep your chest rotating through the strike in order to have the sole of the club skimming/gliding along the turf. Stay tall and keep the chest moving!

All the best.

The Art of Being Skillful

As many of you know I enjoy deciphering which elements contribute to being a great wedge player. Ever since I started with my 'Wedge Project' research in 2010 chipping and pitching have really piqued my interest.

My recent testing, and philosophy, has been aligned alongside golfers using one club and applying their skills to control the trajectory and outcome of their shots in close proximity to the green. For ease of illustration and testing I selected a 58º wedge and a 15 yard carry requirement. I then played three different trajectory shots - a high, mid and low shot. I recorded each version in slo-motion and at regular speed along with running TrackMan in the background to capture data on a handful of each type of shot.

As you can tell there is a dramatic difference in the pace required to execute each intended trajectory. The technical changes for each shot changed as follows:

High: ball positioned off front big toe, face square at address and a sense that the handle slows dramatically approaching impact as the clubhead passes the handle prior to impact. Freddie Couples is a good image here.

Mid: ball positioned centrally, face square at address, medium pace and a sense that the shaft will be vertical at impact.

Low: ball positioned off the back big toe, face square with hands forward as a result of the ball position and an upbeat pace that encourages the handle to 'beat' the clubhead to the ball at impact. Zach Johnson's brisk pace comes to mind with this type of shot

At Impact

The TrackMan data provides some interesting differences:

Club Speed: Low 23mph; Mid 30mph; High 37mph

Ball Speed: Low 27.8mph; Mid 28.5mph; High 28.0mph

Smash Factor: Low 1.2; Mid 1.0; High 0.8

Launch Angle: Low 29.6º; Mid 40.6º; High 51.6º

Spin Rate: Low 2230rpm; Mid 1630rpm; High 1250rpm

One thing that struck me was that the average ball speed was the same for each type of shot, yet the club speed was very different. The attack angle was steepest with the lower shot primarily due to the ball position and the shaft lean. I also found it interesting that there was roughly 10º difference in the launch angle of each version.

The numbers might be important for coaches to understand, but what can you, the player looking to save strokes take away?

• Stick with one club around the greens - you'll become a skilled artisan with it in your hands.
• Alter the trajectory with subtle changes at address and less subtle changes in the pace.
• The manner in which you release the clubhead through impact will make a big difference
• Now get to work!

Thanks for reading and please share with a friend. Happy New Year and all the best for a fabulous 2018. #birdies

Wedges: Friction and Trajectory

The other day during a Three Day Golf School I hit four demonstration pitch shots for my students. My intent was to repeat the same shot in each attempt, with the only difference being how I manipulated the amount of friction between the club face and the ball.

The amount of loft I was able to deliver for each of the four shots was between 44.3º and 45.3º - the best I've been able to do! The interesting part is that the launch angles ranged from 30.4º tall the way up to 40.0º. How does that happen?

The Four Shots

The reasons why the launch angles are different is something that too few golfers (and coaches) understand and while I've written on this before it's a mission of mine to get the good word out. My intent was to carry each shot 50 yards and they are all played in the same fashion, with the same club except for shot 4.

Shot 1 - clean, dry club face and a clean, dry range ball. Spin rate - 6246 rpm. Launch is a respectable 32.1º

Shot 2 - clean, wet club face and a clean, wet range ball. Spin rate - 2782 rpm. Launch is a whopping 40º

Shot 3 - clean, dry club face and a clean, dry premium ball. Spin rate 6923 rpm. Launch is the lowest at 30.4º

Shot 4 - clean, dry grooveless club face and a clean, dry range ball. Spin rate is 5837 rpm. Launch is decent at 33.6º

I must mention that in order to 'manage' the friction between the club face and the ball each of these shots is played off a tee so as to eliminate grass and outside matter from interfering.

While the loft is maintained the launch, spin rate and peak height can be greatly influenced by the amount of friction generated between the club face and the ball. The moral of the story here is that the best pitchers in the world hit low launching, high spinning shots when the conditions allow. There is more at play than simply the loft at impact determining the launch angle. As you can tell friction plays a massive role too. It is my hope that in understanding this you will be less likely to try and 'fix' something that isn't broken. Hope this helps and thanks for reading!

Luke Donald

Trajectory Tricks

The loft on the clubface at impact is largely responsible for the launch of the ball. When it comes to wedge play friction also plays a significant role in determining the launch angle, but the purpose of this article is to share an idea to help you improve the loft you deliver to the ball at impact.

Most of us will either hit the ball overly high or too low. This video illustrates a simple drill to get you to feel what you need to feel in order to grasp what is required to deliver either more, or less, loft.

For the high ball hitters:

• Using a pitching wedge get set up with a narrow stance
• Position the ball off the tip of your front foot
• Feel the handle or butt of the club travel a long way forward into impact
• It’s not easy but do all you can to hit low launchers

For the low ball hitters like me:

• Stick with the PW and a narrow stance
• The ball should be in line with the tip of your back foot
• In the downswing you’ll feel the clubhead swinging a ton. The clubhead should feel like it outraces the hands
• This will feel scoopy and that’s a good thing

Notice where my hands are just post impact in the image below - the low ball hitters need the hands less forward while the high ball hitters need to sense how much more forward they need to be…

It’s never easy making changes as they always feel so uncomfortable. Let’s get away from associating discomfort with ‘wrong’ as you work towards improvement. I know this exercise seems like it’s the opposite of what it should be, but as the task becomes more challenging (which this one is) we have no choice but to adapt.

The good news is that this drill applies directly to your long game too, so don’t be afraid to incorporate a few of these drills with those full swings too.

Thanks for checking in and I hope this helps you to enjoy your golf a little more.

3 Key Drills for Great Wedge Play

Far too many golfers struggle with their wedge play. I see it all the time! In this article and video I have dug deep and come up with my three favorite drills for you to practice if you'd like to get better from close range. Take a look...

Impact Drag Drill

• Using an alignment rod in lieu of a club take your normal pitching address position
• Place the tip of the rod on the ground about 3 feet behind where the ball would be
• Keeping the arms extended, rotate and elevate the lead shoulder to get the rod through impact

Pitching Draw Drill

• Tee the ball up and place an alignment rod between the ball and the target
• The objective is to get the ball to draw around the rod
• Have the handle traveling up and in while the clubhead travel down and out for draws

9 Ball Trajectory Drill

• Using nine balls to develop skill and adaptability
• Hit the first three balls to three different targets with your stock trajectory
• The second three balls are hit with a slightly higher trajectory to different targets
• The final three are hit with a lower trajectory to different targets as well

My hope is that these drills will help to upgrade your technique, develop your skill around the greens and ultimately help you become a more well-rounded golfer.

Thanks for reading/watching and if you enjoyed this article please share it with a friend who you feel might benefit.

My 3 Keys to Great Wedge Play

If you dread any form of pitch or chip shot then this article is expressly for you. If you feel like you could save a few more strokes around the greens then this article is for you. Utilizing better technique will literally make these shots easier. Here are a few straightforward improvements that will get the job done. Watch...

Key #1: Set Up

• Feet should be close together. The most common mistake I see is a stance that's too wide.
• Alignment should be square. Yes, square.
• Ball position is centered to slightly forward.
• Weight distribution is slightly favoring the front foot.

The Proper Set Up...

Key #2: Wrist Action

• Wrists should be relatively quiet in the backswing.
• Avoid excessive cupping in the lead wrist. The left wrist for you righties out there.

Key #3: Body Pivot

• Keep the chest rotating through the strike in order to shallow the attack angle.
• Extend the lead side through impact.
• Avoid thoughts of "stay down", "hit down" or "pinch the ball".

As you work towards better technique be aware that your results are not going to transition from bad to good instantaneously. Taking ownership of the upgrades will take time and patience. Get the set up correct, use the wrists properly and shallow the angle of attack with good chest rotation. Now we're talking!

If you'd like to learn more about improving your wedge play check out the Wedge Project.

Knowledge to Help You Spin Your Wedges

When it comes to wedge shots, spin has always been somewhat mystical. Why will one shot check like crazy while most shots seem to want to scamper well beyond the pin?

This is a little experiment I do in all my Three Day Golf Schools to illustrate a few of the important factors that influence spin rates...

This video clearly illustrates the role of water, grass, a premium golf ball and a clean clubface - the big factors that influence friction between face and ball and ultimately, spin.

As a golfer you are fully responsible for how the sole of the club interacts with the ground while you are only partially responsible for how the face interacts with the golf ball. Understanding factors that serve to decrease friction will only help you from trying to fix a motion that isn't broken.

While it is important to realize that we don't need maximum spin in order to pitch well, we do need ENOUGH spin. To generate more RPM's use a professional grade wedge, replace it as often as needed, keep the face clean and dry and use a premium golf ball. Of course hitting from a tight, dry fairway would be nice too, but we cannot always control that one...

For more on wedge spin and improved wedge play see:

The Wedge Project

Spinning the Wedges - Friction

Spinning the Wedges - Friction

The kingpin when it comes to generating spin is friction. You can have everything set up perfectly to create huge backspin, but if you don't have friction it's not going to happen. Now keep in mind friction is a big piece of the puzzle, but it's still only a piece of the puzzle.

Simply put, you can elevate friction between the clubface and the cover of the ball by eliminating any matter that could possibly get trapped between the two. The questions are how do we do this and what do we have control over?

Friction is primarily influenced by two factors - equipment and matter. Matter is anything that might get caught between the face and the ball. Let's have a look at what we can do...

Items we can control:

• The quality of the wedges we use. If you're looking to generate more spin you simply must use what I refer to as 'professional grade' wedges that are NOT an extension of your set.
• Play with a premium ball as it will make a tangible difference in the amount of spin you can generate. And premium is code for EXPENSIVE. Spend the money and you'll be rewarded.
• Replace worn out wedges and please stop using your great-grandfathers Spalding wedge - there is not a hint of a groove left. Grooves don't make as much difference as you might think (off the fairway) but remember that we're looking to increase spin here.
• When practicing, and especially when playing, make sure your equipment is clean and the face is dry. Moisture or what I call 'green slime' built up on the face will make it almost impossible to hit a high spin pitch.
• Left over sand from an earlier bunker shot has been known to increase the friction between the face and the ball. As a result I never clean my club after playing a sand shot - the next time I use that club I might need a low spinner.

Items we cannot control:

• Don't tell anybody, but sometimes from a perfect lie in the fairway matter (moisture, grass or dirt) will still get trapped between the face and the ball. That's due to the fact that the sole of the club will almost always contact the ground before the ball (shhh!). Yes, even on those perfectly nipped ones! When the club contacts the grass it can sometimes kick up blades and that will interrupt grip between the face and the ball.
• Dewy mornings. If you're playing early in the AM the grass is often wet and there's nothing you can do about it. Your pitches and chips will always launch higher and spin less when water is reducing grip.
• Lies in the rough. Keep the ball in the fairway and you'll be able to spin it more. That's an easy one.

Thanks for checking in and keep an eye out for my next episode in this series on Spinning the Wedges when I talk about Spin Loft.

Catch up on my introduction to Spinning the Wedges HERE

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A Proper Putting Set Up

I see far too many "regular" golfers setting up with their hands too low and the toe of the putter way up in the air. The picture below shows the difference between what it should look like and what I see all too frequently...

If the toe of the putter is overly elevated, as we see above, then the effective loft on the face (and a putter always has some loft) will point left for right handers.

Here's a video I made after a recent lesson that shows what to look for, the changes and how to make the necessary adjustments to set up like the pros.

Spend some time with your putter in front of the mirror and you'll soon start to grasp the sense required in order to improve how you set up correctly to your putter.

Thanks for reading and please post your comments below.