A bad swing is not always the cause of short-game issues. A student recently came to me with concerns about his short-game. His pitching and chipping made it impossible for him to lower his handicap. He was unable to hit the ball within 100 yards of his goal, which cost him many strokes. He was determined to improve his game and wanted to correct this problem. In the hope of getting some tips for his game, he booked a lesson with me.
As soon as I saw the issue, I was able to fix it. One of the most frequent short game errors made by weekend golfers was his. The lie angle, which is the angle where the sole of the club touches the ground, was wrong. The club’s heel had to go down because it was too flat. The heel rises when the toe is digging down. He was hitting the entire club with his toes, and destroying that wedge area. Wear marks can reveal a lot about your club hitting ability.
An Important Lesson My student was fitted with the clubs from that set. He bought the wedge off of the rack. It wasn’t properly fitted. He was suffering from strokes because he couldn’t get it to fit properly. However, the lesson was valuable. Although lie angle is the main problem, this problem does not necessarily apply to every situation. Mis-hits are usually caused by one of the three main causes, which can be either lie angle, posture or grip.
You can either replace the wedges, or bend it so it is more upright. You can check if your club seems too flat or too straight by using the a “lie board”To determine the bottom line of the club. Each club fitting company has one. For my student wedges have been quite accommodating. Her mistakes weren’t so bad. This might be true if she had longer clubs. After identifying the issue, we took steps to fix it.
Mis-hits can also be caused by bad posture. Every lesson I teach a student to golf, I check their posture. Then, I measure her distance to the ball. The ball should be at a neutral distance from your body. Your hands should not touch the ground. Your hands should not be too far from your body if you feel that your arms are reaching out for the ball. Your hands are too far away from the ball. You can improve your posture to reduce the chances of mis-hits.
Bad grip can also lead to wedge problems. This is a common mistake that I make in my instruction. You must ensure your wrists are in the right position to properly hit a golf ball. You can check your glove to confirm this. You may not be holding the club in the right proportions if your palm starts to wear down. Toe hits can be caused by holding the club too tightly in the palm. It is important to keep the cub in your hands. Also, check the grip. Your grips will be less comfortable if you have too many or too few. Golfballs.com
Two short, effective drills for improving your game. After resolving the initial issue with my student, I gave him two drills that would help his short game. First, you will learn how to place chips online. The second will show you how your pitches should travel the proper distance.
* Place two clubs parallel to each other about eight inches apart. You should ensure that the track creates points at the target. Chipping is a skill that can be improved. Keep the club within the track. Chips must hit the track in a straight line. The clubface should be perfectly square.
* The key to pitching shots accurately is landing them in the right shot. You can place a bucket, pail and small trashcan about 20 feet from the target. Your shots should hit the target or clear the obstruction you’ve created. Varietate the distances – move it closer to some shots, and further away from others.
Bad swings can lead to mis-hits. They can also be caused by bad posture or wrong lying angles. Practice drills will help improve your accuracy once you have eliminated the mistakes. The drills will help you improve your short game.