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Last Updated: Jul 10, 2008 - 12:32:05 PM |
Hit the ball as hard as you can. When I say this, I am not talking about driving or long shots at all. I am talking about chipping. Believe it or not, hitting the ball hard will lead to control. I am really not crazy; at least that’s what the voices in my head are telling each other.
Chipping and short pitches can be easy to execute as long as a few things are taken care of at set up. Start by taking your normal stance over the ball. There are three things that you now need to do. First, move the ball toward your back foot. Second, press your hands a bit toward the target. This should make the club appear as it has less loft; this is correct, so do not panic. Lastly, shift about sixty to sixty-five percent of your weight onto your front foot and keep it there. What you should be feeling is that you are leaning slightly toward the target with your hands in front of the ball and the club will be a bit de-lofted. I’ll tell you why to do this in a minute.
When you make your swing, remember that the club must always accelerate through the ball. This is why I said to hit it as hard as you can. The first mistake that most amateurs make at this point is to take too long of a backswing. If the ball only needs to travel a short distance, the swing does not need to be that long. Keep it short and simple and do everything you can to keep your wrists out of the shot.
In order to get a golf ball airborne properly, the club needs to hit down and through the ball. Unfortunately, this is physics and I can’t change it. If I could, I would be very popular. Keeping this in mind, remember what I told you to do at set up. If you have created the proper positioning, you are able to keep your weight on your front foot and your hands in front of the ball (remember, no wrists), the club does not have an option but to hit down on the ball. Hitting through the ball will take care of itself by hitting the ball as hard as you can.
Try this and you will shock yourself by how far the ball goes by taking a short swing and hitting it hard.
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tclark@ironbridgesportspark.com | 748-7770
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