==================================================== Newsletter - Issue 88 Date 02/18/09 ==================================================== ==================================================== TCT Quick Tips - Downhill or Elevated Shot Aim Thoughts ==================================================== Elevation Changes Affect Aim I saw this tip from Laird Small on GolfLink Because we play the game from the side of the golf ball, it is a side on game, when we take our address position we tend to look to the left on downhill shots. On uphill shots we tend to look to the right. When you play, you tend to miss those shots in those areas. Here is a technique that can help you overcome that. After you take your posture and address position to a downhill target your last look is going to be in this case to the right of your target, then back to the ball, then make your swing. Do the opposite for an elevated shot. This is not unlike on the putting green when you have a breaking putt your last look should be at the high point of the break and not necessarily at the target. Try this, you'll like it. ==================================================== Golf Tip : Getting Out Of Sand Traps ==================================================== I received this question from Grace S. who plays a lot of her golf in sunny Florida, thanks for the question Grace: Question: Hi Tom, I have always had a problem getting out of sand traps to the point where I dread being in the sand. Could you give me some basics on short and long sand shots. My handicap is 24. I play eighteen holes once a week on a regular basis. There are fifteen lakes and forty-eight sand traps on our course. Our course is a par 71. From the red tees the rating is 68.1 and slope is 116. The sand is fluffy. Of course my goal is to be near the hole when playing our of the sand traps, but being realistic, I would be happy just to get on the putting surface from the sand. Obtuse Thought: there's a good poker analogy here for Grace. Once you understand and accept the realities of the game in poker, you don't go on tilt after a bad beat. Once you understand and accept the realities of golf, ie: sometimes even a good shot ends up in a trap (a bad beat) , you will have less dread when your ball ends up there. One more piece of advice that you all are probably sick of hearing but that I won't stop saying: having a pre-shot routine that you go through religiously for every shot has a very calming effect on the golf nerves. Research: I jumped on the net to check out sand save percentages of top PGA Tour Pros and was a little surprised at the results. BTW sand save percentage refers to how many times the player gets the ball out of the trap and either holes out or makes the putt Of the 175 players on the PGA Tour, how many players do you think have a 50% sand save percentage or better? The answer is 75 players. I thought it would be higher. The leader was K. J. Choi, with a fantastic sand save percentage of 83.3%, at the bottom of the list was Davis Love III with a paltry sand save percentage of 16.6% That was surprising to me. I don't track mine, but just out of curiosity I'm going to this year. Answer to Grace's question: Grace's details came in a subsequent email after I asked her questions about the texture of the sand she usually plays in, and if she was looking to stick it every time or just basically get out of the trap. The first thing I would say is even before you start concentrating on sand shot technique, make yourself an excellent chipper and putter. Commit to that first, in my unhumble opinion there is no excuse for not being an excellent putter, regardless of age or gender. No excuses period. Believe that you can become an excellent putter then become one. Sand Shot Factiods For all sand shots, it's imperative that there be body rotation but NOT any forward weight transfer or sway. Set your weight over your forward leg and leave it there throughout the swing. Don't transfer weight back then forward. This is very important. The second most important thought is to get out of the trap as the first priority, don't try a career shot that only a pro could pull off. Sometimes this might even mean not aiming for the pin or perhaps not even aiming for the green. Use good judgement and know your limitations. This brings us back to becoming a great chipper and an even greater putter. The closer you strike the sand near the ball, the more spin will be imparted on the shot. For all sand shots where you dig in for solid foot contact with the ground, make sure that you choke down on the grip an amount equal to how much you dug into the ground so that your club bottoms out approximately the same place as it would for a stance with normal foot depth and grip position. As the sand get firmer, play the ball a little further back in your stance and use a club with less bounce, for example use a PW instead of a SW Here is some traditional advice and some non - traditional advice for getting out of sand traps. Traditional Sand Shot Technique Standard advice for short sand shots from fairly soft sand: For a high shot that has to go over a fairly prominent lip in the bunker, or for when the pin is close to the bunker: setup to the shot with a slightly wider than normal stance dig you feet into the sand for a firm stance choke down on your grip position the ball well forward in your stance open your stance slightly keep your weight set on your forward foot, almost as if it's stacked on that foot open your clubface slightly aim slightly left of the hole, or left of your target area set your wrists early in the takeaway set your swing plane for a steep angle of approach on the downswing take a full swing with a normal follow through strike the sand about two inches behind the ball the ball should come out high and land soft Standard advice for long sand shots from fairly soft sand: For a long shot that does not have to elevate too much to get out of the bunker, or for shots that have to roll out for a fair distance once they get onto the green: setup to the shot with a slightly wider than normal stance dig you feet into the sand for a firm stance choke down on your grip position the ball slightly forward in your stance set up with a square stance (not open) keep your weight set on your forward foot, almost as if it's stacked on that foot keep a square clubface at address aim at the hole or target area set your wrists early in the takeaway set your swing plane for a steep angle of approach on the downswing take a 3/4 swing with an abbreviated follow through strike the sand about two inches behind the ball the ball should come out lower than the other shot and run more after it lands Standard advice for very long bunker shots: You actually need to hit a chip or pitch shot, so whether you can realistically go for the green or not is lie dependent. If you can't get the club cleanly on the back of the ball, escape from the sand as best you can using one of the methods described herein and live with the result. If you have a clean lie, take one more club than normal for the distance. Club Selection Sand wedge for the type of shots explained above from soft sand, from firm sand use a PW or'even a 9 iron if the circumstances allow it, those clubs have less bounce and the shot will be less likely to be sculled from firm or hard sand. For the non-traditional shots mentioned below, you might use a putter, GW, PW, 9 iron, 8 iron, or even a hybrid or fairway wood. Drill For Traditional Sand Shots This is called the two line drill. In a trap, scrape two parallel lines in the sand about five inches apart, and about two feet long. Now set up as if your ball was settled right between the lines, and practice swinging and hitting the back line with your downswing and having the club exit at the front line, taking out all of the sand between the two lines - but no more or no less. Non - Traditional Specific Advice For Grace If you don't think that you are going to be able to practice the traditional shots described above, than simply either putt, chip, or pitch your ball out of sand traps. These shots are actually my first options where I play because the traps are extremely firm, and if you are not committed to really hitting down firmly, a lot of normal type sand shot swings can easily be sculled off the green or into an opposite trap or water. This is an interesting conundrum for fairly good golfers, because very high handicappers tend to have an angle of approach that's too steep, and also tend to have a reverse weight shift which causes them to hit behind the ball very often. Both of these errors produce desirable results for sand shots, so interestingly enough several of the high handicappers that I play with get out of the traps easily. Go Figure. Now I don't mean only try to putt, chip, or pitch from the sand when the conditions are perfect for the shot, as in a perfect lie resting cleanly on top of the sand. I am suggesting that trying these shots - even from a lie that's not perfect ( but not from a buried lie ) - will often yield a result that's better than a shot using a traditional method that doesn't get executed very well. In other words, a bad result from trying a firm putt, chip, or pitch from the sand will probably be better than a bad result from trying a traditional method that requires a more accurate entry into the sand and a well practiced technique. The putt, chip, or pitch will usually at least get out of the bunker, but many a finesse shot attempt has remained in the sand. The only way to prove this to yourself is to go out and try about 25 to 50 shots with each method from a similar lie. You'll be surprised at the results. Enjoy, Tom