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What are you thinking?
What is the foremost thought in
your mind when you select a certain club out of your bag for a shot. Well,
here’s what I believe you should be thinking:
Driver
- Let’s get the ball in play. Yes, it's always nice to hit the
ball a long ways, but that doesn't mean it’s the right mindset on every
hole. “In play” is a fairly relative term, but basically it means that
you've put the ball in a position where you have a high likelihood of
executing a successful second shot.
The more trouble there is off the tee and / or the higher your
handicap, the more controlled the swing should be. So sometimes, the best
play with the driver may be to not hit the driver at all.
Fairway woods, hybrids, long irons
- Consistency is the name of the game here. It’s nice if you occasionally
hit that 180+ yard shot over the bunker, to a tucked pin. But, you can wake
up from your dream now. That is the exception, not the rule. With these
clubs you should be thinking of making good square contact with the ball,
which usually comes with a more controlled swing. You want to move the ball
forward, keep it out of trouble, and get it up either on, or around, the
green where you have a decent shot at getting down in a couple more strokes.
Don’t try to bludgeon the ball with these clubs. Swing easier and focus on
good contact.
Short irons (7 thru wedges)
- These are the scoring clubs. Although direction is important, I believe
your primary thought should be on controlling the distance your trying to
FLY the ball (not how far you can hit it). The next time you play, keep
track of how many approach shots with these clubs you actually hit pin high.
If your like most amateurs, it won’t be very many.
Putter - This is the ultimate scoring club. It's the one that can make
up for a lot of mistakes with the other clubs. I don't advocate that you
should putt aggressively, to the point of being reckless, but you should
always be thinking that you are going to knock every putt in the hole. When
you practice putting (which I think should be at least 50% of you practice
time), spend most of your time working on distance control. This is the most
critical element of good putting.
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