Landing Area...38
Refining Your Short-Game
Stand on the collar of a putting green. Make three underhand tosses of a golf ball to a flag about twenty passes away. Wanting the ball to get as close to the hole as possible, you’ll find all your attention is staring at the target. You will have been oblivious to the spot where the ball lands. You will find your short-game distance control will greatly improve if you focus on sending the ball to your target—not to a landing area.
There are a small number of situations in which controlling the landing area is necessary. In such cases, we need to understand that the club choice controls the landing area, not the swing size. Look at the diagram below.
For any given short-game shot, the player’s objective is to propel the ball to the target. The club you choose will determine the landing area. Spend some time practicing with several clubs making shots to a given target. Get to know the carry and role of those clubs.
Bottom Line: As in tossing, always focus on sending the ball to your target. In those few situations where the landing area is critical, choose a club that will carry the ball to that area and roll it thereafter to the target.
Each Thursday we’ll bring you a helpful insight.
Swing to the target,
Ed
Have a golf buddy who would enjoy these tips?
Great insight, Too often we forget that the target is the target; no the ball, or a spot on the ground, or anything else. Why would that be different for chipping and pitching compared to full shots?