Steal a tour-proven technique for better chip shots

By Austin Cook

On the way to my most successful season in professional golf, including a win at the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic, I avoided bogey 62 percent of the time when I missed a green in regulation. Without those saves, the 2017-’18 season might have been my first and last on tour. So if I can give you one piece of advice about your game, it’s to start looking at your wedges as the tools for survival—and success. First, learn everything you can about the ones you use (loft, bounce, grind, etc.) and if they’re right for your game (go see a clubfitter). Once you’re happy with your clubs, use them—and use them a lot. If you don’t practice, you’ll never understand how each wedge and swing technique affects ball flight and spin. And if you don’t have an understanding of those two things, you’re not going to get up and down very often. Here I’ll explain how I decide what club and shot to play and teach you my favorite drill for chipping it to tap-in range. Hopefully you’ll follow my lead and become more confident with your wedges. —with Keely Levins

HIT THE TOWEL FOR MORE CONTROL

We did this drill in college, and I still use it. Grab a towel, get it wet to keep it from blowing away, and lay it on a green between you and the hole. Now chip balls from off the green on that line trying to land them on the towel. Experiment with different wedges, and hit from different spots paying attention to how the ball reacts to each shot.

You’ll soon discover how to produce the trajectory and rollout you want. When you play, imagine the towel is still on the green, and hit the shot best for that situation.

“Whenever you can, go with a lower chip than runs out.”

GO WITH THE PERCENTAGES

This is a really tricky lie—downhill in light rough with a bunker between me and the hole. I can hit a variety of shots from here, but there’s always one that stands out a little more than the others. The smart play is the shot that will leave you with a decent chance to save par (or carding no worse than a bogey) even when you don’t quite execute it.

Here I can either land it in the fringe and let it roll out to the hole or fly it most of the way and let it land soft by the hole. Generally speaking, the easier of the two shots is usually taking a lower-lofted wedge and hitting the runner. But sometimes the lie, or the location of the pin, dictates that flying it with a higher-lofted club is smarter. For example, if I were hitting into the grain of the grass between me and the hole, getting the ball to release when it lands might be tough. In that case, I’d want to fly it high and let it trickle out.

LET IT GLIDE TO STOP IT QUICKLY

As I said, you need to get to know your wedges, including the bounce for each club. Without getting too technical, it’s how much bulge is on the back side of the club, the spot I’m pointing to here. This design feature helps you slide the club under the ball and pop it up, which is why I want to use a high-loft, high-bounce club for chips that need to be in the air longer than they roll.

I get in a narrow stance with my feet open. Then I open the face a little before taking my grip. This exposes more of the bounce, making it easier to slide the club along the ground. If you swing with a shallow, sweeping motion along the turf, the ball should pop right up.

FIND YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Some things about chipping technique are fairly standard. For example, the farther forward you play the ball in your stance, the higher it will tend to fly. So keep that in mind if you like to play the ball back in your stance and hit down on it. It’s probably not going to get too far off the ground. But there are other things about chipping you can personalize.

Two of my preferences are to leave my glove on and to make a swing on a path that’s a little in to out in relation to the target. My path helps shallow the club and keeps me from chunking it. The glove? Not sure why I leave it on, it just feels comfortable. The point is, I own it. If you do what makes you comfortable, you’ll be more confident on the course.

Source: GolfDigest.com

Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s unique chipping method isn’t for the timid. Here’s how to do it

By Matthew Rudy

It usually doesn’t take more than a hole or two during a pro-am for one of my amateur partners to ask me about the way I chip. You don’t see it very much on the PGA Tour. I play the ball back in my stance, hinge my wrists up quickly, and hit down on it with an open clubface. This creates a low trajectory and a lot of spin, so the ball quickly checks up. It’s a shot I learned growing up in Thailand to deal with the grainy grass around the greens there. I learned it from Thai pros Prayad Marksaeng and Thammanoon Sriroj, and I’m here to teach it to you. But with one warning: It’s hard to master. Ready to try it?

1 BALL BACK, HANDS AHEAD

This position doesn’t look so strange compared to a traditional chip. I play the ball off the center of my back foot with my hands ahead, and I open the clubface. Since the ball position will produce a very low shot, the open face on my wedge (a 56- or 60-degree depending on the situation) creates some height and spin to keep the ball from running out too much. My weight is forward, but my shoulders are tilted so that my right one is lower. I aim slightly left of my target because the shot produces spin that causes the ball to hop to the right a little when it lands.

“Remember: you need to aim a little left of your target because the cut spin will make the ball hop to the right.”

2 LIFT THE CLUB UP

This is where you start to see how this chip is different—and why it’s so popular in Southeast Asia to get out of heavy, grainy rough. I make a little shoulder turn in the backswing, but mostly lift the club straight up with my wrists. You’re trying to create a very steep angle of attack so the club can come down on the ball without getting caught up in the grass. The steepness also helps keep the club from passing under a ball sitting up in the rough. It will probably scare you at first to try this wrist set because it feels different. But keep at it. You need the reps. I’ve hit thousands of them.

3 LEAVE THE FACE OPEN

The most important thing at impact is to keep the clubface open. It gives you the loft to get the ball up and out of rough, or the spin to stop the ball on the green from a tight lie. (You can use it on tightly mowed grass, too.) The key from any lie is to hit the ball as cleanly as possible. If you keep the face open, the club should skid along the turf after contacting the ball. You don’t want it to dig. I think you’ll find it’s a useful way to chip if you struggle with poor contact. Try it out, and tell me on Instagram (@kiradech_arm) if it worked for you. No charge for the lesson.

Source: GolfDigest.com

Seven Things You Need to Know About Golf Balls Before You Play

Written by: James Roland

All golf balls look pretty much alike. But what’s inside the ball can affect the height and distance of shots and even how the ball will spin when it lands. So before you tee it up, find out more about the ball and how it can affect your game.

What will it cost

Golf balls vary greatly in quality and price, so before deciding on a particular make and model, know how much you can afford to spend and how quickly you go through a dozen golf balls. If you’re still learning or you lose a ball every couple of holes, you’ll want to stay away from the top-of-the-line balls, and, perhaps, consider used (or reclaimed) balls, which generally are cheaper than new balls.

Is it a distance ball?

A two-piece golf ball — a ball with a solid inner core and a hard cover — is designed to produce maximum distance. Typically, the hard cover is made of Surlyn. This type of ball is especially helpful for beginners or short hitters who need extra length on their shots. Because beginners tend to cut balls with poor shots or knock balls into trees and cart paths, the hard covers help those two-piece balls last longer.

Is it a performance ball

A high-performance ball is the most expensive ball on the market. It is made of multi-layer construction (three or four pieces) and uses a softer cover material, which allows for greater control, particularly around the green, and spin. Because of the softer cover materials, these types of balls are also the least durable. As a result, these balls are better fits for more experienced or expert players.

What’s the compression

Golf ball compression, which refers to the hardness and tightness of the core, is measured in numbers. The lowest compression commonly available is usually 80 (although lower compression balls are available). This compression level offers more distance but less control. A 100-compression (and higher) ball gives experienced golfers greater control. Inexperienced golfers and those who do not have a fast, solid swing, are unlikely to get any benefits from a higher compression ball. Most average golfers use a ball with a compression of 90.

What’s the spin

A softer cover, especially one made of balata or urethane, can give the ball extra spin, especially on shots for which you want a ball that will stop and back up on the green rather than roll forward off the green. Look for multi-layer construction with a softer cover if you’re looking for more spin on your shots.

What’s the ball’s condition

Before you tee up the first ball you find in your bag, take a moment to see if it has been scuffed or cut. The slightest deviation can adversely affect how the ball flies and how it lands. If it’s a casual round with a buddy and you don’t want to risk an expensive ball around a lake or stream, maybe the two of you can agree to try a sacrificial ball on those shots.

It’s worth experimenting

The more you play a particular type of ball, the better you’ll know whether it’s the right one for your game. If you try a different type every time out, you’ll never know what ball will help you reach your potential, so give each ball type at least a few rounds to see if you two are a good match.

Source: GolfWeek.com

Celebrate Independence Day with us at Denison!

Visit us on the 4th of July and wear your REDWHITE and BLUE!
You’ll receive a FREE bucket of range balls when you do🇺🇸

We’ll also be serving $2 hot dogs ALL DAY

*Must be in your 4th of July attire to receive giveaway*

COMING SOON…

Be on the lookout  for our Independence Day Sale! You’ll be able to shop starting Thursday, July 4th.

Tips About Golf Balls

Written by: Bill Herrfeldt

When a golfer decides to buy a new set of clubs, he must make a number of choices. He must also deal with a variety of golf balls that have different characteristics so he can match his style of play with the correct one. There are balls that are made to give the golfer added distance while others will allow him to create more backspin. He must choose a ball that is right for him based on what he considers important.

Surface

All golf balls have dimples and they will affect the length of time a golfer can keep the ball in the air. Some balls give the golfer added distance more than others. So each golf ball manufacturer is trying to design a product that can lay claim to being the longest ball as a major competitive advantage. But that added distance comes with a lessening of accuracy. Proven false is the theory that how dimples are arrayed on a ball will affect the amount of backspin the golfer can impart on the ball.

Outside And In

In the past, the type of golf ball available was limited. There was the wooden ball that soon gave way to the “feathery,” a ball made of feathers encased in leather. In the 19th century, the game was revolutionized by the Gutta Percha ball, whose only drawback was that it tended to explode in flight. Now there are three types of balls. There are those that are made with only two elements, a center and a cover, and are appropriate if a golfer is looking to add distance to his shots. There are balls that have a center core that is wound with something like a tight rubber band, then are covered. Those balls allow the golfer to give it additional backspin and generally lets him feel the shot more. And there are balls that are made in a number of layers that will allow the golfer to hit it a bit farther, and allow him to feel the shot more and increase slightly the spin rate.

Compression

A lot was said in the past about how a ball’s compression affects its distance. It was felt a ball rated 100 compression would travel farther in the air than a ball rated 80 compression. But through sophisticated scientific analysis, that theory was proven false. You can hit the ball just as far regardless of its compression. But compression will affect how the ball feels is it comes off the club head, particularly if you are playing in cooler weather or you have a lower-than-average swing speed.

 

Source:GolfWeek.com

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Don’t fear the downhill, left-to-right putts

By: Matt Killen

You took care of what you thought was the hard part. You split the fairway with your best drive of the day and managed to hit the green in regulation—with a 4-iron no less! Your reward? Your ball is now above the hole, and there appears to be a pronounced left-to-right break for the ensuing putt. For many golfers, this turns a birdie opportunity into a tap-and-hope scenario. They either get scared and try to cozy the ball to the cup—but wind up short and now face another tricky downhiller—or they put too much pace on it but fail to play enough break. The ball races by the cup on the low side and sets up a likely three-putt.

If this sounds all-too familiar, let’s try something different. First, ask yourself at what speed do you see the ball going in. If you’re seeing it pouring into the back of the cup, you might want to think again—you’re making your target smaller. Test this out: On a practice green, find a downhill, left-to-right lie and practice hitting three putts at three speeds—the first so the ball dies at the cup; the second with enough speed to get it about a foot past the cup if you miss; and the third so it would roll two or three feet past. You’ll start to see how adding more speed to the putt changes the break and makes it much harder to avoid a lip-out, even when you get the read right.

Now comes the part where I give you one thought when you have this putt: maximum break, minimum speed. That’s how to handle these suckers. Oh, and one more thing: Stop paying attention to the cup. Instead, focus on that spot where you think the ball will begin to turn toward the cup—the aim point. It’s always great when one of these sliders drop, but they usually won’t if you peek too soon.

MATT KILLEN is a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher. He works with tour pros Justin Thomas, J.B. Holmes and Jessica Korda.

— with Ron Kaspriske

 

Source: GolfDigest.com

How to hit Jordan Spieth’s favorite chip shot

By Jordan Spieth and with Max Adler

I’ve heard it said that a chip shot is a miniature version of a full swing. I couldn’t disagree more. Some of the same fundamentals apply, sure, but chipping has way more going on. I have one basic full swing that gets me around the golf course, and I make only minor adjustments to hit draws and fades, low shots and high. On the other hand, I have at least 10 chipping motions—and I’m constantly learning and exploring new ones. I believe there’s no such thing as a standard chip, and that you should always be brave and try to execute the shot that the situation and lie demand. What shot offers the best chance of getting close to the hole? You have to channel your creativity and feel to find the answer, which is fun.

One of my favorite chip shots is what I call the “nip-spinner.” It comes out hot and low, takes one big hop, then quickly settles. I love hitting it in front of crowds. Everyone thinks you’ve skulled it across the green, but you just smile and wait for the sizzle. I’ll use it when I’m just off the collar without much room between myself and the flag, and the slope is such that I won’t be able to control the distance as well with a putter.

I’m going to show you the technique to hit this specialty chip—as well as how to sink the putt. Even if it’s just the other guys in your group watching, I guarantee you’ll get some applause.

COMMIT TO SPEED

I learned how to hit the nip-spinner when I was 13 or 14. Before then, I didn’t have the strength and swing speed to pull it off. I use a lob wedge, and to the untrained eye the motion looks similar to a flop shot. It’s a long backswing relative to how short the shot travels, and the downswing path is heavy out-to-in, cutting across the ball. The difference between it and a flop is impact. With a flop, the club comes in shallow and slides under the ball. With the nip-spinner, the club comes in steep to meet the ball first, then the turf. There’s a lot of interaction between the club and the turf, so you’ll make a divot—or at least scuff the grass pretty good. My main swing thought is, hold my left wrist flat through the shot so the clubhead never passes the hands. It’s a low, cut motion at the bottom of the swing. Instead of the ball sliding up the clubface, the grooves grip the cover of the ball to create a lower trajectory and a ton of spin.

MAINTAIN BELIEF

When you first practice this shot, be prepared that you’ll probably blade a lot of them. Don’t worry. Stick with it, and you’ll figure out the feeling of suppleness in the wrists that lets you pinch the ball off the turf. Keep asking yourself: How fast can I swing while making the ball travel the shortest distance possible? When I’m in a tournament and the opportunity comes to hit this shot, my typical mistake is not committing to the necessary speed. I’ll decelerate, and the ball will pop up high, right and short of where I intended. Depending on the slope of the green, the ball still might finish a reasonable distance from the hole, so it’s not a horrible miss. Still, if you want to get it close, you’ve got to keep the speed up through impact.

BURY THE PUTT

Photo by Walter Iooss Jr.Strike a Pose | When you’re rolling it great, have someone photograph you putting and use it for reference.

Hopefully you’ve chipped to within gimme distance. But the nip-spinner is often needed for tough situations, so even leaving a six- or seven-foot putt might be a good outcome. Regardless of the length, I’m going to let you in on a recent revelation I’ve had with my putting: I need to get lazy. By that, I mean I want everything about my stance and stroke to feel super-relaxed, almost sleepy. When my putting is off, there’s usually tension somewhere in my body. I think everybody is the same when they start missing putts—they start making tiny adjustments as they search for something that works. Before you know it, you’re standing uncomfortably. Get lazy is a great thought to get back to making a good stroke. When I was struggling with my putting for a period, my coach, Cameron McCormick, did an amazing amount of work studying video of me from 2015 and 2016. We discovered that I had developed this unnatural C-shape look to my back and that my arm plane was disconnected from the shaft plane. Though these problems were unique to me and my cross-handed putting style, the universal lesson is that whenever you have a great putting day, ask someone to snap a photo of you at setup. If/when things go awry, you’ll have a useful image to work back to. It’s about the easiest way for golfers to make use of their phones, and it’s visual proof that you’re capable of burying a putt and saving par.

 

Source: GolfDigest.com

When the Chipping Gets Rough

By Butch Harmon

All too often amateurs have one basic chipping stroke, and they use it no matter the lie. I’m all for keeping it simple on standard chips, but you have to adapt to different lies. When you try to force a technique, you get in trouble. Let’s look at two common chipping scenarios: the perched lie and the buried lie. When the ball is sitting on top of the grass, it’s easy to slide the clubhead under it and flub the shot. That happens because when you shift forward on the downswing, it drives the clubhead downward. You catch the ball on the top of the clubface. — with Peter Morrice

To handle the perched lie, set up in a narrow stance, legs tall, and play the ball back. Make a sweeping motion with the clubhead, like a long putt, turning your upper body back and through while keeping your wrists firm (right). Your lower body should stay quiet on the downswing—remember, driving your knees forward gives you too much dig.

When the ball is buried, you need that digging action to spring the ball from the thick grass. Take a little wider stance, and play the ball in the middle. On the backswing, hinge your wrists abruptly to set up a steeper angle into the ball (left). That will allow you to catch it as cleanly as you can—not an issue with the perched lie. Coming down, shift your knees forward, which increases the downward angle on the strike. Extend your arms down and through, and don’t worry about making much of a follow-through.

Two very different lies, two very different techniques. You’ll find them easy to use.

GET YOUR SHORT GAME IN SHAPE

I just added my fourth video series to the Golf Digest Schools program, and it’s all about shots around the green. If you want help with your chipping, pitching, bunker play or putting, you’ll get it all in these lessons. I’ll show you the short-game keys I teach my tour players—and some I’ve picked up from being around them. Learn more about my new series and all the great content in the Golf Digest Schools video library at golfdigest.com/allaccess.

BUTCH HARMON is based at Rio Secco Golf Club.

Source: GolfDigest.com

How Francesco Molinari Picked Up 20 Yards Off the Tee and Still Hits Straight

By Francesco Molinari

When asked to explain how he has picked up 20 yards with the driver over the past three seasons on the PGA Tour—yet, still puts it on the fairway—Francesco Molinari says, “I took the brakes off.”

Leave it to an Italian to use a sports-car metaphor.

Coming off his best year as a professional golfer in 2018, in which he won the Open Championship and the Quicken Loans National and went 5-0 in the Ryder Cup, Molinari is now in the “300 Club.” He averaged 301 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour last season, up from 281.6 in 2015. As if that distance gain wasn’t impressive enough, he did it without ruining his reputation as a fairway finder. Molinari averaged 64.3 percent of fairways hit and finished seventh in strokes gained/off the tee.

When you don’t hit it very far on the PGA Tour, you’re essentially left with a choice: Focus on the tournaments on shorter and tighter courses, or try to get longer off the tee. The former isn’t very appealing, considering the majors and most of the other big events are on courses calling for longer tee shots. But the latter is risky.

“They say it can ruin your swing, and I know it probably has for some players, but it wasn’t a concern for me because we did it organically very well,” says Molinari, who met with Golf Digest in late October at his home course, The Wisley, southwest of London. “It wasn’t like one day I showed up on the range and said to my coach [Denis Pugh], ‘Let’s try to hit it farther.’ This took years to do. Luckily, I’ve found that the harder I swing, the better I hit it.”

Read below to learn how Molinari got an extra 20 yards. —Ron Kaspriske

Freeing up the backswing
Molinari used to take the club back by rotating away from the target with his upper body while resisting that rotation with his lower body. Now his right hip rotates in unison with his trunk (below), and he’s able to make an unrestricted turn and store more energy for a faster through-swing. Molinari’s swing speed has gone from 107 miles per hour a few years ago to an average of 113 mph.

Francesco Molinari
Levon Biss‘My right leg straightens much more in the backswing now—it’s not restricted.’

“I used to feel so much tighter, more tension in my back muscles,” he says. “Now I have more freedom of movement.” Pugh says the goal was to have him take the club back “as high, tall and as far as possible.” Even to the point where his left heel has to lift off the ground to accommodate the bigger windup. “It’s not something I’m consciously trying to do,” Molinari says. “The left heel is just rising because of how much freer I’m turning.”

Loading even more from the top
With his back facing the target and his arms feeling like they’re farther away from his body (below), Molinari is in position to pour on the power. But it’s the next phase of his swing—one that he’s still working on— that could make him even longer. “In practice, I would consciously squat as I started down with the club,” he says. “From there, it felt like I was jumping off my left foot, which fired the club into the ball with a lot of energy. I think that’s where we’re trying to go in the future—put that move in play.”

Francesco Molinari
Levon Biss

RELATED: Francesco Molinari on going head-to-head with Tiger, dealing with pressure and recalling a group cry

Molinari has spent a lot of time with performance coach Dave Alred getting stronger and more flexible. Their work is evident in the power Molinari can generate with his legs, Pugh says. “Power doesn’t come from technique, it comes from physique,” he says. “The goal was to get him as strong as possible to create more power in his swing. But we had to make sure his technique didn’t block that newfound energy from being utilized.”

Hitting with the right side
Players such as Rory McIlroy and Cameron Champ are able to generate whip-like action in the downswing by firing their hips toward the target independently of their torsos. Molinari says he’d love to generate power the same way, but he physically can’t. “I had to find a different kind of power move,” he says. In the past, his swing speed was largely created by his hands and arms—a big reason he averaged only about 280 yards off the tee—but now his trunk is much more involved. “My right shoulder used to stay back as I swung down, still close to where it was at address,” he says. “Then the club would race out in front of me. Now I’m really trying to feel a lot more shoulder rotation in the downswing—especially the right shoulder [above]. I feel like it’s pushing down toward the ball and also toward the target.”

Francesco Molinari
Levon Biss

Releasing the brakes
Looking back at his former swing, Molinari says he was probably using only 70 to 75 percent of his potential effort. “Since that time, I’m putting a lot more energy into it,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m swinging out of my shoes. I’m just maximizing what I’ve got.”

Francesco Molinari
Levon Biss

The key was getting him to swing harder while maintaining balance and still finding the club’s sweet spot, Pugh says. “You can give up some accuracy going at it like this,” he says, “but would you rather be a few feet off the fairway in semi-rough or 25 yards back in the fairway? The goals were to get him physically stronger, making a bigger backswing and creating speed more with his body rather than his hands.” Getting back to Molinari’s sports-car metaphor, Pugh finishes by saying, “Applying the brakes in a turn on a racetrack is safe. But we wanted to know what would happen if We didn’t go safe. Now we know.”

Source: GolfDigest.com