|
Home / Recreation and Leisure / Sports / Golf
Practicing Golf Trouble Shots
By:George Gabriel
A lot of times on the golf course you will find that you are not in the middle of the fairway, or not in the fairway at all. Putting yourself in and around a tree on the practice range will help your decision making out on the golf course on what golf club to choose, and how to play it.
Most good golfers put themselves in trouble shot situations and bad lies on the practice range. Practicing this drill for a month, two or three times a week with a large bucket of golf balls each time, will improve your trouble shot making, and help lower your scores. You will find with practice and persistence you can save a par, or even birdie one or two holes out on the golf course more often than not. Keep in mind, saving a few strokes or better is 50% skill and 50% luck that you will succeed. The odds will increase or decrease depending on how much you practice these golf shots out on the practice range. It is always a good idea to play it safe, by chipping out.
By practicing golf trouble shot drills on the golfing range, you will sometimes visualize a prior practice shot taken on the range when you’re confronted with a trouble shot out on the golf course. Visualizing the golf shot from this practice routine requires a little bit of consistent practice. The golf shot will be a lot easier if you have done it many times over. You will need to take six golf clubs, (3 iron, 5 iron, 7 iron, wedge, 5 wood and driver) or your favorite golf clubs to the practice range along with a huge bucket of balls to keep your golf memory in shape. The idea of this trouble shot practice is to memorize distance and ball flight using different clubface ball positions and lies. This is a very enjoyable practice routine and exercise that requires a little patience, imagination and memory.
Find a tree between the golf ball and the green. You do not need a green behind the tree. It would be a lot more fun to watch your golf shots land and roll on the green, if there was one nearby. Stand behind the tree and hold the grip of the golf club with your fingers, and rest the club head on the grass with the clubface facing you. Put the bottom of your foot on the face of the golf club and let the grip go. Look and see if the tip of the golf club is pointing upwards and over the tree. Should the grip end of the golf club point at any part of the tree. Chances are, you haven’t got enough club loft to go over. You may need to go under the tree or find a loftier club. You can do this test with any club iron on the golf course.
The idea of this drill is to know how low and far you can roll a golf ball out to the fairway or green, and how much distance and loft you need to get over a tree. The key memory for the practice would be the golf club selection for both the loft and distance for the target you’re aiming for. One club may be low enough to get you under the obstacle, but may be too much club for the target area. You may want to consider choking down on the club to take a little distance off the shot. The other club may have enough loft, but not enough distance. Do this routine with different club selections often. For the distant trouble shots try a 1 wood and a 3 iron under the branches of a tree. (Use extra caution for these clubs near a tree. Also look around for other players before attempting any blind golf shot.)
With your first 10 balls, practice hitting it low to the ground. Always pick a target and put some kind of obstacle in front of you. Practice with a tree right in front of you or 100 yards away with the imaginary green behind it, if you have no access to a practice green. Try to keep the golf ball from flying into the tree, or make the ball land just before and roll beyond onto your imaginary target or green. You will have to use your imagination for this shot and practice with several different clubface positions. You need to practice playing the ball in front, middle, or back in your stance. You may want to practice going around the tree if you’re a substantial distance from the green. Close the clubface to help it hook, or open the face of the club to help slice it around the tree. There are a lot of good professional teachers, books and videos on the Internet to help you master the hook and slice effect of the ball at will. Practice your chipping distance for certain clubs, by chipping out to the side of trouble. It is a good idea to know how far you can chip a certain golf club so you don’t end up on the other side of the fairway, and or behind another obstacle.
Practice your trouble shots in a sand trap as well. Place a group of balls behind a big lip of a sand trap. Move some in the front and back of the trap. Do not forget to stand on a couple of golf balls for that buried golf ball effect. Now take your time hitting the golf balls, keeping in mind for an open clubface, and a slightly closed clubface for those buried lies. Is the sand hard or soft? Take more sand for shorter distances from the flagstick, and less sand for those longer shots. Your target for striking the sand should be 1 to 3 inches behind the golf ball, depending on your distance from the flagstick. Accelerate at impact. Follow through and do not quit on the shot. Again you will find more information on the Internet for mastering these types of trouble shots. Practice until you prefer to be in a trap on the golf course, because it's your favorite golf shot. This will raise your level of confidence when approaching a green on the course with bunkers around it. With enough practice you will actually see the ball drop in the hole coming out of the bunker from time to time. Eventually you will find yourself on the green trying to read the roll of the putting surface before you take the bunker shot.
Take out your 5 wood to practice aiming for the tall timbers. Know your distance. The 5 wood flies high and far. Try to put yourself close to the trees and back, to see how close is too close, and how far back is too far back. Do not forget to practice those long high fades and draw shots.
When you have practiced this drill enough times, it will almost seem like second nature when attempting these same golf trouble shots. You will either impress your foursome or make them stand there in awe. The other ingredients you will need to benefit from this practice routine are confidence and a positive mindset. The game of golf is almost magical at times. What seems impossible at times can have yourself shaking your head in disbelief and saying to yourself. “I can play like a pro!”
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: golf trouble shots, golf trouble shot, practice routine, golf shot, practice, golf
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Learned to play golf as a caddie. Later on made the High School golf team. Played 54 holes a day during school summer break to keep my game in shape. You can find discount tee times at www.golfanchor.net and a online golf store at www.golfanchor.com
|
|
| Top Golf Articles |
- 1). Golf Tips - Getting Started By : ArtL
History has it that the game of "golf" was born in 15th century Scotland. Then around 1744, the first rules of play were codified and established in Edinburgh by The Company of Gentlemen Golfers. Golf has become one of the most popular sports in the world; played in countries as far reaching as Mexico and Ireland, South Africa and China. And, of course, Scotland.
|
- 2). Stance and swing 7 tips for better golf power By : dave4
Golf is a sport that requires you to correct and change things with almost every shot in search of the perfect shot.
So many things come into the perfect shot that for one person to master them all can take a lifetime so we all need to take and find advice where we can, reading can never take the place of playing a round or two but when you are unable to get to the course then learning is the next best thing, here are a few tips that I hope will improve your power and accuracy which in tern will improve your game.
|
- 3). Stance and swing 6 tips for better golf By : dave4
The perfect stroke is that elusive thing we all strive for, asleep in our beds at night with a smile on our faces as we dream of that drive going straight and true down the middle of the fairway or that putt dropping in to the cup at the end of its smooth 50 yard run.
Unfortunately reality bites when we get to the tee and make our shot, those niggling.
|
- 4). Abolish Your Comfort Zone - It's killing your golf game! By : Wade Pearse
We all have what I call an inner game thermostat. It governs your inner game temperature, so to speak. Your comfort zone is like a climate controlled room. If it gets too cool then it's time to heat up. If it gets too hot the air conditioner turns on to cool things down.
Your inner thermostat does exactly what it is preprogrammed to do - bring your game back to *normal*! How? By producing what appears to be the "wrong swing at the wrong time".
|
- 5). Core Exercise For Golf Will Improve Your Driving Distance The Quickest By : Mike Pedersen
Core exercise for golf. You’ve probably heard this phrase mentioned on the television a time or to. This is the area that Vijay works on the most with his golf trainer and it seems to be working for him. He’s driving it longer and straighter and winning tournaments.
When we talk about core exercise for golf the key term that needs to be thrown in there is rotational.
|
- 6). Ball Position For Different Clubs By : Jack Moorehouse
Ball position is a critical component that’s often overlooked by players with high golf handicaps. Ball position decides a shot’s initial direction. While theories on ball position abound, you need to find one that’s right for you.
Ball position affects a clubhead’s swing path, as I explain in my golf lessons. If the ball is too far back, the clubhead moves on an in-to-out swing path at impact, sending the ball to the target’s right.
|
- 7). Golf Practice Isn’t Important If… By : Mike Pedersen
Golf practice can only help your game if your body can do what you ask of it on the range. Does that make sense? How often have you taken time out of your day to go to the range for golf practice only to leave more frustrated than when you did when you first got there?
Now come on…be honest! Every amateur golfer has experienced this more times than we can count.
|
- 8). Golf Swing Improvement Secrets To Stop The Insanity By : Mike Pedersen
Golf swing improvement can be elusive for most golfers. I have read many articles and studies on the huge number of golfers quitting the game every year. They are tired of putting in the time, buying equipment, taking lessons, and purchasing every golf training aid on the market only to see no golf swing improvement.
You can’t fault a frustrated golfer who experiences the above and quits.
|
- 9). Three Golf Tips For Balance During Your Golf Swing By : Mike Pedersen
Golf tips for balance. Balance is very essential in executing the right golf swing and in this article I point out three reasons why you may be having difficulties achieving the required balance and I also give three golf tips for balance to correct the situation.
A) Poor setup A good setup as you approach your shot is essential to helping you maintain balance throughout the golf swing.
|
- 10). Golf Flexibility Is A Key Component For Senior Golfers By : Mike Pedersen
Golf flexibility is a common term among senior golfers. Most senior golfers know they have a declining level of golf flexibility and distance. But why then do most of them not participate in a golf flexibility program?
If you are in this group of golfers, do you walk off the course frustrated with your performance? Are you dissatisfied with your driving.
|
| New Golf Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 6). Why Good Golf Shoes Are So Important? By : Tomas Labas
A good pair of golf shoes is very important to your golfing experience, because it helps to protect your feet which is very important. And, aid your golfing skills such as swinging and so on.
|
|
|
|
|
- 9). Golf Swing Trainers Are A Dime A Dozen By : Mike Pedersen
The golf training aid market is a booming market. Golfers are rabid and will pay any amount of money in hopes to play better golf. There is a new golf swing trainer coming out every month it seems like!
|
|
|
|
|
