How-To-Eliminate-Fat-Shots-In-Chipping!
October 5, 2010 by Parshooters · 11 Comments
Bad Chipping! Europeans Win The 38'th Ryder Cup.
Congratulations to the European Ryder Cup Team! After many hours of rain soaked delays, the conclusion to the 38′th Ryder Cup was nothing but spectacular to watch. Even though the American team lost 141/2 to 131/2 at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales. The singles matches produced great all-around play from the top 24 players in the world. Unfortunately for Hunter Mahan it came down to the final match, between himself and Graeme McDowell.
After their tee shots on 17, and both missing the green, it came down to who could get their second shots closest to the hole, on this 196 yard par 3. Hunter Mahan was deemed by the officials to go first. His golf ball just lying off in front of the green with no obstacles in his way. He had a 70ft uphill chip shot. Perfect time to play the bump and run chip shot. What happens next was horrifying, but is very common amongst us high handicappers. He CHOKED! His club dug into the ground behind his ball, creating a chunk or fat chip shot.
Needing to hole out to have any chance of winning his match, his third shot comes up short, and Mahan conceded McDowell’s 4-foot par putt, ending the match in Europe’s favor. The 28-year old was visibly upset afterward. He blamed himself for the U.S. loss of the Ryder Cup to Europe. His teammates thought otherwise. “We are all proud to be part of this close knit team,” said Phil Michelson. Steve Stricker said, “all of the U.S. players were to blame for this close loss, not Mahan.” As a team The Americans can look back on this loss, and they can all think about a shot here or there that could have turned the entire match around. If you asked most golfers on both sides, they would tell you they wouldn’t want to be in that pressure situation that Mahan was facing. Today, he had to face the demons of the Ryder Cup, because for the 7′th time in its history it came down to the final match. Hunter Mahan performed like a true champion out there today, the entire golfing event was truly awesome to watch as a spectator. Not many tour players would be even willing to do that.
Do You Know How To Hit Quality Pitch Shots In Golf?
August 25, 2010 by Parshooters · 7 Comments
Learn To Hit Quality Pitch Shots To Improve Your Golf Scores!
I consider myself a good short game player. However, this year due to lack of playing time and not practicing the way I’m used to. I’ve really struggled on the golf course in trying to break 90. I’m not comfortable or use to playing this kind of erratic golf, where for the last few years my golf scores were in the low to mid 80′s. A lot of my troubles have been around the greens. I could score low, because the majority of times I could get up and down in two. This year I’ve seen more two and three putt greens, because my pitches have left me on the greens with longer putts. Chipping and Pitching well is paramount to how well your going to play. Most of it’s in your head. Confidence is built on having a good solid golfing mindset in knowing that you can trust your ability to hit quality pitch shots around the green.
For most amateur golfers hitting the golf ball a certain distance isn’t the problem. Where most golfers experience trouble is around the greens. That would include chipping, pitching and putting. A lot of mistakes from tee to green can be made up for in improving your golf scores by getting down in two from 40 yards in. The pitch shots is that little shot golfers use to make birdies possible and salvage pars. This shot does get a lot of use during a round of golf, because our accuracy beyond 150 yards will diminish when trying to hit to a specific target on the green.
You do need to learn too become a consistently good short game player, because no one can consistently hit every green in regulation. It requires you to have finesse, or a touch of feeling in your hands, wrists and head (brain). It requires a correct golf mindset when trying to place the golf ball close to the hole. Practicing your short game with the wedge should take almost equal amount of time spent, as you would with your driver or any other club in your bag. When mastering the standard wedge shot there are other variations such as the bump and run, punch, cut and lob wedges to practice.
Golf Tips On Chipping!
July 6, 2010 by Parshooters · 1 Comment
Golf Tips! Practice Your Chipping For Improving Your Scores!
Chipping may not be the most glamorous part of the golf game, but the short game is so important. It’s the key component to shooting lower scores. It’s amazing how a good chip shot can quickly turn a possible disaster into a respectable hole. Chipping close to the hole and tapping in a putt can also maintain a positive attitude towards your round and keep you in a good frame of mind for the next hole.
My golf tips to chipping is keep it as simple as possible. Find one good club that you can believe in every time you use it. Confidence is as important as technique when approaching a golf shot, especially when it comes to the short game. I personally prefer the bump and run shot, and will use my putter off the green as often as I can. (Texas Wedge.) The room for error is diminished greatly, because there is no air time. It’s the easiest club to control. You need to know your stroke and distance to the hole when making this golf shot. There are other various situations on the golf course that you need to know when it comes to the short game. When practicing focus on different shot making skills that you will encounter on the golf course Such as, chipping, flopping, knockdown, lobbing, pitching, punch, putting, sand, trouble and utility shots.
Chipping covers the shots you will play where the ball carries no more than about 10-15 yards around the green. It is a shot that has a short amount of air time and spends most of the time on the ground running towards the golf hole. According to U.S.G.A. statistics, 80 percent of the strokes golfers lose to par are determined by their play within 100 yards of the green. So, why is it the least amount of time practicing, not devoted to improving around the green?
Do You Have The Correct Golf Mindset For Putting? Part 2
June 14, 2010 by Parshooters · 3 Comments
Many golfers don’t realize that almost 50% of your golf scores occurs from your putting. Almost 70% if you include pitching and chipping around the greens. Yet this is the least practiced!
Everyone is focused on having the latest in driver technology. They feel if they can pound their drives around 240 yards or more that everything else will fall into place in shooting par golf. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Your best golfers have that magic around the greens, its what separates themselves from the high handicappers.
Let me ask you, “how is your putting?” If your leaving a lot of putts around the hole, but their not falling in. It means that there is one additional stroke you have to add onto your score. Over 18 holes it can mean the difference between breaking your low score or having a frustrating round.
Are You Aware Of Your Golf Swing Mechanics When Chipping Or Putting?
May 22, 2010 by Parshooters · Leave a Comment
The hardest part about golf swing mechanics is learning to finesse the golf ball around the greens. This is the least amount of time spent in practicing the chipping, pitching, putting and sand play before playing a round of golf. For most amateurs we don’t allow for enough time to practice before hitting the golf links. As soon as we get to the golf course we jump out of our cars, and go directly into the pro shop to take care of business first. Then we go get our golf clubs and shoes, and maybe get a few quick practice putts in, along with swinging the driver, an expect to be all warmed up.
What happens next, most of the time it becomes a rocky picture horror show. With our expectations now reduced down to trying how to figure out what to do next in order to survive. For the majority of amateurs or weekend golfers this happens a lot for the first few holes before we’re adequately warmed up. The only way to combat high scores is being able to have an adequate short game to make up for the mistakes being made from tee to green. Most of the amateurs I play with hit the ball well enough from tee to green, but when they get within 50 yards of the green they seem to struggle. They’ll tell me, “I don’t have time to practice these shots, I’m not a pro, and they do have all the time in the world to stand and work on these shots, so they do develop the consistency in their feel.”
The goal when chipping or pitching in golf is to get the ball to travel the least amount of distance in the air and have it roll along the green. The problem with most golfers they’ll anticipate their chip shots, and will have the habit of looking up too soon to see where the ball is going. One major problem with this is that golfers will forget about their golf swing mechanics. What typically ends up happening as a result is that by looking up, the leading hand wrist bends, causing the golfers hands to flick through the chip shot. The end result is that the club head is picked up too steeply, and a blade type shot occurs which sends the ball on more of a line drive trajectory. The reason is that the wrists bend or break before contact is made with the golf ball or ground in an attempt to delicately place the ball onto the green. The solution is to make sure your wrists don’t break, especially the leading wrist, and that your follow through continues just like a normal golf shot.
