Virginia Golfer Mar / Apr 2021 | Page 37

SETUP :
BACKSWING :
SETUP : 1 . Ball position middle-to-forward in stance . 2 . Clubface open so that the bounce is on the ground . 3 . Be sure to have clubface pointed at target . 4 . Stance aimed slightly left . 5 . Club shaft vertical .
BACKSWING : 1 . Slight hinge to wrist . 2 . Control the club speed of the swing with backswing length .
3 . Shorter shots will have shorter backswings , longer shots will have progressively longer backswings .
4 . A smooth and consistent tempo is extremely important .
IMPACT :
IMPACT : 1 . Club shaft returns to vertical . 2 . Club head slightly outraces the hands . 3 . From the fairway : ball-first contact is acceptable for most shots but if we are using the bounce properly , there will be no reason to fear hitting slightly behind the ball . 4 . Leaning the shaft forward at impact will cause the leading edge of the wedge to dig into the ground . If you make ball-first contact with a lot of shaft lean , the ball will be moving very fast and distance will be hard to control .
DAVIS WHITMER
head gently outraces your hands and we intentionally strike the ground first with the bounce exposed .
Let ’ s take a closer look at some of the technical nuances of a standard chip or pitch shot , starting with setup . Four-time VSGA Amateur champion and expert glider of the wedge , Brinson Paolini , demonstrates how to use the bounce .
TAKING FLIGHT
We are going to control trajectory of the shot with ball position . To hit a lower shot , we are going to play the ball further back
in the stance , but we are still going to keep the clubface open and use the same release . This helps us continue to use the bounce and maximize forgiveness . Move the ball position forward to hit a higher shot .
This technique remains the same when it comes to handling different lies in the rough . We have all had those lies in the rough around the green where we aren ’ t quite sure if we can make ballfirst contact . We end up misjudging the ball flight and the ball goes flying past the hole or it ends up a foot in front of us . Using the bounce in these scenarios
is even more crucial because we want to guarantee ground-first contact . We are going to intentionally hit 2-3 inches behind the ball — similar to a bunker shot . The ball will pop up into the air and land softly on the green .
I encourage everyone to try different shots around your short game practice area and play with these techniques . I hope this instruction will help you glide down the road to lower scores .
Davis Whitmer is the Director of Golf Instruction at Princess Anne Country Club . Follow the author on Instagram @ daviswhitmergolf .
vsga . org M ARCH / A PRIL 2021 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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