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Post date: May 17, 2018 3:37:30 PM
Butch Harmon’s Playing Lessons by Butch Harmon with John Andrisani
For approach shots from the fairway, plan on landing the ball a bit short of the pin. This way, if the ball releases, you might wind up stiff, but if it checks up you’ll still have a reasonably makeable putt. On small greens where the pin is tucked left or right, shade the shot toward the center. The center of the green is never a bad spot.
For a shot that requires a 7 iron or higher into a small green, it is best to land the ball on the fringe and let it release onto the green. Choke up a fraction of an inch. Play the ball two inches further back than normal to deloft the club. This setup results in a slightly lower shot that releases. To keep it low, take a slow, compact, three quarter swing.
After a bad tee shot, the smartest play is a shot back onto the fairway short of the green. Trying to reach the green will only compound the problem and lead to a bad score. Don’t let one bad shot influence the way you play the shots that follow. If a mistake is made, accept it, then move on with the business at hand. Never try a recovery shot from sand, trees or deep rough without thinking about it carefully beforehand. If unable to pull off a shot at least 7 out of 10 times, look for an alternative recovery shot that you can. Our overall score will be better for it.
Don’t let the rough discourage you. From the rough, plan on landing short of the green and letting the ball release toward the hole. Aim for the center of the green since direction control is not as good as on the fairway. A good lie in the rough will travel farther than a ball in the fairway because of the reduced spin. Regularly practice hitting shots out of the rough to determine how the ball flies out of various lies.
From a fairway bunker, the smart play is to take a lofted iron, 7 or 8, and plan on playing a 100 yard shot to the middle of the fairway. Assume a slightly opened stance with the ball at the midpoint of the feet and dig the feet slightly into the sand. The key to a good bunker shot is to keep the lower body quiet and control the swing with the arms. You don’t have to swing hard. The goal is to contact the ball first and hit a simple shot.
Take the time and care to consider all course conditions. Simply give yourself more time to think strategic thoughts, as well as swing thoughts. A wet fairway will cause moisture to come between the ball and clubface at impact. The grooves will not be able to grab hold of the ball and impart backspin on the shot, so the ball will fly around 10 yards farther than normal. The same dampness also reduces sidespin, so the shot will fly straighter. It is better to play a straight shot than to try work it right to left or left to right.
Following a poor drive, it is still possible to make a good score by keeping our head and playing strategic golf. A B. or C. player should be thinking of the best way to ensure a bogey while still leaving a chance for a par.The smart play is to hit the shot to the open area, or ‘fat,’ part of the green.
Swing long irons smoothly and confidently. Do not try to put more oomph into the ball. This will cause a pull.
Drill for slowing down swing speed on iron shots: Practice hitting irons off a low tee. On the course, imagine the ball being on a tee. This smooths out the swing, allowing for a square face at impact and more accurate shots.
Red light and green light situations: Factor in how powerfully we have to hit in order to reach the green, the location and size of the green as well as all the other penalties we face for not reaching the green before deciding to try to reach and hold the green in two on a par 5. If the shot requires us to be perfect, the smart play is to lay up. One secret to scoring is knowing when to lay up and when to go for the green.
When looking for added overspin and distance on a lay-up shot, increase the rotation of the forearms and hands through impact, so that the toe of the club leads the and clubface closes slightly at impact. Overspin can add another 30 yards to a shot, an excellent shot when looking for extra yards without having to hold a green. A 4- or 5-iron will send the ball flying far down the fairway.
The secret to hitting out of pine needles is to pick the ball cleanly. Realize that pine needles are loosely knitted together, so the slightest touch can dislodge the ball. To avoid a two stroke penalty, start by holding the club head above the needles, just behind the ball. Play the ball just short of the midpoint of the stance, with the hands slightly in front of the clubhead and a tad more weight on the left foot. Swing the hands back to level with the hips, keeping the wrists quiet. This will prevent getting too handsy, going into the ball steep and hitting the ball fat.
Swing on an inside square inside path. To encourage this path, put a ball down on the grass. Lay a cardboard club box or a piece of PVC pipe about an inch outside the ball and parallel to the target line. Address the ball and swing. The secondary target line encourage the release of the hands, arms and club in the hitting area which allows us to work the club back to the inside. We need rotation in the arms. We must release.
Proper planning prevents poor performance. The smart play on greens with small narrow targets, surrounded by treacherous traps and trouble spots is to proceed with caution. The priority is to hit the green, take two putts, and run to the next tee. Always respect par. Judge the wind perfectly and choose the correct club. Honestly analyze our game on that day, knowing when and when not to attack the stick. Play smart, save par. Play the required club that allows for the natural shape of our shot, not letting ego become involved. The situation has to be perfect to play a creative shot (a fancy draw or fade) gunning for the flag. Concentrate harder on hitting the green.
Toss grass in the air, take note of which way the flag is blowing and look at the tops of trees to get a good read on the approximate strength and direction of the wind.
If possible, play a straight shot into the wind and let the wind hold it on the green. A hard fade or a soft cut with a longer iron are also better than a draw into the wind. Nevertheless, play a draw by aiming the body to the right (more or less depending on the degree of the draw), setting the clubface down square to the target, then employing a normal swing. This method imparts less right to left spin.
It’s not how, its how many. It is better to choose more club and swing within our self rather than take less club and swing harder. Forget about what our playing partners are using and play our shot. If it bothers us that we can’t use the same club as our more skilled friends, start practicing harder.
Always allow for your natural shape shot. Don’t tee the ball as high when hitting into the wind.
On a pin placed in the front, the challenge becomes stopping the ball on the front half of the green. Having a soft fade in our arsenal becomes important. Fade spin gives it a soft dead landing. This shot is made or broken with the setup. The feet, knees, hips and shoulders must all be aligned left of the target by about 25 to 30 feet (from 140 yards out). Meanwhile align the lead edge of the club right at the hole. The key is to take the club back from the ball on a path that’s along the body line, which is a shade outsidein in relation to the target line. If the clubface returns square to the target line, a light cut-spin will be placed on the shot so the ball gets up quickly, drifts a shade right in flight, and lands softly. Make a slow, smooth controlled and deliberate swing in this situation.
A simple cure to drawing too much is to stand about one inch closer to the ball at address. Doing this helps to push the club straight back from the ball, rather than pulling to the inside too quickly and returning it too much to the inside (the good player’s tendency)
Drill for making a straight back initial takeaway action. It’s critical that for the first few inches, the club move straight back along the target line. To groove a low one-piece takeaway action, place a tee in the ground about one foot behind the ball you will be addressing. Next, swing back trying to brush the tee away.
Know yardages exactly. Double check the wind’s direction and velocity. A left to right wind means we need to line up a little left of where we want to end up. A crosswind may also take a few yards off the ball’s carry, so we may need to club up. Always be careful and aware. Conditions and course design may call for us to aim left or right of the pin. Make up our mind ahead of time to get the precise yardage, then trust that yardage and pick the correct club to fly the ball to the hole.
Learn the 3 quarter low iron shot to keep the shot low and on target in windy conditions.
If the second shot requires a career shot out of an imperfect lie with our longest fairway club to carry over bunkers and land the ball on a well-guarded green, choose the smart play instead. Play a controlled punch shot that puts the ball in the fairway but short of the bunkers.
Before taking a club out of the bag, carefully consider the direction and strength of the wind. With the wind behind us, an easy swing is all that is needed. Make a smooth practice swing. Set up: ball back, hands ahead and aim the body and club correctly. Gauge the wind. With the wind behind us, simply make a smooth compact backswing. On the downswing nudge the body weight onto the left foot and leg, a ‘gentle’ shift. The arms and hands will follow the lead of the lower body and bring the club squarely into the ball. Slow down the tempo.
When hitting downhill, less club is needed than when the green’s level with the tee. If caught between clubs, first determine if it would be more advantageous to be short or long on the particular green based on it’s slope, hole position and surrounding danger then choose appropriately.
To play a ¾ wedge: (a) Tee the ball about an inch off the ground and (b) Play the ball back slightly in the stance
Drill for encouraging a solid weight shift on the downswing, and discouraging the hands from taking over: Practice hitting shots barefoot or in tennis shoes to become more conscious of the feet. Once the lower body learns to play the lead role on the downswing and the upper body and hands the supporting roles, we will hit more accurate shots.
On par 5s, if the lie is good and there are no major penalties such as water or out of bounds, go for the green in two.
If unable to realistically get home in two look to get set up for the best possible third shot (a 100 yard shot from the middle of the green on flat lie in the fairway)
In the rough, calculate for a flyer.
Bunkers act as good targets when laying up.
After a bad shot, the important thing is to get the next shot back into a safe area. Always sacrifice distance to play a solid, safe, second shot within in the deep rough or the trees. In deep rough, never gamble: (1) With little choice but to play it safe, think of the longest club that can be solidly hit, then go for one club less. (2) Play the ball just back of center, with the hands well ahead of the clubhead and the clubface open, since the rough will tend to grab the club and close it down. (3) Keep the weight favoring the left side and make a steep swing dominated by the arms, striving to contact the ball first.
If playing a downhill lie, take five yards off the distance. Choke down a ½ inch on the club to subtract five yards.
Hit short and middle distance approach shots (130 yards or less) with a controlled action rather than at nearly 100 percent of full power. Hitting the ball at 75 percent of full effort will improve balance allowing ball striking will be more precise with no real loss of distance. This tempo will help shots hit not quite flush to have a better chance of hitting the green as well.
For cut shots aim the clubface correctly and don’t play by feel: (1) Aim the feet, hips and shoulders left of the target, in an open position. (2) Aim the clubface at the final target. (3) Then just swing normally. The ball will start its flight along the body line, then move toward the pin, where the clubface was aimed.
After aligning and setting the clubface, stare down the target, correctly forming a visual picture of the perfect shot in the mind’s eye. Make a controlled compact backswing.
In deep rough, take a short or medium iron. Never try to recover with a long iron. Take the club back quite steeply and allow the wrists to hinge on the backswing. Hit the ball as cleanly as possible with a powerful descending blow, pulling the club down hard into the back of the ball. Don’t ever sweep the ball in deep rough.
Drill for Training Yourself to Hit Down in Deep Rough: Practice playing shots off the right foot. The ball position will exaggerate the steepness of the swing. Get the feeling of swinging on this type of plane in the deep rough.
On greens that slope down from back to front, it is best to land below the hole.
Hit woods with the same smooth tempo as we would a seven iron. To avoid swinging over the top, start the downswing from the ground up. Let the left shoulder lead the right on the downswing. The first move is to slide the hips laterally. When the lower body leads, the hands , arms, shoulders and club will follow. Only if the lower body is ‘dead’ will the upper body want to take over.
On par 5s, unless the lie and conditions are ideal (wind,etc) and we are absolutely comfortable we can reach the green with the fairway wood, take out an iron or a more lofted 5-wood that will put us in position for an easy pitch to the pin. Think about the distance we would like to leave our self for the most easiest possible third shot. Imagine the lay-up as a shot to a par-3 hole. Pick the landing spot carefully and make sure both the clubface and body are accurately aligned to it. Hit it as precisely as any other. Don’t go to sleep. Don’t bail out on any shot, including a lay up second.
If laying up short of the end of a fairway choose a club that will give about 15 yards of cushion. By keeping the shot demands simple, we increase the odds of keeping it in the fairway. It’s better to lay up short than try to hit a ‘career’ 3-iron over a hazard.
Know exactly where the flag is. Depending on the size of the green and whether its well up front or way back it could add or subtract 10 to 12 yards from the base yardage. Pin position might alter the type of pitch played (a high lofted pitch to stay in the front or a pitching wedge to let it land in the front or middle and release to the back of the green)
The high sand wedge shot requires the clubface to be open and the club to accelerate faster in the impact zone. Otherwise we’ll fall short of the green. Look at the front of the ball to help accelerate through the ball and hit shots to the pin.
With wind in the face and 100 yards to go, play a 9-iron punch shot. Address the ball from a narrow stance with the ball just back of center (off the inside of the back heel). Keep most of the weight on the left foot. Make a compact swing with the arms so that less weight is shifted back and forward as we would in a normal swing. On the downswing, pull the club firmly down and through the ball, with an abbreviated follow-through, finishing with the club pointing to the target. The shot will start off much lower than a normal pitch and will take one or two skips upon landing, but if struck cleanly, will then check up. This shot is much easier to control in the wind than a high pitch shot.
Never try to ‘scoop’ the ball up on pitch shots, but give it a crisp descending blow instead. The sand wedge has plenty of loft to to get the ball nicely into the air when we hit down on it. Address the ball in the center of the stance with the hands about two inches ahead. Swing back to the halfway point, then down and through with the arms. Look at the front of the ball to ensure hitting through the ball.
Trees behind a green can affect the wind just enough to affect how the flag is blowing. Look back at the green’s flag on the previous hole to get the correct wind direction.
Make certain to carefully go through the pre-swing routine. Even take an extra practice swing to make certain we have the feel for the action needed for the shot being played. Our care will be rewarded.
On par 3s, use a tee to get a clean hit and control distance better. Using a tee on par 3’s prevents grass from getting between the clubface and ball. Grass between the clubface and ball can cause the ball to fly 20 yards further.
Shorten the backswing on short and medium irons, there is no need to create an extra-wide arch when hitting a control shot into a par 3, but be sure to make a strong enough turn (at least 80 degrees) or the club will swing on an overly steep plane and come down too abruptly, causing us to hit the ball right of target. The shoulders must turn to hit our normal distance with each club.
Drill to promote a bigger backswing turn. While practicing be sure to turn the left shoulder past the ball
Play safe in ‘sucker pin situations. Aim for the fat part of the green.
Play for the shape of your shot.
If in between clubs, the greens are sloping from front to back, and especially if they are fast, lean toward taking the shorter club to keep the ball short of the hole/green. When the pin is lower, it’s easier to feed the ball to the hole with a chip shot from the front of the green, and score par than it is to putt downhill from the upper tier.
A ball sitting down in thick rough, in a depression, requires a more lofted club. Play the ball in the middle of the stance with the hands ahead of the ball. Keep the backswing compact to prevent over hinging the wrists at the top and casting on the downswing. Because of the lie, it is necessary to pull down hard on the downswing.
On a small green with a slope running into a creek, a softer shot with little backspin is required so that the ball comes in almost dead, stopping pretty much where it lands. To do so, only sort of nip the ball off the turf by hitting the ball more on the through swing and not hitting down so abruptly. Take one more club than normal, grip down the shaft a 1/2 inch, then make a very smooth swing with no noticeable acceleration through impact. The result: a soft-flying shot that comes to a stop a few feet from where lands rather than jerking back.
Swinging into a full finish will help us to stop pulling iron shots.
When we hit shots into trouble we can’t afford to compound the error with a sloppily played recovery shot. From rough or woods, check carefully for any branches we need to keep the ball under, and select a club that will help accomplish that. Gauge how far it is to get the ball to the fairwary and how far it is to the rough or hazards we want to keep the ball short of. Decide on the total distance needed to hit the shot, and take a practice swing or two to get the feel for a swing that will produce that distance. Play the ball in the middle of the stance, make a short half swing and bring the arms and club through while keeping the hands and wrists dead’ to keep from scooping at the ball and hitting it fat.
Whenever the green is unguarded in the front and the fairway grass is mowed low, hit a running pitch shot that lands short of the green, or on its front portion, then rolls to the hole. Move the ball back in the stance, make a short backswing and let the hands lead the club through impact.
Golf is a game of good and bad breaks. Learn to accept bad breaks as they usually even out in a round. When the ball lands in a divot set up with the ball back in the stance and keep the hands ahead through impact. To recover from this lie, swing from a steeper angle and hit down more sharpley. A steep angle of attack reduces the effective loft of the club so choose a more lofted club than normal for the distance and swing only a trifle harder than normal.
Any time the ball is sitting relatively cleanly in light rough, we want to get more distance out of the shot, swing on a flatter plan than normal. This will encourage blades of grass to fill the grooves of the club at impact, so that we purposely hit a flyer and hit the ball farther.
Add five yards for a slight uphill shot. Add another five if the pin is in the back. Factor in the wind. To play a fade, weaken the grip slightly by moving the hands toward the target slightly.
Always factor in the design of the hole and play the type of shot the hole asks for. For shot that requires that it lands in the front half of the green play a low flying iron . Even if it doesn’t release and stays on the lower level, we’re still better off than in the rough over the green.
To hit a 3-iron, set up the ball just a trifle open (aligned about 20 feet left of the target.) Position the ball about one ball-width farther forward than normal, directly opposite the left heel. Make a smooth, level swing here to apply the 22-23 degrees of loft on the face of the 3-iron squarely through the ball. Never try to ‘muscle’ the long irons. What we need to do is make square and precise contact. Concentrate on keeping the head very still and behind the ball at impact. This allows us to clip the ball neatly off the turg rather than digging too deep. Strive for a full, high follow through. Whenever we have a long iron into the green, just make a normal 9-iron swing.
If it becomes necessary to lay up, lay up correctly. We always want to play the third shot from the fairway with a wedge left into the green.
If we are caught between clubs, it is wise to hit a less lofted club and play a 3/4 swing rather than a hard swing with a more lofted club, with the intent of landing the ball on the lower tier and letting the ball run up, maybe even close to the flag. Play the ball in the middle of the stance (or slightly behind the centerpoint,) Choke down on the grip and inch for control, and make a compact, firm swing.
Always take into account the terrain we are hitting from when we set up for shots from the fairway. Whenever the ball is above or below the feet, uphill or downhill always take a good look at the shot from behind the ball. As a general rule we want to play the ball more towards the higher foot (on a downhill lie off the right foot and on an uphill lie off the left foot). Also, tilt the body perpendicular to the slope so the shoulders are parallel to the slope, to give us a flat lie in effect. Swing within our self to maintain balance. When the ball is above the feet, aim right to allow for the draw flight that results from this lie. Below the feet, aim left to allow for the fade flight. Making these adjustments will allow more greens to be hit, leading to more pars and less bogies.
With the pin on the back level a solid wedge distance away, instead take out an 8 or 9-iron and play a lower, more controlled shot in. Land the ball just below the top level, from where it will skitter up to the level the pin is on: (1) Play the ball from a narrow stance that’s just a touch open, with the ball centered and the hands ahead. (2) Make a swing that feels three-quarters in length and hit down and through decisively, accelerating the club through the impact zone, keeping the wrists firm.
To play a powerful cut shot from the rough using a fairway wood, start from a very open stance, aiming about 30 yards left of the target. Position the ball just behind the left heel, turn the left foot out more than normal, and lay the clubface wide open.. Also, grip more firmly than normal, so that you prevent the grass from closing the clubface at impact. Keep the backswing action upright and compact, and take the club slightly outside the target line. Pull the club down into the ball; “just beat on it.” Because you will cut across the ball, it will fly higher than normal in a fade pattern, and thus sit down more quickly.
Do everything possible to keep the ball below the cup. Play a less lofted club that allows the ball to land farther back on the green so that it runs up to the hole. Learn to feed the ball to the hole to leave an uphill putt.
Always take the time to square the club to an interim spot on the target line. Stand behind the ball before setting up. Take a smooth practice swing while staring at the initial aiming spot, then step to the ball and square up to it.
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