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A Good Golf Tip on Distance Control

Controlling the distance that you hit the ball is vital in playing good golf from the driver through to the putter. When using your full swing, distance control is made easier as the club that you use will dictate the distance you hit. Controlling distance is more difficult when facing windy conditions, different lies, slopes, pitching, chipping, putting and bunker play. This month I am going to cover 2 areas of distance control, Greenside Bunkers and Putting.

Distance Control on Bunker Play

You probably feel that playing a bunker shot is difficult enough without the worry in controlling its distance. But it is important to learn the technique in distance control on bunker play as sometimes you will have to hit a determined distance to clear the lip of a bunker, or if there is not much green to work with, you may hit over the back.

To hit the high and fairly short green side bunker shot, I would ask you to follow the method I explained back in my February newsletter. From this method, the open stance creates a steep angle of attack. When this is combined with the open club face, the result is the high short bunker shot.

The slightly longer bunker shot e.g. 20 yards through the air, is what most find more difficult mainly because everyone associates the greenside bunker with an open clubface and open stance. It is a lot easier to get a few extra yards by changing the set-up rather than forcing your swing.

1. Make a Square Stance. i.e. feet aimed parallel to your target line. This will give you a more normal backswing so your path back to the ball will be more from the inside and not too steep.
2. Play the ball just inside the left heel. This will allow you to hit 2 inches behind the ball which is standard for green side bunker shots.
3. Keep the club face square. With less loft on the club, the ball trajectory will be lower and will come off the club quicker feeling more solid. Also, remember to allow for a bit more roll when the ball lands.

Distance Control on Putting

Obtaining the right speed on the green is critical, whether it is to lag a long putt to ensure a safe tap-in, or rolling the ball along your chosen break to hole a 10-footer, you need to control the speed of the ball either way. Learning speed on the green starts in learning the correct rhythm for your stroke. Your putting stroke should always have the same rhythm regardless of how long the putt is. What I mean by this is every stroke takes the same amount of time from beginning to end. This is fairly easy to create as long as you remind yourself that your stroke is the same as the pendulum action of a clock by saying to yourself, "tick for the backswing and tock for the follow through" or "1-2". You are now on your way to repeating a consistent rhythm for your strokes.

Now you have the rhythm, distance control is about backswing length. Experiment with long, medium and short backswing and keep the same tick-tock rhythm, then note the distance you achieve.

Obviously other factors will come into play like green speed, slopes, which way the grain grows and wind but your rhythm and the length of your stroke is where to start when trying to achieve the correct distance.

A Good Quick Tip - The Right Arm

Most right-handed golfers feel strongest in their right arm and hand, hence it often becomes tense. When tension creeps into the right arm at address and during the backswing, control and timing are lost. Start your address with the right arm relaxed and slightly bent, then let it remain passive as the left arm performs the take-away and is the main driving force of the swing. The right hand serves as a guide to help steady the club but the right arm merely goes along for the ride.

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