SHORT GAME: CONTROLLING YOUR DISTANCE
Three Keys to Increasing Your Short Game Spin and Distance Control
By Rob Randall
GolfTEC Certified Personal Coach
Store Manager and Director of Instruction
Des Moines, IA
The most common challenge golfers face in their short game is an inability to control spin and distance. This is primarily due to an unstable lower body, which leads to poor and inconsistent contact (i.e. heavy or thin shots). Proper contact is what provides the ability to control the spin of the ball and ultimately the distance it travels.
Here are three keys that will help you control spin and distance:
- Stabilize your lower body. Practice hitting chip shots with only the toes of your right foot touching the ground. This will put all of your weight on your left foot, forcing you to rely on hip turn through the entire shot, as opposed to relying on hip tilt. The key is turning your hips through contact, not tilting them.
- Level your shoulders. Once you can hit chip shots with a stable lower body, focus on setting up with level shoulders. Keeping your hands, wrists and forearms quiet, use your shoulders to take the club back. As you take the club back and through the ball, your shoulders will naturally tilt, resulting in crisp contact every time.
- Accurately read different lies. As you increase your spin and distance control, it will become increasingly important to accurately read different lies. For example, when the ball is in the fairway or a tight lie, you can easily create backspin. When hitting out of tight lies, expect the ball to spin and stop quickly. Conversely, when the ball is sitting down in the rough, your ability to create clean contact and backspin is more difficult. When hitting out of the rough, expect the ball to release and roll out much farther. From the rough, play a club with more loft and utilize the bounce by firmly "thumping" the ground under the golf ball.
Practice these three aspects of your short game and you’ll improve your spin and distance control, leading to more scoring opportunities and lower overall scores.
