Golf sports and leisure
Issue link: https://digital.insidegolfmedia.com/i/895105
OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE x FALL 2017 x obsports.com l INSTRUCTION The steeper you get and the more arms and hands you put into your swing, the more spin you're going to put on the ball. I get players to work on hitting 100-yard 7-irons using body rotation. We call it a "chip 7-iron," where you're making a conscious turn through the ball, swinging to the target and getting onto your left side without using a lot of speed and hands. By releasing the club earlier, you're not adding loft, which will help keep the ball down and prevent the wind from affecting the shot as much as it would normally. WRANGLING THE RAIN First of all, you definitely should have new grips, and replace them regularly if they're worn. Second, if you're playing in the rain, you need a good pair of rain gloves. Similar to playing in the wind, choking down on your shots will make a big difference – controlling the face by making the shaft a little shorter and taking a little extra club. If you've got a good set of rain gloves and you're focused on tempo, you're going to have an advantage over players who aren't doing that. EMBRACING THE COLD Where we are in Bend, people will play even when temperatures dip to the high 30s. Conditions that cold will really show golfers how important it is to make contact on the center of the club face. A good way to practice making solid contact is to use some impact tape so you can get used to finding the proper ball position. You can figure out your natural tendencies and adjust the ball position based on the feedback from the tape. This is an easy way to get you hitting the ball in the center of the face, and that's the most important thing to remember when playing in the cold. Along with ball position, posture and alignment are big keys. Get com- fortable with those three things and then whatever you have that day that's helping you with ball striking and scoring, make the most of it. In any adverse conditions, you need to have a go-to shot, so work on that in your practice sessions. You're trying to take one side of the fairway out of play, so if your go-to shot is a little fade, get comfortable with that and stick with it that day.