Even the best players hit the ball to the wrong places. Ever wonder how they manage to save par by digging a ball snuggled so deep in the fescue you can’t see it? Or escape from a penitentiary of tree trunks and low branches? Or pop a ball up and over a greenside bunker so it lands softly right next to the cup? We asked three pros how to snatch par from the jaws of triple bogey.
Fighting the Fescue
Jim Wahl, head pro at Whippoorwill Club in Armonk, says you don’t need to fear the fescue if you remember three simple keys:
- Use a club with more loft than you normally hit for the distance. Think sand wedge, not six iron.
- Put the ball back about an inch in your stance so you can hit down on it and follow through without trying to “lift” the ball out of the grass.
- Hold the clubface firmly open throughout the swing to keep it from closing down when the fescue wraps around the shaft as the club passes through it.
Escaping the Trees
If you’re not in the fairway, you could well be surrounded by trees. Jim Bender, head pro at Ardsley Country Club, says that’s a common problem on their 16th hole, a tough, long dogleg. Here’s how to punch your ball under the limbs and out to fairway freedom.
- Keep the ball slightly toward the back of your stance.
- Using a low-lofted club, swing back slightly outside your normal swing path.
- Hit down and through the ball with your knuckles pointing down to keep from popping up the ball.
- Follow through firmly and hold your release.
Flopping to Par
Just miss the green? Have a yawning bunker between your ball and the pin? Not to worry, says Siwanoy Country Club Director of Golf Brian Giordano. It’s time for that fancy flop shot that’s not as hard as it looks.
- With the ball middle or even slightly forward in your stance, open the club face of your most lofted wedge, a 60-degree if you have one, so it points to your target spot on the green.
- Swing at a speed appropriate to the distance you want the ball to fly.
- Use the bounce of the club to avoid digging into the turf as you slide the club under your ball and follow through.
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