Joe,
Can you tell me why is it that the pros take such a huge divot and the ball goes the distance, but when I tend to hit under the ball and get a divot my ball goes half the distance. Why ?
John
Hi John,
The pros are not hitting under the ball, they are hitting down at the ball, striking the ball first and then the ground. They do this on purpose because a downward stroke results in more backspin on the ball. The fairways they play on are very lush, so the divots are usually quite large. Public courses are usually not so lush, so with the same swing the divots are likely to be smaller. In your case, you are probably striking the ground before striking the ball. This is known as a fat shot and that is why it goes only half the distance.
Joe
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Joe,
I hit the ball much farther than my buddies, but I cannot seem to beat them. This is so frustrating. I don’t think their short games are that much better than mine, so I am at a loss to figure this out. Any help would be appreciated.
Hal
Hello Hal,
You have got to chart you shots in order to identify which area of your game needs the most attention. For example, do you hit more fairways than you miss? With each of your irons, do you hit the green more often than you miss? When you pitch and chip, do you get the ball within 1-putt range more often than not? Do you 1-putt more often than you 3-putt? If you can answer yes to all these questions, then you should be able to beat your buddies unless they also are saying yes to the same questions. If that is the case, you will have to “raise the bar” on the same questions, you must specify how many times yes must beat no for each question. This is the great thing about golf, you can never be so good that there is no room for improvement. And for people who cannot hit the ball very far, like your buddies, the great equalizer is the short game, so they still have a chance to beat long hitters like you. Every shot is a circumstance that could turn out great or horrible. Your next emotion could be a great thrill or a stunning disappointment, you never know, you can only anticipate, and that’s what makes this game so fascinating.
Joe
I hit the ball much farther than my buddies, but I cannot seem to beat them. This is so frustrating. I don’t think their short games are that much better than mine, so I am at a loss to figure this out. Any help would be appreciated.
Hal
Hello Hal,
You have got to chart you shots in order to identify which area of your game needs the most attention. For example, do you hit more fairways than you miss? With each of your irons, do you hit the green more often than you miss? When you pitch and chip, do you get the ball within 1-putt range more often than not? Do you 1-putt more often than you 3-putt? If you can answer yes to all these questions, then you should be able to beat your buddies unless they also are saying yes to the same questions. If that is the case, you will have to “raise the bar” on the same questions, you must specify how many times yes must beat no for each question. This is the great thing about golf, you can never be so good that there is no room for improvement. And for people who cannot hit the ball very far, like your buddies, the great equalizer is the short game, so they still have a chance to beat long hitters like you. Every shot is a circumstance that could turn out great or horrible. Your next emotion could be a great thrill or a stunning disappointment, you never know, you can only anticipate, and that’s what makes this game so fascinating.
Joe
