Golf Monthly Top 25 coach Gary Alliss has some tips on how to perfect your flight and distance control to hit it close more often and make more birdies.
Try these tips if you often lose control of iron shots in the wind and you want to improve your flight and distance control.
Being able to control the spin, especially when hitting into a head wind, will help you hit more greens on those breezy days and not let the elements ruin your round.
One way to control your approach shots in the wind is to play a punch. However, there is an alternative that I would recommend every golfer learns as it’s possibly an easier shot – I call it the ‘quiet swing’.
Essentially, the approach is the same as if you were hitting a pitch. In this instance, I’m looking at a 130-yard shot to a long green and I want to run the ball up to the flag.
So I am going to use a 5-iron, but I’ll only swing to 10 o’clock on the way back and two o’clock on the way through.
My hands are also down the grip a fraction to shorten the arc and reduce the clubhead speed. Simply look to graze the grass through impact for the right, shallow strike. This shot will take a bit of practice, but it will certainly help both your distance and flight control.
Practice this technique with different clubs and different length swings to establish how far each one carries and rolls out.
This will increase the range of shots you are able to play, and make you a more complete player to handle more situations effectively.
Top tips
- Use a similar technique to when hitting a pitch shot.
- Take more club and use a shorter swing.
- Choking down on the grip will help shorten your swing arc and reduce the clubhead speed you generate
- Try to just brush the grass through impact for a shallow strike. This will help reduce the spin imparted on the ball and prevent it from ballooning into the wind.
