When hitting a full shot with any club the fundamentals of the swing remain the same. For example, the only difference between a driver and a 9-iron swing is the length of the shaft and the distance we stand from the ball. Jack Nicklaus has a video example here.
What about when we swing with less than a full swing? How do we mentally approach shots around the green when we have to use a less than full swing? If you’re inside 60-yards, you obviously can’t make a full swingwithout blowing the ball over the green.
Here’s what to do:
By taking these tips to the practice green your mental game is going to improve. Golf is a game is a game that is played one shot at a time and golfers who are focused on the fundamentals find themselves much less less worried about what not to do under pressure. The idea is to not worry about what could go wrong and go ahead and play the shot regardless of the outcome.
Relax your hands, arms and shoulders.
Set up open to the target.
Weight remains on the left side throughout the shot.
Many golfers have a difficult time hitting three-quarter pitch shots. Applying a pre-shot routine that is based on feel will help you to knock it close when you’re in-between clubs.
Setting up over a shot from this distance requires that have trust in your pre-shot routine and more importantly trust in yourself. Incorporating a good practice swing with a sense of the proper length and follow through is is the lesson here.
Featured on The Golf Channel, instructor Shawn Clement from the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre in Canada demonstrates exactly how to hit a 40-yard pitch shot that is found so often during a normal round of golf. It’s an “in-between” shot, but one that you can easily accomplish with a little practice.
The possibility of knocking it stiff is greater than doubt. If you have trouble with this shot or your confidence over this shot, contact me and I’ll get back to you directly.
Most of us have to admit that we obsess over scoring. It doesn’t matter how good or poorly we are playing because outcome thinking simply exisits for all of us. I don’t need to go into the negative affects of what happpens because we already know. The question is this: how can we learn to play without being obsessed with how well we are playing?
Acceptance
We must accept that it is not in our nature to be free of outcome thinking. On the basis of this, the solution is that we will give up all attempts to pretend that we can. We must accept this as a truth of who we are. From this acceptance, we are freeing the spirit within us to begin to flow so that we have the chance to play to our potential.
We surrender and accept that we are not golfers without concern. We are not machines without feelings who play golf. It is only when we can admit our utter powerlessness that we can have this acceptance. This is humility. It is the most powerful friend any golfer can have and the very thing that gets us through the firey trials of an obsessed group of golfers like us who desperatly need to shoot a good score.
