Tiger Woods shot a 3-over 73 in the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship to go 5-over on the tournament and missed the cut at Bethpage Black. PGA.com … PGA of America
You don’t have to be Tiger Woods to have a great short game you just have to put in a little practice and do a few drills.
Ted Frick and Stefany King of the Classic Swing Golf School at Legends Golf Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. demonstrate a more modern approach to chip shots.
Pitching Club Selection and Loft !
Golf lesson and golf tips on understanding club selection and loft whenever facing a pitch shot.
Club Selection and Loft Pitching Tips – Video Golf Lesson Summary
It is not necessary to hit all pitches using the most lofted club possible, sending the ball on the highest ball flight every time. Instead try to take note of the loft angle for every one of your wedges and the ball flight each produces.
Generally speaking, each degree changes the distance a wedge can produce by around 4 yards. Ideally you will want to limit the gap between the loft of your clubs at 4 degrees. That would create a space of around 16 yards (4 x 4 = 16) in between your clubs.
For example, let’s say a 48 degree (PW) pitching wedge would reach 115 yards. A 52 degree (GW) gap wedge would travel 100 yards. A 56 degree (SW) sand wedge would travel 85 yards. And finally a 60 degree (LW) lob wedge would travel 70 yards.
For pitch shots, practice with every wedge in your bag and take note of the flight path and distance you reach with each. Generally speaking, the higher the loft the higher the ball flight and the less the ball will roll upon landing on the green. But higher lofted clubs tend to be harder to hit from tight lies that are generally found whenever pitching shots.
Therefore, you may find it easier to use a lower lofted club that will travel lower, roll more onto the green but is easier to hit reliably than your flop shot using your lob wedge.
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Fitness Fundamentals for a Better Golf Swing
May 16, 2019
Golf Fitness Fundamentals to get your Game in Gear
The goal of the golf swing is to strike the ball in order to achieve maximum distance with a high level of accuracy. There is a kinesthetic sequence that will allow an efficient and effective golf swing.
All great golf strikers have an identical sequence of generating speed and transferring energy through the kinetic chain. Each segment of the body builds upon the previous segment: lower body – torso – lead arm. The six phases of the golf swing are set up, backswing, transition, downswing, impact and follow through.
The set up position is an athletic address of the ball. Proper balance and grip will lead to consistent swing. Improper set up will lead to re-routing of the club, poor sequencing, and swing faults, poor mobility and stability is common for a bad set up.
Back swing is when you meet the club in the correct position during the back swing the body begins to recruit energy that will be transitioned at the top. Some joints will rotate while some joints will be stable. This will create torque and store energy in the muscle to be released at impact. Difficulty in the back swing are commonly caused by mobility and stability issues.
Transition is when you begin the forward movement your weight shifts from the inside right foot to the inside of the left foot. The lower body moves first and the torso uncoils. This requires a high level of flexibility, balance and strength.
In the downswing the weight shift continues generating torque and the power is transferred from lower body through the body then into the club. The torque is generated from the glutes, legs, and core created by the lower body.
The downswing is complete when impact occurs with the golf ball. A golfer lacking physical strength, power or flexibility will struggle to develop the speed to transfer the stored energy during this phase.
Impact is the part where energy created by the body is transferred into the golf ball. The purpose of impact is to hit the ball in the correct direction. During impact 80-90% of the left foot is supported by the golfer’s weight. The release of hands with correct timing will transfer the power to the club head. You must shift weight correctly to sequence the transfer of energy. Physical limitations such as poor mechanics and improper equipment affect impact. Lack of power will show up at impact to the ball flight and distance direction.
Follow through is essential to the deceleration of the body after contact with the ball. This is completed through the body rotating when the club head is behind the golfer. This requires high levels of flexibility, balance, and strength within the kinetic chain.
