In this lesson I am going to discuss techniques and feels that will allow you to control the trajectory of your shots, as well as flighting the ball to accommodate the shot your facing. We often see many of the professionals on tour hit well controlled low trajectory spin shots that have large amounts of spin that capable of grabbing hard or even spinning backwards on their second or third bounce, all executed with little to no divot present on the turf. There is a fantastic article published by Andrew Rice who has researched the numbers and science behind this, I recommend you reading his articles if you are interested in the technical research he has done. You can find the article here; The Science Behind Superb Wedges. The amount of control we have over the trajectory is dependent on the type of lie we have, however in my opinion this is not a dominant or conclusive factor. We are able to control the trajectory through our swing and technique. Throughout my career I have always regarded my short game as a major strength in my game. I always enjoyed practicing and experimenting a variety of shots around the greens from a young age. Looking back these ‘experimental’ practice sessions, I just so happened to open up new ideas and techniques for me to apply to competitive situations. I hope sharing these ideas will give you the information to start controlling your shots better. I recommend you read the previous lessons in this course as they are principles I stick you and will put you at a good understanding for what we are about to discuss. So lets begin…

Choosing Your Trajectory

The first thing about choosing a trajectory is the shot your facing. We want to chose a shot that allows us the best opportunity to get close to the flag yet doesn’t prevent or hinder our ability to execute a well struck shot. Key factors to analyze are;

●   The amount of room we have to play with between the flag and the front edge of the green

●   The amount of spin we can generate from our lie

●   The slope/area of the green we’re landing on

●   Any hazards to contend with (Bunker, Water, Trees etc.)

●   Wind

A good rule of thumb to follow is flight the ball high for a tight pin, neutral, for a middle pin and low for a back pin. This can often take away indecision when choosing how to play a shot, as the course layout can influence the shot required.

Utilize Your Bag

Utilizing the clubs in your bag is the simplest and most effective to control your trajectory with approach shots. Too often I see players of all levels get too one-dimensional and try to de-loft a lob or sand wedge in order to flight the ball lower. This will change the dynamic of the clubs make up and characteristics and consequently present potential issues for striking the ball well and consistently. Refer to the yardage chart you developed in the previous lesson, and trust the yardages and your technique. Don’t be afraid to play a less lofted club with a shorter swing, but be aware this will likely put less the spin put on the ball due to the reduced club head speed. A factor worthwhile taking into consideration when choosing your shot and trajectory. 

Hitting The Low Spin Shot

Follow through position is a key factor I have found when executing this shot. Finishing low, (short) and wide (extended) through the ball will often produce the penetrating low trajectory ball flight, we so often see on tour. A physics term I regularly apply is “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Taking this into consideration, if we focus on a low extended follow through, then the action for our body to get in this position would be to enter the golf ball at a shallower wider angle of attack. This is imperative in order to limit the amount of contact with the turf and allow the bounce to keep the club moving through the ball. Centering our focus on our follow through position give a defined position to commit to, that in turn will influence the motion of the club throughout the downswing. 

The lower and more extended that club can get on the follow through the less active the hands will become. This is another important attribute in performing this shot as keeping the hands quiet through impact will allow the club face to stay squarer to the target for longer, allowing the golf ball to maximize contact with the grooves on the club face. I hear a lot about shaft lean when playing this shot. With this needing to occur at impact to play this shot, I don’t encourage too much, as this will cause manipulation of the the club and likely cause further issues. After practicing keeping the club and the hands low through the ball you will it tough to activate the wrists enough to have a back leaning club shaft.

Club Path and Face Angle

As mentioned in the previous lessons, I prefer to see a square to slightly closed stance at address. I’m not an advocate of setting up open to the golf ball in order to encourage or exaggerate and out to in club path or ‘cut motion’. If we set up open to the target, with the club face slightly flared/open (to encourage the bounce of the club) then not only are we narrowing the contact area of the club face, but also starting to create a strike that works more so from the heel of the face to the upper toe of the club face (Working with the grooves of the club). As opposed to a strike in the center of the face working vertically from the leading edge to the upper grooves of the face (working perpendicular to the grooves). The latter strike will maximize the contact and friction between club face and ball allowing a greater volume of spin to be applied to the ball. I encourage you, when on the practice area to experiment hitting draws with your approach shots. Not by trying to manipulate your technique mid-swing, but to get in a position at address that will promote a draw.

This article has followed techniques and feels I have applied to my game over the years, as well as my students, which has produced results similar to those in article referenced in the opening paragraph. I plan to conduct my own research to explain the science and statistics behind the topics discussed, further, so stay tuned for future updates.