Peter Boyce and Jason Whitehill
Q. When my ball is on an upslope near the green it goes higher than normal when I use my wedge and is tough to judge how hard to hit it. Any suggestions?
A. Many golfers forget that when they are advancing the ball up a slope, the position the body is in effectively increases the loft of their club. Right handed golfers will have their right foot a lot lower than their left and their normal sand wedge loft of 56 degrees is now probably a lob wedge loft of 60 degrees or more. One solution is practice and experience while the other is simply to choose a lower lofted club to maintain your normal short shot height. This may result in using an 8 or 9 iron rather than your normal sand or pitching wedge. Just make your normal swing and you will have more control. Make sure that you keep your shoulders level with the slope at the address position in order to create the desired ball flight height and be aware that the tendency is to pull the ball to the left of your target
Q. How do we see the hole so clearly on television when I have trouble seeing the hole when my playing partners remove the pin?
A. In all Tour events as well as any major event the inside of the hole is coated with a biodegradable paint. The soil above the cup becomes quite firm with the addition of this product resulting in a nice sharp edge to the cup as well as allowing the television cameras to pick it up during the broadcast.
Q. I am a low handicapper and I am troubled with a pulled wedge shot that seems to come from nowhere. I could be striking the ball perfectly until this moment and when I look up it is already way left of my target.
A. This is a real problem that surfaces with low handicappers. Video analysis usually shows that most have a head position at address was too low and it stayed down too long after ball contact resulting in this pulled shot. So be aware you can keep your head down too long; it and your eyes should flow with your swing.
Q. My friends say I have a good golf swing but I continually lose my balance when I hit the ball. It doesn’t happen in my practice swing so what am I changing?
A. It is probably your spine angle at address that is the variable. When it doesn’t count during your practice swing, you have a tendency of standing taller and swinging smoothly. When it is time to actually hit the ball, the spine angle increases as the golfer wants to get closer to the ball to insure that he or she makes good contact. When you add the centrifugal force of the arms and club to this position, it either throws you forward onto your toes (you) or others straighten up to maintain their balance resulting in thin or topped shots. So try starting with better posture and less spine angle. This coupled with a level hip turn should result in proper balance at the end of the swing. Develop the habit of holding your finish position until the ball lands. This will give you instant feedback on your balance.
For more help with your game – see your PebbleCreek golf professionals.