5 Golf Shots You Must Have
The lob shot.
Arguably the hardest shot in the whole golf game the lob shot is fraught with danger but can reward you with close to the pin birdie opportunities or even up and down par saves. Practice is required as a miss hit will leave the ball in exactly the same place or sixty yards over the green. Set up slightly open to the target with the ball slightly forward in your stance and the club a little open, take a three quarter swing and accelerate through the ball fast, the combination of speed and open club face will pop the ball high into the air with gallons of backspin so it will land softly and stop or even roll backwards a little.
The Pitch Shot.
The shot from sixty to seventy five yards out which can float your ball to the green and roll up to the pin. You can use any wedge for this shot but usually a pitching wedge or sand iron would be selected. This is a wristy shot with not much arm or body movement. Set up with the lower body open but the shoulders and club face square to the target. Take the club back fairly steeply keeping it on plane and only around three quarters of the way back, i.e. you arms should reach a point at where they are parallel to the ground, the down swing is a mirror of the back swing and will finish at about three quarters of maximum so the club shaft will be pointing straight up.
The Bump and Run
A shot played mostly on links courses where there may be a lot of wind but you can utilise it anywhere to keep the ball low beneath the breeze or where you want to just run it up to the green. A low shot is usually safer than a high, lofted shot for most amateurs and the bump and run is a low risk shot. Use any club for this from a putter to a five iron. To play the shot set up square to the target line, place the ball back in your stance and swing in a putting motion with little to no body motion. The length of back swing will affect the distance the ball travels so practice with a few different clubs to get a feel for it. My favourite club is my trusty seven iron and having used it for a few seasons I now have a pretty good idea of the back swing needed to get the ball where I want it.
The Chip Shot
From a few feet off the green or even on the putting surface a good chip shot can be a par saver, allowing you to roll the ball close if not in to the hole. This shot could be described as a jumpy putt as the motion is the same and the idea is to get the ball rolling not flying. This is, like all these shots a feel shot and preparation and practice are required. To play the chip shot stand slightly open to the target and place the ball to the rear of your stance, keep the wrists firm and putt. The trick is to select a club which will give you a short flight and the roll you need to get to the pin. Practice will allow you to gauge this for your swing but as a rough rule of thumb a nine iron will fly approximately as far as it will roll and as you go up the cubs the ratio will change so a seven iron will roll about one and a half times as far as it flies.
