Recreational golfers tend to take a shorter iron and overswing in an awkward situation when the distance of the approach shot is between two clubs. however, pros do the opposite. they never take the more lofted club as they do not want to overswing.
They always take the less lofted club or a longer club and make a few club adjustments to slightly reduce their carry distance without any swing change or tempo. To hit the shot the correct distance you need to do the same, which is not hard at all.
First, choke down about a couple of inches on the handle of the club and take your normal address position. Gripping down on the handle reduces the clubface loft at impact, making the ball travel on a trajectory that is lower and shorter than usual.
That also means stiffening the shaft, which helps produce lower, thus more controllable shots.
Second, move the ball a few inches back in your stance from where you normally play it. Golfers usually playing the ball in the center of the stance need to move it a couple inches back toward their right foot.
Finally, slightly flare out your left foot. that shortens your backswing and facilitates getting your bodyweight left, which is essential to produce a low shot. A low shot is always easier to control than a shot that flies high.
Now, all you have to do to hit the correct distance is simply make a smooth, normal swing, focusing your mind on the target.
Once you learn to make proper adjustments for perfect distance, you’ll never get embarrassed even in a difficult situation when a full swing with one club will send the ball too far and a full swing with the other will leave you short.
Another crucial weapon you need to be equipped with to get your game to the next level is to learn to make a punch shot.
Nobody can make perfect shots every time they swing; sometimes, your ball will stop in the woods, making it necessary for you to hit the ball low under the branches of the sprawling trees.
However, you don’t have to worry about the difficult situation once you learn to hit a punch shot, which flies with a trajectory that is lower than normal and stops with more spin than a shot that is made with your full swing.
The punch shot is also a perfect choice in a situation when you have to hit into a headwind. Its lower trajectory gets your ball to travel without ballooning, thus preventing it from falling short of the green.
Hitting a punch shot with any iron in your bag, your goal needs to be squaring the clubface to your target through impact with the majority of your bodyweight on your left leg.
Also important is to make a smooth three-quarter swing, along with proper pre-swing preparations.
Position the ball slightly back of your center and forward press your hands so they are in front of the left thigh. Set about 70 percent of your bodyweight on your left foot as you should do at impact. that also keeps you from making a full backswing.
Once you make a, say, 70 to 75 percent backswing without any weight shift to your right foot, just turn back your body toward the target by using the big muscles of your hips and torso.
It is very important to keep your wrists firm. Avoid getting handsy! It’s essential to keep your left wrist firm at impact, with your hands ahead of the club head as they were at address.
Also, keep the club head low to the ground after impact and during the follow-through. that makes it easier for your left wrist to lead the club head through the impact area.
A good way to be sure that your weight is forward at impact is to practice hitting balls with your right heel off the ground. that also stops you from shifting your weight to the right side on the backswing, helping you keep more of it on your left foot at impact.
It’s a good idea to do the same for your practice swing prior to playing a punch shot on the course.