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 Patient: Male Age: 44 Current Handicap: Shoots mid to high 80s Lowest Handicap: Current Plays: About twice a month Practices: Before rounds The symptoms: I’m not sure how hard to swing when playing shots into the wind. Conversely, I love playing shots downwind because of the added distance, but I tend to hit a lot of shots over the green even though I’m hitting a much shorter club. Also, what do announcers mean when they talk about two- or three-club winds? Dr. Golf’s prescription: The announcers are referring to the distance the wind will add or subtract from the normal ball flight. If the wind is against you, then a two-club wind means you’ll need to hit two more clubs than normal to get the same distance. The other option you have is to keep the trajectory low by hitting a punch shot. Play the ball back in your stance about 2 inches, have your weight favor your front leg (about 60 percent), take an extra club or two and grip down a couple inches. Make a three-quarter-length backswing and follow through, keeping your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact. You may have trouble getting the downwind shot to go the right distance because of the reduction in backspin. Downwind shots will not only fly much farther than normal, but they will roll more once they land. Patient: Male Age: 32 Current Handicap: 10 Lowest Handicap: 7 Plays: About once a week Practices: Rarely The symptoms: I like to line up my putts off my back foot. My friends tell me I’d putt better if I lined the ball up off my front foot. Is there any technical reason why I shouldn’t line my putts off my back foot? I don’t think I putt badly from my current setup, but if making the switch will help me putt better, I’d be for it. What are your thoughts? Dr. Golf’s prescription: I think this is one of the times you want to listen to your friends. Playing the ball toward the back of your stance will cause you to hit down into your putts, making the ball skid and bounce off the putter face. Instead, try playing the ball 2 inches forward of the center of your stance. This ball placement will help you hit the ball on the upstroke, putting the maximum amount of topspin on your ball. The more pure topspin your putts have, the more they will stay on line and go in the hole. Dale Abraham is the director of instruction at the PGA of Southern California Golf Club. He can be reached at (877) 742-2500 or swingmd@yahoo.com. |
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