How many times have you seen on TV where a PGA pro is hitting a shot, and his distance control is incredible? You wonder how they can be so accurate with an iron club in their hands.
Well, first of all, they are hitting the ball very solidly, and this helps if you are to control your distances. Solid ball striking comes from good impact conditions.
Good impact conditions would include:
-- Hands ahead of the clubhead at impact.
-- 80 percent of the weight on the left side at impact.
-- A swing path that is slightly from inside the target line.
-- A clubface that is square to the target line.
If these fundamentals are met, then there is a good chance you will hit the ball solidly and have pretty good distance control.
Most amateurs come up short of the pin when they are dialing in their short shots. Maybe this is an ego thing but I just continue to see amateurs using too little club when hitting their approach shots into the green.
Very seldom do I hear the amateur say, "I am going to choke down on a 5-iron and make a three-quarter backswing to keep the ball out of the wind. I guess this is called shot-making."
Generally I hear them saying, "I am going to make a full turn on this one and see if I can get a 6-iron to the hole." Just bad thinking.
Golf course designers put things in the way of amateur golfers because they know that the amateur, in most cases, will not go for the opening, but will go right at the target. For example, why would the designer put a bunker right next to the green on the left side? Now, the golf course superintendent comes along, and puts the pin on the far left side. They are both hoping you short-side yourself, and pull your ball to the left where you have no green to work with on your chip.
Professionals are masters of distance control for four reasons:
-- They are able to control the distance of the shot by the length of their swing and the amount of their backswing turn.
-- They generally hit the ball solidly.
-- They control their downswing with the speed of their downswing body turn, which allows them to have minimum hand action through impact.
-- They are able to control the overall speed of their downswing tempo.
My best advice for better distance control for most amateurs is take one more club than you think you need, and then try to swing it at 75 percent of your full speed. This will produce more solid shots and better distance control.
(Dr. Jim Suttie, 2000 National PGA Teacher of the Year, is available for lessons at Suttie Golf at The Club at Twin Eagles North Naples, Fla. and Cog Hill Golf Club, Lemont, Ill. Suttie is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and rated No. 15 in Golf Digest Best 50 Teachers. Suttie also is the director of golf operations for the Florida Gulf Coast University golf program. Contact him at Jmsuttie@aol.com)
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