I also need work on the baby chips - the 15 to 25 foot chip - pins located front, middle and back. I need to learn those shots and be able to pull them off to leave me within 1-putt range. Heck, I want to even make a few of those chips and not even bring out my putter.
With these two things in mind - bunker shots and little baby chips - I went to work giving myself 20 minutes with each part of the game. I set the alarm on my phone to go off after 20 minutes.
Sand Play
It is funny to watch golf videos and read golf magazines that illustrate tips and then you go out and try them, but you still can’t get the same result as the pro does - maybe sometimes, but not with any regularity. You practice and practice and practice, but you just can’t figure it out – until all of a sudden you hit a good shot and realize what it was that you did. Often times, the moment of realization includes either a point mentioned in a pro tip that finally becomes crystal clear or some self-discovery that is made that shows you the correct 'way' and how to hit the shot again and again with good results.
Now, the golf swing is made up of thousands of teeny tiny movements and millimeters and milliseconds and to try and write about the perfect way to hit a golf ball might take a lifetime of explanation. However, the major points are always covered and I have found that my own moments of realization have not come from any video or magazine. You understand and mimic the fundamentals, but in order to make consistent, good results, you need to figure it out for yourself. The difference between ‘getting it’ and not ‘getting it’ might be closer than you might think. I feel that this is what I had just experienced while practicing in the sand trap.
Not one video I ever watched or article I ever read told me to keep a strong right hand through the sand.
It’s as if the right hand pushes the club head through the sand. I always had a strong left hand and the right hand came along for the ride - this led to inconsistent results. However, when I use my right hand to 'steer' the club head through the sand, I find the ball pops out of the bunker with minimal effort - as long as you do not decelerate the speed of the club head.
After 3 sets of hitting 14 balls out of the bunker, my alarm went off.
I felt like this was not enough time spent in the sand, but I will say this: where my shots landed in relation to the hole after my 3rd rotation were a heck of a lot closer to the pin than where those shots landed after my first rotation. Nonetheless, I need more work from the sand - especially in order to gauge my distances.
I also have found out something that is true with all golf swings, but it is most true with the bunker shot and chips - and that is keeping a good rhythm, tempo and timing. I will touch upon this in more detail in a later post, but wanted to mention it here. The better the rhythm, tempo and timing, the better the shot.
As this became more clear to me, I started to think about El Debarge and his celebrated 1985 song, "Rhythm of the Night".
Little Baby Chips
Nothing is more true about having good rhythm to produce a good chip shot.
Based on my round Sunday at Balboa, I found that I have the most trouble with little chips - between 15 and 25 feet with a short-sided pin. So this is what I focused on.
I set my alarm again for 20 minutes and set up shop with my 14 balls positioned about 15-feet away from a tight pin location. As I started to take practice swings, I envisioned the ball back in my stance (almost off my back foot) and a nice steady swing. I kept thinking about having a good rhythm.
After I addressed the ball, I would say to myself 'Little Baby Chip' as I swung back and through the ball. The saying 'Little Baby Chip' is 5 syllables but really about a 3 count. Pretty much the 'Little Baby' part was the back swing and the word 'Chip' happened at impact. By saying this with every chip shot, I developed a nice, consistent rhythm and tempo that produced a good, consistent shot - which I truly believe is the key to a good chip shot.
I moved back to about 20-feet and hit my next set of 14 balls. Then I moved back to about 25-feet for the next 14. I knew my time was nearing its end, so I went back to the 15-foot location and halfway thru that grouping, my time was up.
Even though I only practiced for a total of about 45 minutes, I feel that the quality of the practice was great. However, I did feel like it was short on both the bunker and the chips. Nonetheless, I now have more things to focus on next time I practice pertaining to both aspects of the game. On top of that, I now feel more confident hitting both types of shots even with this little amount of practice.
After 3 sets of hitting 14 balls out of the bunker, my alarm went off.
I felt like this was not enough time spent in the sand, but I will say this: where my shots landed in relation to the hole after my 3rd rotation were a heck of a lot closer to the pin than where those shots landed after my first rotation. Nonetheless, I need more work from the sand - especially in order to gauge my distances.
I also have found out something that is true with all golf swings, but it is most true with the bunker shot and chips - and that is keeping a good rhythm, tempo and timing. I will touch upon this in more detail in a later post, but wanted to mention it here. The better the rhythm, tempo and timing, the better the shot.
As this became more clear to me, I started to think about El Debarge and his celebrated 1985 song, "Rhythm of the Night".
Little Baby Chips
Nothing is more true about having good rhythm to produce a good chip shot.
Based on my round Sunday at Balboa, I found that I have the most trouble with little chips - between 15 and 25 feet with a short-sided pin. So this is what I focused on.
I set my alarm again for 20 minutes and set up shop with my 14 balls positioned about 15-feet away from a tight pin location. As I started to take practice swings, I envisioned the ball back in my stance (almost off my back foot) and a nice steady swing. I kept thinking about having a good rhythm.
After I addressed the ball, I would say to myself 'Little Baby Chip' as I swung back and through the ball. The saying 'Little Baby Chip' is 5 syllables but really about a 3 count. Pretty much the 'Little Baby' part was the back swing and the word 'Chip' happened at impact. By saying this with every chip shot, I developed a nice, consistent rhythm and tempo that produced a good, consistent shot - which I truly believe is the key to a good chip shot.
I moved back to about 20-feet and hit my next set of 14 balls. Then I moved back to about 25-feet for the next 14. I knew my time was nearing its end, so I went back to the 15-foot location and halfway thru that grouping, my time was up.
Even though I only practiced for a total of about 45 minutes, I feel that the quality of the practice was great. However, I did feel like it was short on both the bunker and the chips. Nonetheless, I now have more things to focus on next time I practice pertaining to both aspects of the game. On top of that, I now feel more confident hitting both types of shots even with this little amount of practice.
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