{"id":402,"date":"2009-09-16T09:46:18","date_gmt":"2009-09-16T16:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=402"},"modified":"2011-03-02T17:16:09","modified_gmt":"2011-03-03T00:16:09","slug":"all-terrain-golf-how-to-hit-the-shots-the-territory-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/golf\/instruction\/402\/all-terrain-golf-how-to-hit-the-shots-the-territory-demands","title":{"rendered":"All-Terrain Golf: How to Hit the Shots the Territory Demands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like any intrepid adventure traveler, today\u2019s golfer should consider local conditions before and during his 18-hole journey.\u00a0 In the same way that you\u2019d think twice about picking up a rock in the desert (scorpions), or stowing that extra chocolate bar under your sleeping bag in the mountains (grizzlies), golfers also need to adjust to the specific dangers of their surroundings\u2014and plan for those hazards before packing their clubs.\u00a0 For example, you probably won\u2019t want the seven-wood in a place where the wind howls, or the flop wedge in Scotland (or even at Bandon Dunes, in Oregon), where the blade is likely to bounce off the firm turf and hit your ball in the forehead rather than cutting underneath it.<\/p>\n

With the traveling golfer in mind, we consulted a few experts in the field\u2014golf pros, that is\u2014to talk about golf shots required by certain locations, and to garner a few tips for taking these challenges on.<\/p>\n

\"ScottWhen asked to describe a golf shot essential to playing in Hawaii, Scott Head, Director of Golf at the terrific Waikoloa Resort, responds, \u201cSince we\u2019ve got a nice breeze out here today, let\u2019s talk about playing in the wind.\u201d\u00a0 After chasing and retrieving his hat, Head explains that most courses in the islands were built with the prevailing trade winds in mind, which is why they\u2019re so playable\u2014at least until you step up to the tee on an upwind par five and your skinny playing partner disappears in a gust.<\/p>\n

Head recommends that golfers headed for his territory learn how to execute a low-running wind cheater.\u00a0 \u201cThe key to playing in the wind is being able to manage trajectory,\u201d he explains.\u00a0 \u201cMost people try to hit too hard to create more club head speed so their ball will penetrate the wind.\u00a0 But golf is a game of opposites; to control the ball in the wind you actually want to impart less spin so the wind will have less influence.\u00a0 You want to keep the ball closer to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head says rule number one is to take more club and swing slower\u2014a three-quarter-speed swing will reduce spin and allow your ball to penetrate the wind, while providing you with more influence over it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrip down two to three inches on the club,\u201d he counsels.\u00a0 \u201cPlace the ball back of center\u2014four to six inches farther back than normal.\u00a0 The big key is to swing through the ball.\u00a0 At impact, the left wrist should be flat and facing the target and the shaft of the club should be leaning forward, essentially delofting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 15th<\/sup> hole on Waikoloa\u2019s Kings Course is an ideal place to show off your new shot.\u00a0 This gruff par three\u2014ranging from 115-165 yards\u2014plays into the teeth of the wind.\u00a0 A large lake guards the front and left of the small green, while several pot bunkers lurk menacingly on the right side.\u00a0 \u201cDistance control is everything here,\u201d Head observes.\u00a0 \u201cFinish low, not high, and hold your position at the left hip.\u00a0 This will result in low ball flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Players venturing south to the desert for a warm, dry early-spring golf trip will face the opposite challenge: how to hit shots that hang in the air longer than Superman showing off for Lois, and that land softer than the final notes of a Kenny G song.\u00a0 Desert courses such as the beloved layouts at Troon North, in Scottsdale, are often target-style, meaning that fairways and greens present lonely islands of grass in harsh desert topography full of cacti, rocks, arroyos, rattlesnakes, and other dangers.<\/p>\n

\"doug-hammer-2009sm\"Doug Hammer, Director of Instruction at Troon North, says, \u201cOut here in the desert the greens are firm and fast and often elevated.\u00a0 They also have false fronts with hazards and heavy bunkering to hit over, so you need to know how to hit the high, soft shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

When trying to launch shots likely to be approved by NASA, Hammer recommends a full swing with the ball positioned forward in your stance.\u00a0 \u201cKeep your lower body quiet.\u00a0 If you slide you\u2019ll catch the ball on an upswing.\u00a0 Try to pinch the ball between the club and the turf and keep the clubface from closing, like on a cut shot.\u00a0 Inside of 100 yards, take less than a full swing with a slightly weaker grip and an open stance. You want to slip the club under the ball and above the turf.\u00a0 Try not to take a divot, and just brush or sweep the grass.\u201d<\/p>\n

The high-flyer may prove especially helpful on Troon North\u2019s Pinnacle course, where the front nine features holes with forced carries over arroyos; or on the second hole of the Monument Course, a par three of approximately 150 yards that plays to a very elevated green with bunkers positioned short and right and a big false front.\u00a0 If you\u2019re short, the ball will roll back down to where you can\u2019t even see the hole.\u00a0 Which, at least, will give you another opportunity to practice the short high shot again.<\/p>\n

In creating the world-class Chambers Bay Golf Course outside Tacoma, architects at Robert Trent Jones II sculpted sandy expanses from a former gravel mine into massive dunes and some of the largest waste bunkers ever designed in golf.\u00a0 One vast Sahara\u2014located between the fourth and fourteenth holes\u2014 sprawls across eight acres.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1923\"Brent Zepp, First Assistant Professional at Chambers Bay, reports, \u201cEvery hole here has ragged, natural sandy waste areas just like in Scotland or Ireland.\u00a0 If you play to the wrong side of some of our fairways, you\u2019ll find some quite demanding shots.\u201d\u00a0 Zepp points out that the difference between waste areas and bunkers is that you can ground your club and take a practice swing in a waste area\u2014so feel free to pound the earth in frustration.<\/p>\n

The seventh hole at Chambers Bay presents a risk\/reward conundrum that can play as long as 508 yards, and about which Zepp says, \u201cWe\u2019re proud of how brutally difficult it is.\u201d\u00a0 Golfers can either hit straight out to the fairway, leaving a tremendously long uphill approach, or cut across the waste area but risk not reaching the fairway 250 yards or more across the sand.\u00a0 If your ball happens to stop for a picnic on the beach, your next shot will be no picnic\u2014at least 175 yards straight uphill, all across waste bunker, to a green 50 feet higher in elevation.<\/p>\n

Zepp\u2019s first tip for hitting out of waste areas?\u00a0 \u201cBe smart.\u00a0 You might have to carry 175 yards of sand to the green, but to the left the fairway may be five yards away.\u00a0 Weigh your options.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not confident in the long shot, just get back to the fairway and play from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you decide that you didn\u2019t come to Chambers to lay up, Zepp advises, \u201cTake a wider stance to give yourself a good base in the sand.\u00a0 You should be square to the target, not open.\u00a0 Play the ball back so that you hit the ball first with a normal swing, and make sure to accelerate through the shot.\u00a0 You\u2019re not trying to lift the ball out of the waste area\u2014you want to hit down on the ball and make contact with it first, which is what will make it come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zepp adds that club selection is also important.\u00a0 In case you don\u2019t carry a shovel in your bag, \u201cchoose right by taking more club than you probably need.\u00a0 Too much club won\u2019t hurt you, and you can always choke up.\u201d\u00a0 Zepp suggests that a hybrid is a fine choice\u2014the low center of gravity should help the ball get up and out, at which point you can do the same.\u00a0 Just make sure to empty the sand out of your shoes (and, possibly, your teeth).<\/p>\n

\"CSChristopher Smith, PGA Lead Instructor at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, in Portland, is a different kind of instructor.\u00a0 World speed golf record holder and author of \u201cI\u2019ve Got 99 Swing Thoughts But \u2018Hit the Ball\u2019 Ain’t One,\u201d Smith took an unexpected tack during our consultation, too.\u00a0 He believes the most demanding topography for hitting golf shots is in the mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of where you\u2019re playing, or what the conditions are like, the most challenging shot is always the next shot after a bad one, or the next time you have to hit a similar shot to one you just muddled.\u201d\u00a0 Smith says.\u00a0 \u201c Short term memory loss can be a blessing for playing the shot right after a lousy one.\u00a0 If you miss a short putt early, the next short putt is way harder.\u00a0 If you stub a chip or blade one out of a greenside bunker, the next, similar shot is really challenging.\u00a0 You haven\u2019t lost the physical skill to hit the shot, but there\u2019s mental interference with performing the way you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Case in point: the fifth hole at Pumpkin Ridge\u2019s Witch Hollow course.\u00a0 During the 2003 US Women\u2019s Open, one contender came to the short par three and after splashing her first tee shot in the water, hit her next shot in the same place.\u00a0 How to avoid a similar fate?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing,\u201d Smith recommends, \u201c is change the tool.\u00a0 After a bad shot, a club has bad chi, or energy.\u00a0 Take a different club.\u00a0 If you take more club, grip down on it and swing easier.\u00a0 If you take less club, swing more aggressively.\u00a0 Better players can also choose to hit a different shot\u2014if you muffed a high draw, try to hit a low fade.\u201d<\/p>\n

But according to Smith, the challenge has far less to do with the club or the shot then the thoughts in the players mind.\u00a0 He advises, \u201cDon\u2019t think too much about the swing or what went wrong.\u00a0 Don\u2019t slow down, either\u2014I\u2019d actually suggest playing less<\/em> deliberately and following your instincts.\u00a0 My instructional book is based on my own speed golf experiences\u2014faster means less consciously and more intuitively.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStay in the present,\u201d Smith says.\u00a0 \u201cWhat negatively affects the next shot is that your mind wanders.\u00a0 You<\/em> are in the here and now while your mind is in the past or future.\u00a0 Do whatever you can to distract your mind and keep it in the now\u2014talk to your playing partners, or practice deep breathing while counting\u201d<\/p>\n

One last thing.\u00a0 \u201cThe reason the next shot is hard is that we fear failure,\u201d Smith concludes.\u00a0 \u201cSo ask yourself \u2018what\u2019s the penalty if you do miss?\u2019\u00a0 Why is there so much fear?\u00a0 How important is the shot, really, and how bad are the consequences for failing\u2014will there only be peace in the Middle East if you succeed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Smith\u2019s fresh approach to instruction on his CD Better Golf, or on his website, ChristopherSmithGolf.com.<\/p>\n

With these four golf pros in your corner, and their specific tips in your golf shot arsenal, you should be ready to take on the specific challenges presented by a variety of different golf terrain (although we still recommend against playing across an active volcano).\u00a0 If your own golf adventures confront you with shot requirements not covered here, all our pros offer private lessons\u2014or consult a local pro for emergency instruction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like any intrepid adventure traveler, today\u2019s golfer should consider local conditions before and during his 18-hole journey.\u00a0 In the same… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3913,3916,4907,5048],"tags":[710,73,5742,5743,5744,5745,5746,5747,5748,5201,5749,5273,3005],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-instruction","category-scottsdale-cvb","category-kempersports","category-oregon-golf-assoc","category-alternative-golf-assoc","tag-golf-instruction","tag-chambers-bay","tag-waikoloa-resort","tag-scott-head","tag-playing-golf-in-wind","tag-doug-hammer","tag-high-soft-golf-shot","tag-brent-zepp","tag-hit-out-of-waste-area","tag-troon-north","tag-christopher-smith","tag-pumpkin-ridge","tag-mental-game"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2009\/09\/CS-head-shot.JPG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":404,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions\/404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}