I have put together a personalized yardage book for you to fill in and pay very close attention to! Brooks Koepka is now the number 1 ranked golfer in the world. He has his distances written down for him to remember all the shots he has at his disposal. If he doing it... so should we!!!!
Knowing your distances is one of the most important parts of your game. You do not need a high level of skill to pull the right club and hit it a certain distance. Sure, solid ball striking and good swing fundamentals plays a role but the worst thing you can do is hit a pure iron shot, hunting down the flag stick only to see if fall 10 metres short of your target purely because you chose the wrong club.
The Full Swing Page.
When people think of their distances, they usually think of THAT shot where all the stars align and the ball was struck soooo crisply and that becomes the 'stock' yardage for that club! I would call that distance the 'max' yardage you can hit the club. I would very rarely attempt to max out a shot instead going for the 'real world' yardage of the 'full' distance. Sure I could hit my 7 iron 153 when I am giving it all I have but 145 is my true distance. It is a dint to my ego knowing I can actually hit it further but am better suited to make a controlled swing and take an extra club. Knowing I will walk off the hole with a better score by not trying to hit my max distance is a powerful thing that I see lots of players fail at!
I really like players developing a 3/4 swing shot to give the player a great chance to make solid contact. The key to playing this shot is to maintain the same swing rhythm but just reduce some speed accumulators to create a shorter distance:
- Feet closer together
- Grip down
- Reduce wrist hinge
This can create a lower than normal ball flight and gives you added versatility in windy conditions and is a lower risk shot to help hit more greens.
The Wedge Page.
That awkward distance where it is not quite a short chip and not a full swing- Having a strategy for this range is paramount, no matter the handicap bracket. The strategy I employ is to generate a shot where you control where your hands and arms swing to. Symmetrical distances back and through can help control club head speed and stop that rush of blood to the head where you swing too fast. The different swing lengths are as follows:
- Hip to hip
- Chest to chest
- Shoulder to shoulder
- Full swing
Documenting an average distance from these set heights can really finish off a great drive with a birdie or get out of jail with a par! I like to start off with one club - usually a 56degree wedge or sand wedge loft. 60 degree I try to stay away from as the flight is too high and too high risk as a stock shot option.
Introducing fade and draw distances is for highly skilled players and ads an important dimension to their ability to make more birdies with wedge in hand- A key category for people trying to break 70.
WANT TO GET YOUR PERSONALIZED DISTANCE GAPPING SHEET?
Head over to my shop to purchase your distance gapping sheet with instructions on how to best get your distance averages.
Your purchase will be GREATLY appreciated and will give you great karma on the golf course!!!!
Use the promo code: 'knowyourdistance' for a massive 90% OFF !!!
Jack Macleod.