Secrets Of The Short Game
LOW PITCH SWING SHORT Here I'm playing a 40-yard pitch shot to a flagstick located just onto a top tier. To hit a low shot that lands short of the slope and runs to the hole, align your sand wedge squarely at the target, and position the ball in the middle of your stance. Take a short, crisp backswing, hinging your wrists but limiting your arm swing ( above). Then make the downswing firm and aggressive, keeping your hands well ahead of the ball through impact so you trap the ball with the clubface. Keep your follow-through short, your hands staying low ( inset). HIGH PITCH ADD SPEED!
High Pitch The flagstick for this shot is farther back on that top tier, and you should consider flying the ball almost all the way to the hole. Start by opening the face of your 60-degree wedge, with the ball off the instep of your front foot. Because you need additional clubhead speed to hit this shot, swing your arms back farther, and hinge your wrists more ( above). Then swing down aggressively, making sure you accelerate through the ball. The longer swing combined with the forward ball position means a higher, fuller follow-through ( inset).
“It was a shot that I struggled with out of the rough this week. I tried to remember some of the shots I hit as a kid in my backyard. I hit it aggressively, and the. Available in: DVD. Phil Mickelson, winner of 34 PGA Tour events, teams with Emmy Award-winning producer-director Terry Jastrow for Secrets of the Short.
Phil Mickelson Secrets Of The Short Game
Expect extra loft and more backspin. LOW RUNNER USE LESS CLUB. If you're chipping uphill or have plenty of green to work with, you want a low, running chip that rolls farther than it flies.
Using your 9-iron, position the ball forward in your stance ( inset). On the takeaway, keep your arm swing to a minimum, and hinge your wrists only slightly. On the forward swing, simply move your hands deliberately toward the target, delivering the clubhead into the ball on a level, shallow angle and keeping the clubhead low into the follow-through ( above). The ball will come off low without much backspin and will roll like a putt.
BITING CHIP PLAY IT BACK. If the green is firm or you're chipping downhill, you need the ball to check up quickly. Choose your 60-degree wedge, and position the ball opposite the big toe of your back foot ( inset).
Make a steep backswing, the clubhead rising abruptly as you hinge your wrists. The downswing will be just as steep, your hands leading the way as the clubhead comes down sharply into the back of the ball. Feel free to take a small divot ( above). Windows 7 home premium pt-pt 32 bits.
Because you delofted the clubface at impact, the ball will come out low-but should bite quickly.Adapted from the new book Secrets of the Short Game by Phil Mickelson. Copyright © 2009 by Phil Mickelson.
224 pages, $29.99. Reprinted with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
A two-DVD set ($49.95) is also available.
About Us Short Game Secrets is the joint venture of John Graham and James Ridyard with the goal of putting together the most complete library of short game instruction via video's and short game schools at various locations around the world. The Team: John Graham is a full time putting coach on the PGA and LPGA Tours. He travels world wide to speak at seminars and workshops to help educate players and other professionals on putting. A two-time recipient of the Golf Digest Best in State award and the 2016 Western New York PGA Teacher of the Year. Visit for more from John James Ridyard is a full time coach who has spent time working on various tours including European & PGA. A regular contributor in Today’s Golfer, Europes leading golf magazine who travels extensively to consult with players on their full swings and short games. Visit for more from James.