Bad Lies

Feet In Bunker, Ball Out

The key to this shot is to choke down on the golf club far enough—all the way to the shaft—if necessary.

When you set up to this golf shot, imagine you’re making the same rounded golf swing you would if you were playing tee ball. This shot is on the same swing-plane angle.

Before you actually hit the ball, make sure you take plenty of extra practice golf swings to not only find the proper swing plane, but also locate the point where your golf club bottoms out. Don’t hit the sand! [Read more…]

Stripe It

Who says you can’t hit it far and straight?

On the PGA Tour, they call it “Total Driving.” That’s the stat that ranks players according to how far and straight they drive the ball. Currently, Bo Van Pelt is the Tour’s best all-around driver, but there are a number of top-ranked players on his heels, including Zach Johnson, K.J. Choi and this year’s Northern Trust Champ, Steve Stricker (see the sidebar at the end of this story for more on Stricker’s excellent driving). Each man loves to hit his second shot with a short club from the short grass. Then again, who doesn’t? [Read more…]