Three Ways to Play One Shot
by Dr. T. J. Tomasi, Keiser University College of Golf Senior Faculty and Director of Research
When your ball stops against the first cut of rough just off the green, you’re denied clean contact with the ball due to the intervening grass. To avoid the vagaries of muffled contact, use one of the three specialty shots outlined below:
1) A three-metal adapted as a chipping iron is an excellent choice. The weight and mass of your three-metal head ensure that the club slides through the grass to contact the ball crisply. Raise your three-metal on its toe, close the face and grip down on it with your putting grip. Assume a narrow, open stance and stroke the ball as you would a putt. Expect your ball to hop a little and roll to the hole like a putt.
2) Another solution is to choose a putter and address the ball; so that the toe of your putter aims at the top of the ball – like the toe of a ball-peen hammer. The key to this shot is to strike the ball with a firm tapping stroke, keeping the toe going at the hole during the follow-through.
3) The equator shot provides a third choice. Play this shot by striking the middle of the ball with the leading edge of your wedge. This way, your club face never touches the ball, so you don’t have to worry about the grass getting between your clubface and the ball. To “belly” the ball so that it rolls with a good deal of topspin, use your putting motion with absolutely no wrist action.
Takeaway: when your ball is just off the green, ignore the markings on your clubs and play the shot with the club that gets the job done.
I hover the leading edge of the wedge at the center of the ball because my goal is to ‘top the ball,’ so I never catch any of the grass. I use my putting grip and stroke with very quiet hands.
This shot isn’t as hard as it looks, but it takes a bit of practice because, with all the topspin, the ball rolls farther than you’d expect.
If you’d like to study with Dr. Tomasi and other PGA Master Professionals, contact The College of Golf today.
