How to get a pure strike from every lie

It's one thing to pure it off a range mat or a perfect lie in the middle of the fairway, but you're really not playing good golf until you can hit good shots from the tough lies. I'm talking about when your ball is sitting in the rough, or when it's in a depression like a divot hole, or when the lie is bare or super tight. Knowing how to handle those situations will make you a better player because, let's face it, more often than not your ball isn't going to be sitting pretty.

In this week's Coaches Corner I'm going to walk you through the adjustments you need to hit it solid with your irons from anywhere. But first, here's a good swing thought to improve your iron play: Feel like the club is moving just above the ground for as long as possible during the follow-through. It's something I've been working on that will help you too, especially if you try to help the ball up with a scoopy swing. Let the club do the work instead.

I had a think and have given tips on 3 of the most common lies we get during a round of golf, hopefully they will help you when you next play...

1) The deep stuff: Make a stronger pivot around your front leg

Most amateurs I play with don't have enough swing speed to power the ball out of the rough. They need more loft, so a 5-iron is probably not a good club selection. They also need to get their weight more on the front foot as they swing down. The death move is to try to lift the ball out by swinging off your back leg. That puts too much grass between the club head and the ball. Instead, as you swing down, feel like your front leg is a super sturdy post, and pivot your body around it. This will produce a more vertical swing path to hit the ball solidly. Expect it to come out lower with less backspin.

2) Bare lie: Put the club on the back of the ball

When there's no cushion of grass under the ball, I've seen a lot of amateurs freak out. Don't! This shot is not that demanding if you remember one thing: Give the back of the ball a smack with the club head. That means your club should ride along the ground a little longer through the impact zone, taking a thin divot after the hit. A great drill I like to use when teaching this swing is to tee a ball 1/16th of an inch off the turf and have students try to shear the head off the tee with a 7-iron. If they do it, the ball takes off like a rocket. Decapitating an imaginary tee under the ball also is a great image to use on the course.

3) In a crater: Lead with the shaft

Whether it's a hole from a divot or some other type of depression where your feet are slightly above the ball, I'm hoping your instincts kick in, and you realize you can't "lift" it out of this lie. You've got to hit down on the ball. In fact, I teach some students how to use longer clubs by having them hit balls out of these lies. A good thought for this shot is to have the shaft leaning toward the target as you strike the ball.

Try these tips out during your next round and let us know how you got on, for further help please come in the shop and have a chat with myself, Jack or Glenn who are more than willing to help you improve your game.


 

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I took one out to play on Tuesday and I must admit I was impressed by the balls performance, I expected them to feel firm however they felt nice off the clubface and I even worked out that I gained around 5 yards an iron (I normally use a Pro V1), the only slight negative I could find with the ball was that on occasions there was what I would describe as a "clicky" sound from the strike but that is simply due to the balls matte finish. Around the green I was extremely impressed by the feel and control the ball gave me and coincidence or not I had one of my best games (stat wise) for up and downs and also total putts taken.

I would recommend these to golfers of ALL abilities as they would benefit every aspect of your game, plus....It's pretty cool teeing up a bright blue ball on the first tee!!

Don't just take my word on them, click here and see what Bubba says about the Volvik ball.

Why not try one for your next round? A premium ball for £3.50 or 3 for £10 (no brainer!)


Pro's day

There are still some places available for the highly anticipated pro's day!

Saturday, 8 July!

Great day, followed by a great evening.

Book now!