Golf Digest South Africa - Sept/Oct 2025

TWO-MINUTE CLINIC

Time for a Jailbreak

Trust me, you’ll need the punch shot at some point BY KATIE DAHL

YOU GOT YOURSELF IN A bit of trouble, and you might be tempted to try a hero shot

to recover. Most of the time, that’s a bad idea. Instead, you should “punch” your ball back into the fairway. This shot is es- pecially useful when you’re in the trees and can’t hoist the ball up. Punch shots are low flight, low spin and are simply meant to get you back in play – ideally further down the fairway, but getting out of trouble is priority No 1. Here’s how to hit this shot. – WITH RON KASPRISKE

STEP ONE: GET READY TO PUNCH • Choose an iron with less loft (but no lower than a 6-iron) • Play the ball slightly back of centre in your stance • Make sure the clubface is square to your target • Set your sternum ahead of the ball and favour your front foot

PHOTOGRAPH BY J D CUBAN

38 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025

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