BEST YOUNG TEACHERS
Tight lie? No problem Nip it clean and stop it quickly from the fairway BY JASON SEDAN
FROM A TIGHT FAIRWAY LIE, such as the one pictured above, the first thought that
the clubhead and the ball. Most golfers get that part right – their backswings are plenty long enough. Where they strug- gle is on the follow-through. Instead of keeping their body moving through the shot, they completely stall out and the club crashes and digs into the ground, leaving behind a beaver-pelt-sized divot. There are other contributing factors to the dreaded chunked pitch, such as an excessively forward leaning shaft at im- pact, but the primary culprit is the lack of any body rotation on the forward side of the swing. Without it, the club is al- most certain to dig, and the ball is likely
comes to many golfers’ minds is: Please don’t chunk this! Why? Let’s face it, there aren’t many mis-hits more embarrass- ing than laying the sod over the ball, especially so close to the green. The good news is you’re a lot closer to mastering this delicate pitch than you think. When you’re looking to generate stopping power, you need the clubhead coming from a high place on the back- swing because that’s what produces speed and creates more friction between
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JENSON LARSON
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 71
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
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