Golf Mistakes - Unable to Hit a Lob Shot

Jay Golden: Hi, I'm PGA member Jay Golden, and this series is on common faults and cures. The common fault that I am going to talk about right now, is hitting a ball too low when you are close to the green, when you need a high lob shot. We've all seen it on TV.

A pro is within 10 or 15 feet from the green, the flag is close to the edge of the green, so he might only have a total of 30 feet to the flag. Somehow he takes a pretty full swing that looks like he is going to hit the ball 200 yards, and the ball just goes up in the air, high, soft and lands, rolls very little and ends up close to the flag.

The average amateur takes a 60 degree wedge if they have a 60 degree, sometimes a 56 degree sand wedge. They hold it normally, and they expect to get the height that a touring pro gets. It's impossible, there is not enough loft on your club. The way to hit this shot number one, you don't start out with the club face square at the target, you open it up so that there is almost 90 degrees loft. That club head is almost facing the sky. Number two, you don't hit down on the ball, you slide, you slide under the ball. Allowing the club to have its full loft. And since the club face is open or aiming to the right, you have to aim to the left. Number one: Aim left, number two: Open the club head to the sky, number three: Slide under the ball, and number four: If you are going to swing a little too high into the ball with the possibility of sculling it, and hitting it at a 100 yards on a 30 foot shot, or swinging a little too low where you are going to hit the ground, and still you might be able to get away from the shot. If you are going to swing too high or too low, swing too low. Fundamentals; aim left, open the club face, slide under the ball, and if you are going to be a little too high or little too low, you would be a little too low. And you are going to be able to hit that high loft shot from around the green.

The next segment is on shot putting. Do you have troubles making your shot putts? I am going to show you how to cure that fault.