Golf
is a game of reacting to situations - every
situation is the position of your golf ball
in relation to the flag. Different situations
require a different golf shot, each of which
aim to achieve different things and each
of which require different skills and practice
routines to perfect. In this section we
get to grips with the different shots you
can utilize to navigate your way through
the golf
course and how to improve them.
The
Drive
Your tee shot is the first shot of any
hole and will largely determine the
rest of the shots that you will have
to make on that hole.
The
Fairway Wood Shot
The aim of the fairway wood is to make
our second shot after the tee easier.
However, a common problem is to fat
or thin this shot which results in difficulties
in getting the ball in the air.
The
Fairway Iron Shot
If everything has gone well off the
tee this shot will normally be your
second shot. If you are playing a long
par 4 or par 5 it will involve a long
iron like the 3, 4, 5 or potentially
6 depending on your distance from the
flag.
The
Fairway Bunker Shot
The fairway bunker is a great obstacle.
The hole is still 100 - 200 yards away
and the temptation therefore is to try
a long iron shot as if your ball was
placed on a well shaven fairway, when
in fact it is half buried in sand.
The
Stinger Shot
This shot is the low, punched iron shot
- a specialism of Tiger Woods - and
is called the stinger shot because its
lethal wind-cutting trajectory.
The
Rough Recovery Shot
The
long grass which straddles both sides
of most fairways and forms what is
known as "the rough" poses
unique problems for the golfer which
this recovery shot must overcome.
The
Pitch Shot
This shot is your final approach to
the green. If you watch the Tour Pros
you'll see them lifting their ball and
dropping it within several feet of the
pin every time.
The
Sand (Bunker) Shot
Bunkers or Sand Traps line the majority
of Greens on virtually every golf course
in the world. Your aim is to avoid them
but it is an inevitabililty that you
will need to play this shot and more
often than not it will occur at least
once every round.
The
Putt
By the time you take your putter out
of your golf bag you are on the green
and the hole and not the flag is now
in view. A successful putt combines
the right power with the right direction.
Poor
Golf Shots
A poor golf shot is one that doesn't
result in the effect that it was intended
to have. From a drive you may hit the
rough and with your pitching wedge you
may overshoot the green.
