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    2 Most Common Causes Of Penalty Strokes

    Aside from knocking your ball into a hazard or out-of-bounds area, the two ways most commonly found to pile up the penalty strokes are from lost balls and unplayable lies.

    When you hit the ball in a wooded area on the side of the fairway, and the location is not considered to be out-of-bounds, you can dig around and try your best to find the ball. In doing so, one of the following three things is bound to happen:

    1. You may find the ball and then attempt to hit it onto the fairway.

    2. The ball might be located in an unplayable lie, which means that there is no chance to make a shot. You're only two options are to pick up the ball and move over by two club lengths or hit the ball again from where you originally took your last shot. Either way, you pick up a one-stroke penalty.

    3. The ball may not be easy enough to find, and can be declared lost. This means that you have to go back to the area where you hit your last shot, shoot over, and take a penalty stroke.

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    Overcoming Difficult Shots

    By Foursome | February 13, 2008

    One of the key ingredients to becoming a better golf player and producing targeted shots on the golf course is to have the skill to hit a variety of shots, from different angles, and from a multitude of disaster areas.

    Unexpected circumstances are bound to happen in golf and being able to adapt to these circumstances so that you can make as clean a shot as possible is the hallmark of a good golf player.

    For example, let’s say that you must hit your tee shot to within 125 yards of the green. It is unavoidable, yet there is a low hanging tree branch that is beckoning to deflect your shot, of which you would normally utilize the 7-iron. What would you do in the situation?

    A skilled golfer, whom has taken the time to practice with his clubs and understands the outcome of each swing, would choose to hit the ball at the same distance needed but with far less height. This way the ball will pass underneath the tree branch.

    Choosing the right club for this shot is where it all counts. Instead of using the 7-iron, it would be best to utilize the 5-iron, while lowering the grip about 2 inches, and moves the ball towards the right within your stance at approximately 1 inch.

    The Result

    Gripping lower on the 5-iron club will reduce the distance that the ball will travel. And by playing the ball back within your stance, a lower shot will be generated so that the ball will undoubtedly pass underneath the tree branch. As a result, the shot will travel very close to the 125 yards needed. In addition, the ball will have taken on a lower travel path, thus inducing more roll.

    Many Paths Lead To The Same End

    Let’s be clear on one thing – the above example is just one way to skin a cat, so to speak. Many players in the same situation may have gone another route and utilized a different club to get the ball moving in the same manner. It all boils down to adaptability on the course by knowing your clubs, and knowing them well.

    Take some time to practice. Purposely get your ball into sticky situations and work your way out of them. Try hitting with a 4-iron and use a ¾th swing to get your ball out of a troubled spot. Make the shot with your 3-wood shorter and lower. Use the 8-iron to hit the ball at the same distance that you would with the pitching wedge.

    All of these test swings will come in handy on the course at any given time. By developing the skill of adapting to your game, your arsenal will be equipped with the tools needed to make a great shot out of an unfortunate situation.

    Topics: Fairway, General, Tips & Practice | No Comments »

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