Breaking 90

Mastering impact

By Mike Bender

With Zach Johnson and Ron Kaspriske

Photos By Cy Cyr

July 2007

If you're trying to break 90, you're well past the fear of missing the ball, especially when it's on a tee. But your mechanics need some improvement when the ball is on the ground—particularly from tight lies. Trying to hit a ball off the ground often makes amateurs get tense and brace for impact. The problem is part psychological (hitting the ground is something you need to get used to) and part physical (your instincts incorrectly make you want to scoop the ball into the air). These tips will help your ground game.

Use a bunker to hit better shots from the fairway

When the ball is in a tight lie on the fairway, amateurs often try to scoop it off the turf instead of swinging down into the ball. They also are afraid of hitting the ground and taking a divot. To overcome these problems, practice your fairway swing in a bunker. Draw a line in the sand to represent your normal ball position and make swings with a 5-iron—first with the left hand only, then the right, then both hands. Each time the goal is to make contact with the sand on the front side of the line. Make several passes along the line to get a feel for where the club should contact the ground.

Lower is better

Johnson: "It's much easier to control distance on pitches and chips by hitting lower-trajectory shots into the greens. A side benefit of playing it low is that it will help you make solid contact with your full swing, too. The key to hitting this shot: As the hips rotate toward the target, let the back of your left hand pass over the ball before the clubhead makes contact. The hand and body keep turning well past impact. Don't stop."