The 10 Most Wanted Shots In Golf

By Peter Morrice

November 26, 2013

THAT PERFECT DRIVER DRAW

Before you start posing your finish and twirling the club like a tour pro, you need the shot that merits it: a high, booming draw off the tee that runs like a scared rabbit. JARED ZAK, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, says there's a shortcut to this picture-perfect drive."Most golfers have heard that a draw results from swinging down on an inside path," Zak says. "That's true, but that visual can cause you to swing the club back way to the inside, the arms and body going back all at once. Problem is, if you get too far inside, you'll lift your arms to get to the top, and that makes it hard to obtain the inside path coming down."The answer, he says, is a better sequence of movement on the backswing. "Swing the arms away first, directly away from the ball, and let the momentum turn your body. That creates resistance, which in turn helps drop the arms and club onto a lower plane that makes the inside path—and a powerful right-to-left flight—easier to create."—Guy Yocom

GOING UP?

Talk about frustrating. You hit a good approach that funnels down to the bottom level of a two-tiered green—with the hole up top. You hit your first putt a little too soft, and the ball runs out of gas on the hill and rolls back down to your feet. So what do you do next? You rap it so hard that it ends up on the back fringe. Now you're fighting to not make double."It's all about distance control. You have to mentally flatten the slope," says STEWART CINK, who once went 351 holes on tour without a three-putt. Here's an image Cink uses when he's putting from the bottom tier to the top: Think of the green as if it's a rug that's bunched up by the hole. The hole might be 25 feet away, but if you pulled the rug taut, that distance would be, say, 30 feet. So instead of hitting a 25-foot putt, hit a 30-footer. You'll get the first one up the hill, might even roll it in for bird.—Ron Kaspriske

HOW TO MAKE IT BITE

The usual high-percentage, low-drama strategy around the greens—play the ball low and let it run to the hole—is totally sensible. But sometimes you need a bit more zip. Literally. Tour players deploy a penetrating, high-spin wedge shot that hits, hops and quickly puts on the brakes. If you have a wedge with fresh grooves and a tour-caliber ball, you can play this shot."The first thing to remember is that spin comes from clean contact on the face," says Golf Digest 50 Best Teacher RANDY SMITH. "Don't just try to bash down hard to create more spin. If you hit the ground before the ball, you'll actually produce less spin." Smith says the trick is to set up with the ball just behind center in your stance, make a controlled, shoulder-height backswing and clip the ball clean with a firm left wrist. "Ball first, then ground," he says. "You don't have to take a big pelt of a divot, either. Feel as if you're striking a match right at the ball, and make an abbreviated finish." That's how to put some chomp on it.—Matthew Rudy

PHIL'S PHAMOUS PHLOP

"Holy crap!" said Tim Mickelson, as his big brother, Phil, on only his third try hit a flop shot over their parents' house, onto the backyard putting green, into the hole.Even as a kid, Phil had a nose for the sensational. Tim, who's now the golf coach at Arizona State, still uses his brother's advice for hitting the flop: "One pointer I always think of: Make a confident, aggressive swing." Other tips were to let the lie dictate the setup. If the ball's on a tight lie, set most of your weight on your front foot—less if it's in fluffy grass. Also, open the clubface quite a bit, and try to bottom out the swing under the ball. "Any lifting or quitting on the shot, and you'll blade it," Tim says."Phil can pull it off, take the risk and flop it close more than most players can." Oh so true. Maybe we should start in the back yard, too.—Jeff Patterson

3-WOOD OFF A TIGHT LIE

You just hit a career drive and now have a real chance at reaching your first par 5 in two since New Kids on the Block were actually new—and kids. One problem: You can't get a 3-wood up in the air off a tight lie. Golf Digest Teaching Professional JOSH ZANDER can help.Zander says you need a 3-wood with a shallow face and low center of gravity (ask your pro). That club's designed for shots just like this. Make a few practice swings next to the ball and note where the swing bottoms out. Zander says if the club's not scraping the grass in front of the ball's position, make more practice swings imagining the ball slightly farther back until you get that swing bottom in front."Make a sweeping motion where the club touches down after impact," he says. "You don't want a deep divot, but you gotta brush some grass."—RK

THE SOFT DROP

Going for a tucked pin and just missing can leave you with a very short but very tough chip. And if your ball is buried in rough, your chances might seem bleak.NICK PAEZ, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, says to use your most lofted club and lay the face wide open. Then take your grip and aim slightly to the left to compensate for opening the face. Make sure the handle of the club is slightly behind the ball at address, and lean your upper body toward the target—this will steepen the club's angle of attack.Paez says trying to hit a touch shot with your hands can yield unpredictable results, so use your big muscles by rotating your body through the shot. "You're not really hitting the ball, you're hitting the ground behind it. The bounce pops the ball in the air." Relax, and let the design of the club do its job.—Keely Levins

THAT HIT THE SPOT

The perfectly flushed iron shot and soaring ball flight that results is downright addictive, which is why players continue to grind away at practice ranges worldwide. But ANDREW DAWES, director of instruction at the Hershey (Pa.) Golf Collection, teaches an easy way to hit the sweet spot more often."On the takeaway, keep the knuckles of your left hand facing the ground as you start the club back," Dawes says. "Then, as you hinge your wrists, feel as if the heel of the club moves ahead of the toe. That will bow your left wrist slightly. Maintain that bow all the way to the top, and keep it bowed during the downswing and through impact."Dawes says creating the wrist bow early might lead to a slightly closed clubface and a hook—at first. "If that happens, just weaken your grip slightly by turning your hands a little more toward the target on the handle at address. You'll deliver the club with a square face and compress the ball like you won't believe."—GY

UP + OVER = OUT

Stuck in a deep bunker staring at a big wall of sand? VIRGIL HERRING, a Nashville-based instructor, says the key to getting out is having the face wide open at impact—so start with it that way. "Set up with the shaft tilted back, the ball about middle, and your back knee kicked in so your weight is forward," Herring says. "Set your bottom hand in a palm-up position—that pre-sets the open face. Then, take the club back three-quarters and accelerate through the sand. Keep that palm-up position from setup to the finish." The face will stay open throughout the swing, so you don't have to try to open it at impact.Herring also says picture the clubface as a mirror and "see" your reflection when the club finishes—at about waist high. This proves you've kept the face open and abbreviated your follow-through to produce a short, high bunker shot.—JP

SEEING-EYE BALL

It's an anxious situation that can make any golfer cringe. You just flared your tee ball into the right woods, and now you've got trees in your way—and a big number looming. Avoid flashbacks of Kevin Na carding a 16 on a par 4 at the 2011 Texas Open, when he couldn't get out of the timber.LUKE BENOIT, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, says not only can you get out, but you can reach the green. "A low fade with a middle iron will thread the trees and curve up the fairway," he says. "Open the face, then take your grip. Set up open to hit the fade. Your swing path needs to be out to in, so take some practice swings and check that your path is going left." Once you pick your route, step in and go. You'll avoid disaster and prevent your buds from saying, "He pulled a Na."—STEPHEN HENNESSEY

THE TAP-IN

Tape-measure tee shots and towering approaches are always enviable, but peek into the dark recesses of most golfers' minds and the ultimate most wanted shot is the tap-in. Whether it's for birdie, par or even an "other," it means your work on the hole is done. It means you don't have to try anymore. And according to noted putting coach DAVE STOCKTON, therein lies the lesson. "Tap-ins feel good because you're sure you're going to make them," Stockton says. "That positive, confident mind-set is one you want for every putt. Pick a spot in front of your ball on your target line, go through your routine and just worry about rolling your ball over that spot. Do that, and you'll start putting with tap-in confidence. The results will take care of themselves."—MR

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