9 Tips to Hit Your Target

By Patrick Kiernan

July 16, 2015

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Photo By: Dylan Coulter

Photo By: Dom Furore

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej

Photo By: Dom Furore

Keep flex in your wrist at impact

According to Sean Foley, a good way to ensure an accurate shot is to maintain flex in one's left wrist. "Flexion means bending the wrist so the palm moves closer to the forearm. That's the magic move that puts the clubface in position to compress the ball and control the trajectory and distance of the shot. To incorporate this into your swing, start practicing it on 50-yard wedge shots until the move feels routine. Then you're ready to take it on the course and start peppering the greens."More: One Move to Better Accuracy, by Sean Foley

Photo By: Dylan Coulter

Focus on acceleration on pitches

Though a common method for controlling distance on pitch shots is to adjust the length of one's backswing, David Leadbetter advocates a primary focus on acceleration. "Instead of worrying about varying backswing lengths, focus on one length -- halfway back, with the left arm parallel with the ground. From there, key on the acceleration factor through impact. For example, if you want to hit a 90-yard shot, think about making a 90-mph swing. If you want to hit it 70 yards, make it 70 mph and so on. Obviously, these speeds are not accurate, but it's a great mental concept for improving distance control based on your pitch shots."More: Hit The Gas To Improve Pitching Accuracy, by David Leadbetter

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Hinge early to hit fairways

According to Ian Poulter, being laid off at the top of one's swing can hinder whether or not the ball hits its target off a drive. "One way I help myself get into a better position is to hinge my wrists early in the backswing. I do it as soon as I take the club back, rather than waiting until I'm nearly at the top of the swing like many golfers do. The early hinge gives me a nice feeling that the clubshaft is pointing where it should at the top. It's one less thing I have to worry about when I have to put it in the fairway."More: Steal My Feel, by Ian Poulter

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Practice with low-trajectory shots

To keep control over where you want your ball to travel, an easy fix is to swing under the wind and improve on low-trajectory shots. In order to do this, according to Jim Flick, "Grip a sand wedge or lob wedge with your left hand only, and position a ball in the middle of your stance. Place your weight fractionally on your left side. Swing the club back so your left arm is close to 9 o'clock. Then swing the club down into the back of the ball. The ground will limit your follow-through. Think hit and hold."More: Hit And Hold, by Jim Flick

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Enhance your visualization methods

According to Jim McLean, people often hit poor drives because they cannot properly visualize the target. To remedy this, McLean advocates making as specific of a target as possible. "One of the best images I use is a ring of fire, like the ones those dolphins leap through at SeaWorld. First, pick a precise spot where you want the ball to land, and then imagine a flaming ring about the size of a Hula Hoop 10 to 20 yards in front of you on that target line. Now all you should be thinking about is threading that flaming ring with your tee shot."More: Narrow Your Focus, by Jim McLean

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Grip down on short irons

In order to hit pitch shots safely onto the green where you want them to, choke up a bit on your irons. According to David Leadbetter, "If you want to hit the ball close consistently with these short irons, grip down about an inch. In most situations, you don't want your short irons to fly too high and balloon -- typically a result of overswinging and trying to hit them too hard. This makes it difficult to control their carry distance, particularly in windy conditions. Gripping down not only helps you make a compact swing, it allows you to better control the trajectory."More: Grip Down On Short Irons, by David Leadbetter

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej

Point your knee to the ball

A poor weight transfer on one's downswing can result in poor contact and a loss of accuracy. To remedy this, according to Tom Watson, "Your first goal should be to complete the backswing. Then you should start down with a slide-turn of your hips as your weight moves to your left foot. You might feel that your right side is taking over and throwing the club at the ball. That's OK as long as your weight is shifting toward the target and your left side is leading … Your right knee should point at or slightly in front of the ball at impact. That shows you've made a good shift."More: Right Knee Power Key, by Tom Watson

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Swing fully on short approach shots

According to Hank Haney, a common mistake among amateur golfers is to not take a full swing on short approach shots like they should. "Make sure you turn your body through the ball -- less aggressively than you would for a full-wedge shot but still a real turn -- and the clubhead moves through with the hips and shoulders, not ahead of them … You regulate distance by the length of your swing and speed of your rotation. With this technique, the consistency and quality of your impact will improve, and you'll be able to predict your landing spot and roll-out distance with much more accuracy."More: No More Blow-Up Holes, by Hank Haney

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Use speed to control trajectory

Hitting the ball lower or higher into the wind can severely affect where a ball lands in relation to where one had aimed. According to Hank Haney, to control trajectory, adjust swing speed. "You can make a shot fly lower by slowing down, either by shortening the swing or choking down on the club. Swinging faster creates more backspin and more height. Another way to do it is to vary your release. The more you extend your arms through the shot, the lower it will go. Letting the club come up more in the follow-through produces more height."More: Control Your Iron Trajectory, by Hank Haney

Photo By: Dom Furore

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9 Tips to Hit Your Target

Shop This Look

Keep flex in your wrist at impact

Focus on acceleration on pitches

Hinge early to hit fairways

Practice with low-trajectory shots

Enhance your visualization methods

Grip down on short irons

Point your knee to the ball

Swing fully on short approach shots

Use speed to control trajectory