Tee it High and Let it Fly

Jack Nicklaus once said "through the years of experience I have found that air offers less resistance than dirt".  Another golf quote is "tee it high and let it fly".  So what does this mean....

Don't tee it low:

As a general rule, when hitting a wood, you will want to tee the ball so that when you rest your club on the ground behind the ball, half of the ball extends above the clubface.  What this allows is, like Jack said, you can hit the ball while not hitting the ground which will provide you with better contact.  

When to tee it different heights:

Teeing the ball slightly lower will provide a lower shot trajectory and will generally favor a "fade" shotshape.  Teeing the ball higher will generally give a higher trajectory and promote a "draw" shape.

So tee it high when:

• You are hitting with the wind to take advantage of a high ball flight
• You need to hit a draw

So tee it low when:

• You are hitting into the wind to utilize a lower trajectory
• You need to hit a fade

If you're looking to hit the dreaded straightball here, then tee it a normal height and swing away.

So hit the links, make more birdies, and No More Bogeys!  

Advanced Chipping: The Flop Shot

In stark contrast to the previously discussed "bump and run" style chip, the flop shot is where you want to land the ball close to the flag and have it roll very little or not at all.  The flop shot is a shot that arcs very high up into the air and lands softly, which is useful for when you have to hit a short shot but also need to clear a hazard such a a bunker or water.  This is not an easy to hit shot and therefore shouldn't be used as a default chip, but should only be used when necessary.

When to hit it:

When you are:

• Within 20 yards of the green
• Have a good lie
• Need to carry a hazard or the green is very undulated

How to hit it: 

Hitting this shot require a very lofted club (either your 56 or 60 degree wedge) and a very open stance.  You will want to make your stance nearly 45 degrees open and swing the club much like you would a bunker shot.  Make a steep and severe outside to inside "cut" swing making impact with the point in the ground just below the ball.  Here is why this shot is difficult.  You need "sweep" the club under the ball, without making a divot and without hitting the ball thin.  That makes this shot extremely difficult to execute from a tight fairway lie, but still possible.  If you miss thin, the ball will come out too low and hard, sailing over your target.  If you miss fat and catch the ground, the shot will still give you the trajectory you are looking for, but will end up woefully short.

Points to consider:

This is definitely not a shot you want to take a firm grip on (even though you may be so nervous that gripping the club firmer is natural).  You need the loose grip to allow that "sweeping" motion at impact so your wrists can move instead of staying tight.  

As this is a very difficult shot, be sure the situation calls for it and there isn't another safer option you can take.  Be sure to practice this shot considerably before attempting it during a round, or else you might be blading the shot into your cart!


So hit the links, make more birdies, and No More Bogeys!

Basic Chipping: the bump and run

We've all seen Phil Mickelson and his around the green antics, throwing balls way up in the air and stopping them on a dime.  For most shots for the average golfer, this is not only impractical but will ultimately cost you strokes as the margin for error on these type of shots is so small.  The safest method of chipping in most cases is what is called the "bump and run" chip.  The idea is to keep the ball as close to the ground as possible and let the ball roll to the hole as opposed to flying it to the stick.

When to hit it:

The "bump and run" is a chip that I use quite frequently due to its ease of hitting and ability to get the ball close to the hole on a very consistent basis.  As a general rule, I will use this style chip as my default chip unless any of the following conditions are met:

• You have to carry a hazard such as a bunker or water
• The green is extremely undulated
• You are more than 10 yards from the green

If none of these conditions are met, I will attempt a bump and run.  If any of these are what you find yourself facing, you will want to try a different style of chip (to be discussed in a later post).

How to hit it:

So now that you when when to hit it and the benefits it provides, lets discuss how to hit it.  You will want to select a club that allows you to land the ball just onto the edge of the green with the minimum amount of loft.  This will generally be between a 6 through 9 iron (using the 6 iron for the chips when extremely close to the green moving back through the clubs to a 9 iron when between 8 and 10 yards from the green).

The stance for hitting this chip is extremely important and what largely contributes to the inherent consistency of the chip.  You will want to take a very narrow stance (almost to the point where your feet are touching each other).  Then open your stance so that your lead foot is approximately 30 degrees open.  You will want to play the ball in the very back of your stance, in line with your back foot.

Next, choke down on the club by about an inch and keep your hands forward of the club-head to de-loft the club by a few degrees.  This will allow you to keep your wrists firm through impact and allow you to make firm solid contact with the ball without having to take a big swing.  Gauge how hard you think you would have to hit a putt to get the ball to the whole from the distance you are chipping.  Add a small ammount to that, and with your hands in front of the ball, make a putter-like swing.  The ball should pop off the club much higher than a putt would from that distance, but should then roll like a putt once it hits the green.

Other things to consider:

You will want to whenever possible attempt to land the ball on the green as opposed to in the rough or on the fringe.  The green provides a far more consistent and reliable first (and most important) bounce to get the ball rolling towards the hole.  Along the same lines, try to land the ball on a relatively flat portion of the green to prevent the ball from "shooting forward" when landing on a downhill slope or "dying" when landing on an upslope.

Don't forget to read the break in your chip.  Since the ball will only be in the air for a short time and predominately rolling like a putt, make sure you read the green and compensate for the break as you would for a putt.

So hit the links, make more birdies, and No More Bogeys!

No More Bogeys: an Intro

No More Bogeys is a site dedicated to helping you to become a better golfer by providing golf tips, advice, and analysis of major golf events. 

So who am I and why should you listen to anything I say....

I've been an avid golfer my whole life and played collegiate golf at a Division I school in South Carolina.  I've been what can be considered a "scratch" golfer for the past 6 years and am looking to impart some of the great teaching that was given to me over the years onto you.  So, without any further delay, let the better golf begin.