A hybrid club is also designed to perform well from a variety of other locations on the golf course. The hybrid can be an effective tool for saving your score from the rough, the fringe, even a bunker. Here are four ways to use your hybrid:
Using a hybrid out of a bunker obviously is dependant on the type of lie you have in the bunker. If you decide that the hybrid is the club to use from the bunker, the proper ball position, relative to your stance, is extremely important. You will top the ball or hit the ball thin, if the ball is too far back in your stance. Conversely, play the golf ball too far forward and the tendency will be to hit the golf shot fat or behind the golf ball.
The correct ball position is to situate the ball between a half-inch to one-inch more towards the center of your stance from where you normally would play your hybrid club. This is to make it easier for you to make contact with the golf ball first. In addition, insure you have a solid base. You will have limited lower body movement during the swing. With a good lie in the bunker, hitting a hybrid from the bunker isn.t much different from hitting a regular golf shot from the fairway.
You hear it every weekend while watching a golf telecast. If you miss a green, you need to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible. Due to the loft of a hybrid club, the golf ball will start rolling very quickly. This makes it easier to gauge how far the ball will roll as it will be similar to a putt.
You will need to choke down on the grip (more towards the shaft) and hold the club with a putting-style grip. The golf stroke then emulates a body-driven putting stroke. You will want to stroke the golf ball and limit any excessive wrist movement. The pendulum stroke will make it a lot easier to gauge your speed and distance leading you to hit the ball more consistently and get up and down more often.
If you end up in light rough on the high side of the hole, do not assume the putt or lob shot are your only choices. There is another option. Use your hybrid. Like the bump and roll, a chip shot from above the hole will do the same. Begin by making sure there's room to get the club behind the ball and the key is in knowing where the ball will begin rolling.
With your hands slightly forward of the golf ball, address the ball like you would a regular chip shot. Place the majority of your weight on your forward side and proceed to chip the ball so it lands in the light rough if needed. The extra momentum of the hybrid will cause the ball to move forward even after hitting the light rough. Remember, the ball will tend to slow the ball down so that it will roll onto the green. Using a hybrid is a safer shot than using a lofted wedge from a downhill lie.
Consider the benefits of a hybrid if your ball lies against the collar. A hybrid has a longer, wider sole that can help push the grass down behind the ball. This makes it easier to create solid contact. In turn, a wedge or putter can easily go underneath the golf ball or get hung up in the rough.
To play this type of a golf shot, address the ball with your putting grip at the end of the golf grip. Again, press your hands forward and place the golf ball in the back of your stance. On the backswing, just cock your wrists to lift the shaft a short distance. Then drop the clubhead onto the golf ball. Unlike the bump-and-run, allow your wrists to hinge slightly to help lift the club away from the collar on the backswing. The ball will pop up for a short distance and roll the majority of the way to the hole. It will be important to read the green.
The connection between golf fitness exercises and the short game often times goes unnoticed. It is usually thought golf fitness exercises help us generate more clubhead speed, add more distance to our drives, hit longer iron shots, and play more consistently from the fairway. In this mix of benefits the short game is often lost when discussing golf fitness. Believe it or not golf fitness exercises can benefit your short game in a big way.
The idea of golf fitness exercises and their benefit to short game play came into focus during a conversation with PGA Teaching professional Christopher Smith. Christopher is a great instructor; he works with Nike Golf, is rated as a top instructor in the Pacific Northwest, and was recently featured in Golf Digest Magazine. Not to long ago Christopher and I filmed a couple of golf instruction videos together. One of the videos was on the short game.
The video we filmed was not your "typical" short game video. Where we instructed you to place your feet here, clubface in this position, hands forward of the ball, etc, etc. It was a much better approach in the video and discussed concepts of the short game. Christopher presented ways to think about short game shots, and processes to improve your short game.
One area he touched upon was how finite of an athletic action chipping and pitching are in the big picture. For example, the muscular strength in the hands, forearms, and wrists are integral parts of the short game. In addition so are the motor skills of the nerves and muscles coordinating the movements involved in such golf shots.
Christopher's question to me in the video was in relation to these exact topics. He flat out asked me:
"Sean, are there golf fitness exercises that can help in the short game? I find as an instructor, physical limitations are showing up in some of my student's short game. This is limiting their ability to perform chips, pitches, and most shots from 100 yards in. What are your thoughts?"
I told Christopher there are absolutely golf fitness exercises that can benefit any golfer's short game. I first discussed the hands, wrists, and forearms. To perform chip shots and pitches the hands, wrists, and forearms come into play. In order to execute such shots consistently and correctly a level of strength is needed within these muscles. If the muscles within these parts of the body are weak and lack endurance, the ability to set the hands where they need to be, and hold the clubface in the correct position can be compromised.
I said the easiest way to correct this problem on a physical level is to implement a series of golf fitness exercises for the hands, wrists, and forearms. These exercises will increase the muscular strength and endurance in these body parts. The end result will be an improvement in their short game on a physical level.
The second problem area indicated by Christopher with his student's short game centered upon the finite motor skills of these shots. These types of shots require a very high level of motor control. Motor control is centered upon the interaction of the brain, nerves, and muscles. It is essentially your brain telling your body what to do, how to do it, and in what order. This is a result of your brain coordinating movements of your muscles through the nervous system. The execution of your brain "telling your body what to do" can be either efficient or inefficient.
If your brain, nervous system, and muscles are operating efficiently, the execution of finite motor control movements such as short game shots are easy. On the other hand, if your brain telling your nerves, and consequently your muscles what to do is inefficient. The execution of finite motor control movements, again such as short game shots will be more difficult.
I told Christopher motor control is the second area in which golf fitness exercises can be of benefit to the short game. The types of golf fitness exercise beneficial to the short game are balance exercises. Balance exercises are a type of golf fitness exercises.
These types of golf fitness exercises incorporate your brain, nerves, and muscles. They have many benefits when it comes to the golf swing. Outside the benefit of creating higher levels of muscular strength and endurance, these exercises assist in motor control.
Let me explain, we understand motor control is the interaction of your brain, nerves, and muscles. The interaction can either be efficient or inefficient. Efficient motor control is good, especially for finite muscular activities such as short game shots. Golf fitness balance exercises "challenge" your nervous and muscular system interaction. Over time as these two systems are "challenged" through exercise they become more efficient. Essentially they operate together more efficiently. Resulting in higher levels of motor control and the ability to execute finite motor skills (i.e. short game golf shots).
So lets summarize this discussion between Christopher Smith and myself. Golf fitness exercises are often overlooked as a benefit to short game shots. The reality is different than many individuals think. Golf fitness exercises can assist the golfer's short game on a physical level. It does this in two ways; golf fitness exercises increase the strength in the muscles involved in short game shots. Secondly, the short game is a finite motor control activity. Golf fitness balance exercises can improve a golfer's motor control abilities, allowing them to execute finite activities such as short game shots with greater ease. Bottom line, golf fitness exercises can benefit every aspect of the golf swing and the amateur's golf game.
Both Max Johnson & Sean Cochran are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Max Johnson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Shopping and Modelling. Max Johnson writes golf articles for . Click to find a. Max Johnson's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Sean Cochran has sinced written about articles on various topics from Yoga Practice, golf fitness and Build Muscle. Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA and 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvemen. Sean Cochran's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.