Being able to get up and down more often is a vital skill to develop, especially if you’re a relative newcomer to the game. That’s why in this episode of our Game.Improved series, TeeTimeTips founder Nick Dougherty (opens in new tab) was keen to help out one of our readers who wants to take the next step.
All too often, beginner golfers are lured by hitting the driver and they neglect the ‘scoring clubs’. It’s easy to see why this is the case, especially when you look at the new TaylorMade Kalea Premier women’s driver. Gone is the stereotypical and outdated aesthetic regularly seen in women’s clubs, and in is a stylish colour scheme that matches the performance in other areas. It’s a club that’s hard to put down.
However, when it comes to practising, there should always be a balance, as this game has a funny way of testing your weaknesses at the worst moment. For Amanda, that means committing more time to learning how to escape from a bad lie. Luckily, Nick was on hand to assist.
Hit down and accelerate
When it comes to the short game, Amanda was keen for some advice out the rough in particular. It’s a part of the game many people struggle with and Nick identified some common faults in Amanda’s technique. Fortunately, she is still quite new to golf, so it shouldn’t take as long to ingrain better habits.
“It was more about making peace with, especially for female golfers and juniors, although Amanda is strong, when we get in the rough the instinct is to try and lift it out,” Nick said. “It’s the same for everybody really because the lie is gnarly and it’s a worry about getting it out.
Swing down to lift the ball up
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
“Ironically, the lifting move throws the sternum back, and if nothing else, it shallows out the angle of attack and means you have to come through more grass. This makes it harder to escape.
“So, we need to make peace with going down into the ground and it’s the club, not me, that gets the ball out of the grass. The loft lifts it out. ‘I’m going in here and that’s going to get it out’.”
Another key component of success when trying to engineer a shot out the rough is acceleration. It’s all well and good hitting down on the ball, but if you don’t combine it with the necessary speed, the club isn’t going to cut through the grass.
Nick added: “Going in there you have to make peace with hitting it harder. It’s like being in a bunker. You need to trust the fact you need to go in with more speed to get the club…
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