‘Pin Placement’ Articles at Golf Product Review by Experienced Golf Balls

Working The Ball – Fade, Draw, High, Low

Although at times it seems like the golf ball when hit chooses its own flight path, this is not true the ball only responds to how it was hit. Was it hit by a square, closed or open club face, was it hit with 21 degrees or 34 degrees of loft, was the club head traveling at 80 miles per hour or 100 miles per hour. It is really all a matter of physics.

What if those different ball flights and the conditions that created them could be controlled? The good news is they can, and once you know how to create the exact ball flight you need for the shot at hand, you have many more weapons at your disposal to put the ball where you want it. The better news is it only requires small variations of the your regular full golf swing to create these shots.

These are the nine different ball flights you would want to know how to create;

Straight with normal trajectory, this is the shot you want to use if there is no trouble to avoid, you just need the ball in the middle of the fairway. Straight with higher than normal trajectory, this shot could be used if you had some obstacle, such as a tree you wanted to go over.
Straight with lower than normal trajectory, maybe you need to stay under some branches, or you want to keep it lower going into the wind.
slight movement to the right, highly skilled players who use this shot can control how much it moves to the right. Possibly the pin is on the right side of the green, you might want the ball to start at the middle of the green, but work to the right.
A fade with a high flight, might be used if that right pin placement is behind a front trap.
A fade with a low ball flight, how about trees with low branches in front of you and the fairway or green to your right.
Moving to the left this is called a draw, (again for a right handed shot) not to be confused with a hook, the draw is a controlled movement to the left and is said to produce the most roll.
A draw with a high flight, now the pin is to the left and tucked behind a sand trap.
A draw with a low flight, same scenario as the low fade, only you need to get to the left.

You see these shots attempted every week on the pro tours, not always as planned. Some of the players are not adept at creating all of these shots, those who are have more weapons to choose from.

Investing the time and practice necessary for learning to execute these shots as needed will make your game better and lower your scores. You will have much more confidence in your golfing ability, and be part of an elite group, not many recreational golfers are skilled at working the ball effectively.

Jim Newell is a robust 66 year old retiree, a very zealous amateur golfer and serious student of this great game. Once being a mid handicap player he is on a quest to improve his swing and re-gain some of the distance he once had. His website http://www.golfdriverswingkeys.com is dedicated to helping him and other golfer’s in their quest for working the ball.

Iron Golf Swing – How To Master Your Iron Play

Article by John Lynch

The Masters at Augusta National puts a huge necessity on the iron game more than any other major golf tournament. Here’s how to build an iron golf swing by copying what the pros do at Augusta!

The lightening fast greens and mind bending slopes of Augusta National put so much emphasis on quality iron golf shots that even the most seasoned pros can get rattled (see Greg Norman). The most demanding aspect about August National is the absence of flat lies, with it’s sloping landscape and bikini waxed greens, you will encounter one of the most challenging tests of iron play on the planet!

To help you master your iron golf swing and thus improve your enjoyment of this great game of golf, let us go through some of Augusta National’s toughest iron shots and explain how to execute them properly. If you already strike your iron shots perfectly every time, then use these tips on solid iron play as a course guide while you watch the Masters on TV. But if you’re like the widespread majority of golfers, you probably battle with many of the risky shots the pros see at the Masters. If this is you, read on…

With the right kind of practice along with a good fundamental understanding of what constitutes a solid iron game, you CAN build a great iron game just like the pros!

Draw On #16 The 16th hole at Augusta is often the deciding factor on who will win the Masters. Perhaps the most dramatic moment ever on the 16th hole at Augusta is of Jack Nicklaus hitting a pure iron shot he nearly holed out on his way to his sixth Masters victory in 1986. What makes Nicklaus’ accomplishment on the 16th hole so incredible was the Sunday pin placement. Because the hole was placed in the back left corner of the green, this called for Nicklaus to shape his iron shot from right to left, a draw was never one of Nicklaus’ strong suits. However, like all the great golfers of the past, Nicklaus knew how to execute a draw when he really needed to. It’s also interesting to note while Nicklaus came through with birdies on 16 in ’75 and ’86 on his way to victory, others who struggled to hit a draw (see David Duval) lost their chance to win The Masters on this hole. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Mastering the Draw: Since the vast majority of amateur golfers fight a slice, the idea of hitting a draw seems daunting at best. However, there are really only two simple factors that must be present to produce a right-to-left ballflight: the golf club must attack from a slightly inside-out path and the club face must be free to rotate on plane through impact. A good way to visualize this path is to imagine the club hitting the ball on the inside quadrant closest to the golfer. This visual will help the club stay behind your body longer during the downswing, allowing the correct path into impact.

Another good way to visualize the proper path is to imagine the club staying behind the hands while approaching impact. This prevents you from starting the downswing with your shoulders and arms during the downswing and keeps the club swinging on the proper plane. One last thing to remember is it’s much easier to draw the ball off the tee than it is off the ground. Be like Jack Nicklaus’ and always put the ball on a tee whenever possible, even on the par-3s.

About the Author

John Lynch is owner of No. 1 Golf Book Reviews and has published thousands of quality golf articles. To read more on how to build an Iron Golf Swing, John recommends you visit===> IronGolfSwing.com