Play half or one quarter of the course!

If you're a strong player, there are ways to become better, not only through swing refinements, but strategy and specialty shot capabilities. Most accomplished players understand the benefits of holding a shot or releasing. This type of shot selection basically takes half the golf course out of play. We can go a step higher than cutting the course in half, let's get real specific and cut it into quadrants!

It's obvious, I'm writing about high, low, left and right shot quadrants. Low scoring golfers choose shot types like these ALL THE TIME! If you are aware of the hold and release, you're already there, (they were addressed in an earlier blog). To hit the lower versions of hold or release, I recommend selecting a club or two lower, then gripping down on that club one or two inches. For every inch you drop, you lose a club's distance. In other words if you were looking to hit an especially low 7 iron, select a 5 iron then drop your grip two inches so to move past the 6 iron equivalent distance and on to the 7 iron distance you want. For a higher shot we cannot of course extend the club! To affect a higher trajectory the club is placed farther forward in the stance AND we make a much higher finish to the swing!

I recommend trying these shots on the range to gain comfort and confidence. Sometimes they don't work, as with all shot types, but the lack of success usually does not mean a bad shot, not at all. It just means you did not get the exact shot you envisioned, but still pulled off a good shot.