I often play with some students and realize that several golfers
play with
”
blinders
”
on.
I often play with some students and realize that several golfers play with “blinders” on. What I mean by this is that often times when they are in trouble they don’t adjust their club selection to that trouble. They simply just look at the distance just as they would if they weren’t in trouble. Hitting out of rough and from behind trees are the two examples that come to mind.
If you are hitting the ball out of the rough from 150 yards away you can’t always use the club that goes 150 from the fairway. Out of the rough you need additional loft to help cut it out of the grass and lift it up in the air to get some distance. If you normaly hit a 5 iron from 150 that 5 iron doesn’t have the loft needed to get it out of the rough. That 5 iron may only go 50-75 yards coming out of rough. If you choose a 7 or 8 iron, it may go farther because the added loft helps cut and lift it out of the grass. If the ball carries farther in the air, it will go a greater distance out of the rough.
If you are hitting a ball from behind a tree from 150 yards, don’t just automatically take out the 5 iron as if the tree didn’t exist. That 5 iron will probably hit the ball right into the middle of the tree and the ball will end up back in your lap. Look for where the opening is. Is it safe to hit a 2-3 iron under the tree? A wedge over the tree or a mid-iron around the tree back into the fairway. But don’t just simply aim at the middle of the tree and try to go right through it.
Remember, when all else fails take a lesson, you’ll be surprised how much we can help.
To schedule a lesson with PGA-certified instructor Don DeLorenzo, call Gilroy Golf Course at 848-0490.
