Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

[RichieWinch]

I've been practicing my approach play on the courses par 3 course (80-150 yrd holes), wen i tee it up so the ball is just off the grass (very gd lie) i have complete control, hitting it dead straight. The ball flight is perfect and it goes perfect most times but i don't touch much of the grass. I shoot 1 under, even and 3 under.

But wen i put it on the ground i struggle to take a consistant divot. They are either deep, or none at all. The ball goes high but a bit short when i hit deep divots and slightly thinned when i don't take a divot (low ball flight). i lose confidence and control in my swing even though i know it's good at the mo. I shot 2 or 3 over thanks to my chipping and hitting about 4 out of 9 greens.

are there any tips on how to get consistant divots/ball contact. The pro says think as if its on the tee but i can't seem to hit it like that. Any help/tips?

Thanks Rich

[TeachingPro]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

Richie,

You probably have a 'different' swing when you don't tee it up because you are thinking "gotta get the ball up, gotta take a divot but a good one, gotta hit this wedge well ..." and all the while you know the ball isn't teed up anymore. P-A-N-I-C!!!!

You have to apply exactly the same swing, time and time again ...

I suggest when you 'tee up', don't use a tee with your 9 iron and wedges, just find a nice lie or make one by using your club or shoe ... then hit it as if it was on a tee.

A drill I often use for students who have inconsistent divots is this:
Put the ball on a nice lie. Now put a short tee halfway in the ground about 6 inches behind the ball and another 6 inches in front of it. Now hit the ball missing both tees. If that doesn't work take the tees away and put replace them with clubs - trust me, you will quickly sort the problem out.

This drill will help you hit down on the ball like a short iron should but at the same time not do an excavation.

Remember the wedge swing: setup a bit narrower, ball position towards the centre, 70% of the weight forward and keep it there, torso a bit more upright and swing more up-and-down rather than around. Hands must be ahead of the ball at impact and hit through. A good 3/4 swing is all you need and hit thru and up...

No problems if you can do that!

[prowlsta]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

I find that I lift my head fractionally early withour realising it- When your practicing try keeping your eye on the ball that fraction longer- I was always told to think of the contact as trying to strike a match..
When you get to the stage that your shooting under par- start trying to think of the 60-10 yard holes as par 2's - top golfers would be looking to make birdies on most holes from that distance

[RichieWinch]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

i've been working on my full swing which is 60-70% of weight on right side at setup. So for wedges, 7-9.... get weight forward?

[TeachingPro]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

For mid-handicappers:
Woods and long irons: 70 right / 30 left
5,6,7,8: 50/50 each side
9,PW,SW,LW: 70 left / 30 right

On the short irons, the weight on the left will help you steepen the swing plane, lessen the lower body turn and help you hit down onto the ball.

[prowlsta]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

What's the difference for the low handicappers?

[LowPost42]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

That's some interesting advice, Graham... I've always used the 45/55 L/R weighting @ address, only going 70/30 for chip shots.

Being a high HCP'er, why should I move my weight back for woods and forward for wedges?

[TeachingPro]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

Geez, if you balance well enough to get a 45/55 ratio, you are doing well because most pro's can't balance their weight that closely. Get 2 scales and put them side-by-side, stand on them and see how close you are.

Well, for beginners we (teaching pros) have to exaggerate certain things and weight position and transfer are two of them because high handicappers normally do not transfer their weight correctly and have greater swing margins of error and very little consistency. They also tend to scoop chip shots for example, trying to force the ball into the air, over the bunker and onto the green - which is FATAL.

So, there are lots of reasons...

[LowPost42]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

Well, I spent years playing all sorts of sports, so my balance and weight distribution has always been good.

I understand now Graham, thank you. I intentionally (when learning properly) tried to flip some chips... and either whiffed, skulled or chunked 'em... I might have been 1 for 20 making good contact without good form.

[dale47]

Re: Why is it harder on grass than on tee!!!

Your not swinging down on your irons. Whether they're teed or not, you should be at least scuffing the ground on the target side of the ball. I fall into the same trap if i'm not carefull. Thats why I never tee an iron when I'm practicing. When playing an iron from the tee-box on the course, I tee it just above the ground, the tee is barely visible. Think of what Hogan said, literally dig your game out of the ground !