Working on Jake's lob shot

This week Academy pupil Jake Metcalf is demonstrating the lob shot.

This shot should be used only when necessary. All too often, having watched the likes of Phil Mickleson, players are tempted to play what is a very risky shot that has very little room for error.

Played well, this shot is immensely rewarding and can help you get up and down. It’s ideal when you have to stop the ball quickly, over a bunker to a pin cut close to the edge of the green, for example.

The shot should be played with a sandwedge with low bounce or a lob wedge. Ideally, the lob should be played only when you have a reasonable lie – i.e. the ball should have a cushion of grass beneath it so that you can slide the leading edge of a sand-wedge beneath it, clipping the grass and the ball almost simultaneously.
From a tight, firm lie, you should consider the risks, and probably think in terms of hitting a regular pitch shot and having to hole a reasonable-length putt to get down in two shots.

The ball position is forward in the stance with the stance open and aimed left of the target and clubface slightly open (fig. 1).

Figure 1	Figure 2

The club is swung along a steep trajectory with an out-to-in swingpath. Try to visualise a tennis racket in your hand trying to land the ball just over the net as a swing thought, holding the racket face open to promote left to right spin on the ball.
Obviously, standing open, you will swing the club out-to-in but with the clubface being aimed to the right, the shot will, in fact, fly straight.

The tendancy from here is to try and scoop the ball up with the right hand.
The length of the swing and tempo of which it is played is critical (fig. 2).
A long slow swing is required. The weight should be slightly favouring the left foot.
This can be a very useful shot to master but do not overuse it. The chip and run in most cases is easier and more consistent.

Once you learn to play the lob correctly, you will see that the ball climbs steeply and lands soflty, with little roll. The key is to trust your swing.

Helping Jake decide in the rough.

‘Where do I want to be playing my next shot from?’ This is what I tell my pupils to consider before each shot. Make this your overriding thought as you survey any shot from the rough.

Academy starlet Jake Metcalf plays a sensible game but sometimes has to reign in his more adventurous streak.

A positive attitude is undoubtedly a great asset to take out on to the golf course, but at the same time you must always be realistic about your capabilities.

In my experience, caught in the rough, too many players think only in terms of firing a miraculous recovery to make up for their previous poor effort.

The idea is to opt for the recovery that falls well within your capabilities – play the percentage game. For standard recovery from the rough, choke down on the club, place the ball back in your stance, pick the club up sharply and, with a three-quarter length swing, accelerate the clubhead through the grass. Use anything from a sandwedge to a 5-iron (left), depending on the severity of the rough. Just make sure you get the ball back in play.

Now for a couple of fancy shots. If the ball lies in shortish rough, and you need to hit it high to a green, place the ball forward in your stance, open the clubface (the grass tends to wrap around the hosel and close the clubface through impact) and sweep the clubhead through the ball – let your right hand do most of the work.

If your goal is to hit the ball as far as you can out of the rough ie: a second shot to a par 5, use much more of a punching action – and don’t be tempted to use a fairway wood (right).

Move the ball back in your stance, shift your hands and weight forward, keep the clubface square or slightly closed, and make a three-quarter-length swing, aiming to lead your left hand into the ball ahead of the clubface.

Keep your weight left throughout, and make your follow-through short. Don’t allow the hands to cross over.

Because grass gets caught between the clubface and the ball, no backspin is imparted, and so the ball will run much farther than normal. This is commonly known as a flier.

A tricky shot decision with Jake

Having ability is one thing, good course management is another. Many, many shots are wasted by making the wrong choice or not thinking ahead.

Today we look at a tricky shot on the par 5 third at Bawburgh; the decision is whether to pitch or run the shot.

Good course management is required, the lie is not brilliant in the semi rough. This will encourage the ball to run on. The trees are overhanging making the lofted shot risky but more importantly the green slopes generally from back to front.

The smart play as demonstrated by Jake Metcalf (Fig 1) is the 6-iron pitch and run played off the back foot with the stance open (aimed left) and the weight more on the left shoe. A stiff wristed arm shot is required pitching the ball short of the green. The lack of loft will allow the ball to run up the green. Our key aim is to leave the ball short below the flag as an overhit shot will leave a very different downhill putt which we are very likely to three putt.

It is much easier to make a 10ft uphill putt than a six-foot twisty downhill putt.

Sometimes a slightly negative approach does pay dividends. You should be looking to take no more than three shots from here. Leaving a makeable uphill putt will ensure that you will probably make a chip and putt more often than a chip and two putt and ensure you never take four shots to get the ball into the hole.

Next week we look at what we have to do if we overhit that chip shot and leave the dreaded fast downhill putt.