Golf - The Approach Shot

One of the most important shots out on the golf course is the approach shot to the green. If you hit a good approach shot to the green, you set yourself up for a birdie opportunity. If you hit a poor approach shot, you could be looking at trying to save par, or even worse. This is why you should spend some quality practice time hitting approach shots to the green.

Hitting an approach shot can be difficult for most high handicap golfers. It requires a little skill. It's not like hitting a tee shot into a big open fairway. With an approach shot you're looking to hit it as close to the pin as possible. Let's take a closer look at the different kinds of approach shots and what you can do to make some improvements to your golf game.

There are several different approach shots used in golf such as the pitch shot, chip shot and the flop shot.

Pitch Shot This golf shot is used from between 50-110 yards out away from the green. You will be using your pitching wedge for this shot, hence the name pitch shot. Your pitching wedge will allow you to have more control over the distance of your shot and keep you from flying your golf ball way over the green.

Be sure to open your golf stance a little more than usual. Your right foot (if you're right-handed) should be directly in line with the golf ball. Use a full swing with this shot. Don't try to use a half or three-quarter swing, because you run a high risk of hitting the ball "fat". Follow through on your back swing as you normally do. You may want to choke down on the grip to get better control, or to lower the distance the golf ball will travel. Never try to guide the ball, let the golf club do the work.

Chip Shot The chip shot can be a great shot to master for your golf game. The idea of the chip shot is to hit it a short distance and let the golf ball roll toward the hole. Ideally, you want the ball to travel 1/3 of the way to the hole and let it roll the other 2/3 of the way. So, use the chip shot when you have a lot of green in front of you to work with.

When hitting the chip shot you will want to use a less lofted club, like a 7 or 8 iron. Line yourself up with right foot across from the ball. Keep more of your weight on your left side. You will use a half swing for this shot and finish with a half follow through. Again, don't try to guide the ball, let the club do the work.

Flop Shot This shot will take a lot of practice to master. You want to use the flop shot when you have to fly the golf ball over a sand trap, or perhaps a small tree that is in front of you and the pin. You will use the highest lofted golf club in your bag, usually a 60-degree wedge. The object is to get the ball up as high as possible and have it drop down and stick where it lands. Use a wide-open stance with this shot and try to pop the ball up. It will take a lot of practice to hit this shot effectively.

By practicing these different types of approach shots, you'll be hitting the golf ball a lot closer to the pin and begin lowering your scores!