Golf Tips: Different Shots Require Different Stances

There are many different golf shot types that you will need to make in order to become a well rounded golfer. There are the obvious ones such as the drive and putt but it is often a case that the in between shots such as the chip and pitch that require a greater control and judgement of how strong your shot needs to be that can be more difficult to master.

You may think that these shots are just the same as the others and all you need to do is hit the ball with less power to get them to land where you want them to, this isn’t the case as a number of factors come into play when it comes to switching the type of shot you wish to take and how you want the ball to react.

A key point that changes the shot is our stance. The placement of our feet and whereabouts the ball is when we line up our shot is important when it comes to the angle our ball takes when it is lifted into the air, the ball being towards the back of our stance (nearer to the right foot if you are a right handed golfer) then the lower your shot will be as your ball will be struck earlier in your swing. This kind of shot will go long but will typically go lower, this shot type is good when there are high winds, this way your ball isn’t likely to be carried away from your target by the wind.

If your ball is further forward in your stance it will have a shorter trajectory but will be sent higher which can help get the ball over tall obstacles. This shot can be good for getting your ball over any water hazards or bunkers that could be between you and the green.

The roll of the ball is also affected by the stance too, the lower shots typically have much more pace when they hit the ground so they will often bounce and roll forward a lot, if you are playing on dry short grass then this type of shot is perfect but in the wet or deep rough your ball won’t roll as far as you may have wanted and could stop very short of the target.

The shots with a higher trajectory are also more likely to land and roll very little, some golfers are able to master this to the point that they can land the ball in one spot and it doesn’t move at all, this shot is called the flop and is shorter but a much higher angled shot that can help when you are approaching a green that is on a gradient as this should minimise the amount of rolling your ball does once it lands.