TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 367 57DEVELOP YOUR CONTROL OF GROUND CONTACT
Step 1 Use ball position
Ball position is the easiest way to give yourself a grounding in creating these two types of turf
Rear drive
Start by playing the ball off your back foot. Note
how this naturally creates shaft lean and pushes
that sharp leading edge into the turf. Keeping your
hands quiet, turn back and through to create the
delofted, digging strike.
Forward float
Now move the ball forward to under your shirt
buttons. Make sure the shaft is more vertical. Again,
use your bigger core muscles to move the club back
and through; feel how the shaft promotes rear sole
contact, and a strike that bruises the turf.While ball position is an easy, basic way to
promote both kinds of ground contact, you can
also create both through the way you release
the club. Delay the release, keeping your hands
ahead of the clubhead, and you can get the
leading edge to dig even from a forward ball
position; using a bit more lower hand allows
you to find that more lofted, brushing contact
even with the ball back in your stance. If you
can educate your hands to dig or brush at will,
you will have created a skill that allows you to
create any combination of flight and spin you
want... giving you a truly versatile short game.
Step 2 Use skill
RANDOM CONTACT
To develop this skill, hit
pitch shots randomly from
a forward, middle and rear
ball position. On each shot,
call which type of ground
contact you are going to
make – dig or brush.HAND EDUCATION
Try driving one in low off the front
foot; see how good you can get at
cutting one up from the back.
Observe how flight and spin
change with each delivery. Above
all, discover how, by focusing on
ground contact, you can educate
your hands to create a massive
range of short-game shots.BUYING TIPS
It’s not just about
the lofts any moreWedges can be forgiving
Over 80% of golfers use
cavity back short
irons, yet virtually
all of us use blade-
style wedges. It
doesn’t make any
sense when you think about it. So
Cleveland have developed a new
CBX cavity backed wedge to fill
the void. It improves accuracy and
consistency, and we reckon they
look the business.Rusty wedges don’t
spin shots more
A common myth over the years
has said rusty wedges grab, grip
and spin approach shots more.
We’ve got to disagree as our 2017
test proved there was no
discernible spin advantage to
having a wedge covered in rust.Worn grooves cost shots
Some tour pros get new wedges
every six weeks, because they feel
practising so much quickly rounds
the sharpness off their grooves.
Our recent test proved an eight-
year-old, well-used wedge span
shots over 1200rpm less than a
new model. That’s a lot, and would
have a dramatic effect on how
close you can expect to hit your
wedge shots consistently.Maximum precision
CNC milled putters are perceived
as precision instruments, but 2017
was the first year similar levels of
engineering have been applied to
wedge production. TaylorM d ’
new Milled Grind
wedges have
CNC milled soles
(most premium
wedge just have C C
faces and grooves G
0311T wedges are 100% CNC
milled, just like a premium putter.
The only issue is they’ll set you
back over £600 a pop.Watch the bounce
Bounce plays a huge role in how
cleanly you hit approach shots.
We’ve seen how using a wedge
with bounce unsuited to your
attack angle can lower spin by
3 000-5,000rpm, which
is huge. It doesn’t
matter whether you
use high, mid or low
bounce... just get it
matched to you.