The Approach with
Joey Hines and Chris Byrd
Cape Fear Country Club
Hit more consistent approach shots to put less strain on the short game.
Hitting from the rough
“The golfer will need to play the ball in the middle of their stance, or
slightly behind middle, to make sure they hit the ball first,” Byrd says.
You want to hit down on the ball from a steeper angle, “so you’re not
dragging the club through the grass. That kills the momentum of the follow
through.”
Getting to know your irons
“You want to be familiar with all the clubs in your
bag because you need to know the distance you
can hit them,” Byrd says. “You may not hit your
4 iron for four rounds, but you need to know how
far it will go if you need it. It is also good to have a
favorite club in your bag because you know you can
always lean on that club to get you out of trouble.”
Adapting your stance to each iron
“For longer clubs, you need a wider base because
you need to balance more,” Byrd says. For irons,
your feet should be placed just inside shoulder
width. With a 9 iron, center your stance with the
ball in the middle. As the stance gets wider for longer
irons, move the back foot away from the target
so the ball position moves naturally forward.
Maintaining a consistent tempo
“You want to swing your wedge just like your driver,” Byrd says. “If you have the same
tempo all the way through the bag, you rule out a lot of inconsistencies and a lot of errors
that can sneak up. If you swing your driver hard and then swing your wedge easy, at some
time or another one of those is going to take over and you’ll run into problems.”
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WBM may 2012