Ever sit on your couch and watch a PGA player scorch a ball under a sprawling tree so hard and fast that it makes you drop your Skittles all over the floor? Well now you can hit that punch-shot too.
Why you need itThe punch flies with a piercing, lower-than-normal trajectory that, amazingly, stops with more spin than a shot hit with your standard full swing.
When to play it
The classic punch-shot situation is into a
headwind. The lower trajectory allows your ball to
maintain its flight pattern without ballooning and
falling short of your target.
How to do it
You can hit a punch shot with any iron in your bag. (Plan for a loss in distance equal to one club.) Your primary goal is to get your clubface as square to your target as possible at impact with your weight firmly on your left side. It's a 3/4 swing, which is much easier to produce than a full one. Here are the specifics to keep your ball low when you have to.
Address
Play the ball slightly back of
center and forward press your
hands so they're in line with
your left thigh. Pre-set about 70
percent of your weight on your
front foot.
Swing
Make a 75 percent backswing
with a tiny shift of weight to
your right foot. On the
downswing, use the big
muscles of your hips and torso
to turn back toward the target.
Don't get handsy! Keep your
left wrist firm at impact, with
your hands ahead of your
clubhead (just like at address).
Keep your clubhead low to the
ground after impact. This
ensures that your left wrist will
lead the way through the
hitting zone.
Try This Drill
To make sure your weight is forward at impact (a priority when playing a punch), get into your address position and raise your right heel. Now make your swing. Swinging with your right heel off the ground will stop you from overshifting your weight to your right side on the backswing and help you keep more of it on your forward foot at impact. You can even use this drill for your practice swing prior to playing a punch shot on the course.
