SCARY SHOTS

THEY MIGHT BE UNNERVING, BUT YOU CAN PULL THEM OFF

- JOSH ZANDER

IMAGINE YOU HAVE A BIG WALK-IN closet where you store all your golf skills. On the shelves and hangers you keep your abilities to split a tight, tree-lined fairway with your driver, hit a long iron off a tight lie, and execute a downhill pitch over water—all the shots that make most amateurs feel uneasy. The only problem is, if you attempt to access one of those skills—but you’ve got strong doubt in your mind about pulling the shot off — that closet door is going to be locked. I’m sure you’ve experienced that feeling on the golf course where fear prevented you from swinging like you normally would. In this article, I’m going to help you face your trepidation of eight common scary shots. I’ll provide you with a swing tip to help your execution, and a swing thought that lets you access your skills closet. It’s natural to have negative thoughts when you play. We all do. You just have to know how to overcome them.

—WITH RON KASPRISKE

1 SUPER-DEEP ROUGH

WHEN YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO TAKE AN UNPLAYABLE LIE

Sometimes you have no choice but to try to extricate your ball from a horrendous lie in deep grass. Many golfers freeze when facing this lie, too worried they can’t get it out. To overcome that fear, focus on the process to hit this shot. You want to grab a wedge, open its face so it’s pointing skyward, and grip it as tightly as you can. Also try to get on solid footing with your weight favoring your lead leg. To get your mind off whiffing, focus on swinging sharply down with firm wrists and let the heel of the club lead the way into impact. Keep your eyes on the ball the whole way down.

2 NARROW FAIRWAYS

WHEN YOU HAVE TO HIT DRIVER