David Gil, PGA Golf Professionals, was 19 years old when he started working as a golf professional in Almenara (Sotogrande) in 1998, creating the first CAR academy in Andalusia.
He later traveled to England where he worked at David Leadbetter’s Academy. Upon his return, he created the Sotogrande Golf School for Juniors, from which great professional players have emerged.
Always linked to teaching, in 2010 he became involved in an international project in Sicily, where he was closely involved with Italian national teams and coaches.
With a Master’s Degree in Golf Course Management, David has worked in Golf Operations. in the best fields of Andalusia, until 2018, when the opportunity arrives at Villa Padierna, where it brings to life the project “TGA Golf Academy by Michael Campbell”. A project full of life that is growing day by day and today is among the best Academies in Spain.
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BLOWS ON SLOPES
One of the most common comments among golfers as a whole is: “On the driving range I hit the ball very well, but when I go out on the course it’s not the same”.
It is true that there are many factors that can influence this difference, but above all the fact of not always having the ball at foot level as we have it on a driving range can have a great influence on our results.
I will try to help you to manage shots with the ball at the same height as the feet, but in descending and ascending slopes.
IN DOWNWARD SLOPE
This stroke usually creates a lot of insecurity for players from the moment they find their ball in that situation, but this class I am sure will help you.
Stance
The first thing we have to be clear about is that we have to position ourselves in front of the ball in a natural way respecting the angle of the slope and never looking for a stance similar to when we hit in flatter areas.
-On a downward slope, the left side of your body is lower than the right, so bending your right leg more will help you to stabilize your body, as your knees will be at the same height.
The weight
As I said before, do not try to balance your body by trying to create a position similar to a flat spot punch. The weight should be on your left side with your body slightly tilted to the left side. This is the best way to create a good angle of attack.
The position of the ball
Slightly delayed, between the center and your right foot. In this position you will always have a better chance of generating a good impact.
Stability
The great cause of errors in these shots is that instinctively many players, when they lower the club and feel that the weight moves quickly to the left side, try to compensate by slowing down the movement and moving to the right so as not to lose balance, and for that reason they hit over the ball.
The correction is easy and clear: in these cases it does not matter if you lose a little balance, hit with the weight on the left side, and it is okay if you move forward a little.
The club
The ball in this case comes out strong and lower. This will cause the distance to be greater than what you would normally do in a flat shot, so a club with less distance will be the correct one.
UPWARD SLOPING
Stance
In these strokes it is also very important to adjust the body to the slope. The shoulders should be parallel to the surface and the left leg should be slightly more bent than the right. This will align the knees and help to have a more solid stance.
The opening between our feet will be slightly larger than our neutral stance (the one we usually use for flat shots). By doing this you will have more base and better stability.
Weight and Rotation
The weight should always be kept slightly on the left side, but in no case try to move forward (do not tilt the body), to prevent the club from being stuck at impact.
The rotation is very complicated in this situation, so I recommend releasing your hands a little more than normal before impacting. The idea is to compensate for the lack of spin you will have.
Ball position
In the previous point we mentioned that freeing the hands will help compensate for the lack of spin, but it also helps the club to close sooner. For this reason, we will never put the ball too far forward in the stance. It is advisable to center it and thus avoid a lot of hook (right to left effect).
Palo
The ball, in this case and depending on the inclination of the slope, will come out much higher than usual, making much less distance, in some cases it may be necessary to play up to three clubs difference. Keep this in mind and always play clubs that you would use for longer distances.
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