David Gil is one of the PGA Golf Professionals of the “Villa Padierna Golf Academy by Michael Campbell” at Villa Padierna Hotels & Resorts. He was 19 years old when he started working, in 1998, as a golf professional in Almenara (Sotogrande), 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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SLOPE STRIKES AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS
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.
In this new article we will deal with this topic, which I will develop in two chapters. Now we will see the first of them and its two sections:
-Ball lower than feet
-Ball higher than feet
As always, I hope to be able to give you the keys so that you can get out of these situations that can complicate your golf day.
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BALL LOWER THAN THE FEET
Possibly one of the most difficult shots in golf, but we will try with these tips that you have more control when performing it.
THE STANCE
1.- We will grab the pole as high as possible.
2.- With the idea that our body approaches the ball we will do three things:
– We move our feet a little further apart
– Slightly more leg flexion
– We will bring our shoulders closer to the ball, bending our back a little more.
3.- The hands will be slightly higher. This will change the angle of the shaft (more vertical) and the club face will be pointing more to the right.
THE RISE OF THE POLE
In the previous point we mentioned that we will bring our shoulders closer to the ball. How does this affect us?
-Our rotation will be limited and we will not be able to force a full stick rise.
-The more bent back will create a posture that will help us to be able to angle the club more vertically. A good trick is to keep your right arm above your left as you raise the club.
What are we going to do?
In order to maintain the correct posture without lifting the body on the upswing, we will make a maximum three-quarter swing and therefore use a longer club.
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THE DESCENT OF THE POLE
It is true that, in a very high percentage, when we hit a ball that is lower than our feet we usually have a fade effect (effect of left to right), although this is not always the case.
This is the most complicated moment of the stroke, as it requires a lot of weight control and speed control.
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WEIGHT CONTROL
Always try not to overshoot on the ascent so that the body does not lift. This will help for a good rotation and to be able to keep the weight on the left side WITHOUT BLOCKING.
Don’t worry if you lose your balance a little after hitting the ball forward, never backward. Sometimes by trying to stay still we tend to block, and therefore to miss the shot.
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SPEED CONTROL
Without ever decelerating at impact, make a relaxed swing without aggression. This is key to have this momentum under control during execution.
In this stroke, unlike the other, we will have to hold the posture a little longer before untwisting.
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BALL HIGHER THAN THE FEET
Slightly less complicated stroke than the previous one. The reason is that technically there is not so much difference to when we find ourselves with blows in flat places, although everything can be complicated as the slopes are steeper.
In a large percentage, due to the angle at which we have to place the club, the shots will be with draw (right to left effect), so we have to remember this and aim with our SHOULDERS to the right.
THE STANCE
1.- We will hold the stick a little bit shorter
With the idea of adapting the body to the slope, we will do three things:
– Place the feet with the toes slightly open.
– The bending of the legs will be less than in the normal posture.
– The back will be slightly straighter
The hands will be slightly lower than usual. This changes the angle of the shaft of the club and in turn makes the club face point to the left (the shorter the club, the more to the left the club face will be).
THE RISE OF THE POLE
As in the stance, the rise of the club must also be adapted to the slope we are facing. In the case of a slope where the ball is higher than the feet, we will do the following:
– Raise the club a little flatter. A good trick is to keep the right arm slightly lower than the left arm on the upswing.
– The turn of the body is important. Remember that the rotation of the shoulders is key to the correct execution of this stroke.
– Feeling the weight lightly on the tip of the toes during the ascent.
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THE DOWN FROM THE POLE
We have talked about a good placement in the STANCE SECTION and a good turn in the RISE section.
These are two really important factors. In this SECTION OF I want to focus on the SWING LINE.
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ensad that this stroke has all the possibilities to go with effect to the left and if we do not want that nice DRAW to become a PULL-HOOK (straight left stroke with DRAW) you have to do the following:
– Always move the stick outward, never in line with the target, much less to the left of the target.
– Make a practice swing trying to get a small chop to the right of the target.
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TIPS
1) Modifications to the STANCE:
– Build a good stance. If you don’t have it, it is practically impossible to control these strokes.
– It will always be easier to make modifications to the initial placement than to the swing.
2) Practice Swing
– Both with the ball lower than the feet and when it is higher than the feet, make several practice swings by brushing the ground or taking a small divot. These are shots that require a lot of precision of impact, and getting on the ball with confidence after several practice swings helps.
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