Scottie Scheffler knows how to hit all the shots, and whether its a draw, fade, hook, or slice, his ability to work the ball toward the right targets and avoid trouble has helped him separate himself from his peers to become the clear No. 1 player in the world.
One of the shots that could come in handy over the next few months at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, and especially at The Open Championship is the long iron stinger off the tee, and in a recent video, Scheffler explains exactly how he hits that shot, in three easy steps.
Use a tee
The first step in being able to properly execute a shot is making good contact so Scheffler takes an awkward lie out of the equation. “I always use a tee,” he said. “It might not be popular with everybody, but for me I like knowing that I’m going to have a really good lie.”
Watch your ball position
The next step for Scottie is to adjust his ball position and stance to control shot shape and direction. “For height’s sake, always try and move the ball back in your stance to help hit it low,” he continued. “I open up my stance so I’m swinging more down the path (across the ball) to take the curve off the shot.”
This open stance helps to counteract the farther-back ball position that could cause the ball to over-draw because of his swing arc.
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Adjust your grip
After building a solid stance, the final key for Scheffler when it comes to executing the long iron stinger is gripping down on the club. “I choke up (on the grip) the tiniest little bit and that helps me get closer to the ball, which actually helps me hit the ball even straighter…then swing.”
It sounds simple when it comes from the best player in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to execute this shot the next time you’re out on the course and need to hit a shot that stays under the wind and get some extra roll.
