There’s no cooler short-game shot than a low-spinning pitch that stops on a dime. What’s the secret? You can learn it with a simple drill.
Get into your regular pitch address position. Place your trail arm behind your back as you see I’ve done above [left]. Make a smooth one-handed swing (you don’t need a ball for this one) and stop midway through your follow-through.
A few checkpoints: First, you’ve created pretty much a straight line between your lead arm and the club, and second, your wrist is flat. In other words, no “holding off” or excessive wrist hinge. Hold this position, then place your trail hand on the handle as normal [right].
Get a sense of what this finish feels like, because when you re-create it on actual shots, you’ll get that cool low-spinning pitch that makes your friends say, “Wow!”
Mike Malizia is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and the director of instruction at The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, Fla.
