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Swing Tips: Yes, You Can Hit it Out of the Water
Swing Tips: Yes, You Can Hit it Out of the Waterby Rick Hendershot, The Weekend GolferIf you're like most weekend golfers, when your ball goes in the water you assume it is unplayable. But in this short clip from the classic 1930s Bobby Jones movie called A Round of Golf, Jones demonstrates how easy it is to hit out of the water — if the conditions are correct. Notice he says "The shot is played just like an explosion from the sand." By the way, these are among the best golf instruction videos ever produced. Dave Pelz goes into considerably more detail in Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, (page 195 and following). According to Pelz there are four different kinds of situations, each requiring a different technique. When the ball is less than half submerged, open the face all the way and bounce your club off the water (behind the ball). When it is two-thirds submerged, open the face 45 degrees and cut into the water enough to take sufficient water to get the ball out. The ball rides on the water, so swing hard. When it is just under the surface, square the face and blast down through the water just behind the ball. Swing hard because you have to take out a lot of water. Be sure to follow through as much as possible. And when it is an inch or two beneath the surface, turn the toe towards the ball and cut through the water under the ball. Since this isn't likely to work, you might be better just to take a drop. Does this actually work? In a future segment I will give it a try, and demonstrate how easy (or hard) it is. Copyright © 2003 by Richard J. Hendershot, all rights reserved. This article may not be republished or reprinted without express written permission. |