The punch shot has always impressed me when it has been performed correctly. It’s been among the most interesting golf shots that I learned to play and have viewed other people perform. It needs the art of timing and touch to master the art of a soft landing punch shot or a bump and run. This type of shot saves golfers a number of strokes from time to time, and is quite effective in a tough situation.
The punch shot is pretty much the only golf shot that you must quit on the follow through. Feeling the club head is very important in executing a good punch shot. The golf shot is lead by the left forearm (right-handed golfers) and requires little arm movement and more wrist action. To picture this shot, imagine throwing your forearm wrist and club head at the ball and quitting the follow through at impact.
Depending upon the distance of the shot needed determines the golf club selection and how far to take the club back, primarily with the wrists. Both wrists and forearm control the distance of the club going back and through as the club picks up speed coming down towards the ball with your knees and hip starting the down swing, and only to quit the golf swing punch shot after impact.
I’ve watched players execute and play this shot utilising a driver right through to a pitching wedge. The loftier clubs are required to get the ball up quickly. The club selection is very important on accuracy on how far and how high the ball will come off of the clubface.
There are a variety of reasons to quit on the follow through on this type of golf shot. One situation would be a restricted golf swing because of a tree stump ahead of your swing path and or a branch where the golfer has to keep it low for a certain distance. Another reason would be to merely control the distance of a particular golf shot. One might wish to utilise a 3 iron for a more restricted golf swing and keeping the golf ball closer to the ground to clear the branches before it starts to rise. The 7 iron would help pick the ball up right away to go over a tree stump or clear a branch, but one would have to use the power of the forearm and wrist for distance when using loftier clubs.
Another punch shot to practice would be an uphill mound facing you with a green sloping away from you and the pin tucked near to the front with no green to work with. Take out a 7 iron and shut the clubface a little and punch the golf ball off of and against the slope face of the mound to make it fly straight up and land softly onto the green. The mound in front of you must have a sizable amount of slope for this golf shot to work, but it’s a very useful punch shot to execute.
Practicing and mastering the punch shot will save you strokes and assist bring down you handicap.
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