Some shots are harder to hit than others. Take the lob shot. It’s a great shot around the green—one that can bail you out of all sorts of trouble. It’s especially effective when you have to pitch over a greenside bunker to a tight pin. But if you don’t work on it a lot, you won’t be able to hit it when you need to. What you need is a simpler way to hit a soft lob.
Below are five keys to hitting a simple lob shot:
• Play the ball forward
• Set the clubface square
• Lower your hands
• Pull your front foot back
• Make your normal swing
Hitting a lob shot the traditional way is a challenge. You have to (1) open the clubface and (2) swing out to in across the ball. These moves sap energy from the ball and allow it to come down softly on the green. But they’re hard to execute.
The alternate method described below doesn’t require you to open the clubface or swing out to in, so it’s easier to execute.
Play the ball slightly ahead of center, set the clubface square to the target, and if you need a really high soft shot, lower your hands so the shaft isn’t upright.
Next, set your shoulders and hips square to the target line, just as if you we’re going to hit a drive, but drop your front foot back a couple of inches. You want your stance line pointing left of target.
Now make a normal backswing. But swing the club along your stance line and finish with your hands held high.
This method of hitting a lob improves contact and increases consistency. That makes it the method of choice for many weekend golfers.
One thing to remember with this method: If you lower your hands when setting up to hit the shot, you’ll point the clubface left, so you’ll need to adjust this change.
