By Mark Jones Head PGA Golf Professional The Track, Meydan Golf Dubai
Educating you on how to improve your practice is the key to success on the golf course. Ask yourself the question: Are you the kind of person who stands on the driving range and hits 15 7 iron shots in a row? Just hitting them without a purpose? WELL, THIS HAS GOT TO CHANGE!
I have heard so many players say that they find practising boring… this is because you have no purpose or goals with your practice. Our brains respond to change, so what you should be aiming to do is to randomise your practice.
At Meydan Golf we have rugby posts on the driving range, this should act as a great tool for you to make your practice more fun, engaging and productive. I really feel that it does not matter what ability level you are at – this is an exercise which you will learn so much from and it will challenge you during your practice. This exercise will help teach you how to control the ball with the clubface and path of the club without having to really dive into the
technical terms. The slicers out there will love practicing the draw element of this drill!
This drill requires you to hit 4 balls. You will go through the whole bag and hit every club 4 times. With each ball your goal will change. You will hit the following shots:
BALL 1 – HIGH SHOT
BALL 2 – LOW SHOT
BALL 3 – DRAW
BALL 4 – FADE
FADE
To see your ball curve from left to right, set your feet up so that they aim left of your intended target. Then twist the clubface open and re-grip the club so that it aims closer to your intended target. From here, all you need to do is make a normal swing across the line of your feet, the face will be open to your club path and you should see the ball curve from left to right.
DRAW
The draw is a golfer’s dream. To see your ball draw around our rugby posts, turn your feet so that they are aimed to the right of your intended target. Then twist the clubface closed and re-grip the club so that it aims straight at your intended target. From here, all you have to do is make a normal swing around the line of your feet, the face will be closed to your path and you should see the ball turn from right to left.
HIGH SHOT
To hit the ball higher, you need to add loft to the clubface. Push the ball up in your stance so that it sits closer to your left heel. Your hands will then sit slightly behind the ball. During the swing you should feel that you are keeping your body weight and head behind the ball, allowing your spine to tilt backwards. This creates more of a sweeping action instead of the normal downward strike with an iron. All you need to do is ensure that you still turn your hips and transfer your weight into a full finish. This will all help you add loft to the club and see a higher launching shot.
LOW SHOT
To hit the ball with a lower flight you have to de-loft the club. For example, this will make the 7 iron I am using have a trajectory which you would normally see from a 6 iron. Firstly, you need to set up with the ball closer to your right foot. This will allow you to swing steeper into the ball. This will also help you lean the shaft of the club forwards so the hands are ahead of the ball, making the loft of the club lower. Grip down the club by half an inch and swing smoothly. The more speed in your swing the higher the ball will fl y, so this needs to be controlled. Finally, ensure you make your follow-through shorter and then just watch that ball launch lower.
The Rivoli Hour
Once a month we host an event called the “Rivoli Hour.” This is hosted by the PGA Professionals at Meydan Golf and is a fun initiative where players get the chance to try and hit the ball through our rugby posts or football goal as many times in a row as possible. The winner of each Rivoli Hour receives a voucher worth AED 300 to spend in any Rivoli store.
