Let the Masters inspire your practice at the Address Montgomerie Dubai

With the Masters around the corner, the world’s top players will be working on trajectory control. With the undulating greens and crafty pin placements at Augusta National, controlling the height and distance of approach shots will be the key to a green jacket.

Master your Wedge Play

Many golfers have a one-dimensional view on their short game and would see a huge difference by developing variety in trajectory of wedge shots.

1. Play two balls from each tee with your sand wedge and pitching wedge.

2. Play another two balls from a different distance on the way to the green with the same clubs.

3. Be creative, introduce other irons and possibly hybrids for your shots around the green. Learn about how they will fly and react on landing.

The pitching wedge will give you a lower ball flight that will release on landing and the sand wedge will give a higher flight that will stop quickly. Bearing this in mind, approaching a flag at the front of the green will be far more accessible with a sand wedge and higher trajectory. A flag at the back of the green will be easier to access with a pitching wedge and lower ball flight.

This practice method will help develop feel for distance control and an understanding of when to use each club.

In a 30-minute session around the par 3 course you will have just hit 36 planned wedge shots you can learn from. A lot more effective than racing through balls with no target or intention on the range.

THINK RHYTHM

When working on feel for the length of swing and distance control avoid thinking about the technical aspects of the swing!

1. Feel a gradual acceleration from takeaway to the completion of the follow through with the same length of swing each side, the smoother the better.
2. Listening to your favourite music in your ear phones can help you relax and pick up a good vibe when working on the wedges. You will probably spot Rory with his ear phones in on the range at this year’s Masters.

Work on your own Masters Magic

At Augusta we always see sparks of brilliance where players have such a clear picture in their mind of the shot in hand. No moment encapsulated this better than Tiger holing an iconic chip from the left side of the 16^th green and going on to win the green jacket.
These are moments when the players are using feelings and instincts. That is what I would like you to bring out of your short game.

 How do you create your own Masters magic?

Start with a very basic chip shot and try more creative shots from there. The goal is to chip the ball in the hole.

1. Plan your shot – In your mind picture where you need to land the ball, how it will bounce, react and roll to fall in the hole.
2. Feel the shot – Make practice swings to develop the feel for the shot in your mind.
3. Commit- Make a commitment in your shot to trust the practice swings you have been making.
4. Evaluate or celebrate – If you miss, work out whether you missed your landing spot or chose the wrong landing spot. Then adjust and keep going till the ball goes in the hole. When you make it, celebrate because you have just created your Masters moment!

This is how any golfer will create great feel for their short game without having to worry about the technique of the shots. Try to keep going until you hole out, it won’t take you much time!

The Troon Golf Academy at the Address Montgomerie Dubai is the perfect place to improve your skills. You can even try a short game lesson with David on our 9-hole floodlit par 3 course.