Hands Ahead Of The Ball In Your Golf Short Game (Video) - by Pete Styles
Hands Ahead Of The Ball In Your Golf Short Game (Video) - by Pete Styles

So I’ve talked quite a lot now about how important it is to have the handle in front of the club head for most of your golf shots and how important it is to lead the hands into the impact and winning the race and hands in front of the ball, but there are a couple of shots where that isn’t always the case. And actually if we look at the short game, there’s a few different areas where you hands should or shouldn’t be in front of the ball at impact in the short game.

Now, basic pitch shot or chip shot 25, 30 yards off the green, over bunker, landed on the green, that’s going to be the standard pitch or chip shot where we should have a hand slightly in front of the ball. And that can be also referred to in the setup. So setup for general basic pitch is going to be this position here; hands overhead, bodyweight slightly on the front leg as well impact position, nicely back and through ahead. But that can change slightly when we need a bit more loft because that general pitch will actually deloft the golf club. If we were hitting a flop shot or a bunker shot where we need to maximize the amount of loft. We don’t necessarily want this big handle leaning forwards to create shaft lean which also creates less loft. Hitting a flop or a bunker shot, we might actually have the club face slightly open but also the shaft a little bit more vertical or even slightly behind depending on the quality of the lie. If we have a very good lie, we could lean the handle back quite a significant amount, keeping the face open. Then the point of impact, you actually let the club head get to the ball first so we don’t have the hands leading the way. We have the club head leading the way. That comes underneath the ball. But it is exactly that. The club is coming from underneath to hit the ball up, so it needs a good lie or in the bunker you have to imagine you’re going to hit the sand before the ball which is generally comes in a good bunker technique. So hands back, club head forwards for the flop shot and the bunker shot but hands forward club head back for the general pitch. And we’ve also got to consider putting. In putting, it’s a little bit 15 and 50. I’d be honest with you, most people would probably going to set up with their hands slightly ahead when they’re putting and then just deliver the club it maybe one or two degrees of shaft lean. A few golfers have the ball a little bit more forwards and will probably be releasing the golf club into the ball. I think the best thing for you to try and aim for in putting is have your hands level to one degree, two degrees ahead but it’s not a major issue in putting if your hands are slightly behind the ball and you’re hitting the ball slightly on the right, no real problems with that. Flop shots, hands back; pitch shots from the grass, hands forward. Hopefully, that will help you understand how your hands ahead should or shouldn’t be working in your short game technique. 2016-08-18

So I’ve talked quite a lot now about how important it is to have the handle in front of the club head for most of your golf shots and how important it is to lead the hands into the impact and winning the race and hands in front of the ball, but there are a couple of shots where that isn’t always the case. And actually if we look at the short game, there’s a few different areas where you hands should or shouldn’t be in front of the ball at impact in the short game.

Now, basic pitch shot or chip shot 25, 30 yards off the green, over bunker, landed on the green, that’s going to be the standard pitch or chip shot where we should have a hand slightly in front of the ball. And that can be also referred to in the setup. So setup for general basic pitch is going to be this position here; hands overhead, bodyweight slightly on the front leg as well impact position, nicely back and through ahead.

But that can change slightly when we need a bit more loft because that general pitch will actually deloft the golf club. If we were hitting a flop shot or a bunker shot where we need to maximize the amount of loft. We don’t necessarily want this big handle leaning forwards to create shaft lean which also creates less loft. Hitting a flop or a bunker shot, we might actually have the club face slightly open but also the shaft a little bit more vertical or even slightly behind depending on the quality of the lie.

If we have a very good lie, we could lean the handle back quite a significant amount, keeping the face open. Then the point of impact, you actually let the club head get to the ball first so we don’t have the hands leading the way. We have the club head leading the way. That comes underneath the ball. But it is exactly that. The club is coming from underneath to hit the ball up, so it needs a good lie or in the bunker you have to imagine you’re going to hit the sand before the ball which is generally comes in a good bunker technique.

So hands back, club head forwards for the flop shot and the bunker shot but hands forward club head back for the general pitch. And we’ve also got to consider putting. In putting, it’s a little bit 15 and 50. I’d be honest with you, most people would probably going to set up with their hands slightly ahead when they’re putting and then just deliver the club it maybe one or two degrees of shaft lean. A few golfers have the ball a little bit more forwards and will probably be releasing the golf club into the ball.

I think the best thing for you to try and aim for in putting is have your hands level to one degree, two degrees ahead but it’s not a major issue in putting if your hands are slightly behind the ball and you’re hitting the ball slightly on the right, no real problems with that. Flop shots, hands back; pitch shots from the grass, hands forward. Hopefully, that will help you understand how your hands ahead should or shouldn’t be working in your short game technique.