A punch shot is a golf shot that is hit with a controlled low trajectory.

It is a great golf shot to be able to play as it provides you with a recovery shot whenever you are playing under overhanging branches. It also provides you with a great way to control your accuracy when playing in high winds, as being able to play shots that fly under the wind allows you to retain your directional control.

The correct way to play an effective punch shot is to set up with golf ball back in your stance more than usual. Position your hands ahead, or to the left of the club head as you are looking at the golf ball, if you are a right handed golfer and place your weight on your left side more than usual. Doing this at set up will encourage you to keep the ball low during its flight. Playing the ball back in your stance allows you to strike the ball on the downward part of your swing arc which means that the club face will be de-lofted as it connects with the ball and it will also be moving in a downward direction so the ball will fly low.

Setting your hands ahead of the club head creates a forward lean in the club shaft and it is crucial that as you strike the ball you play the shot with this forward lean. If the shaft leans the other way you will add loft on to the club face and hit the ball high. Keep your weight forward and maintain the forward lean in the shaft. Create a straight line from your left shoulder down your left arm and then down the shaft of the golf club to the club head. On your backswing maintain this straight line, so restrict your backswing length to a maximum of just above waist high. If you hinge your wrist, this will promote a high ball flight, so swing the straight line back and then drive the straight line through the ball and into your follow through.

Your follow through will also be restricted as you maintain the straight line from your left shoulder to your hands and then to the club head. Work on keeping the club head below your hands to create the lower ball flight.

A great drill to work on for a lower ball flight is to take a stand bag and set it up so that it is about four feet down the target line from the ball. Set it so that the legs of the bag are on the far side of the line and the bottom of the bag is on the near, or inside. Play your shot hitting the ball under the bag and working on keeping the club head low and not rising above the bag.

This will get you hitting some great and very effective punch shots the next time you are out on the golf course.