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A punch golf shot is a shot hit deliberately low, one where you can keep the ball under the wind and it allows you to remain very accurate and to hit the ball close to the pin even in really blustery conditions.

To hit a punch shot you need to change certain things at set up. If you take your golf stance up, the first thing you want to do is play the ball further back in your stance than usual. This will allow you to catch the ball on the down swing when the club is still slightly de-lofted, because it has not reached the bottom of its swing arc yet. Put the ball slightly further back in the stance. You also now want to push the hands slightly further forward than normal. This will de-loft the club. You will not see as much loft or as much angle on the club face as usual and this will allow you to hit a deliberately lower shot than usual.

To create this you want to work on having a straight line from your left shoulder, down your left arm and then straight down the shaft of the club. If you work on creating this straight line from the left shoulder down to the club head, you will find that your hands are really forward and that the shaft of the club is leaning forward towards the target and is slightly de-lofted.

You also want to place more weight on your left side than you usually would. This will promote a downward strike into the ball and as such, the club face will be slightly de-lofted.

You also want to play the shot with your left foot directly back by 4 to 6 inches. If you do that, it will allow you to rotate your hips towards the target so your hips are slightly open as you start your golf swing. You want to do this as you make the golf swing so that you are able to turn and rotate your body through the golf shot and towards the target. This will allow you to keep the club head travelling down the target line to hit an accurately straight shot.

To make the actual swing it is really important that you do not hinge your wrist if you are going to hit a deliberately low shot. Work hard and keep that straight line from your left shoulder down your left arm and extended down the shaft of the golf club throughout the swing. If you maintain this really straight line you will get to about waist height or just above on your back swing and that will be the end of the back swing.

Now you want to swing that straight line directly back into the ball so that the hands are forward and to the left of the club head as you are looking to impact with the ball and then keep the straight line going as you rotate your body towards the target. If you keep that straight line in position on the follow through, you will have a stunted feel on your the follow through and you will finish in a laid off position, which simply means that the club head is lower than your hands and a very different position to the one you usually finish in.

So that is how to play a golf punch shot by altering your set up position and then not using your wrists during the golf swing.

A forwards ball position will create additional loft on the club face, and therefore, a higher ball flight which is contrary to a punch shot.

Having your hands behind the club face at address would result in a similar position at impact, and therefore, a higher ball flight.

You do not want to hit the ball harder when playing a punch shot, because when you do actually play a shot with a harder swing your club head speed increases and the amount of spin on the ball increases. As such, it is the spin that actually gets the ball up into the air. So hitting the ball harder if you are playing in windy conditions is not the answer to lowering the trajectory. You want to learn how to play the punch shot correctly and then you will have much more control when playing in the wind and you will find it will lower your golf scores.