What’s Your Ratio?
An interesting aspect about the game of golf, is how the better you are, the more complicated you can tend to make the game. Sometimes going back to basics and simplifying the game will help you not only improve, but make things more enjoyable.
Take for example the basic chip and run shot. This is a shot from just off the green, where the ball will spend a little bit of distance traveled in the air, and more travel on the ground rolling like a putt. The idea is to get the ball rolling on the ground as soon as possible. This will take out some variable that are difficult to control. The amount of spin, how much the ball will either roll out or check up and stop short of your target, the bounce that the ball will take once it hits the green.
What factor you need to determine is which club is going to produce the desired results. What you need to know is that the clubs will work with a ratio. Making the same swing with each club will produce a different ratio of distance in the air vs. distance on the ground. This is something that I have taught to my students for years. And even though the exact results will differ from person to person, the general rule of thumb is the same for everyone.
I was encouraged to see a recent instruction article in Golf Magazine in the May 2013 issue. In the article is discusses the same principle that I have been stressing to my students. What was great about the article is that is provided a great image depicting the different ratios that you can expect from the different clubs.
I encourage you to take a look, and head out to the practice area and find out what the ratios are for you. You’ll find yourself hitting these shots closer to the hole and leaving yourself easier putts…what can be better than that?