Alternative Shot to Escape Trouble on Course

Brad Ott: I'd like to talk to you about a trouble shot that happens around the greens every once in a while.

Ironically at this year's PGA championship in Baltusrol, I was fortunate enough to play in it, this happened to me, and knowing this shot actually saved me a shot.

We're going to pretend this is a tree.

This is a trouble shot that would happen if my ball were to go up against a tree around the green.

There's a few options here.

Some of the player that I would see on tour would play it this way.

The only reason I don't like this technique is you can't see your target.

You can't see the golf ball real easily.

It's not a bad technique, but I encourage you to try the upside down technique.

What I'll do is I'll actually play this left handed.

The club, if you flip it upside down, is not a bad left handed golf club.

It takes a little bit of practice, and I'm going to give you a couple of ideas that you need to master in order to be successful with this.

A lot of my students that I teach this, particularly my better players, when they first learn this ...

For my right handed golfers.

I'm going to talk right handed golfers.

Left handers, I want you just to switch it around, the hands and the direction.

My right handed golfers, once they switch to left handed, they will keep their grip the same.

I would encourage you to make a grip change.

An actual left handed golf grip.

Another error that I see my better players do whenever they're learning this shot, is they'll keep their weight on their left foot which is what they've trained their chipping stroke to be.

In this case you got to move your foot, or your weight, over to your right foot.

Lastly, a lot of my players, whenever they're learning this, they have taught themselves to have the ball back by their right foot.

Slightly behind center so that they can hit down on it.

In this case, you actually want the ball back by your left foot with your weight forward, so you'll hit down on this.

There's a couple of adjustments that need to be made.

You're really just thinking of yourself as a left handed golfer.

Once you make these adjustments if you set the ball back by your left foot, lean your weight a little bit forward, and use a left handed stroke, with just a little bit of practice you should be able to get the ball to at least get out from behind the tree, and get it up on the green.

Maybe you don't make your par, but at least you don't sit here and hit a couple shots trying to get it out from behind the tree.

With just a little bit of practice, thinking of those three concepts, ball positioning back, weight on your right foot, and switch around to a left handed grip, I think you can find if you get up against a tree you can get it out of trouble.