By Crystal Morse
Spring golf in Indiana is a wonderful thing to enjoy after a long winter, but less than ideal ground and turf conditions may stand in the way of you and lower golf scores. Knowing that the greens will roll slower because the ground will be wet — and not allow for much roll out — you need to approach your short-game shots differently than you would in late summer, when course conditions are dry and firm.
- Club Selection: Don’t automatically grab your lob wedge, or sand wedge. Choose a club that is going to allow more forgiveness, at contact and roll out, such as a nine iron. I will say that my gap wedge, pitching wedge and nine iron are my go-to clubs in the spring. They provide enough loft to hop the ball over the rough, or fringe, plus provide the necessary roll. It also means you don’t need to be perfect with your landing spot, which is also a benefit early in the year.
- Setup: To prevent chunked shots or bladed shots, play the ball slightly back in your stance (towards your right foot for right-handed golfers) and make sure you create a forward shaft lean. Check your position by making sure that your grip/hands are in line with the inside of your left thigh.
Don’t overlook the fundamentals this spring when it comes to short game. With a little creativity in club selection and setup, you can start the spring shooting scores that make you want to come back to play again and again, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Play well!
