MP T-Series Black Ni
MP T-Series Chrome
Masterclass - Play controlled greenside lobs
Masterclass - Swing plane for accurate iron play
Masterclass - Bump and run
Masterclass - Sweeter fairway wood shotsCONTROL YOUR DISTANCE
IGNACIO GARRIDO: PGA EUROPEAN TOUR
| NAME: | IGNACIO GARRIDO |
| BORN: | MADRID, SPAIN |
| DOB: | 22/03/1972 |
| TURNED PRO: | 1993 |
| CAREER WINS: | VOLVO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, 2003; VOLVO GERMAN OPEN 1997; RYDER CUP TEAM: 1997 |
When I get to the course, It's a simple matter of translating the distance I have to cover to the combination which, through my practice, I know will send the ball that far. If the distance falls between my standard shot lengths, I'll know instantly how to adjust. Sorry it's not more technically interesting, but practice really is the only answer; on the course and under pressure, you really don't want to be thinking "Now, how do I hit it 65 yards?"
There is only one truly effective way to improve your ability to pitch pin-high, and that is through practice. I have three wedges - pitch, sand and lob - and three standard swing lengths, half, three-quarter and full. So by practising hard with each club I'm able to build up a total of nine standard distances I can hit the ball.
USE YOUR LEFT ARM AS A REFERENCE
Here I'm making my shortest standard backswing length. I know I'm in position when my left arm is parallel to the ground. I can send the ball anything from 45 yards with a lob wedge to about 80 with a pitching wedge with this swing length. Anything closer than 45 yards is purely about feel and what the shot demands.
Here is my mid-backswing length. Again I'm using my left arm as the measure, and here it's just past parallel. With my pitching wedge, this backswing sends the ball around the 100-yard mark; with the lob wedge it's about 60. The backswing length must of course mirrored on the way through, giving your action a smooth, repeatable rhythm.
My full swing sees my left arm go that bit further back to the swing length I would have for any iron shot. From here I can hit my lob wedge around 90 yards and my pitching wedge perhaps 130. My shoulders have turned more with the longer armswing, ensuring there is good connection between arms and body.
Sometimes I'm faced with a pitching distance that I could pretty much play two ways - for example I could play this 85-yard shot with a full-swing lob wedge or a half-swing pitching wedge. In this situation I'll look at spin control. If I'm pitching over a trap to a tight pin on a firm green, then of course the higher-spinning full lob wedge would be the better option. But the half-swing pitching wedge generates less spin, so it's the better option if I want the ball to take a hop forward up the green - as in this case.