Approach shots
You’ll escape the trees more often with this effective strategy
Tony Marshall
As pretty as trees on a golf course can be to look at, they become a lot less appealing when they're planted between you and the flag. In the scenario in the video below, Golf Digest Best Young Teacher Molly Braid is 60 yards out, off the fairway, behind a tree. Especially when you’re so close to the green, the temptation is to take a wedge and try to go over the tree. But if you’re like a lot of players, you’ve ended up in the tree more often than you’ve successfully made it over.
@golfdigestwoman Trying to hit the green from behind a tree? Use this strategy from Golf Digest Best in State teacher Molly Braid to punch it close 💯 #golf #golftok #golftiktok #golfinstruction #golftips#golftips ♬ Sky Aesthetic - Tollan Kim
Instead of trying to hit a soaring wedge in these situations, Braid says to grab a much less lofted club and go under the trouble.
“Grab a seven iron and hit a big chip shot,” Braid said. “Get your feet closer together, lean towards the target, sternum slightly ahead of the ball. Let the handle lean towards the target as well. From there, we’re going to keep the club low, around hip high to hip high. We’re going to punch the ball out and let it roll up to the green.”
Hitting the high shot over the trees that lands softly on the green is the more exciting option, we get that. But if you want to hit the shot that’s going to put you in the best positon to save par from the trees, you’ll want to hit Braid’s punch 7 iron.