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How do you get on hitting your ball from hard pan? Goodness, I used to lose some shots from his type of lie. I just didnt have a clue. Then, one day, I read how to do it and it became easy.

That is what I want to tell you today.

The first thing to do is to hit down onto the ball. If you hit your shots in a scooping motion, you will have great difficulty from such a lie. It is not a difficult shot as long as you know how to go about it. Set up with your ball opposite your right big toe. You have to hit down on the ball and make sure your pinch it cleanly between the club and the ground. Setting your ball so far back in your stance makes it easier to hit down on the ball and hit it cleanly.

Keep you head still and watch the ball. This is vital.

This will get the ball up and flying. The important factor is to let the loft of your club get the ball into the air. As mentioned, if you try to scoop, you will fail. You know how you keep your hands in front of the ball when you make a chip. Well, you follow the same mechanics here.

You make sure your keep your hands in front of the club face during contact and until after you have hit your ball.

Keep your wrists firm, as you do when you chip. When you do this, you havent got to think of the hard lie. You just have to change your technique a little and the result will be as desired.

Practice it a bit and you should soon add this shot to your arsenal.

Now you have to hit your ball over some trees to get out of your trouble spot. There are a couple of minor adjustments to allow you to get your ball up quickly.

The first thing, of course, is to use a club with enough loft to clear the obstacle. Dont be greedy and try for more distance than is reasonable.

Always remember, it is most important to get your ball back into play with no dropped shots.

open your club face slightly, and be prepared for a fade as a result. The more you move the ball forward in your stance, the quicker and steeper it will rise. So, move the ball forward in your stance and make sure you get your club face under the ball.

If you are really close to a bush and have to get your ball into the air quickly, have the ball opposite your left big toe, and hit with your wrists to get the club head under the ball. The ball will go almost straight up into the air. You will get over, but you will not get much distance obviously. What about when you are in a situation in the trees, or near some bush on the side of the fairway where you have a very restricted swing? You know that if you make good contact with the ball you will be able to hit it far enough to get it back onto the fairway and into play.

However, the problem is making good contact. Obviously, the most important thing is your swing and not the lie of the ball in this situation.

The first thing you have to establish is how far back you can take your back swing. Once you are confident about this, having rehearsed several times, you can start to concentrate on hitting the ball.

I find it a good idea to take my stance and then make my back swing and stop here. Then making sure I watch the ball, make an unhurried down swing making sure I keep my body still.

It is important not to rush. Be as smooth as you can be both during the back swing, the slight pause and then the down swing. It is so easy to lift your head before you hit the ball due to anxiety about the outcome of the shot. Be very conscious of this and make total effort to keep your head still.

Bill Maitland is a thinking, inventive golf guru. He thought out and developed simple techniques and tips which enabled him to lower his handicap from 25 to 18, then from 18 to 15, and finally from 15 to 12. He is a passionate golfer, and delights in helping others with their game should they want his help. To receive a valuable weekly golf tip go to his web site http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com and subscribe to his free Hole In one News Letter. You will be so glad that you did.

Author of On Line Golfers' Hand Book. An e-Book that takes you step by step to being the best golfer that you can possibly be. The basics in great detail. To learn about his tips and simple techniques and order his book, visit his web site

http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com

sign up for his free news letter and receive a wealth of great tips every time. He really tries to tell you everything and leaves nothing out as so often happens. When you sign up, receive his free chapter from his book on bunker play.

posted by 46124  # 7:45 PM