It’s hard to believe, but even the pros struggle with their distance control. In fact, I remember hearing over and over again a few years ago that one of reasons Tiger Woods was in a slump was because he was struggling with his distance control.

I don’t know about you, but only if I had Tiger’s problems….

I’ve always thought of myself as a feel player, especially when I am inside 100 yards to the pin. As I’ve learned over time, being a feel player can have its share of problems.

The key to any part of your golf game is to develop a routine and/or swing that is repeatable and the same can be said for your short game. Here’s a tip that I incorporated into my game which has dramatically changed the way I score inside 10o yards.

For starters, different distances require different lengths of backswings. So, your backswing shouldn’t be the same for a 95 yard shot vs. a 45 shot. Seems like good common sense, but how many times have you tried to control your distance by the changing the speed of your swing?

Start by thinking of your backswing as a clock. For shorter distances, you might only need to bring the club back so that it’s at 9 o’clock or parallel to the ground. Intermediate distances might only require a 3/4 swing or 10-11 o’clock. You get the picture…

And it’s important to apply the same principle to your follow-through. If you’re taking a 9 o’clock shot your follow-through should stop when it’s parallel to the ground or at 3 pm.

You’ll need to figure out which distances work for you during each “click of the clock” but you’ll quickly develop a consistent and reliable approach to distance control within 100 yards.

Talk to you soon,

Michael Kosmala