It’s fair to say that you would use a punch shot more often here in Scotland than in Europe.
It’s a particularly handy shot to have when you’re playing under a tree line. If you imagine the ball is getting above the tree line and the wind will hit it more... if you can get a scenario where you’re trying to maybe take a bit of yardage off, keep it down and below the tree level, the punch shot is ideal.
It’s a shot that’s probably used more often in links golf but it can be used really effectively on any course or in any conditions.
Set-up forward
At set-up, I’ve got my hands forward of the ball, and that’s something I want to try and emulate at impact, which helps keep the trajectory of the ball down as you’re taking loft off the club.
The ball sits quite far back in the stance, again to try and keep the ball down, thanks to a steeper attack angle.
The strike
The feeling I’m looking for going through impact is to turn around my left leg at impact. You can see my hands are still ahead of the ball before impact, and from there it’s all about pulling down and through, with the feeling of getting my left hand to target.
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Murray Urquhart is the Head PGA Professional at Spey Valley and a former European Tour player. For lessons, call Murray on 01479 811725.
