Take special care to keep your head from following your hands–you want your head to remain rock-steady. On the downswing, it should feel as though your hands are going to hit your right hip as it rotates back toward the ball. Feel as if you're going to put your hands into your right pocket on the backswing. The key to this play is to swing the clubhead back and forth along your toe line, a path that's well inside the target line. If you grip the club too tightly, you'll keep the clubface from properly closing through impact. This will activate your wrists and give them the freedom to work the clubface into position through the hitting zone. Since you need to hit a big bender, gear back on your grip pressure. Obviously, the shot calls for a big-time, right-to-left curve–a hook for the ages. To facilitate solid contact, play the ball just to the left of your front foot (on your toe line). Basically, you want to create the ultimate closed stance, with your back facing the target at address. Now, without moving your clubhead, rotate your body clockwise until your toe line becomes perpendicular to the target line and your chest faces the obstruction. Regardless, here's what to do when you have an obstruction directly in your backswing path and chipping back into play isn't an option.įirst, take your normal stance and sole your club, with the clubface pointing in the direction you want the ball to start–just as you would if your backswing wasn't obstructed. Of course, it doesn't have to be a tree–it could be a bush, OB fence or a big root you're worried about snagging your clubhead on. The plan is to radically close your stance, creating a swing path that's so far to the inside that you miss the tree, but hit the ball. But take a closer look–you may be able to knock it near or even on the green if you know this savvy technique. For most golfers, the only play is to chip back into the fairway–a momentum-breaker that's not going to help you if your goal is to shoot low numbers. The feeling of helplessness can be pretty disheartening. Bad lies are one thing, but there's nothing worse than a situation where your backswing is completely restricted.

No backswing golf swing