Approach Play – Tips and Drills

Approach Play – Tips and Drills

Welcome to the Copper Golf Co. blog! Today, we're going to dive into three crucial approach play principles that can help golfers of all skill levels improve their game. These principles are low point control in the golf swing, distance control, and shot-making abilities. Whether you're a seasoned golfer looking to fine-tune your skills or a beginner just starting out, understanding and applying these principles can make a significant difference in your approach play and ultimately lead to lower scores. So, let's explore each of these principles in detail and learn how they can enhance your golf game!

1. Ability to Hit the Ground is the Same Place Every Time

As you have heard in many of our other blogs, the ability to hit the ground in the same place on each and every swing is a vital fundamental in the game of golf.  Many of you have heard the saying, “hit the little ball before the big ball.”  We think that this is one of the most powerful statements in golf.  The first principle of ball control is hitting the ball first and then the ground.  Without control over this, it is impossible to hit the ball a consistent distance with a predictable flight and spin.

When talking about hitting the ground in the same place each time we want to take it a step further and talk about low point control.  Low point control is the lowest point of your swing arc.  With new Trackman technology over the past few years, we have learned that the average low point of the iron swing for PGA and LPGA Tour players is anywhere from 2-4 inches after the golf ball.  If your low point is happening sooner than this or later than this, it is an indication that your swing arc is either too shallow or too steep.

Now, unfortunately most of us do not have access to Trackman technology so we wanted to give you a simple drill that you can complete on the driving range to practice your low point control and dial in your iron play.

Setup and Execution - Low Point Control Drill

1. With a can of spray paint draw a line of the ground.

2. Hit balls off of this line which will give you instant feedback of whether you hit the ball first or hit the ground first.  Your goal here is to make sure that your divot starts after the line of the ground.

3. After a few shots, examine your divots and see if the bottom of most of them happens 2-4 inches after the line.

4. Reflect on the shots you have hit and make adjustments accordingly.

5. If you can hit 10 shots in a row with your divot happening after the line of the ground with the deepest point happening 2-4 inches after the line, you have mastered this ball striking principle and are ready to move on to #2 and #3.

1. Distance Control

Our approach play principle number 2 is distance control and now that you are confident in your low point control it is time to get this dialed in.

One of the top signs of a very good player is that they hit the ball hole high a lot of the time.  To have great distance control you need to know how far each club in your bag goes and you need to be able to hit the ball consistently solid.  Use the two drills below to master these two things.

Drill #1 - Finding Your Stock Yardages

1. Find an open area where you can hit golf balls and then walk out to measure their distances in a safe manner.  Do not do this on the range with other people hitting.

2. Hit 5 balls with each club in your bag.

3. Walk out using your rangefinder and measure the distance of the middle three balls; the average of these middle three balls will become your stock yardage for that club.  If you do not have a rangefinder, you can also pace this off. 

4. You will want to do this at least once per quarter as your skills will increase and you will want to have as updated stock yardages as possible.

Drill #2 - Hit the Middle of the Club Face

1. For this drill, the first thing you will need is a can of Dr. Scholl’s foot spray; we know, it sounds weird.

2. Spray the club face with this spray before each shot as it will show you exactly where the ball struck the face.  Don’t worry as the spray will wipe right off.

3. Make a goal with each club to hit 5 shots in a row out of the middle of the face. 

4. For the ultimate drill, combine this drill with our low point drill above for absolute efficiency.

1. Shot Shape Control

Shot shape and trajectory control is our number 3 approach play principle.  As you see on TV every week, the pros have great versatility in their shot making abilities.  The top players in the world have the ability to work the ball left-to-right, right-to-left, low and high.  Depending on your skill level to maximize scoring it might be best to stick to your stock shot shape 90% of the time however and believe or not, the pros do this as well.  That other 10% of the time can make or break your round of golf though, so use the below drill to work on your shop making versatility.  Do not try all of these on the golf course until you have mastered them on the range.

Setup and Execution - The Nine Shot Windows

1. You simply need a bucket of balls, a driving range, and a few different irons to run through this drill with.

2. The goal of this drill is self-discovery to learn the 9 different shot types.

1. Low draw

2. Low straight

3. Low fade

4. Mid draw

5. Mid straight

6. Mid fade

7. High draw

8. High straight

9. High fade

1. Shot with a short iron and hit all nine of these shots in a row.  If you do not pull off a particular shot, do not worry, just keep going.  You will come back to this shot at the end and practice it. 

2. Do this drill again with one of your mid irons and long irons. 

3. After running through all 9 shots 3 times, take some time to practice shots you struggled with and then run through the 9 shots 3 more times.

4. Hopefully you will have improved at your challenging shots but if not, do not get discouraged as this is a very advanced drill and only elite players will be able to consistently nail all 9 shots.

In conclusion, mastering the three approach play principles of low point control in the golf swing, distance control, and shot-making abilities can significantly elevate your golf game. By developing consistency in your swing and understanding how to control the low point of your club, you can make solid contact with the ball and increase your chances of hitting accurate shots. Additionally, honing your distance control skills through practice and awareness of club selection, swing speed, and terrain can help you get the ball closer to the target and reduce unnecessary strokes. Finally, developing shot-making abilities, such as shaping shots and adapting to different situations, can give you the versatility to handle any course and navigate challenging scenarios. So, keep these principles in mind during your practice sessions and on the course, and watch your approach play improve, leading to lower scores and a more enjoyable golfing experience.