Every golf knows that the scoring distance varies depending on the skill factor. Regardless of your handicap, I think we can all agree that mastering the approach shot from 100 yards or closer will do wonders for our score. I am always searching for new techniques that will help sharpen my shot making that is easy and repeatable. The videos I like to watch are generally throwback to my early years of learning the game and I found one that is perfect for my game and hopefully for yours as well.
Anna Sorenstam is one of my favourite instructors. Her commonsense approach and obvious skillset makes her tips very appropriate for my game. I really like her advice from hitting from 100 yards:
Sorenstam’s three tips of:
- Hitting the ball as close to or preferably on the green makes perfect sense.
- Choose a club that we are comfortable with when making the shot.
- Let the back backswing determine the distance of the the shot.
Her emphasis on quieting the lower body is one technique that I started working on in earnest last season. This season will afford me more time to practice of I am hoping to improve on last year’s successes.
One lesson I did learn from last year is that it is not important to take full swings with my shorter irons. I have found that by clubbing up by one at a know distance helps with my control over my swing mechanics. There are so many different ways to be make a 100 yard shot, I am going to focus on Annika’s three tips and see where it will take my short game.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
It’s the clock method. I think of it as 7 o’clock is waist high, 8 is half way between waist and shoulder, 9 is shoulder, then I use 10 and 11 going up from there. Never 12. I can’t turn that much and lose it if I try.
I try and get my distances with all my clubs that way every once in awhile. Even the driver though I don’t think I’ve ever actually used less than 9 o’clock with the driver. I play by feel, but it’s a ton of help making the choice based on the numbers and using feel to fine tune it than just guessing each time. I need to do it again. The better I get at ball striking, the more the numbers change and not always longer. Better ball striking also brings in more spin and so it’s just as possible to loose some distance with some shots and gain it with others as you move up the clock. Besides, it makes for a good practice session.
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Kevin,
It is a bit of a clock method for sure. I never really put a label on it, I have used the clock method for years and have developed a feel for many shots. The better the feel, the better the shots I make…..just like you. It really is the best way I play and from the sounds of it, same to you.
Cheers Jim
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When I learned it originally it wasn’t called the clock method and it wasn’t quite as structured but it did come from Annika as well. She advocated on an early tv lesson to learn to hit to the same distance with multiple clubs. And taking that to heart helped my game quite a bit.
It wasn’t until years later than I heard the term clock method and I took right to that. It made my practice more structured.
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