Best Golf Tips: 3 GREAT tips on how to hit a punch shot

Wind and rain are a golfer's nemesis but it is important to be able to play in tough conditions, as you won't always play golf with sunshine and blue skies. 

Punch shots are often used to keep the ball low and to prevent strong winds from affecting your ball flight. You could also use a punch shot if you need to thread your ball through a gap to get out of trouble. 

Golf fans have always enjoyed watching players such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson play superb punch shots on the PGA Tour and you can hit your own by using three simple tips. 

#1 A proper set-up

When you are playing in windy conditions, it is important to keep your balance and composure. You should set up with a slightly wider stance than usual and position the ball between the middle of your stance and your back foot.

The wider stance will help your stability throughout your swing and if you position the ball towards your back foot, you are likely to hit a low shot that stays under the wind. 

#2 Slow and steady swing

When you hit a punch shot, you need to decrease the amount of spin on the ball as much as possible. A punch shot is meant to fly lower than a normal shot, so it is important that the ball does not spin so it can travel further.

If you slow down your swing, you are likely to hit the ball with less spin because the ball will not rotate at such a fast rate. A slow and steady swing is also important for stability when playing in windy conditions.

#3 Take one extra club

Once you have mastered your set-up and swing tempo, you now need to select the right club to hit your punch shot. We know that the ball isn't going to travel as far as a normal shot, especially in windy conditions.

With this in mind, you will need to take one extra club to adapt to the punch shot. On some occasions, you may need two extra clubs but it will depend on how strong the wind is and how far away you are from the target.

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