Have you ever found the ball under a tree and the only way out is to chip under low-hainging branches? <\/p>\n
A few weeks ago, I hit a drive off the fairway and right beside a tree with low-hanging branches. I mean a foot off the ground.<\/p>\n
I thought I could hit the ball under those branches and back into and down the fairway by taking my 5-wood, playing the ball back to deloft the club, and hitting gently. <\/p>\n
Didn’t work. The ball hit a branch and dropped straight down. A chip into the fairway that I now had room for had me hitting four right about here instead of hitting three well down the fairway.<\/p>\n
A few days ago, I got into the same dilemma but behind a green. My only shot was toward the hole, because anything sideways would have been going from bad to worse. <\/p>\n
I thought, I need even less loft, and the light bulb went on. My putter! With only about 4\u00b0 of loft, a firm putting stroke would keep the ball low and get it back in the fairway. <\/p>\n
So, I took out my putter and hit the shot. I was about twenty yards behind the green, and unfortunately hit it just a bit too hard. The ball got under the branch with room to spare, but ran onto the green like an out of control freight train going downhill. <\/p>\n
I won’t say what happened next, but later in the round I had the same problem again<\/em>! Out comes the putter, and this time don’t hit it so hard. I didn’t. My shot from green-high got under branches and rolled on to the green.<\/p>\n Remember, it’s a firm stroke, somewhat like you might make in hitting a 50-foot put. It is not a whack. If you try it that way, you are likely to mishit the ball and end up somewhere else where you don’t want be.<\/p>\n Now I have a new trouble shot, and so do you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever found the ball under a tree and the only way out is to chip under low-hainging branches? A few weeks ago, I hit a drive off the fairway and right beside a tree with low-hanging branches. I mean a foot off the ground. I thought I could hit the ball under those … Continue reading The Putter Is a Rescue Club, Too<\/span>