Tip #37: The Punch

The punch shot has saved me countless strokes over the years. In the 1986 Masters, the punch came to my rescue on the 1st hole, after my tee-shot strayed under a tree. From there I had a little over a hundred yards to the green but the ball had to fly under the tree limbs, then clear the rise of the elevated green and sit tight. One in back of Jack Nicklaus, I couldn't afford to play cautiously.

At address, the ball is back. From here it's a quick-back, quick-through swing with an abbreviated follow-through.

Taking a 9-iron, I smacked the ball just the way I wanted, and it came to rest 10 feet away. When the putt went in, I had birdied four holes in a row. All for naught, as it turned out, since I bogeyed 18 to lose by a stroke. Still, it was gratifying to play such a good punch shot under pressure.

You can think of the punch either as a low pitch or a long chip shot. It can be played with anything from a 7-iron to a pitching wedge - the 7-iron if you want it to run after it hits the green, the pitching wedge if you want it to stop.

Set up with the ball at least an inch in back of your left heel, your hands well forward of the clubface, and about 70 percent of your weight on your left side. Your stance can be square for this shot. Grip down a bit on the club, but most important, grip firmly.

The swing is quicker than that for any of the short shots. What you want is a quick-back/quick-through motion with some snap to it. Keep your wrists out of it, and keep the clubhead as low to the ground as possible, both during the backswing and the short follow-through. Standing a little open will put a bit of a fading tail on this shot. A slightly closed stance will make the ball draw just a bit.

Feel is important on this one. When you select your club, make trajectory your first concern, behavior of the ball on the green your second concern, and distance your last. If the shot is 100 yards, don't feel that you have to hit the wedge, unless you want the ball to stop quickly after it hits - a 7-iron will often do the job more easily.

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