Now on the course I played this morning there are a number of times where running close to the water is the best line you can take to get a good position into the pin. However this morning on a number of occasions running close to the water on the right was a test of my skills to play out of the water. Yep thats right playing out of water.

This particular shot is not for those who don’t like to get a little wet and if you wear glasses make sure you have a cloth to wipe them clean.

OK so the shot itself is possible as long as the ball is no more than around 2 inches below the surface, any deeper and you risk hurting yourself as the resistance on the club is fairly heavy. Most players don’t even consider this shot so it is a good one to have if you get the chance.

You need to have a good solid stance on dry land or take your shoes and socks off, lets face it the save of one drop shot isn’t worth destroying a good pair of golf shoes. It is worth playing the shot if you are in a good position, however it is worth pointing out that playing this shot with anything longer than an 8 iron will cause a big splash and thats about it!

Set yourself up with the ball forward in your stance, make sure you have the club face nice and open and that you are hitting down on the ball. This will ensure that you are cutting into the water and not just bouncing the club off the top. Keep your wrists and grip solid and make sure you follow through the same way you would with a bunker shot.

Make sure you know just how deep your ball is before you take a good hard swing at it as you will notice it is very easy to misjudge the actual depth of the ball as we all know water distorts the view.

It is hard to actually practice unless you flood your driving range, so if you get the opportunity to try it then do so as it is something to impress your opposition with. One final tip that you will thank me for is to take an extra towel with you when you go and tuck the towel in your trousers so it hangs completely across your back leg so it is totally covered. That way when you twist into your shot you will be protected against most of the spray, keeping you dry!

I have been out and about in a new shopping center not far from where I live today and they have a golf shop there that is a small independently owned place. On this discovery my wife decided that she could leave me in the cresh (or the newly discovered golf shop as it is more commonly known) and go off to look for what we actually went there for. This was my first chance to get my hands on the new 2008 Taylormade R7 CBG Max Irons.

For a little outfit this shop is very well equipped, they have a golf simulator and as it was rather early and not busy the shop assistant asked me if I would like to try the clubs over a few holes on the simulator. So off I went clubs taped up so as not to mark them. Now my Mum always told me that if its heavy put it down because its probably expensive. Well yes they are expensive and yes they are a little heavier than what I am used to in my own clubs.

The sales bumph is below:

TaylorMade r7 CGB Max 2008 Irons – RH Steel The TaylorMade r7 CGB Max Irons have maximum technology for maximum speed, distance, forgiveness, and accuracy. Large, thin, high-strength steel clubface promotes high COR for faster ball speed and increased distance Extra-large clubhead with tungsten weights increases MOI for greater stability and forgiveness SuperFast Technology reduces total club weight and promotes faster swing speed for added distance Inverted Cone Technology expands the high COR zone to promote higher ball speed on off-center hits for more distance shot to shot Hollow topline allows CG to be moved back deep in the clubhead for incredibly easy launch on a towering, distance-enhancing flight

So are they any good? YES are they worth the money? Well I have a real issue with clubs that come in over $1000 and as you will see by clicking the link above they are over that mark at a massive $1099.95, I just do not see that any clubs are worth that money.

The oversized head does give a good control, using them with varied club speeds, in the simulator, it is harder to see the flight and landing of the ball obviously but the feel of the club and the straight strike was very pleasant and would have suited any golfer.

Personally I wouldn’t buy the Taylormade R7 CGB Max Irons as I still think they are overpriced and that clubs should be affordable to all levels of golfers. So Taylormade Great set of clubs but work on your prices, maybe if you take the imprint of your name off the hosel of the club it would bring the price down. Are they that good, not for that price in my view.

Taylormade r7 CGB Max Irons
		$770.78
TaylorMade r7 CGB Max Irons 3- PW, (Men’s, Right-Handed, Graphite shaft, Regular Flex)

To start you need to close off your stance and the club face, line the ball almost center but slightly towards your back foot, now this is part of the trick to getting out, most of your weight needs to be on your front foot. It takes a little practice to get this right but once you have it you will find it is almost a second nature.

To be able to get the ball out of the hole it has come to be in you need to ensure that you get a good steep back swing so hinge the wrists nice and early in the swing almost as though you are lifting the club towards the sky.

The club head should accelerate cleanly and the one word that you need to remember is divot, you need to go under the ball in order to get it out, you have to be careful that you don’t skip the club off the surface as you might clip the top of the ball and plug it further than it already is.

Depending on how the ball was plugged you get different flight pattens if it was only slightly plugged then the ball will come out low and fast so you need to aim at a large target area to ensure that you don’t get into even more trouble. The problem with playing a shot like this is that you have very little control over the ball so it is best to play the percentages.

Going under the tree is much less of a risk than going over the tree, this is where the punch shot becomes a priceless shot to know. So here are some simple steps to help you get under that overhang:

Depending on the height of the overhang, will depend on the club that you select the lower the hang the bigger club, so a 4 or 5 iron will give you a lower clearance than an 8 or 9 iron. It is however easier to hit an 8 or 9 iron for the punch shot in my opinion.

So with the club you have selected stand and address the ball with the ball closer to the back foot so your hands are in front of the ball and the club face is closed.

Hold your hands further down the shaft than normal and your hands should be over and slightly in front of the ball. By closing the club face will mean that the angle of the club is much reduced.

Your swing is going to be greatly reduced using this method, you will only be using around 75% swing and follow through. You are hitting down on the ball and following through should feel like you have made a solid contact with the ball.

The flight of the ball will be low and it will roll on the fairway a good distance and you will have gone under the overhang. Remember the way to get these right is to practice and make sure you understand the different heights of the different clubs when playing this shot!

The steps I take to get a nice low drive that gets a benefit from being sheltered by the tree lined fairways are as follows:

1. Set the ball around half the height that you would normally have it on the tee.
2. Have the ball slightly more central in your stance, so your club face is at a more flat face than normal.
3. Don’t take a massive swing in the hope you will get a better distance.
4. Take plenty of practice swings so your balance is used to the wind and the club speed is smooth all the way through the swing.
5. Make sure that the steady swing speed in your practice swings is taken onto the actual swing all the way through the ball.
6. Finish balanced, your shift in weight will put more of a strain on your front leg so make sure you try hard not to wobble in your finish.

These steps should give you a nice low running shot that will keep you out of the gusting wind.

So just to recap:

1. Nice Open Club Face
2. Ball Forward in your Stance
3. Open Stance
4. Hit it Fat
5. Follow Through!

One more tip from me which goes after all of my golf swing tips, practice practice practice!

I then had great pleasure in telling him to read this blog tomorrow morning as I would have posted a few tips on how to get backswing. So firstly Welcome to my new reader! Now lets get you some backspin. Many people think that to get good backspin you have to scoop the ball and get right under the ball in order to apply the spin. Not the case.

To get backspin you really need to strike the ball on the downward motion so you are striking down on the ball, this then allows the ball to roll up the club face, meaning the balls moving forward but with backspin on it. So some simple steps to achieve this:

Firstly you need to have your body slightly open to the target so you need to be aiming slightly to the left of where you want the ball to go.

Secondly when you strike the ball should be just to the right of center with the ball further back than normal in your stance with your hands in front of the ball. This helps get the ball struck on the downward arc.

Finally (and this was the bit that always used to catch me out) your back swing needs to be steeper and more upright than normal getting a good hinge in the writs. Take back straight then a little nick of the fairway taking slightly less then normal and you will see results.

As with all parts of the game the best thing you can do is practice until you are comfortable. Please don’t try it when it is vital to your round unless you have spent a few hours trying it out first.