Pitch Out Sideways Or Sling One Round The Tree? There Is Only One Winner... And I Can Teach You How To Do It!

Despite all of your practice and research of the best golf tips, it's almost inevitable that you will eventually hit the odd bad shot. When you do, it's rare you get a lucky break, and more likely you will find your ball tucked behind a tree or some other inconvenient obstacle.

Knowing how to shape the golf ball can really save your scorecard in this situation, especially if you don't have a direct line to the green and need a shot to get you out of trouble.

In this video and article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Ben Emerson talks us through his top tips for taking on this high tariff shot...

How To Hit The Golf Ball From Left To Right

In the video above, I find myself with a really challenging shot. I have just come off the fairway, and I have a tree in my line to the green directly ahead of me. With 140 yards to go, I need to hit a low left to right shot around the tree, or potentially play sensibly and pitch out sideways into the fairway.

You might be full of confidence, if you have been playing well to that point, and want to take this tough shot on. If that's the case, there are a few things you need to change in your set-up to hit this low fade.

Firstly, make sure that the ball position is back of centre, and that you address the ball with an open stance, way left of the tree. Make sure you clubface is aligned to the target you are aiming for, so in this case the pin, and trust your set-up.

If you want to the ball to stay low in flight, you can't just hit a normal full shot. Instead, club up one or two clubs from your usual selection at that yardage, grip down the club slightly and use a more 'punchy' style swing that you can see me demonstrate in the video above.

You can also try to get your upper body over the shot a little more than normal, just to ensure the ball comes out low and you can squeeze it around the corner.

One of the main faults I see with this type of shot is the hands get too active, which actually causes players to hit the ball left, so try to feel like you are holding the clubface open and take the hands out of play in the swing.

It goes without saying, if you don't feel confident with this shot you should pitch out sideways and play from the short stuff. A poorly executed 'slinger' round the tree could put you in more trouble, but pull it off and you could just save your score.