Step-by-step guide to playing the punch

The next time you’re on the range, try Clive Tucker's step-by-step guide to playing the punch and you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Step-by-step guide to playing the punch

It doesn’t matter how low your handicap is, the punch is a surprisingly easy shot to master and one that is incredibly useful out on the course. The next time you’re on the range, try this step-by-step guide to playing the punch and you’ll soon get the hang of it.

1 Push the ball back

Start by moving the ball, one-ball’s width, back in your stance as shown below. You should notice how your hands are now a fraction ahead of the ball at address. This de-lofts the club to create the exact launch conditions you’re after.

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2 Weight shift

Now set a little more weight on your front foot. With a normal mid-iron shot your weight will be split 50/50 at address, I now want you to change that to 60/40. This helps you deliver a steeper angle of attack through impact – exactly what you are looking for.

3 Left arm level

The next element in our step-by-step guide to playing the punch is to control the swing itself. Do not swing the club past the point at which your left arm is parallel to the ground. It is a much more compact motion than usual but it really works well to keep the flight down.

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4 Shaft level

Again, you need to shorten the swing on the way through. I want you to put the brakes on the swing – stopping it when the shaft reaches parallel to the ground on the way through. This takes some getting used to because you are still making a powerful motion.

This step-by-step guide to playing the punch is the simplest and easiest way of keeping the flight of your shots down. You should be able to deliver clean contacts and driven trajectories with your mid-irons – ideal for whenever you are playing in the wind!