Basic types of strokes in golf

Elite sports/Golf
Chandler Lee
Basic types of strokes in golf
It takes approx. 3 minutes to read this article

Knowing the strokes in golf will come in handy at every stage of the game. Why not start learning them today?

For starters, proper technique

In golf, as in swimming, the most important thing is our technique. In golf, mastering the way you hit the ball and the swing is much more important than muscle strength. This is a sport in which precision and concentration will defeat even the most dangerous opponents. Therefore, it is worth mastering the swing and learning all the different types of golf clubs. Additional knowledge of how to dig the ball out of the bunker will certainly not help.

Basic strokes in golf

Approach shot

On every golf course there is a so-called green, which is a slightly brighter area with shorter cut grass, on which there is a hole with a flag, which is the main point of attack. Approach shot is made when the target is just this space. However, the shot must be made from the fairway, which is a lighter area with shorter cut grass, but from where we start the game, away from the hole.

Approach shots are usually spoken of when par, the number of strokes predicted by the course architect to be sufficient to complete the game, is 4 or 5. Only then does it make sense to bother calling this first shot.

Chip

Chip is a rather short shot made from the vicinity of the green. The ball rolls rather than flies. Typically, 7-9 irons or lob wedges are used for this shot.

Putt

Unlike the chip, the whole world of the putt is the green. In order for a putt to be a putt, the ball must be knocked off the green and roll across it at all times. The putt is made with a putter, which is a club designed to make short strokes.

Pitch

Pitch has as much in common with a chip as a putt. In this stroke – the opposite of the chip – the ball flies longer in the air than it rolls on the grass, and the swing starts from some distance from the green. The main aim of the pitch is to cover by the ball as big distance as possible, so that it finally stops after contact with the ground. This type of stroke is performed with a wedge club.

Drive

Drive is one of the most important strokes in golf, because it is performed from the tee (a peg in the ground on which the ball is placed, or a designated area) so that the ball flies as long and as far as possible. Divers (a.k.a. single wood) clubs are used for it.

Flop

It is a type of stroke used to overcome obstacles. In this type of stroke the ball jumps up, arcs and falls down. The idea is that the ball travels essentially a long way up, but a short way straight ahead. A wedge club is used for this stroke.

All the strokes sound interesting for sure, but without the knowledge of clubs, even a simple approach shot will be poor if you use a putter for it. It turns out that learning about strokes has to start with learning to distinguish between wedge and irons.

Featured photo: Mick Haupt / pexels.com

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