"You can't build a golf course there!" + Never Chunk a Chip Shot Again

TIPS & DRILLS
Never Chunk a Chip Shot Again
Togi Golf has 3 Quick Fixes to Prevent Fat Contact Around the Greens

togigolf

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To Recap…

There might be a typo or two in the video, but the advice from popular Japanese golf influencer @TogiGolf in the video above is solid. If you struggle to experience that crisp, clean chip shot contact you see so much on TV when you watch the pros, try these fixes:

-FIX 1: Stand closer to the ball. If you’re standing too far from the ball, the heel of the club is more likely to dig into the turf. By standing closer to the ball, the shaft angle will be more vertical, protecting against chunks.
-FIX 2: Don’t hinge your wrists so much. When you hinge, it makes it very challenging NOT to lead with the hands. And when your hands are ahead of the ball at impact, you have to make PERFECT contact to avoid a fat shot. So flatten that wrist angle and make more of a putting motion by rocking your shoulders back and forth. When you use the bounce (i.e. sole angle) to your advantage, you don’t have to be perfect!
-FIX 3: Don’t point your toes toward the target so much. If you need to flare them slightly, that’s ok. But don’t angle them too far past perpendicular to your target line. Doing so promotes a steeper angle of attack, which again, is more prone to chunky contact.

PRO TIP: Your club will bottom out wherever the center of your weight is distributed. So shifting (and holding) your weight toward your lead foot throughout the shot will promote cleaner contact, allowing the club to bottom out right where the ball is positioned.

COURSES
Incredible Golf… in the Badlands of North Dakota?
Hard to get to, but decidedly worth the trip

Bully Pulpit Golf Course
Medora, ND

If you’ve ever been to the Badlands in North & South Dakota, you know the land is unlike anywhere else you’ll find in America. Volcanic ash combined with weathering and erosion across millions of years created the hilly terrain marked by layered sedimentary rock formations that are indigenous to the land. It’s rugged, yet strangely beautiful. And Teddy Roosevelt loved this area of the country more than just about anyone. Of all the places he could go when his wife and mother died on the same fateful day in 1884, he chose to retreat to his hunting ranch in the Badlands.

Built in 2004, Bully Pulpit Golf Course is owned and operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, a public non-profit “designed to promote the historic character of Medora and the surrounding area.” Naturally, the course is named for the term Teddy coined while in office, referring to the powerful platform from which one could influence opinion. And maxing out at just $129 during the summer, this course is appropriately named. You may have previously thought the Badlands aren’t conducive to great golf, but Bully Pulpit will influence you otherwise. The front nine may not be the most memorable, but the back nine more than makes up for any criticisms you might hear. Holes 14-17 offer some of the most unique natural architecture you’ll ever experience on a golf course.

Due to its unique location and terrain, numerous online reviews call this a “bucket list course,” worth the extra travel time if you’re ever planning a trip to the Great American West. You’ll definitely leave with some postcard-worthy photos. Bully Pulpit is currently ranked as the 3rd best course in the state and it’s popped up on Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Courses Lists a few times in the past. One reviewer summed up his round like this: “I have played many of the best courses in the world and this ranks up as one of my best experiences…The front nine is beautiful. The back nine is magnificent… bring your clubs!”

Pro Tip: Given the rough climate and terrain, course conditions aren’t always ideal until ~June, so avoid it in Spring if you can.

Rates: $129 in Summer, $99 in Spring/Fall, Juniors play FREE!

Check out this video from @bwdux_26

bwdux_26

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STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: PGA Tour Pros from 30 Yards Out in the Fairway
presented by…

The Stat: When in the fairway from 30 yards out, PGA Tour pros hit it to just ~11.4 feet from the hole, on average. They also miss the green entirely 1 in every 12.6 attempts

The Takeaway: This one caught us by surprise- we tend to believe that Tour Pros are money when they get inside 30 yards. They knock it inside 7-8 feet virtually every time, right? And they might miss the green maybe once in a blue moon, like if they’re playing in 25 mph winds, right? Well, not exactly. They actually miss the green 7.9% of the time!

And considering the average pro only makes 22% of their putts from 10-14 feet, this means they have a 78% chance of NOT getting up and down from 30 yards.

So the next time you fail to knock it close from 30 yards out, cut yourself some slack!

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a HackMotion Core Wrist Sensor Training Aid
(1 winner chosen on 9/30/24 across all September trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

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