Happy Tuesday! The punch shot has to be one of the more valuable tools to have in your arsenal - it helps you escape trouble and is also beneficial when playing in severe wind. Or maybe you just want to skip a ball across a pond to look cool. In any case, today we’ll show you exactly how to hit the punch shot and give yourself a fighting chance at an up and down par.

Let’s go!

TIPS & DRILLS
How to Hit the Punch Shot and Get Yourself Out of Trouble
Don’t make a bad situation even worse
To Recap…

Getting in trouble on the golf course is unavoidable, and that’s true for everyone from Scottie Scheffler all the way down to your grandpa that plays twice per year. It’s knowing how to escape the trees, etc. in order to minimize the damage that separates an average golfer from a great one.

Here are the keys to focus on as shared by @golfshotgg:

-Tip #1: Club Up: Taking more club and swinging easier will launch the ball lower with less spin, allowing the punch to roll when it lands. It’s also a LOT easier to hit the ball low with a 4 iron than with a 9 iron!
-Tip #2: Move the Ball Back in Your Stance: This promotes a downward strike, which also helps keep the ball down. It’s also easier to make solid contact without chunking it from this position.
-Tip #3: Forward Shaft Lean: At impact, lean your shaft forward to take loft off of the club - another part of the recipe. Forward shaft lean will also promote better compression of the golf ball.
-Tip #4: Shorten Backswing: If you’re taking a full swing trying to punch out from the trees, you’re doing it wrong. A shorter, more controlled backswing promotes cleaner contact and will help keep the ball down with limited to no curve.
-Tip #5: Commit to Your Line: This one is incredibly important as you’re probably in need of a really precise shot to hit your window. Pick the line that allows for the widest margin of error, and then visualize the perfect strike. A fully committed shot is your ticket back to safety!

PRO TIP: Whatever you do, don’t make a bad situation even worse. Your new goal is not to knock it on the green and still give yourself a chance at birdie, but rather to avoid a double bogey. No hero shots- just get back to safety. Sometimes the safest play might even be backwards!

Here’s a stat to remember: Even the Pros make bogey from trouble situations (i.e. think “trees”) 80% of the time.

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a Callaway Elyte Fairway Wood
(1 winner chosen on 7/31/25 across all June trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

How many times (including 2025) has The Open Championship been held in Northern Ireland?

Hint: The only course in Northern Ireland to ever host it is Royal Portrush - the site of this year's Open!

Login or Subscribe to participate

LIKE THIS EDITION?
Forward it to a friend! —> —>

SPONSORSHIPS
Feature Your Brand in this Newsletter!

We have a growing audience of 25K+ loyal readers and an additional 25K Facebook + 24K Instagram followers. If you’d like to promote your brand or course to our audience, click the button below!

Keep Reading

No posts found