Hitting the Highs and Lows -2

Even though this feels (and appears in these pictures) like a much wristier swing, Edoardo's focus is on creating a wide sweep with the arms working in tandem with the rotation of the upper body, while his overall swing sensation is to keep the knees as quiet as possible and keeping his weight behind the ball as he swings through to a finish (you'll never play this shot if you get ahead of it!!).

When we work on elements of technique, the most important feeling is that the upper body is turning through impact and keeps on turning all the way to the finish. The hand/arm action is then coordinated with that body turn. The great danger (and common fault among amateurs) is that the body stops turning and the hands carry on independently, flicking at the ball. That leads to all sorts of inconsistency.

The impact position here is fantastic, and full of all the clues you need to take away and work on your own technique. In the moments immediately through impact, the feeling you want to cultivate is that the right hand works underneath the left, so that as you arrive at the finish the palm of the right hand faces directly up to the sky. This will influence the natural rotation of the forearms in a full release - totally in contrast to the low shot, where the release was held off'.

As I mentioned earlier, the problem for many amateurs is that they believe this type of shot requires a lot of wrist action, often picking the club up very early in the takeaway and destroying any hope of creating width in the backswing. So take your cue from Edoardo, and discipline yourself to set the loft at address and then trust it as you work on a controlled technique that returns that loft beneath the ball. The more accomplished you get at this the less divot you will take and the better will be the quality of the strike.

Width established early as Edoardo turns and extends hands, arms and the club in the backswing - the key is to take the wrists out of the equation. Wrists remain 'quiet' - the length of the swing is controlled by the rotation of the shoulders/upper body

Look at how flat the clubface is here as it is released under the ball - maximum loft has been applied!. Natural release of the hands/forearms is encouraged as the body rotates through and the club swings freely to the finish (gripping well down the club helps you do this, too)

During practice I will often hold out a cane like this to challenge Edoardo's skills and see how quickly he can get the ball to rise. From this angle you get a great appreciation of the way in which the body rotates all the way through the shot to finish facing left of the target.

The loft on the clubface is maintained throughout, and at the finish the palm of the right hand mirror's the position of the clubface, looking up towards the sky.

THE LOW KNOCK-DOWN These comparative views of the finish position reveal the key areas of technique that you have to work on. In the case of the low spinner here, you can sense there's been no release of the right wrist - the club is said to be 'held off', which minimises the loft. With this advanced technique, the choice of club is generally a lofted wedge even though we are looking to keep the ball down. Having that loft is essential if you are to generate spin, while the trajectory is a factor of the crisp, downward strike into the back of the ball. THE HIGH FLOP-SHOT This is a great angle to appreciate the way the right hand works beneath the left to fully release the open clubface through impact. The palm of the right hand mirrors the clubface - that's a good feeling to go after as you work on this technique. Bear in mind that the highflying flop shot is a high-risk option, and you should only take it on when conditions are favourable (i.e. you have you a good lie) and there is no other percentage option. It's a 'go-to' shot only when the situation demands it, not a crowd-pleaser when your ego feels like it!