April 3 2005: Tournament Preparation / Pitching and Sand Skills Players attending this week were informed of the tournament in place for next week and of the preparations required to win! Six holes would be played with strokeplay format, and hole 4 must incorporate the greenside bunker. With the distances explained for each hole, and the required sand shot measured out we set about completing a skills session on two factors:
- Pitching skills / distance control.
- Greenside sand shots.
Sand
Richard focused on the greenside sand shot and was able to explain some of the keys which give the best results here. Further development of distance control can then be achieved with varied length of swing, and in some cases varying the amount of sand taken. Consider carrying an extra lofted sand wedge to develop these shots further.
Pitching
With a mini pitching range set up with distances all marked out, it was possible to obtain reliable distance feedback for the whole group.
We established some key elements for consistent ball striking and allowed some practice time to establish some key distances. With a synchronised release of body, arms and hands we established enough consistency to control the distances on this shot.
With these two shots established and the distances known for next week we set about preparing for the big event !
