Low-Point Control Drill

On grass, spray a short line of foot-spray or simply pick a specific blade of grass as your target low point. Place the ball just ahead of center with a wedge, weight favoring the lead foot, hands slightly ahead of the ball.

1. Without a ball first, make several practice swings brushing the grass and noting exactly where the club bottoms out — that's your low point.
2. Set a ball so it sits just behind that brushed spot, so the club catches the ball and then the turf in front of it.
3. Make a controlled, body-rotated pitch — partial backswing, smooth tempo — and clip the ball before brushing the ground in front of it.
4. Check your divot or brush mark: it should start at or just after the ball, never behind it.
5. Vary the length of your backswing to change carry distance while keeping the same low point and crisp contact.

15 pitch shots controlling the low point, mixing two or three distances. About 12 minutes.

Common mistake: leaning back and trying to scoop the ball up, which moves the low point behind the ball and produces fat and thin pitches. Instead, keep your weight forward and your chest rotating through, letting the loft of the wedge do the lifting — strike the ball first, then brush the turf in front. Forward low point equals clean, predictable pitches.