There has been a lot of discussions on the internet about how to play the knockdown shot. I did go over it in brief detail couple months ago but here it is again.

A knockdown shot is nothing but a mini version of your full swing.

There are variety of knockdown shots too. Depending on what kind of lie you have and what kind of results you are trying to achieve, there’s about a hundred ways to play the shot.

But for 99% of golfers and 99% of situations, you play the knockdown shot for the following reasons:

1. You are between clubs. Let’s say you hit your 5-iron 185 yards and you hit your 6-iron 150 yards. You got a 160 yard shot, you can hit a knockdown shot here.

2. It’s windy. Whether that wind is against/with you or a cross-wind, by hitting a knockdown shot, you can keep the flight of the golf ball 20-40% lower than your normal shots and not get affected by the wind. That means you don’t have to worry about how the wind will affect the shot as much.

3. You need to hit it lower than usual to avoid high hanging trees and also put lots of backspin. If you hit a knockdown shot, usually you will get a lower ball flight and get a nice hop and stop action on the ball.

Again, here’s the simplest and the most effective way to hit the knockdown shot that I personally learned from Butch Harmon:

1. Put the ball near center or slightly forward of center of your stance.

2. Swing easy, anywhere between 1/2 to 3/4 swing.

3. On the downswing, feel like you are “trapping” the ball with your body. Now, this “feeling” might take a lot of practice to achieve.

4. Try to contact the ball first, not the turf. Better yet, don’t hit the turf at all. Hitting the turf only makes the ball lose backspin. If you look at Tiger in practice (not in competition), you will see him take zero turf on every one of his ‘good’ knockdowns. If you are awed by tour pros hitting really low sand wedges and they ‘hop and drop’, this is how they do it.

This may be the most important in knockdowns since the less you hit the ground (or take a divot), the more ‘hop and drop’ backspin you will get PLUS your ball will fly a lot lower since you are not hitting down on the ball. The only way to achieve this is to really hit the ball from 0 degree angle, meaning you don’t want to hit down or up on the ball.

Now this method is great since you will be able to use your knockdowns “everywhere” once you get good.

I tend to favor it even if it’s not windy and I don’t need to hit it under a tree since you don’t have to do a full swing and stay in control of your ball flight.

Look at Tiger and he’s doing that.

Next time, I will take a video to show you exactly what I mean. These days, I don’t have much time for golf practice. I hope that changes soon and maybe I will have to try out for PGA again soon.

backspin, ball flight, Butch Harmon, downswing, full swing, golf-ball, golfers, knockdown, mini version, sand wedges, tiger, trees, turf backspin, ball flight, Butch Harmon, downswing, full swing, golf-ball, golfers, knockdown, mini version, sand wedges, tiger, trees, turf If you like this post, please subscribe to the ProGolferDigest via RSS or via E-Mail to receive updates.

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In honor of the British Open we would like to pay respect to the wind-cheating knockdown 5-iron. Take a 5-iron, choke up a little; open your stance about 20 degrees; play the ball toward your back foot; shift your weight forward; have your hands pressed forward; and take the club back waist high and come down aggressively on the ball with very little wrist action. This shot can be used from under trees, from out of divot, off hardpan, off loose sand, into the wind, or when loft simply isn’t necessary. The shot will produce a low roller that will keep you out of trouble.

excerpt via steveandersongolf

The above is an excerpt from a master PGA professional. Although I have full due respect for his experience, it’s in my experience through teachers like Butch Harmon and players like Tiger Woods, that that’s NOT the right way to hit the knock-down shot. First, don’t choke. Second, don’t open your stance. And third, don’t play the ball off the back foot. Finally, fourth, do not shift your weight forward.

Choking will really choke you mentally and physically. Opening your stance will only confuse you. Playing the ball off the back foot and shifting your weight forward will only make you hit down on the ball, causing the ball to shoot up in the air.

So, just take your regular stance, play the ball in the middle, have weight balanced 50-50, and do NOT come aggressively down on the ball. Just swing nice and smooth 1/2 or 3/4.

That’s my 2 cents from the best coaches and players who have played this shot. If you don’t believe me, just go ask Tiger or Butch Harmon.

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It’s a nice little knockdown, my swing looks horrible by the way… but a great little tool for those pressure situations.

A knock-down-shot is basically a slightly shorter backswing and shorter follow-through for distance and arc control.

Arc is the arc of the golf ball. Basically, a knock-down-shot is a knock down because the arc will be much lower than a regular full shot.

But if you can hit this shot well, it’s really easy to hit all the time…

Anyone up for $100 a hole?

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