Fundamentals for a Better Game – Bounce and Roll – Part 10

Scott Sackett
Director of Instruction
McCormick Ranch Golf Club
Scottsdale, AZ
http://www.scottsackett.com

More Information

This is the continuation of my series titled “Fundamentals for a Better Game.” The aim of this is to provide ball flight and impact fundamentals any player regardless of skill level can use to become better. This is part 10, Bounce & Roll.    

What is Bounce and Roll?
Bounce & Roll is comprised of Landing Ball Speed, Landing Angle & Landing Spin Rate.  

Previous Misconceptions?
Bounce & Roll is one of those areas that didn’t have a whole lot of misconceptions. Club and ball manufacturers focused mostly on Spin Rate & didn’t give much thought to the Landing Angle of the shot. As technology has progressed, the Landing Angle has become a key piece of testing data for Iron, Wedge & Ball testing for all companies. TrackMan is the authority for this testing.    

What Do I need to know?
Really a few things. First, the steeper the Landing Angle is the less spin & total surface area necessary to stop the golf ball. This is why lob or flop shots are so effective from around the greens. You throw the ball high up into the air and bring the Landing Angle of the shot down very steep, thus allowing the ball to stop quickly, even from a poor lie.  Conversely, the same is not true as the Landing Angle gets flatter. Take the low spinner for example. The low spinner introduces Friction to the shot & the flat Landing Angle doesn’t necessarily mean it will take a larger surface area to stop the shot.   

How Can I Practice This?
Truthfully, the only way you can practice this is practice varying your shot height. As you increase & decrease your shot heights, you will vary the landing angle. Note what happens as each shot hits the ground.  How is it reacting? Tip:  As you get closer to the green, you’ll want to experiment with bringing the ball in with a flatter landing angle. The hope being, you create a shot with a very high spin rate. 

Scott Sackett, GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher the past 14 years. Voted as one of
Golf Digest’s Best Teacher in the State the past 21 years. Trackman Master Instructor. Titleist Certified Club Fitter. Director of Instruction at Park Meadows CC in Park City, Utah and while in Scottsdale teaches private lessons at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. The Scott Sackett Signature Schools take place at SunRidge Canyon Golf Club. Follow Scott on Instagram @scottsackettgolf,
Email: scott@scottsackett.com | Site URL: https://www.scottsackett.com.