“I like doing it (practice routine) either in my yard at home where I built a practice facility or some of the local clubs or when I’m on the road at a different club. But I practice flying my wedges to a specific yardage three days a week.” said Phil Mickelson. “I hit over 1,500 golf balls and try to fly it within a yard or hit a target, and, for the most part, I’m able to fly it within a yard 90% of the time.”

“So the fact that it landed close to the hole (last year at the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open), it was supposed to. I mean, I work at that. That’s what I practice. It’s not an accident that my wedge game is what it is, because I sit there and work on it. I just don’t do it out here for everybody to see.”

According to Phil Mickelson, he hits the pin with a wedge about a dozen times a year, which often causes a worse result than not hitting the pin. “(Short-game guru Dave) Pelz wants me to have the pin removed on every wedge shot, which I won’t do because it just looks bad. But the fact is that I hit the pin a dozen times a year, and probably 11 out of those 12, the ball ends up in a worse spot because of it. So two things. I wanted to give it two chances to get in. One, trying to fly it in, and two, trying to back it up back into the hole, and it came close. It didn’t go in, so what does it matter, but it came close.”

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The Secret of Phil Mickelson’s Chip Shots

Also according to Suttie, a ball that has been topped, thinned or fatted does not occur because you looked up. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, you probably did stand up, but it is very unlikely that you looked up. Golfers, even professionals, will often lose their spine angle at impact. The result that typically happens for them is a block to the right or a hook to the left. This is because the standing up at impact makes you rely on your hand action, where you have to hang on to the club or release the club too early at impact. I have always said that the hands are chokers when it comes to being consistent. Golfers must use their body, and let their hands respond to the motion.

So what are you trying to do when you make a good golf swing? Getting a good posture at address is the first step. Once you are in a good posture, your goal should be to simply stay in that posture on the backswing, and turn your shoulders 90 degrees (perpendicular) to your spine. If you are able to do this, then you will be in a good position to start your downswing. Many golfers either stand up on the backswing and lose their spine angle, or dip downward towards the ball. In either case, the movement up or down will cause inconsistent impact.

The downswing is somewhat similar to the backswing, in that the shoulders must again rotate 90 degrees to the spine. When the upper body pulls away from the ball coming down, this is called “coming out of your spine angle” or “standing up.” This can cause a lot of thin, fat, and toed shots.

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The Trick to Avoiding Topped or Thin Golf Shots