Laying up puts you a long way from a short wedge to the putting surface in three. Going for it could get you there in two or it could put you in the grass with an ugly recovery chop shot to make before you can maybe get onto the green in three. So naturally you go for it, winding up the mightiest backswing in your arsenal, hammering at the ball harder then you ever have, only to snap-hook it so brutally that your club turns backwards. For a brief moment you are thankful that it didn’t end up in the grass, until it kicks off the cart path (and a gopher) and rolls nicely into the thick of it.
Thankfully you’ve been doing your Medicine Ball Chops so your internal and external obliques are strong enough to help you get down at the ball with enough force to pop it out onto the fairway.
You’ll be slamming a medicine ball on the hard ground in a kneeling position so you’ll probably want a pad between you and eventual bruises. Begin with the ball held with both hands high on your left side, slightly in front of you. With a diagonal chopping movement, slam the ball on the ground directly in front of you and catch it as it comes up to your right. Immediately slam it back down to the left and repeat for a total of 30. You may find it a bit awkward at first, but keep slamming away until you get the hang of it. Start with a 2- to 3-kg ball (4-7 lbs.) and increase gradually as you get better and stronger.
If this doesn’t help, sharpen the lead edge of your wedge and take a couple extra “practice swings.”
Jon Frothingham is a NASM-CPT certified personal trainer at Natural Fitness in Falmouth. To learn more about personal training contact him at 781-3900 or visit www.naturalfitnessme.com.