How do players with disabilities improve? Own this shot

Handicaps give a lot of shots on the golf course, whether it’s a loose ball off the tee here or a with three shots there. There are a million ways to fix these problems and improve, but it takes commitment, practice and proper guidance.

But there are also some areas of your game that are more important to sharpen first.

At GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers Summit Last year, we asked some of the top instructors in the United States to offer their candid advice to people with disabilities who are committed to getting strokes off their scorecards.

Trillium Rose’s advice? Master the 30- to 50-yard wedge shot.

“You can hit chip shots all the way to the green, but once you get there, OK, time flies, now you actually have to hit green,” said Rose, the director of instruction at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. “It doesn’t matter if you chip it and then put it on top or thin it out (to get closer to the green), now that you are 50 yards out you should have a 50 yard shot. And if you do, you’ll be fine.”

It’s a challenging challenge for any golfer, especially those with disabilities who may not have as much confidence in half-swings or subtle shots down the fairway. It is also out of bounds where you may be able to putt, which is a convenient option for many amateurs off the green.

Rose said she has a specific game plan to play shots from these yards.

First, the ball position should be in the middle of your stance and the shaft angle should be neutral. Put 60 percent of your weight on your front foot. When you take the backbend, there should be a wrist hinge, but keep it minimal. From there, with that weight still on the front leg, rotate and bring your chest out for a full-body twist.

Rose says this works for whatever club you want to use in this situation, whether it’s a pitching wedge, 54 degrees, or 56 degrees.

Check out the video below Rose recently posted that breaks down this type of shooting. You can see more of it Golf instruction video here.

Josh Berhow

Editor of Golf.com

As managing editor of GOLF.com, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the most widely read sports news and service websites. He spends most of his days writingediting, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two children. You can contact him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.