Today’s Orlando Golf Lesson is “How to Hit a Punch Shot” or “Knockdown Shot.”

A punch or knockdown shot is a shot played with a very low trajectory, usually to avoid interference from tree branches when a player is hitting from the woods. Similar to the knock-down, it can also be used to avoid high winds.

The setup is relatively simple.

• Place the ball towards the back of your stance near your back foot
• Shift your weight forward
• Move your hands forward so that you decrease the angle of the clubface
• Choke down on the club close to where the grip meets the shaft
• Take a normal swing, stopping about 3/4 of the way to the top
• Keep your hands ahead through impact
• Stop the follow through 3/4 way to the top

I’ve often read that this is an “advanced” shot and mid-high handicappers don’t need to focus on it. I completely disagree 🙂 I think for us hackers this would be a great addition to the arsenal. Think about it… Who spends the most of their time in the trees?

Here’s a couple videos I found to help illustrate the shot.

I really like this shot for a couple of different reasons…although typically, you’ll use 3I-8I for a punch shot, you can use pretty much any club in the bag.

It’s a shot that has significant room for error. What I mean is, if your body is aimed at the target and you hit a bad shot, there’s a good chance its still heading in the right direction and you’re still going to be moving the ball in a forward direction.

Hope you’ve learned something useful today!

What’s your take on the punch shot?

-Dave