The four steps to hitting good knock-down shots

There are times when a golfer can benefit from keeping the ball low.  It might be a shot into the teeth of the wind, wind coming from the side or perhaps a swirling wind.  Whatever the reason, producing a ball that traces low while maintaining a fair degree of stop spin is a nice shot to have.  The following is the procedure for “manufacturing” this type of shot, the knock-down shot.

Step One – The Setup:

The first thing to do is move an inch or two closer to the ball, which should be positioned no farther forward than the middle of your stance.  In addition, most of your weight should be placed on the forward leg, which is where it will remain throughout the shot.  This setup encourages a steeper angle of approach to the shot, creating backspin to stop the ball quickly on the green.

Step Two – The Backswing:

Once again, in an attempt to create a steep angle into the ball, the backswing should be vertical.  In other words, pick up the club abruptly at takeaway, while keeping the weight on the forward leg. 

Step Three – The Downswing:

Just as you took the club back on a steep path, you should return it the same way.  Think of the down-and-through motion as being “L” shaped.  The downswing is the leg of the “L” that is vertical.

Step Four – The Through Swing:

This is the part that is represented by the horizontal leg of the “L”.  As with all shots in golf, the lower you finish, the lower the ball flies.  You should feel that after you’ve contacted the ball, the club-head “chases” the ball down the fairway, very low to the ground.

It is also helpful to “saw off” body rotation in the follow through.  Whereas in a normal follow through, the chest should end up facing left of the target, in a knock-down shot, the body should rotate no more than to the point that your chest is facing the target.

You should practice this shot on the range before attempting it on the course.  This allows you to figure out which clubs you can successfully “Knock-down” as well as help you determine how lower ball flight will affect the distance you hit with every club.  Among specialty shots, the knock-down shot is the one that offers the greatest versatility to ball-strikers.  No only will it offer golfers different options in terms of ball-flight trajectory, but also will give golfers that confidence in the command they have over all of their shots.