Double P :: The Official Blog

I'm writing this blog whilst flying home from New Orleans and the Zurich Classic. We suffered bad thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday, which closed down the course and range for quite a while. Practice time was scarce.

It was another week without PP - and even I'm starting to miss the kid. I know Fish and the boys want him back out here as well.

On Tuesday afternoon Fish's caddy Dennis, who lives in Slidell, LA - just outside of New Orleans - took Fish and I on a tour of the area. Wow. The carnage is absolutely amazing and I can't even begin to imagine what these poor people are going through. All the CNN watching I did last August... it in no way prepared me for what I just saw. In some places, it seemed like Katrina just took place last week.

All of the locals were very grateful to the players for participating in this event. The Zurich Classic is just one more event they hope can help get New Orleans back on its feet.

Even with all the disaster, Burbon Street is coming back and Fishy and I definitely made the most of being there.

As for this week's golf tip, I'd like to talk about chipping and the importance of choosing the correct club when doing so.

There are two basic trajectories of a chip shot:

> The first is to hit a high shot which lands softly and stops on the green quickly. That is either accomplished by hitting a lob or sand iron. Even though this shot might *look* the best, it is a very difficult shot to hit consistently and should only be used if you have a little bit of green to play with.

> The second option is to hit a lower shot which will roll out to the pin. To accomplish this:

- Using a 7 or 8 iron, play the ball in the middle of your stance.
- Grip down the shaft, which will shorten the club and allow you to stand more on top of the ball, like a putt.
- Just use your putting motion (and can even try your putting grip as well.)

At the beginning, the shot will feel and look like a putt that has a little bit of loft on the ball. Remember that the ball will roll, so try to land it about a quarter of the way between you and the hole. I think you will find this option a lot more consistent than choosing the more lofted version.

If you have any questions about this week's tip, just drop me an email.

Go low. Coach MO.