As you play a round of golf, you are faced with different phases of the game. To divide them up, we have the driver, shots from the fairway, shots from the rough, less than full swing shots, special shots, sand shots, and putting. Seven different phases of the game that you encounter in every round of golf. What makes this important is that each phase has a unique quality. Because of this, a golfer cannot apply what they do in one phase to another phase. Certainly, there are some common ground elements that can be used, like keeping a good tempo, making sure you are aligned correctly, and a few other fundamental swing basics. One needs to be aware of these not-so-subtle differences in order to have success in getting around the golf course. I will start at the beginning and work my way through each part of the game you will run into as you play 18 holes of golf.
The Driver: What makes the driver unique is that it is the only club in the bag you are going to hit slightly on the upswing. Now I know you hear of pros hitting the so-called trap draw, and one can get away with hitting the driver slightly on the downswing, but if you want to get the most out of your driver, you will hit it slightly on the upswing. Also, what makes the driver unique is that you are not trying to hit it a particular distance. You are trying to hit it as far as you can, which can lead to swinging too hard at the ball, which can leak into the rest of your game. The driver is where tempo, rhythm, and balance are the most important. The driver is the one club that can set up your swing for the entire day. If you can keep your driver swing smooth and overcome the urge to KILL THE BALL, the rest of your game will fall into place. Even though you are not trying to hit the ball a particular distance, accuracy is still very important. The fairway is better than the rough, and the rough is better than the woods. Keeping your swing in control is most important with the driver.
Shots From The Fairway: These are the shots that you are going to hit the ball on a slightly descending blow. You must hit the ball before your swing reaches the bottom of the arc. As the clubs get shorter, the descending blow should increase. If you play public golf, you know that all fairways are not created equal. The shorter the grass, the ball will travel a little less distance for each club. The other thing that makes shots from the fairway unique is that now you are trying to hit the ball a certain distance. Even on par 5’s, you may want to hit your 2nd shot to a particular spot in order to make the 3rd shot easier. Trying to hit the ball a certain distance adds one element into what you are trying to achieve in a round of golf. Most golfers try to be way too precise when trying to accomplish this. The average length of a green from front to back is about 25 to 30 yards. That gives you a pretty good margin of error to get the ball on the green. This should be your thought process from 130 yards out and beyond. When you get closer, you can begin to think about where the pin is.
Shots From The Rough: This shot, even though the principle of hitting the ball is the same, is unique in two ways. First, the ball will fly further, and you will have less control over it. Depending on how the ball is lying and how deep the rough is, that will determine what club you will use. The worse the lie is, the more of a descending blow you will have to deliver to the ball. It is not a bad idea to literally think of the swing as a chop to get out of the rough. The main rule of thumb for hitting out of the rough is to lower your expectations and aim for the middle of the green and the fairway if this is a second shot on a par 5.
Less Than Full Swing Shots: This heading refers to short game shots that require less than a full swing, typically from under 80 yards to the green. These shots can be taken from both the fairway and rough, necessitating greater precision in distance and direction. For shots between 30 and 80 yards, you need a method to control distance. One way is to choke down on the club; the lower your grip is, the shorter the ball will travel, but this may lead to a lower trajectory that complicates shots over obstacles. Another method is to visualize a clock face, taking your left arm back to various positions (7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 o’clock) based on the distance you want to hit. This is known as the Dave Pelz method. Lastly, you can take a nearly full swing but slow down your pace depending on the distance, starting from your regular 100 MPH swing to 80, 60, and 40 MPH for shorter distances. Experimenting with these techniques will help you find what works best for you. Chipping and pitching around the green rely more on feel and practice, and you should aim to hit the ball with a descending strike, similar in principle for both fairway and rough, though with more control from the fairway.
Special Shots: These are the shots that you have to hit when you are on a severe slope, when in trouble, or in windy conditions. Essentially, this means dealing with slope or going high or low. This includes trying to curve the ball on purpose. There are many methods to try and do all of this. This is what makes this part of the game unique. Not everybody has the skill to work the ball. The most important of these is keeping the ball low. If you learn one basic thing in golf, it is to hit the low ball. There are many ways to do this. Find them on YouTube and pick one that will work for you. Playing from slopes requires certain changes from each situation. Ball above your feet; choke up on the club and aim to the right. Ball below your feet; bend over more, get closer to the ball, aim left, and take one more club. Downhill lie: take one less club, play the ball back in your stance, and aim left. Uphill lie: aim right, take one more club, and aim right. Make these adjustments, and you should hit reasonable shots from severe slopes.
Sand Shots: There are two kinds of sand shots: greenside sand shots and sand shots from the fairway. They are each unique. Greenside bunker shots are the only shot in golf that you don’t hit the ball. You hit approximately 2 inches behind the ball. Anytime you watch or read some instruction on greenside sand shots, they will talk about how easy they are. I guess this is some kind of psychological ploy to ease players’ anxiety over these shots. These are not easy shots. The PGA Tour average for getting up and down in two from the sand is 52% so far this season, which is what it was for 2025. Essentially, PGA Tour pros get up and down one out of two times. For us, the simple rule should be, when in the bunker, get it out of the bunker and onto the green. Again, there are lots of good instructions on YouTube, but don’t be fooled by the claim that these are easy shots. Hitting from fairway bunkers presents another problem. The basics are this: dig your feet into the sand, choke up on the club to compensate for the digging in, take at least one more club for the distance, and play it slightly further back in your stance to help with clean contact. Is that enough uniqueness for you?
Putting: Last but certainly not least, putting. What makes it unique is that it is the only shot in golf that does not get up in the air. Unless you hole out a shot from around the green or fairway, it is the way every hole finishes. Hogan said it was not even golf. I guess that makes it pretty unique. It usually has a unique grip. The club you use to putt with can be pretty unique. It can be even the longest club in your bag. It is probably the biggest reason people have quit playing golf: over their frustration with putting. It can save your game, making a long putt to save par. It can ruin your game when you miss a short putt after a great shot. Enough said.
There you have it. Every phase of golf and what you have to do and think in order to play to your best ability. It is the reason that golf is so hard. There are endless situations and problems in every round of golf. It makes it one of the most fascinating games man ever invented. I think the biggest problem for the average player is his lack of awareness of just how hard it is and then trying to get too much out of every shot. I will leave you with my one mantra: bogeys are not bad. Remember that the next time you play.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 