From the early days of the invention of modern golf in the 15th century, it quickly gained popularity and is now one of the most famous sports across the globe. Over the years, different ways and techniques of playing have been added to the game for making it more interesting. Fancy trick shots are one of those techniques that are quite important to a player.
The cut shot is one of those trick shots that are pretty handy sometimes for getting out of difficult situations. Players all over the world use the shot when they have to go around an obstacle, like a tree, to reach their target. If you’re an aspiring golfer trying to learn about the cut shot or just a curious fan, then you’ve come to the right place.
Cut Shot in Golf
A cut shot is a type of shot where the ball makes a significant amount of curve in-air to change its trajectory, for going past an obstacle. Players who play the obstacle golf apply this technique more.
So cut shot is a curved shot to avoid things like trees in a golf course. This curve can be both from left to right or from right to left depending on which handed the player is.
Every shot that a golfer plays can change its direction, left or right, because of the wind. But that curve won’t be controlled by the golfer, rather by the ever-changing wind condition. You should know that winds normally flow in one direction. So the cut shot will allow you to go in one direction for some time, and then change it to the other mid-air.
Difference to Other Curve Shots
There are other trick shots in golf that can curve the ball mid-air like the slice and the fade. But a fade shot gives a small amount of unintended curve to the ball while the slice adds up way more curve. The cut shots sit nicely in the middle in terms of the amount of bend it can provide while changing the trajectory of the ball in-air.
When Should You Hit a Cut Shot
As mentioned earlier, one of the obvious conditions, when you need a cut shot, is when there’s a big tree with loads of branches and leaves standing in between you and your target hole. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to make your ball go around the tree and that’s what the cut shot does.
You can hit in any one side of the tree, which makes sure that you don’t make contact with the tree and stop the ball, and curve the ball back to the other side towards the hole. You don’t have to rely on the wind for this job here.
Which Handed Players can Play the Cut Shot
Both the left-handed and the right-handed players can play the cut shot. Being a left-handed player does not affect how the shot works. For a right-handed player, the cut shot would start from the left and head towards the right. For the left-handed players, the cut shot makes the ball travel right at first and then turn left.
Playing the Cut Shot
The execution of your cut shot will directly affect how much curve and control you will have over your shot. Regardless of whether you’re a right-handed or a left-handed player, you need to adjust your stance and set your clubface properly to make the shot perfectly. We will tell you about two methods of hitting a perfect cut shot.
Open Stance, Regular Club Set-up
You will grip your club as you do for any normal shots. Approach the ball and squarely position the clubface, for an ordinary swing. Then, open your stance by placing your legs and hips away from the regular position. Your stance should be wide and open as if you are making an angle with the ball.
Swing the club with as much power as you need. Keep in mind that if you shy down on the power then your shot will not be able to make a full swing. Because of your open stance, the impact will be like a swipe across and towards the inside of the ball and give it a spin which will make it curve mid-air.
Open Clubface, Regular Stance
As you have already known from the previous section that the swipe of the clubface across the ball generates the spin required for bending mid-air, this technique of hitting the cut shot makes use of the open clubface. The open clubface and a powerful swing will give you the spin you’re looking for and allow you to curve the ball at will.
Adding Complexities to the Cut Shot
After you’ve mastered the basic form of the cut shot, you can now try to obtain much bigger curves from the cut shot. To do that, you need to mix both of the methods mentioned above into one. So, you will need a wide and open stance and an open clubface at the same time. Only then you’ll be able to achieve severe cut shots.
Tip for Learning the Cut Shot Fast
Try to take control of the curve of a fade shot. You need to practice and experiment on your shots to try and make intentional curves. By doing so, you will be curving the ball on the command which is an unintended fade shot controlled by yourself.
Conclusion
Practicing a lot is the key to learning and ultimately mastering the cut shot. New players will find it difficult to master but the prize they’ll get is certainly worth the extra sweat. Try to learn the stance and the clubface’s position first and then apply power to your shots.
The cut shot is an excellent and useful skill to have in your stock. It has rescued famous players from difficult situations in the past and the fans love it when they see a controlled curve. If you dream of becoming a professional golfer someday, then this will undoubtedly make your arsenal of skills heavy.
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