A prolonged spell of hot weather leads to greens that are hard and fast, meaning even the pros struggle to hold them at times. Getting it up and down when you’ve just rolled off the putting surface can be the difference between an average week and a great one on Tour and it is an area of your game that can save you so many shots if you work at it. I will choose my shot depending on lie and pin location, favouring a lob if I’m short-sided and a bump and run if there’s green to work with.

Short sided
If the pin was tight I’d use my 60 degree wedge. Getting the 60 up in the air and attacking the pin is necessary to get it close with some spin. I’d hit this shot more often than any other out on Tour as pins tend to be tight to the edge of the green.

The ball is in the centre of my stance with the face right open. I don’t change a lot in my swing, it’s just slightly longer and faster.

Green to work with
If I am going back across the green with distance between me and the flag I will never fly it all the way. I’d rather hit a 7 or 8-iron run it up close. A tip I got when I was younger was to focus on getting the ball on the green and letting it roll as soon as you can.

I’ll take a short iron like a 7 or 8 for this shot and put the ball back in my stance a touch. This gives me a little forward shaft lean to get the ball coming out lower with run.

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