Jason Day's Go-To Shot

Sunday I did a post about creating a go-to shot for those times when you absolutely positively HAVE to get the ball in the fairway. Well, lo and behold, Jason Day recently told Golf Digest all about his own go-to shot he calls his "fail-safe swing." Comparing his swing to my post should give you even more ideas for creating your own.



Jason tells 3 keys he uses. I'm listing them as 5 keys; the first 3 are his address adjustments and that's why he combines them:

1. Grip down a half inch
2. Ball no farther forward than midway in stance
3. Weight more on left side
4. Make sure you pivot on your left side coming down
5. Hold off the finish, which he explains primarily as swinging slower

I want to emphasize that last one -- not so much for the hold-off move as for swinging slower. When you're struggling to get the ball in the fairway, you need solid contact. You're not going to get that by swinging all out! Jason recommends swinging at 80% -- I always laugh at these percentage guidelines because I don't think most weekend players can estimate their effort that accurately -- but the point is to swing so you can keep your balance. If you can swing pretty fast and still do that, by all means swing fast.

One last thing: The article makes it clear that Jason is using an iron for his go-to shot. You can use an iron as well if you want. However, don't think that you have to use an iron. Fairway woods also work well for a go-to shot and, if you can rein in your driver swing a bit and get a controllable result with it, there's no reason not to use your driver for your go-to shot. You'll probably get more distance that way than with any other option as well.

With a go-to shot it's all about predictability. Any shot you can control well enough to predict where it will end up when you're under pressure can be your go-to shot. Once you realize that, you're well on your way to creating one of your own.