Blair O'Neal on Swinging from the "Wrong" Side

I've got a new Sexiest Shots in Golf video from golfdigest.com and Blair O'Neal... and you'll thank me for this one. In this little tell-all Blair divulges the secrets of hitting the ball from the wrong side.

You know, that shot you need when the tree is standing where YOU need to stand.



Here are the steps she gives. Pay attention now!

• Use your pitching wedge because it has the largest face area. We want to make it as easy to hit the ball as possible.
• Reverse your grip from normal and flip the club head over. These things you should do automatically.
• Move the ball back in your stance, which may not be automatic for you. Note that Blair has the ball back just inside of her (now) trailing foot.
• Finally, make a smooth 3/4 swing where you concentrate on contact rather than distance. (Note that Blair didn't even make a 3/4 swing; she just cocked her wrists a lot.) You may find it easier to hit the ball with a chipping stroke than a pitching stroke, which is why I tagged this post for both techniques. I would advise keeping your wrists relaxed; you'll probably get a small wrist cock, more than a chip but less than a typical pitch. A chipping stroke will need to be longer than a pitching stroke to get the distance without trying to swing too hard.

Bear in mind that the loft of your pitching wedge may cause you to pull the ball a bit. Test it on the range before you try it on the course so you aim properly. If you know where the ball is most likely to go, you'll relax and make a better shot.

And then you won't have to use the foot wedge Blair had to use with the missed shot at the beginning of the video!