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Golf on Cape Cod - Instruction
Hitting Into the Wind:
The Bump-and-run and The Knockdown Shot
By NICHOLAS SMITH
Photos by George Peet
TJ VALENTINE
 Pinehills Golf Club
PGA Teaching Professional
Age: 29
Residence: Plymouth, Mass.
Years As A Golf Professional: 7
Years At Pinehills: 6th season
Hometown: Shrewsbury, Mass.
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: Golf club repair, exercise, baseball
Amateur/Pro: Plays in New England PGA sectional events
In the Bag:
Driver: Taylor Made 425 TP 9.5° with Fujikura Rombax X flex shaft
3 Wood: Taylor Made R7 TP 15° with AccuFLEX Evolution X flex shaft
3 hybrid: Taylor Made Dual Rescue TP with Mitsubishi Diamana X flex shaft
2 hybrid: Nickent iron wood AccuFLEX hybrid X flex shaft
Irons, 4-PW: Taylor Made RAC Forged TP irons with 6.0 Rifle shaft
Wedges: 52°, 57° Taylor Made TP Y cutter with 6.0 Rifle shafts
Putter: Mentor Sports Duet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1X
TJ’s Thoughts On Equipment:
You must always try it before you buy it. You cannot guess how a club, putter, or ball feels. The equipment has to be good to look at, which will lead to confidence.
You must get your shafts fitted. The shaft is the engine to the club. If you give top players on the PGA Tour a club with the wrong shaft, they will not hit it to the best of their ability, so why do you? I always suggest that you do not carry long irons. Replace your long irons with hybrids. You will thank me for it.
TJ’s Thoughts On Course Management:
You can have a great golf swing and hit the ball a mile, but if you can’t manage yourself around the golf course, you will not shoot good scores. The practice tee is where we develop all of our ball striking skills. Our casual/practice rounds are where we learn to trust what we have been working on at the practice tee and learn course management skills. Finally, tournament and meaningful rounds are where we apply and trust what we have worked on to see results.
Everyone must understand that this takes time. It is a plan and a process that takes dedication and desire.
“Swing easy when it’s breezy”
-The Wise Wind Golfer
On what couldn’t have been a more blustery day, Golf on Cape Cod magazine met with Pinehills Golf Club PGA Teaching Professional, TJ  Valentine, to discuss what every golfer has to deal with, especially on the ocean side courses of Cape Cod - “the wind problem.”
TJ was a recent contestant on The Golf Channel’s addition to reality television, Big Break IV, a Ryder Cup-style tournament between six U.S. team members and six European team members. The 15 weeks of the Big Break IV were played at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland, the site of six British Open Championships and host of the 2007 Open Championship. For those of you who didn’t watch the television show or are not familiar with links style golf courses in Scotland - let’s just say that the wind is always a factor. TJ gave us some tips on how to keep the ball out of the wind, which we came to learn is also a great way to reduce mistakes during pressure situations.
THE BUMP-AND-RUN
In Scotland, TJ had to hit many bump-and-run shots. Generally speaking, the fairways are much firmer in Scotland and in Europe than the average U.S. course, and the high winds create the need to keep the ball low. While the 80-to-90-yard bump-and-run shot was a common occurrence for TJ at Carnoustie, this shot will not be as common on Cape Cod, but the method, said TJ, is the same.
 The bump-and-run is applicable in any approach shot where obstacles don’t present a problem for the low trajectory shot.
The closer the ball is to the ground, the more control you have over the ball. Therefore, you want to keep the trajectory of the bump-and-run shot low. (#1)
Try to use the lowest lofted club that’s possible. Typically, I’ll use an 8-iron, or, at the highest, maybe a 6-iron. (#2)
A normal 8-iron swing will have the ball in the middle of the stance at the setup. Keep the ball back in the stance for the bump-and-run, just to get a little better contact. This will also de-loft the club. (#3)
Open the front foot of the stance. This will restrict the back swing and keep your shoulders as square as possible.
With this setup, there is a tendency to shift the weight to the back foot. In order to prevent this backward weight shift, keep 70 percent of your weight forward at setup. Also, set your hands forward. (#4)
Common Mistakes:
 The weight is focused on the back foot, creating a greater loft on the club and a lot of underspin after impact. Keep that weight forward.
Breaking the wrists at impact will add loft to the club and create the underspin that the bump-and-run shot is supposed to counteract. (#5, #6, #7).
NO Deceleration. If there’s one thing to focus on after the setup, it’s to accelerate through the ball at all costs.
Quick Tips
 Keep your hands ahead of the clubface all the way through the entire swing. Never flip the clubface over and, therefore, don’t break your wrists during follow-through. This will guarantee that the ball stays low and will not create any underspin. (#8, #9)
KNOCK-DOWN
When distance is an issue or obstacles on the approach shot make the bump-and-run impossible, the knock-down can be used. Not only is the knock-down shot effective in windy conditions, the shot is also a smart play in pressure situations because the knock-down relies on a short backswing and a slow swing tempo.
 In this type of knock-down shot, you don’t want to have a huge backswing. The tendency of all players hitting into the wind is to swing too hard. A strong headwind does not mean that you have to swing hard. The knock-down shot is designed for a relatively easy swing. (#10, #11)
Any club is appropriate.
The knock-down will use a normal middle of the stance setup. (#12)
Like the bump-and-run, the “A No. 1” rule is to always be accelerating through the golf ball.
You’ll want to keep some weight on the front foot, but not quite as much as the bump-and-run —60 percent weight on the front foot would be an acceptable distribution.
With the knock-down, bend the knees a little to provide a lower center of gravity. This will eliminate the spin from the ball. (#13)
Also like the bump-and-run, an open stance will restrict the backswing and keep the shoulders square.
 A good distance ratio to apply to the knock-down on club selection is to use your normal 150-yard club for the 135-yard knock-down.
Take enough club to know you have enough to reach the green. Don’t be afraid to take more club and to swing easier — that’s what the knock-down shot is for.
If you get quick with this shot, you’ll turn your hands over and that’s the miss. Don’t get quick.
My hands are slightly in front of the ball at the setup and slightly ahead of my chest on impact. This will de-loft the club and keep the ball low. (#14)
 Keep the follow through and the finish low. When you’re lower, the angle of attack will reduce the spin. This will insure a low, under the wind, trajectory that will prevent the ball from checking when it lands. (#15, #16, #17)
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