A three-wood: From off the green??!!!???.

It may sound preposterous to some, but the three-wood chip is a great shot to have in your arsenal when the ball lies no more than a foot into the first cut of rough. For starters, a three-wood won't snag. You know why we like this concept? Because it works for Tiger Woods!!! I first tried this out in South Carolina, USA. It since has become my "Carolina Pitching Wedge".

The key to working this shot is to keep the left arm fairly straight but relaxed throughout. The more tension, the quicker the stroke, resulting in a loss of distance control. Grip down with the palms facing each other, similar to the way you would grip a putter. Place the forefinger and thumb of your lower hand on the shaft for better feel and control of the club head. Then, use your wrists to pop the clubface into the ball (kind of like an axe, but not as hard as you would if you were splitting wood, or whatever else you use an axe for). That will propel the ball airborne just enough to coast along the top of the grass.

The rest, we shall say, is putting history.

This golf tip courtesy of Free-Golf-Tip.com

 Texas Golf 2009 / Dallas Morning News