Pro’s tip — Trouble with trees? No need to chop

Adam Candee

Wednesday, June 16, 2004 | 10:37 a.m.

Adam Candee

Editors note: As part of its expanded weekly golf page, the Sun will present occasional tips from local pros.

Having spent more time with trees blocking our path than a workaholic lumberjack, we thought this weeks tip could give some advice on what to do when you just arent out of the woods yet.

Matt Oakley, a PGA professional at TPC at the Canyons, offers a simple two-step approach to this all-too-common problem. It might feel a bit unnatural at first, but practicing this method will give you a trick in your bag that the pros use on Sundays.

Size up your shot and establish two points: Where you want your ball to start its flight and where you want it to end up.

"The two techniques to this shot are very simple," Oakley said.

Align your feet with the path on which you want your ball to start its flight. Be generous in giving yourself enough room to get around your obstacle because the sec ond part of this setup will make up for your crooked stance.

Get your feet set and then set up your club. Your club should be pointed at your intended target, be it the green or the fairway.

Adjust your clubface for the type of shot you want to hit. If you need to aim right of a tree and then pull your ball back, close your clubface to create a sweeping right-to- left motion. To go left of the tree and hit a fade, open up your clubface to create a left-to-right effect. Again, dont be bashful - you need to significantly close or open the face to get the result you want.

Once you are set up, take your normal golf swing and watch the ball work a little bit of magic around that tree trunk. Youll have to fight the instinct to square up the clubface at impact, but some practice with this shot should help you past that mental block and that tree in no time.