Golf is supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable warm-weather activity, something to look forward to during those long winters and weekdays spent cooped up in cubicles. And it can be, if you can execute the basics. If you can’t, golf can be endlessly frustrating. Balls get lost, profanities get uttered and clubs get tossed. If that sounds familiar, professional help is needed.

Scott Mayer, the teaching pro at Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough, gave Current Publishing sports reporter and golfing dilettante Tom Minervino a series of lessons this summer on how to improve as a beginning golfer. Mayer’s tips on various aspects of golf, along with Minervino’s take on the lessons, will run over the next several weeks. This week, Mayer gives tips about approach shots.

Scott Mayer’s Tips on Approach Shots:

Getting the golf ball close to the pin with full swings from 50 to 150 yards is one of the keys to shooting low scores for both accomplished and recreational players. One of the major things that separate more accomplished from less accomplished players is their ability to consistently hit the green with accuracy from 150 yards in. Lets face it, if you can at least hit the green the majority of the time from 150 yards and in, you will eliminate the need to chip the ball and you’re going to save shots.

1. When making full swings with the 7,8,9 irons and wedges, which are the scoring clubs, I recommend individuals try to stay quieter with the lower body. As you move from your chipping technique, which was a five o’clock to seven o’clock stroke to further out from the hole, the golf swing gradually increases to your full swing technique. What golfers are trying to achieve with scoring shots is consistency and accuracy, rather than simply distance. By altering the length your backswing and quieting your lower body, it is easier to keep the ball on line and to control your distance.

2. A good way to develop predictable distances as you gradually move further away from the hole is to utilize the clock technique. Once you move out to a distance that is too far for a chipping technique, but short of a full swing, you must develop a method of consistently controlling your distance. I do this by utilizing backswings of three different lengths that I have trained by monitoring the position of my left arm.

3. I concentrate on making nine o’clock, 10 o’clock and 11 o’clock backswings with my left arm. These can also be thought of as half, three quarter and full backswings.

4. In my first position, my left arm stops parallel to the ground, or 9 o’clock. I don’t care how much I hinge the club, or how far my club head travels, as different individuals have different amounts of hinge, at different positions of the backswing. What is important is to create consistency and predictability with the length of the body’s motion.

5. In the 10 o’clock position, I swing my left arm back to just above parallel with the ground, or three quarters. This brings us to the 11 o’clock position, which is what I consider my full swing. The beauty of this technique is that it keeps you in the right ballpark in terms of creating proper distance. Many individuals without a system of controlling distances are constantly too short and too long on these shorter scoring shots. It’s tough when you are just guessing at what you need to do, rather than doing something specific to achieve your desired outcome.

6. Rhythm, balance and contact are three important fundamentals to pay attention to while applying this technique. Often, golfers over swing their scoring clubs, creating poor rhythm, which leads to poor balance and, ultimately, poor contact. Poor contact is the No. 1 thing that will lead to bad shots.

7. To develop consistent contact, you need to swing with smooth rhythm and good balance, creating good, solid contact so the resulting shots are more predictable. It does no good if you take a half backswing and then try to create a full swing speed. Keep your acceleration fluid and consistent, regardless of the length of your backswing.

8. When practicing shots with scoring clubs, golfers should try to watch the club strike the ball. Witnessing impact during practice and not prematurely looking up for the result is important. One thing to keep in mind: If you want to see a bad shot, just look up prematurely.

9. A good way to tell if you are actually seeing the contact, or looking up prematurely, is how soon you see the ball in its flight. When I make a proper full swing, my ball may be as far as 75-100 yards out, before I visually pick up the flight of the ball. If you see it rolling on the ground from a topped shot, directly in front of you, chances are good that you looked up prematurely.

Tom’s Take:

While I’m not to the point where I’m able to determine which club and which “o’clock” backswing I need from particular distances, Mayer’s method of working on the same body positioning and same stroke (just with a different backswing and different club) makes a lot of sense. If you’re comfortable with the form and swing, it’s simply a matter of playing enough so that you can figure out which club you should use and how far back you need to swing it.

When we were out at the range, it seemed very straightforward. I watched Mayer as he used the same club and hit a few shots in a row – each backswing going an “hour” further than the previous one – and his shots fell in a straight line, each a little further than the one before.

Once it was my turn, it wasn’t quite as smooth. My first attempt was supposed to use a nine o’clock backswing. I reared, swung and … missed the ball completely. Mayer tossed another ball down and I tried again. I made contact, but it was not of the solid nature. I topped the ball and sent it bouncing on the ground off to the right. Mayer threw me another ball. Again, it wasn’t pretty.

This is when Mayer asked me if I wanted to hit another poor shot (or perhaps he used a different adjective). I said I did not. He recommended that I keep my head down and stay focused on the ball (then, once the ball is struck, the ground beneath) until I complete my stroke. He then told me to close my eyes. I did so and soon felt something bounce off my chest. I opened my eyes and looked down to see a golf ball at my feet.

“Why didn’t you catch that?” Mayer asked me.

“My eyes were closed,” I said.

“You couldn’t see it, could you? How do you expect to hit a proper golf shot if you’re not looking at the ball at the point of impact?” Mayer asked.

Point made. I wasn’t watching the ball as I made my stroke. I was looking up to watch the ball sail straight and far through the air, only that wasn’t what was happening.

On my next shot, I kept my head down. I had completed my follow through before I took my eyes off the ground where the ball had been. When I raised my eyes, I couldn’t find the ball. The contact felt good, so I suspected the shot may have at least gone straight, but I couldn’t see it, leaving me to conclude that I must have shanked another off to the right. I glanced that way, but saw nothing. Then I refocused straight ahead and saw my ball land right where it should have, straight and some 100 yards away. I looked at Mayer, who was smiling. He gave me a high-five.

The lesson: If you want to hit a good shot, keep your head down. It’s hard to hit what you can’t see.

Up next week: full swing long irons.

Scott Mayer is the teaching pro at Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough. He was named Maine PGA Golf Teacher of the Year in 2004. He runs Mayer’s School of Golf, which offers individual and group lessons to all ages and abilities. For more information, visit www.mayersschoolofgolf.com.

Golf tips: Chipping your way to success