Having taught in the Hamptons for many years at Atlantic Golf Club and Sebonack, I had the opportunity to play many of Long Island’s great golf courses, including Shinnecock Hills. With so many outstanding courses in the area, Shinnecock always stood out as one of the most challenging and rewarding. It is always exciting to watch the U.S. Open there and see both the course and the players put on a great show.
Here are five shots and skills the winner will need to master to score well at Shinnecock.
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1. Fairway-finder tee shot
The rough at Shinnecock can be brutal. Finding the fairway off the tee provides a huge advantage and makes approach shots significantly easier.
A controlled tee shot with a slight fade is often an effective fairway-finding shot. To produce this shape, the trail-hand grip can be positioned slightly more on top of the club, which tends to open the forearms and shoulders slightly and encourage a controlled fade.
2. Rough escape
The rough and fescue at Shinnecock are demanding but manageable with the right technique.
Club selection is critical. Using a club with sufficient loft helps combat the thick grass, which can grab the hosel, twist the clubface, and make it difficult to launch the ball high enough to advance it back into play.
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At address, tilting the upper body slightly forward so the lead shoulder sits lower than the trail shoulder and favoring the lead foot can help create a steeper angle of attack. This allows the clubhead to strike the back of the ball more directly before entering the turf, reducing the amount of grass trapped between the clubface and the ball.
3. Flighted wedge
Wind is one of Shinnecock’s greatest defenses. Long Island often experiences strong coastal winds, making trajectory control essential.
The ability to flight wedge shots lower allows players to better manage both distance and direction. Moving the ball slightly back in the stance can help produce a lower trajectory. Players can also favor the lead foot throughout the swing while dropping the lead foot slightly back to align the shoulders and maintain forward pressure.
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A three-quarter swing both back and through helps keep the ball flight down and minimizes the wind’s influence.
4. Touch on the greens
Fast hardly does justice to the speed of Shinnecock’s greens, especially when combined with their significant undulation.
Avoiding three-putts will be critical, making distance control one of the most important putting skills throughout the week. While tour professionals generally excel in this area, it is also one of the skills recreational golfers can improve the most through focused practice and distance-control drills.
5. Par-3 tee shots
Shinnecock’s par 3s are both beautiful and demanding. The 11th hole immediately comes to mind.
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Hitting the green should be the primary objective. The elevated putting surface requires exceptional distance control, particularly when the wind is blowing. There is nothing wrong with aiming for the center of the green and prioritizing a safe target, given how easily shots can roll away when they miss the surface.
Shinnecock will provide a tremendous test for the field and should be fantastic to watch. These skills will be essential for anyone hoping to contend.
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