By Colin Fisher

Finally, this week, I can show you a drill which will allow you to check the launch height of your wedge shots – in the absence of a spare £20,000 for a Trackman radar. 

All you need is some pipe lagging and two alignment sticks or bamboo canes (picture one).

It took me back several years and I had to rack my brains and think back to maths class (I remember thinking, while in class, that I would never need maths for what I wanted to do with my career – how wrong I was!). 

Trigonometry wasn’t a strong point, but it’s pretty simple to calculate once you know how to do it.

If for example, we want to launch the ball below 30 degrees, all we need to know is how high to build a limbo pole. You can do this in a practice net, or on the real range.

All you’ll need is a couple of alignment sticks or bamboo canes and a piece of pipe lagging.

Measure distance from the ball to the ‘limbo’ you are going to create (we’ll use 10ft in this case). 

Simply multiply this distance by ‘tan’ 30 (the 30 is 30 degrees) i.e 10 x tan 30 = 5.7 (ft), then pierce the pipe lagging over the two upright bamboo canes which are stuck in the ground 10 feet away from the ball ensuring the pipe lagging is 5.7ft off the ground. 

Simply switch the 10 with whatever the distance in feet the gate is from the ground (picture two).

If you are using a net, thread some different colour twine through the net, or electrical tape at the height you need for your gate. 

If your ball hits the net below the limbo line with a good strike (thins don’t count!), then you’re in the right area.Get yourself to the range or practice area and get practicing. 

Make sure your clubface is clean and dry for each shot for most friction, which creates lower launch and more backspin.