The Short Game

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The Short Game

Now that we are on the same page, let’s talk about what most people perform the worst yet still spend the least time practicing: the short game. I’ve taught the short game for some time now and I’ve seen all kinds of faults and heard all the excuses. Can’t get the ball in the air with your sand wedge? Think about that. The thing has 56 degrees of loft and your telling me you can’t get the ball in the air? I’ve found that if you just keep asking yourself “why?” then you will eventually discover the root of your problem. So lets break this down shall we. You can’t get the ball airborne with your wedge, yet your wedge was designed to hit the ball the highest of any other club in your bag. The wedge has the sole purpose of hitting the ball higher into the air. There is only one reason for doing this: hitting the ball thin. Why do you hit the ball thin? There are only two possible reasons: low-point of the swing is too far forward in your stance or your path is flawed. I’d venture to say that moving the ball a few inches back in your stance will solve a good portion of your short game problems. If your still hitting the ball thin, think of the head of the wedge as a broom and sweep the ball off the turf. I promise if you do it properly you’ll be “getting it up” without any problems.

If you have not read Dave Pelz's "Short Game Bible" I would recommend you go check it out. Pelz used to work for NASA before coming to be a swing instructor. The guy has more knowledge about the short game than any one man should ever know!

Sand Shots
Sand shots are the most dreaded shot faced by most amateur golfers, but professionals thrive on shots from the sand. What do they know that you don't know? They know that it is the only shot in golf where you not supposed to actually hit the ball. The explosion from the club entering the sand pops the ball from sand. You heard me right....when hitting a sand shot you should not actually make contact with the ball. Ok, here is the fool-proof way of performing a sand shot. Take a stance slightly wider than shoulder-width, position the ball off the heel of your front foot, rotate the clubface slightly open to eliminate the bounce of the wedge, and control the length of the shot by the length of the swing. Trying to control the distance of the shot by swinging harder will result in inconsistent contact. Make sure to always accelerate through the ball. Focus on entering the sand about 1-2 inches behind the ball.

Putting

Let's talk about the flat blade. It seems so simple yet can be the most difficult to master. The putting green is where the majority of your shots take will take place and if you can learn to putt you can say bye bye to three jacks. The first thing you must always remember is the putting stroke is make along a slight arc, not straight back and straight forward. If you have not tried the "Putting Arc" then you need to try one because they are magical. Ok I'm not trying to advocate the legitimacy of training aids but this one is great.

Now, let me give you a little drill that will ingrain confidence in your stroke. Set-up 5 or 6 golf balls equal-distance apart around the hole. Each ball should be about 1 foot from the hole. Practice hitting these short putts into the center of the cup, trying to make the ball hit the back of the cup before falling in. Do this over and over, then move the balls back to about 2 feet from the cup and repeat. You might say, "um, Clay, what's the point of hitting these little short putts?" well i'll tell you: seeing the golf ball hit the center of the cup repeatedly develops a mental confidence when you have the putter in your hand. You've seen the ball go in the center of the hole a ton of times so why should this time be any different. I promise.....it works.

Chipping

Chip shots all very straight forward. This is probably why when we duff one we feel like complete idiots. I mean your making about 1/4 of a normal stroke and if you can't get that right, how are you going to master a full swing? So first off, when performing a chip shot from a flat lie, position the ball slightly back from the middle of your stance. This is help ensure that you hit the little ball before you hit the big ball (Earth). One very important thing to remember when hitting not only a chip shot, but any shot is ACCELERATE. Decelerating into impact spells disaster and one ugly looking attempt to hit a golf ball so don't do it. If you have only one swing thought when hitting a chip shot it should be to accelerate through the ball.

A good drill for insuring that you hit the ball first is to take a a normal chipping stance and then drop your back food back behind your front foot. The toe of your back shoe should only be on the ground. This will promote a forward lean and ensure that you do not hit behind the ball. Practice with this drill and you will get the proper feeling of a chip shot.