Dreadful short game - Help!!

[JohnnyDee]

I can normally drive it pretty straight, not the longest hitter but pretty reasonable. I can play a decent fairway wood and a medium iron. My favourite approach distance is anywhere from 120 - 50 yards and my putting, although not as hot as it once was, is certainly acceptable. So why then do I have quite possibly the worst short chipping game in the world?

Faced with 20 yards over a bunker I grip the club like I'm trying to throttle it to death and the result is I leave the ball at my feet or I knife it 20 yards over the green.

Mitigating factors.

10 years ago I had the most chronic dose of sh**ks and it has scarred me. Bump and run or throw it high...I can screw either up with equal panache.

Anyone got a fix? It's keeping me off the tour and time is running out if I'm to acquire my private island retreat.

 

[JV24601]

Ask around the area who is the best short game pro at all the local golf clubs, then go to them for a lesson.

 

[winty57]

Go and have a lesson and practice, or watch any number of youtube clips but there are various techniques out there from Phil Mickleson to Seve etc but you will nedd to practice and feel comfortable with what you are trying to do..........good luck

 

[Nosevi]

For chipping here's one that I used, might help, might not but you could give it a go.

When you hit a shot pretty much everyone knows you should hit ball then turf, get it the other way round and the results are 'variable' (being generous). Long shots there's a bit of motion involved but with shorter shots it's tougher to get your weight forward.

All of that said, ask many not so great players to analyse where they are focusing on for a chip or small pitch and its the back of the ball, normally the spot their club touches the ground at the back of the ball. Make a perfect swing and the club will hit ground and turf at the same time, 'accidentally' hit the ground 'too far forward' and you get the perfect ball then turf contact, accidentally hit 0.01 cms too far back and you hit the ground first.

I watched an interview with Phil Mickelson where he talked about focusing on where he was intending to take the divot ie ahead on the ball and it dawned on me that I was aiming for the wrong spot. I now aim at a spot on the ground just in front of the ball with all chips and small pitches, get a great ball then turf contact with good check and my short game has been transformed.

Takes a bit of confidence to do at first - not actually looking at the ball you want to hit, but once you get the hang of it you can't fail to get a decent contact on the ball. Never know, might help.......

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

focusing on where he was intending to take the divot

I like this, I'm going to give it a try :thup:

 

[Merv_swerve]

I'm pretty steady with an 8 or 9 iron and a SW.
I just drill into myself it's all about the contact, whether I'm bump and running and hitting like a putt or popping it up and letting it roll out after a hop or two.

The main thing is I really enjoy this part of the game as I will never hit a 300 yard drive and will always have a physical limit. Short game has no such restrictions and can be mastered to a degree with good technique.

 

[the_coach]

So why then do I have quite possibly the worst short chipping game in the world?

Faced with 20 yards over a bunker I grip the club like I'm trying to throttle it to death and the result is I leave the ball at my feet or I knife it 20 yards over the green.

Mitigating factors.

10 years ago I had the most chronic dose of sh**ks and it has scarred me. Bump and run or throw it high...I can screw either up with equal panache.

Anyone got a fix? It's keeping me off the tour and time is running out if I'm to acquire my private island retreat.

couple things you'll have to come to terms with, first being grip pressure.
second to be in control of your balance & rhythm, balance through the center of the feet, feel balance point is through the shoe laces, keep it there but most of the weight remains on the lead leg throughout, no weight transference into the trailside.

folks that throttle the life out of the handle always have the accompanied jerky ways too fast, too short backswing.
tends to always lead to a way too short hard stab forward motion.

subconsciously then sensing now ball going to travel a good ways past 20 yards, there's the quit.
& often times this action is all ways too steep a swing back & down so you either raise up through the strike & skull it, or coming down a ways too steep bury the leading edge in the turf behind the ball.

have to get the grip pressure down to around a 5, if 12 out of 10 is the throttle.
handle is in the fingers both hands not palms.
the pressure points are only the last three fingers in the top hand, the middle two fingers in the bottom hand, neither the forefingers & thumbs of either hand have as much pressure exerted to the handle they just rest on the handle, that ways the forearms stay soft & shoulders don't tense up.

with most lofted SW or LW put the ball in the middle of the feet, the hold on the handle in the middle too, not right at the end as for a full shot.

the weight stays on the lead leg, no weight transference to speak of as it's a short shot.
the hands just level with the front of the ball, so no big shaft lean forwards at set up with the hands a ways ahead, as this just encourages much too steep take back & steep downswing.

real important head stays level & quiet behind the ball.
real important that the pelvic angle at address is kept so keep balance through the laces (losing the pelvic angle & balance, so straightening up, butt moving forwards big loss of balance forwards on to toes is the primary cause of the sockets)

the whole swing motion controlled by the chest rotation - must be no lateral motion either away or back to the ball, think upper body turning inside a hoop, centered.

the swing motion needs to feel the same pace back & through, turn transports the arms so hands back to around shoulder height, same paced swing through the ball to finish hands above shoulder height in the follow through, that length of swing being slightly longer through swing, will still give you a positive motion through the ball, so no hit at.

start of practice with a square face at address - see where the that smooth length swing takes you distance wise. weight has to stay on the lead leg, head level & quiet over top of the back of the ball.

long as you swing smooth hands leading the clubhead & keeping the handle moving to a balanced finish - the ball will go up.

get the drift of it & you can do the same but with the face open a little ways at set up - everything else the same, & you'll get more height.

important though you don't hold the club in a square position at set up then just twist the hands & club to open the face, as when you make a swing motion like this the face will return to square through impact.

{re opening the face up - lay the club face open then relinquish your grip, with the face now open then take the hold on the handle again from start to that open face, that ways the face will return open at impact}

{anyone wanting to look up more into focusing on a spot in front of the ball - look up 'The Golfing Machine' "flying wedges" & "yoda".

sad note to that the first PGA Pro certified by Homer Kelley to teach the TGM method Ben Doyle - Monterey Peninsula - taught for many years at Quail Lodge. died couple months back, Dec 15. great man, great teacher.

http://www.ncga.org/2014/12/19/remembering-legendary-quail-lodge-golf-club-instructor-ben-doyle/

 

[Nosevi]

I like this, I'm going to give it a try :thup:

Sorry about the sound, you'll need to turn it right up, but this is part of the Phil Mickelson interview I spoke of. Tough not to admire the way Phil strikes the ball and if he's always focusing in front of it (although a foot seems like a long way to me) you can see why he always catches the ball so cleanly. Obviously his short game is amongst the best out there and I'm sure he'd do the same for pitches where a ball then turf contact is essential. Also promotes forward shaft lean if you're aiming at a spot a bit further forward so you compress the ball a bit more as well as hitting through the ball, not at it.

I can't look a foot in front but just looking at a spot on the ground just ahead of the ball works for me. I've got a range mat in a field next to my house and in the summer it's covered in daisies. To get used to it I just put a daisy directly in front of the ball and ignore the ball, hit the daisy. After a while it just feels natural to strike through the ball not at it and to take a divot ahead of it. Good luck with it :thup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8zCCNZVW8o

 

[Smiffy]

I consider my short game (chipping at least) to be pretty solid. I tend to use my PW for the vast majority of my shots, adjusting the club for more/less loft as I need to.
The main thing I concentrate on is keeping my head/eyes still and making sure I am not looking up until after the ball has departed.
If I do mess it up, I can guarantee that I have taken my eyes off the ball a fraction (and I do mean a fraction!) too soon which usually results in a skulled shot.
Head still, eyes focused, don't look up too early.

 

[JohnnyDee]

Thanks people for these ideas. Some of which I've heard before and some work for me from time to time. I guess the real nasties come in competition play when pressure builds.

I've told my playing partners I know that I need to get better at this element (they laugh as they've heard me bleating on about it for years now) and know that I won't improve) but every time I'm at the course I play a round as time is precious.

I MUST chose one of the fixes that works for me start practising it until I feel happy and trust it. I'm my own worst enemy as I know I have a problem but expect a magic change without putting in the hard work.

i think it's in my head too much - instead of visualising a delicate little float to the green I can only see the ball surrounded by barbed wire and some sort of satanic devil standing on the green pointing at me and laughing derisively.

But I'll ge the better of him this year. Oh yes just see if I dont! I'll let you know in due course how I progress.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?68416-chipping-issues

Had an issue chipping, this helped me

 

[Dan2501]

[video=youtube;DF5G24FFAP0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF5G24FFAP0[/video]

Give this a watch too

 

[pokerjoke]

I like this, I'm going to give it a try :thup:

I have been doing this with my irons for a while now and I must say
ive improved my ball striking considerably.

 

[Region3]

but every time I'm at the course I play a round as time is precious.

You don't have to get to the course to practice chipping. I have a piece of range mat to hit from and a chipping net to use in the back garden. Don't even need a net; an upturned umbrella is also good, or even just drop something on the ground as a target to land at.

When it's dark (and cold!) outside I sometimes hit chips indoors against a chair front or cushion. Zero use for practising chipping to a distance or hole, but good for practising technique and getting good contact.

 

[bobmac]

Chipping or pitching?
2 different shots

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My short game woes are well documented. Google Gary Smith golf and look a the LInear Method of chipping. Not textbook but realy works (for me) and by utilising the bounce much more, a much wider margin of error even off wet winter lies. I don't like using it per se but the results have been good and so not sure I want to switch to something more conventional again although I've a short game lesson to be booked once we get some better weather so I'll see what happens

 

[pokerjoke]

My short game woes are well documented. Google Gary Smith golf and look a the LInear Method of chipping. Not textbook but realy works (for me) and by utilising the bounce much more, a much wider margin of error even off wet winter lies. I don't like using it per se but the results have been good and so not sure I want to switch to something more conventional again although I've a short game lesson to be booked once we get some better weather so I'll see what happens

When are you going to update your blog Homer I see you havnt updated for a while.
Did you say you were going to knock it on the head?

 

[JohnnyDee]

When it's dark (and cold!) outside I sometimes hit chips indoors against a chair front or cushion. Zero use for practising chipping to a distance or hole, but good for practising technique and getting good contact.

I used to do that all the time with my 60 degree lob wedge before the nasties started. But now the TV, ornaments and windows might be in danger Like many golf woes I suspect it's really happening between the ears and not with the rest of the body.

Chipping or pitching?
2 different shots

Both really. If I tell you I'm happy to take a Texas Wedge from 10 yards when there are no obstructions and the grass is relatively short then perhaps you get the picture.

 

[Smiffy]

My short game woes are well documented.

There have been a fair few words written about the rest of your game too

 

[bobmac]

The most common fault I see in chipping and pitching is when people try and help the ball in the air by trying to hit it high. This causes both the duff and the thin.
The simplist way to play these shots is to try and do the opposite.......choose a lofted club and try and hit it low.
This will improve your contact and the loft will hit the ball high for you.

Post no.2

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?74339-Chipping-pitching-lesson-drill