How good is your short game?

[fairmorn308]

well i will start off with mine.

Over the last week or so my wedges have been on fire. anything within 110yards i was able to get it within 15foot all the time, no matter of being on fairway or in rough.

The style of wedge shots i was playing was the high floating type but when am home again in 4 weeks am going to try the other type. low punch shot that lands and takes a skip then checks up or spins back.

My bunker shots over last few weeks have been poorly but thats due to when i was going in a bunker i was struggling cause its rare am in them these days now. But i will practise them aswell when i return.

My chiipping is the most thats letting me down tho but i will spend alot of time on this when i return aswell.

Putting can be up and down at the moment but again will work on it.

What about your short game?

Also what method/setup your using for getting out greenside bunkers

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My appraoch shots from <100 yards are normally pretty good with a PW or my 52 degree and I rarely miss the green (short siding) and rarely outside 15 foot. Close to the green I tend to hit lower shots purely out of habit but trying hard to use the Pelz system for different swing lengths with each wedge. Hard work but progress being made.

Bunker shots are OK. Rare to leave it in the trap and normally get it to within 15 foot again. Working on the technique at present and getting more positive.

Chipping is a bit weak and something I need to focus on once the full swing is up and running again. Have gone back to an old style of lifting the heel off the ground fractionally and using a putting like style. Not pretty but usually pretty good. Can normally get a PW chip and run to within 6-10 feet 7 times out of 10

Putting is pretty solid at the moment with both my new Spider Rossa and my odyssey 2 ball. Currently varies between 33 (my average according to Scoresaver 2) and 29. I am pretty hot between 10 and 6 feet and getting better on the 1-3 footers

I have been working on flop shots now the grass is a bit more receptive around the greens to allow the blade through and I play my greenside bunkers the same way. Open the blade FIRST before taking your grip and then stand approx 30 degrees left (open) with the blade pointing at the flag. Simply swing along the line of your feet taking the club up slightly steeper than normal and then slide the blade through. Try and keep the logo on the back of the glove pointing left and skywards and feel as though the right hand is pointing to the sky.

I'd say that all in all my short game is my strongest area at the moment and would give myself an honest 7 out of 10

 

[Cernunnos]

The Technique of my short game may be better than its ever been, but not really is showing itself in results.

I think this week if I had to make one critisism of my short game at the moment its the putting, even though I've been practicing a few drills.

When I took up the game I could barely miss a putt, everything was on line,putts would finish near the hole, to within a foot or so at worst.

All it took initially when I started to get out of bunkers was watch a few progams on the golf channel. Since my golf pro has been involved it seems to have gone down hill.

It seems the more lessons I have the more I question what I do rather than letting feel get involved.

Sure my Technique is better & I can hit it further & when I do something wrong I know what it is & how to address the problem, but the soul seems to have gone out of my game & need to find it again.

One thing that has improved recently is my pitching. Ironically it was care of an article in a mag where Mark Roe went through some short game drills that helped my short game, than anything my pro has done for me.

After my last lesson last week I managed to score only 5 over over 9 holes, half round as follows:

1. Mid length parr 3 tee shot just missed green, chip to 1ft + 1putt for Parr

2. long parr3, Tee shot hit green, long putt to 2ft, second in for Parr

3. Parr 4 5 wood, SW came in short, into bunker, 60' to 4ft 1 putt Parr

4. Parr 4 5 wood lay up infront of bunker SW to 20ft, first putt good pace, wrong line. 3ft to finish out Parr

5 Parr 3 miss green to left Pitch with 60' to 1ft, putt out Parr

6. Short Parr 3 Leave too much loft on short club into wind, falls short of green, Pitch over with SW, but runs out too far, to 12ft, Putt to 1inch short, tap in for Bogey

7. Longinsh Parr 3. 5 iron jsut short of 180yard hole to right. Chip on to 5ft. Miss first putt & 3 ft past, yip the 3ft, just lips out. Drop the third wiggle, for a [/b]D.Bogey[/b]

8. Mid length parr 3. Hit green, doesn't hold. Chip bites more than expected & doesn't roll, even though its going onto a downslope. First putt goes off in my hand before can stop myself. 2nd lipout 3rd tap in, D.Bogey

9. 303 yard Parr 4, with loads of bunkers hiding blind green. 5 wood off tee Pitching wedge to 8ft. Perfect stroke on putt but just lips out round high side, slope takes to 1 ft & away for Parr

Complete contrast to the discrace I made 2 & 3 days after that. 3 putts abounded, duffed tee shots, the only thing that kept any dignity was pitching & chipping, & the odd clossed down 6 iron out of teddy bear land to the amazement of my playing partners.

 

[Cernunnos]

Re: Bunker Method/Setup

As for bunkers it depends on the sand & how I'm feel whethering at the time as to whether I open up the club or square it & relax the grip, or whether I take 60' or sand wedge.

One little thing I like to do before I get in the bunker is stand outside of the bunker facing my ball & practice on the ground outside the bunker & visualising the shot to the hole.



I've been taught to work my feet into the sand slightly for a firmer stance & choke down slightly, though again it really depends on how I feel the shot. As if I get too technical &b allow fears to get in the way I'm lost before I begin.

I get calm, get in see the shot & like on Monday I just let the shot guide my hands & the next thing is the ball was hitting the pin & bouncing back 2 ft

See it feel it do it.

All I need to do is to remember to do that with the rest of my game again.

 

[birdieman]

My short game is in great shape at the moment largely due to new putting confidence with a recently acquired Odyssey centre shafted white hot no.5. I'm sorry for all the ScottyC lovers out there but mine had to go. Maybe the visual adjustment of having the ball ahead of the shaft rather than under it with my old putter has helped, I don't know, but I'm really enjoying putting again.
Re the question about greenside bunkers I set up with the ball forward of middle of stance, lay the clubface almost flat, aim left and hit steeply and firmly (DO NOT QUIT ON IT!!!) an inch and a half or so behind the ball, more if I don't want the ball to go far, less if I want some distance. Have up and downed quite a few recently.

 

[dangermouse]

absolutely abysmal - no other word for it!

as a novice, I can hit it fairly well - anything under 420 yards I will be within 25 yards of the pin in two (and the majority of places I have played have probably averaged about 370 for a par 4, making most holes readily reachable).

Problems start from there, though! As an example, I played last week - drove 270 or so straight on the shortest hole - 30/40 yards to pin; I went straight through with the first approach, then had 2 chips and 2 putts for a 6. Going straight through was careless - I thinned it which is quite rare, so not a big problem, sadly the other shorts were about normal for me! Just cant seem to get distance control right - I am fine with the correct lines, but can easily miss a ten foot putt by 6 feet!

I shot around 100, about 45 of which were within 15 yards of the flag!

 

[z_shakir]

i learnt many techniques and would like to share
these techniques with u
check it out
http://www.golfersmd.com/?getit=216615944

 

[forefortheday]

For chipping I try to imagine I'm throwing a ball under arm, in fact i sometimes make this motion to try and judge where to land the ball even if it just a short back and through of the arm it gives me some idea of the feel required.

Putting is average at it's peak in truth, full sw either thinned or at the pin like its laser guided (lot more of the former though!),full pw normallly good contact but a lot of shots go very left at the end of them.

I have a tendency to try full lw shots quite a bit which either fly like phils or go straight through the green (ala sw!)

I suffer from Dangermouses affliction too got a lesson in scoring from my brother the other week, I was matching him up to the green then usually taking at least two more shots

Truth is my overall game is hot or cold usually from one shot to another

 

[RGuk]

Mine is OK.....discounting my putting, which is really messed up.
I had 10/11 easy chips/small pitches yesterday and converted ZERO for par save.
Back to the drawing board for me.....

 

[USER1999]

Excellent.

It has to be.

I normally hit very few fairways, and very few GIR. Without my short game I am rubbish.

I am thinking of joining a nine hole pitch and putt, where I can play off scratch, or possibly turn pro.

 

[theeaglehunter]

100 yard approaches and in I am reasonable at.

Short pitches/ flops / bump and runs around the green 20 yards and less I am useless

Bunker shots I go from being superb to absolutely awful

Chipping I am very good at for my handicap- I can't remember having to 2 putt after electing to chip onto the green from close by.

Putting is pretty reasonable for somebody off of 18.

 

[Cernunnos]

My only current problem is when I'm faced with a shot between my Sand wedge distance & Pitching wedged distance.

Over the past few weeks I've tried to get a few extra yards out of the SW, usually when there is no room for error (Narrow green, or trouble to the back), instead of taking an easy PW, when really I know but forget I know how to play the right shot by choking down the grip on the PW & have done the right shot in the past...hey ho.

So more a case of my brain suffering fade than the ball, lol

 

[andiritchie]

a gap wedge would sort that gap out carnunnos,

my wedge game is pretty good from anywhere as i learning to swing slower and play knock down shots,i normally save par from off the green rather than on it,last weekend hit 2 par 5s in two then 3 putted i didnt think i could do it twice,need a new simple looking putter to try and get some spark back

 

[vig]

Not good enough!!!

100-150 yards 7/10
10-25 yards 7/10
25-50 yards 4/10
50-100 yards 3/10
Bunkers 4/10

Putting has improved this year.

 

[Basher]

On the whole my short game is very poor, mainly fairway iron play.
However, when it comes to chip and run shots from just off the green I play well.
On many occasions I prefer to chip and run from the fringe instead of putting.
Weapon of choice, my trusty 7 iron!

 

[nomadpaul]

My short game rescues me on numerous occasions. My problem is getting off the tee !!

I have recently had at least one chip-in from the fringes on my last 3 outings . Anything up to 60yds away from the green and i'm pretty competent. 100yds away can be slightly off although its generally direction that is awry as distances seem to be good.

Its strange how relaxed i feel with my short game but the complete opposite when stood with the long clubs in my hand .

 

[rgs]

Like most my short game goes through stages of being very good to mediocre even during a round.

My putting is, IMHO, good,
i think my greenside bunker play is pretty good.

 

[RGuk]

I never normally practice bunkers......but seem to get out OK.....it's such an art.

I did try some bunker practice yesterday on my quick visit to the club and shanked or bladed all the tube....so gave up on that one!

 

[TonyN]

Never ever practiced out of a bunker, I normally get out ok. My short game is pretty neat but I do practice it. If i dont practice atleast once a week, i loose it. Putting is ok. Could be better, but could also be alot worst!