Importance of short game

[Hallsy]

I started playing golf again 15 months ago after a 5 year lay off due to work and a bad back. I was playing off 14 when i stopped playing and didnt know if id be able to play again but after a successful back op i was able to pick up the clubs again. My swing had changed dramatically from a slight draw to a fade and just couldnt get a good strike of the ball at all. So i looked at the good bits of my game which was i could hit my driver straightish and although im not a big hitter i could keep it in play. I have some lovely courses near me, namely Clevedon, Bristol and Clifton, Long ashton but to to still not having lots of time to play and the costs to join them i decided to join a small 9 hole course near me to practice my short game and get confidence with my swing. The course is only 1800yds for the 9 holes with a par of 30 but the greens are lovely so my short game and putting could be practiced plus they had a good practice green, bunker and range on site. So i set to it and played as much as possible which is normally just 9 holes a week and i started to hit a ball like i used to, albeit still with a slight fade. This weekend was the test as 8 off us from work played Donnington Grove in Newbury. Only played off yellows as some of the guys are high handicappers but at 6700yds was still a test for me. I managed to hit a 84 gross and as i dont yet have a handicap i was very happy. Sorry for the long post as a newbie but i thought with so many high handicappers loosing there way sometimes with practice just focus on your weak points and practice, it eventually pays off.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Couldnt agree more, if i didnt have a short game (which I practice) I would be a 20 handicapper.

 

[virtuocity]

I started the year with the aim of getting down to 18 with little short game proficiency and just rely on a decent swing.

How wrong I was.

I have now committed to spending 50% of my practice time chipping and putting.

However, I'm in my first ever season and still don't have a repeatable swing, so still need to hit the range constantly to tweak, tweak and re-tweak.

Once this part of my game comes together, it will be:

20% Driver and hybrids
20% mid irons
25% 100 yards in
35% putting

 

[pokerjoke]

The short game is without doubt imo where its at.
With the conditions drying out all the time,greens getting very hard and extremely fast.
Practicing on these conditions,working out how the balls reacting can certainly give you an advantage.
However lately i have realised keeping the ball in play is the way forward too.
This is really what keeps me returning,trying to find the answers to all the questions a course asks of you.
Its amazing how when one part of your game is on,another disapears.
Another thing i advocate this time of year is checking yardages,with the air changing and the ball
flying further.

 

[dazzio78]

with so many high handicappers loosing there way sometimes with practice just focus on your weak points and practice, it eventually pays off.

With my swing having deserted me for the past week and a bit, my recent practice sessions have been solely dedicated to chipping and putting; general iron play (don't use any woods/driver at present) has been put to one side until my lesson with the pro this Saturday who will hopefully get me swinging half decent again and restore some confidence.

Anyway, up until this enforced 'short game practice', this part of the game was always a weak point of mine....I've always hit chips thin and used to have the classic 'scoop' action going on as well. As for putting, I always used to struggle with distance/pace control. I now have a technique that I'm finding reliable for chipping, and also have a solid routine for putting...the result of which is that my confidence in these areas of the game has really increased.

I was reading a thread yesterday about where to focus on the ball and someone said to focus on an area and to see the contact being made by the club....I always 'looked' at the ball, but never 'focussed' on it, and would always lift my head milli-seconds after impact. However, yesterday lunch time I popped down to my local golf centre and put that advice into practice, and what it difference it made! The contact was so much better/cleaner...this has given yet another confidence boost.

So out of a negative has come a huge positive

 

[mikee247]

Short game is vital. It accounts for over 60% of your entire round ( 100 yards in) if not more. Im out this afternoon to practice for a few hours totally on it. Far to many of us myself included have spent hours smashing drivers and other exotics on the range when we would be better placed spending hours putting or chipping. Not so much fun but its a proven fact that if you want to get better get a short game.

 

[Ian_S]

Can't argue with that. I was stuck behind a slow group the other night so I decided to practice short approaches. About 50 yards out, I could barely get one ball in 10 on the green. No wonder my scores struggle. New practice rounds will involve less driving and more chips and approach shots.

 

[Akie]

It's all about the short game, no question.

I was hitting my long irons terribly when I played last week but I chipped reasonably well and putted better than I have in my life. Sunk 4-5 10ft putts and 2 from more like 20ft, when I walked off the course I felt like I had played badly because I was pulling or fading my drives and irons but ended up with a decent score because of my short game. Pretty sure that wouldn't have happened if it had been the other way around.

 

[cs1986]

Short game was always my weakness. 3 putting was fairly common in my rounds and stray chips into the green leaving me putts of 20ft too. I am spending alot of time practicing my short game as it really is the part that can make or break your round

 

[woody69]

Totally agree. I've said it before, but most players with a handicap even in the 20's can get to somewhere around the green in 2 shots. Not GIR, but certainly within 50 yards. If you're then taking 4 shots or worse to get down you're always going to struggle. The pros only hit GIR something like 60-70% of the time, but it's their ability to still make par or better that makes the difference.