Short game and putting mastery

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TigerTime

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We've all heard it before..that in theory...there is no reason that your average amateur golfer can't be as good as the elite players of the world in terms of short game and putting mastery.

So, I guess. Is it possible that anyone, can be as good as an elite pro/amateur in the short game department? Let's say they put in solid hours every week of practice and drills, get coached etc. Their sole focus when it comes to practice is dialling in from 100 yards and in, around the green chips, bunker play, putting etc.

Does anyone know anyone who has a scratch level short game/putting ability but from tee to green they are awful? Or has anyone went down this route?
 
I was a tiler when I left school and did it for around 9 years so was always looking at level floors and when I took up golf I felt I definitely had a advantage with putting. I also only really practice chipping as I find it the most enjoyable and that’s probably the reason why my driving is my weakest part.
I would say my putting and chipping is as good or better than any scratch golfer I’ve met, I played a +1 a few weeks ago and had a nightmare with my irons, missed 9 greens out of 12 holes and made 8 up and downs. So yea definitely think any amateur with good eye hand coordination can get 1 or 2 parts of there game to a professional level.
 
I heard Lou Stagner say on a podcast that by far and away the greatest variability between players of the same handicap is their putting. You can get very good putters with a high handicap and low handicappers with a fairly poor putting game.
 
According to my strokes gained I am a decent putter for my handicap level while I ship Sg on the short game. Working hard on it via the Dan Grieve method and can see some green shoots but tomorrow will be an acid test
 
Seen plenty the other way around.

Played a 18 capper who was 40 yds longer than me off the tee but as soon as he had to chip or putt he was useless.

Never met a low capper who couldn’t chip and putt.
Unless they were prone to the yips.
 
The Fader said:
A wildly misplaced theory in my opinion.

Yes, Joe Average can get a really sharp short game with endless practice. To elite level player standard - absolutely not!!
Click to expand...

Yep , as with anything imo , always limited by someone’s ability and a lot of the short game is down to touch and feel which is hard to teach
 
clubchamp98 said:
Seen plenty the other way around.

Played a 18 capper who was 40 yds longer than me off the tee but as soon as he had to chip or putt he was useless.

Never met a low capper who couldn’t chip and putt.
Unless they were prone to the yips.
Click to expand...
Have to agree. Impossible to get to single figures let alone elite level without a very good short game
 
TigerTime said:
We've all heard it before..that in theory...there is no reason that your average amateur golfer can't be as good as the elite players of the world in terms of short game and putting mastery.

So, I guess. Is it possible that anyone, can be as good as an elite pro/amateur in the short game department? Let's say they put in solid hours every week of practice and drills, get coached etc. Their sole focus when it comes to practice is dialling in from 100 yards and in, around the green chips, bunker play, putting etc.

Does anyone know anyone who has a scratch level short game/putting ability but from tee to green they are awful? Or has anyone went down this route?
Click to expand...

Never been awful tee to green but certainly missed quite a few greens in my time. To put it in to context back then I had a handicap of 6 on a course with a SSS of 2/3 less than par.

I had a short game that was at professional level for many years and received many compliments about it in pro ams. Put me greenside and I was always trying hole out and very often took just 2 shots.

Back then I probably hit around 1000 balls a week just in short iron / wedge practice and spent many hours a week on the putting green.
 
On my day I can chip and putt with the best of them, but I will never be able to do what you are asking. My chipping is a strength and while my putting stroke is generally solid, I cannot read greens for toffee. All I see is flat, no humps bumps and definitely no slopes.

My friends can hardly believe it, but it's a fact, and it can't be taught, I'm putting green dyslexic and in golfing terms it is definitely a handicap.
 
I can't see it with short game, as in chipping and pitching etc - you still need some talent to get the strike, the spin, see the lines you need to hit. But with putting I could just about believe that anyone with enough work put in could become an elite putter. Because there is no real physical aspect to putting like there is with every golf other golf shot, so people can't be held back on athletic grounds. It's just about having a reliable stroke and amazing judgement.
 
Some interesting points and good to get others views.

I don’t track strokes gained anymore, but for 2022 and 2023 I gained half a stroke on putting compared to a 5, gained 2 strokes on short game compared to a 5.

I lost strokes compared to a 5 on tee shots and approaches. I’d lose 8 strokes on approaches, and 2/3 iirc on tee shots, yet my handicap has fluctuated in those two years and if anything it actually climbed last year. So overall, compared to a 5 index - I would gain 2.5-3 strokes on short game/putting, but would lose about 10 strokes on approaches/tee shots, which perfectly explains my handicap.

If only I could find a couple more fairways and greens eh…I guess the point is for me that I am already pretty good in the putting/short game stakes, always room for improvement though. When I score well it’s because I’m chipping and putting well..just imagine if I could hit a few more greens or hit straighter tee shots..
 
I agree with @Orikoru.
I think short game and certainly from 100 yards requires a lot more physical moving parts and ability than putting.
I honestly think anyone has the ability with enough time and coaching to become a tour level putter. The putting stroke doesn’t need to be good at all, just repeatable if you miss putts left and you had it so dialled in that you missed every putt left you could adjust your aim to compensate.
I have runs of putting where I can be extremely good, but have times where my putting would make Rory blush.
The one thing I’ve never been good enough at consistently is lag putting, even in my best putting rounds I’m making 5 and 6 footers for par after a very average lag putt, not lagging most putts to tap in range, sure I get some there and some even drop, but it’s the 20> putts that I want to cosy up to the hole and I can’t even consistently do that.
I also think having a caddy who helps with green reading will also go some way to making positive strides for any of us.
 
Before we can make a decision one way or the other, maybe we should get a definition of what a 'short game' is? Some people are mentioning missing the green with approach shots so I would take that as 20-30 yards to the green as the shot being discussed but others are saying about being 100 yards out. These are very different skills in my opinion.
When I think about short game, I always mean the shots within 20 -30 yards of the green.
 
Neilds said:
Before we can make a decision one way or the other, maybe we should get a definition of what a 'short game' is? Some people are mentioning missing the green with approach shots so I would take that as 20-30 yards to the green as the shot being discussed but others are saying about being 100 yards out. These are very different skills in my opinion.
When I think about short game, I always mean the shots within 20 -30 yards of the green.
Click to expand...
Would say anything less than a full shot. So for me personally that's 80 yards or less I'd say.
 
I stared putting around the age of 6 or 7.
After a couple of years I progressed to a wonderful 18 hole pitch and putt course at Thornes Park Wakefield. Holes varied from 40 to 100 yards.
Then, after 4 years of learning how to get the ball into the hole I progressed to a golf course.
Once I had bashed the ball a couple of times and was within 120 yards of the green, I was fairly confident of doing the rest that was required.

My tip.
If you haven't practiced short game and putting enough, it will show.
Spend a whole year doing nowt but putting, chipping and pitching. I did it for 4 years, but you are not without some ability already.
It is not magic. It just needs to become easy or "second nature".
It takes a lot of practice.
It can become "boring" to practice so much.
But you will become boringly good.

I won a seniors stableford comp last month. After 7 holes I had 8 putts! Holed a 25 yard shot on our longest par 4.
Hit only 2 greens in reg on the front nine, but 2 over for that 9. Long game a bit iffy - short game hot. Orthodox back nine.
Dropped shots were fairly standard to SI. It was quite definitely the holed 25 yarder that won me the comp.
Flat green, pin at the back. Just knock it onto the front of the green with a 46° and let it run to the flag. Easy way to play. Been doing it for 55 years.

240530 score.jpg
 
Orikoru said:
Would say anything less than a full shot. So for me personally that's 80 yards or less I'd say.
Click to expand...
Think that's a pretty decent definition. For Strokes gained calculation Mark Broadie used 100 yds from the flag. I believe the PGA define it as 50 yds from the front of the green, which is probably pretty similar to yours for pro golfers.
 
I found post Covid it was the putting that was the worse affected. It took me a while to get speed and start line dialled in. Short game was flakey before the lay-off and flakey after so no loss. At least now with Arcoss I can see round by round where I am doing well and what to work on
 
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