Why the short game?

[stevie_r]

scrambling - the most important stat in your game.
I love watching the ladies play at my club, 2 reasons:

a. I'm clearly a bit of an old letch.
b. Because they aren't suffering from the testosterone driven requirement to drive it miles.

Short and on the fairway is better than long and in the crap, if your touch around the green is decent you are always in with a chance.

 

[EZprophet]

It's because in my opinion for most amateur golfers you can see the results of an improved short game translate into better scores a lot more quickly than improvements in your long game. Improving your chipping and putting can knock a handful of shots off of your handicap in no time but you can work on you swing for ages and make huge strides in your technique and still hardly improve your scoring at all.

Also I think it is a good part of the game for amateur golfers to try and improve because you can make a few very simple changes to your setup and the way you play short game shots that can have a huge impact on how well you play them, whereas making a change in your swing is a longer and more complicated process. Most amateurs don't have the time to dedicate to making big swing changes so working on your short game is in my opinions the best and quickest way to lower the scores of most amateurs.

 

[wull]

i reckon it's where most shots are lost or made up.i played with a guy on sunday who got up and down 6 times in 12 holes.....he was +1 for the 12 holes and could of easily been +7.or even 3 or 4 worse if he hadn't got up and down all those times.

most of my best rounds have been when i've got up and down quite a few times from most places.

 

[DaveM]

Easier to teach/learn. See the most results quickly. Who ever you are.

 

[bladeplayer]

Sunday i made pars on 7 holes, (6 par 4's 1 par 3) all from missed greens, chipping close enough for tap in's. good scrambling or whatever, hot wedges make good scores.

OS If you had practiced your long irons you wouldnt have missed the greens & you could have 2 putted for the same result, your hot wedge coulda kept the bag warm ,

In my opinion its duff information Bob . they need to work hardest on the weakest part of their game , & keep practicing the good parts , no point in good drives & long irons if u take 4 chips & 3 putts, & vice versa , no point chipping close & tapping in if it took 8/9 to get there ..

 

[Mary]

Because GMac said so on Twitter!

Improving your game from 100 yards in is the way to knock shots of your handicap - or words to that effect.

 

[Scouser]

Because every one on here (apart from me) bobs 350 yrd plus drives (see previous threads).....

And inventors put subliminal messages in there posts.....and blatant V-Easy to spot ones (see what i did there) ......

I think for me its psychological to see the ball getting close to the hole and if I can be left with a decent size put I know I have a chance where as standing on the tee its any ones guess what happens next. I am currently looking at ditching the range and having my first short game lesson to see what happens.

 

[Mattyboy]

OS If you had practiced your long irons you wouldnt have missed the greens & you could have 2 putted for the same result, your hot wedge coulda kept the bag warm ,

In my opinion its duff information Bob . they need to work hardest on the weakest part of their game , & keep practicing the good parts , no point in good drives & long irons if u take 4 chips & 3 putts, & vice versa , no point chipping close & tapping in if it took 8/9 to get there ..

I would happily take my place on the European Tour if I could consistently hit 450+ par 4's in reg!

 

[USER1999]

My short game is pretty hot. Mainly because my iron play is shonky. I would be happier if I was a better iron player.

 

[SocketRocket]

I think becoming a good short game player is more difficult than a good long game player.

In the short game (and I mean from 100 yards in) you need to be good at:
Pitching
Bump and runs
Low flying scuttlers
High flops
Fairway bunkers with height and distance control
Greenside bunkers with height and distance control
Chips from various lies and distances
Green reading
Putting
Manufactured shots where swing or stance is restricted.


The long game:

Driving from the tee with a few different clubs.
Hitting from the fairway with a few different clubs.
Height control.
Low skuttlers from under trees (Long and short game)
Fairway bunkers (with distance control but sometimes height as well)
Manufactured shots in restricted stance or swing conditions

I may have missed a few but no doubt someone will kindly remind me.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Its also a confidence thing. If you are playing badly and then pop a shot from inside 100 yards close it gives you a lift. Similarly get up and down regularly and there isn't so much pressure to hit greens and so you tend to relax more, find a better tempo and make a better swing

 

[Oddsocks]

OS If you had practiced your long irons you wouldnt have missed the greens & you could have 2 putted for the same result, your hot wedge coulda kept the bag warm ,

In my opinion its duff information Bob . they need to work hardest on the weakest part of their game , & keep practicing the good parts , no point in good drives & long irons if u take 4 chips & 3 putts, & vice versa , no point chipping close & tapping in if it took 8/9 to get there ..

Yes and no... take the two examples.

15th, SI4 a solid drive uphill wind against left me 160 yards to the centre. 6i in and im 15ft from the pin but pin high (ball moved in the wind) Fair way hit, green in regulation, lag put and tap in for par, almost example golf!

17th, SI8/9, a good drive back home towards the club house with a slight tail wind and im normally 8/9i in. duck hook the drive, leaves me 225 out to the center. 5 wood to the fringe from the semi rough taking on 2 bunkers, chip on and holed an 8 footer for a par.

Which hole did i enjoy the most? Scrambling well really flicks my switch.

 

[bobmac]

I think becoming a good short game player is more difficult than a good long game player.

I would say that depends on how good your swing is.
If you have a shonky swing (thanks Murph), you can practice till the cows come home and it won't get much better.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, time spent on the short game will reap more rewards than an equal amount of time spent on the long game.

 

[CMAC]

I guess what I'm trying to say is, time spent on the short game will reap more rewards than an equal amount of time spent on the long game.

....and the reason for that is that 80% of shots played are from 70yds and closer

 

[bobmac]

....and the reason for that is that 80% of shots played are from 70yds and closer

93 % of statistics are made up

 

[CMAC]

93 % of statistics are made up

agreed

Just done a quick calculation and made the following assumptions (it's not a thesis fellas so dont rip me apart its just very rough)

Assume average course with;
4 par 3's
2 par 5's
12 par 4's with 4 of them being quite short (360yds or less)

so thats 18 tee shots over 100yds
8 2nd shots on par 4's over 100yds
2 2nd shots on par 5's over 100yds

Total 28 shots on a round of 80 makes a percentage of 65% under 100 yds.
shoot 85 and its 67%, 90 and its 68.8%

 

[bobmac]

agreed

Just done a quick calculation and made the following assumptions (it's not a thesis fellas so dont rip me apart its just very rough)

Assume average course with;
4 par 3's
2 par 5's
12 par 4's with 4 of them being quite short (360yds or less)

so thats 18 tee shots over 100yds
8 2nd shots on par 4's over 100yds
2 2nd shots on par 5's over 100yds

Total 28 shots on a round of 80 makes a percentage of 65% under 100 yds.
shoot 85 and its 67%, 90 and its 68.8%

And if you add the duffs, tops, shanks and re-loads, that takes it up to about 80 %

 

[Mattyboy]

And if you add the duffs, tops, shanks and re-loads, that takes it up to about 80 %

I thought you were a better golfer than that Bob?

 

[Jonny]

I would say that depends on how good your swing is.
If you have a shonky swing (thanks Murph), you can practice till the cows come home and it won't get much better.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, time spent on the short game will reap more rewards than an equal amount of time spent on the long game.

Rubbish. You might be able to cover up a poor long game with a very sharp shortgame at mid handicaps but you don't get to cat 1 by missing fairways and greens constantly and relying on getting up and down. You might break 80 doing that but you are never going to consistently shoot numbers in the low 70s with a poor long game.

A good consistent long game will give you more handicap reduction gains than a good short game whilst a good short game can manage the potential loss of shots by missing the long game shots you attempt.

 

[bobmac]

Who mentioned Cat I ?