| Short Game
How good is your up-and-down game
How to score - Part 1
How to score - Part 2
How to score - Part 3
Specific Distances
How Good is your Up-and-Down Game?
Just what is an up-and-down? An up-and-down is the term used to describe getting the ball from where it is to up on the green and down into the hole utilizing only two strokes. Typically this is used to describe when a golfer is just off the green and chips or pitches the ball close enough to the hole to make the putt. This statistic is measured on the Professional Tours. The players that are very efficient at this are generally the players that are on the leader boards.
This stat is particularly important to you as the amateur because this particular area can save lots of strokes and dramatically lower your scores. The typical amateur that misses the green and finds himself in a rough, un-even lie around the green will plop the ball out on the green in one or two shots and then take two, three or more putts to get the ball into the hole. Using simple math, the amateur has taken 3, 4 or 5 shots and the skilled up-and-down player has only taken two. These additional strokes over the course of many missed greens quickly add up to a frustrating score – vs. – an acceptable or even great score.
The best place to start improving your up-and-down game or “short game”, as it is commonly called; is believing its importance to you. Many of my articles and others you read have been targeting how to hit the ball farther and straighter. All of these were designed to teach you not miss the green. However, we are human and we are going to make mistakes. We are going to miss greens. The understanding and proper practice of this part of the game can really benefit the best players and most assuredly help the typical amateurs. Very few golfers have the capability to hit the ball as far and as straight as professionals we see on TV. However, we all have the capability of hitting the correct shot from just off the green and hitting it close enough to make the putt. All of us have that capability. I say again… All of us have that capability. We don’t have the technique and have not practiced the shot thousands of times but we have the capability. I can’t count the times that I have witnessed a superior golfer beaten by a good short game opponent. Anyone that has been around the game of golf knows the value of the short game.
The technique to a deft short game is pretty simple. There are four principles to follow to improving your short game:
- The shot should appear effortless, smooth and contain no “hit.” (Getting rid of the “hit” in your swing is more of a challenge than you might think. We’ll address that in other articles.
- Your body must remain still as to not add unexpected power from your wrist, weight shift or turning of the body.
- The short game must contain imagination and creativity.
- Practice, Practice, Practice!
You must hit lots of shots with several clubs in order to understand how they work and what each one does. A PGA Teaching Professional can guide you through this and many other parts of the golf swing that will save you strokes. This is rewarding because you have the capability.
As with any training in any sport, you must have fun and your practice should be productive. Play competitive games with a fellow golfer at a practice range. Each taking turns trying to get the closest to a target. How many in a row can you get in a 10-foot circle? My favorite is trying to land a ball into a 5-gallon bucket that you can get at any hardware store. I spent countless hours competing against my Dad in our backyard seeing who could get the first one in the bucket. Good luck and have fun learning and improving this part of your swing.
How to score - Part 1
This three part series will give an overall description and a basic “How-To” manual on one of the most difficult questions in golf. Each part of the series will have a section to cut out. My suggestion is for you to cut out the designated section, fill out the information (if required), laminate and attach to your golf bag for reference. Part one covers the short game/putting, the second part covers the approach shot and finally the third covers the tee shot (most cases the driver).
It has been said that the golf swing is a lifetime challenge. Many of our young players on the tour such as Tiger Woods have one of the best, if not the best, golf swings in the game. He is constantly evolving his swing, searching for the most repeatable. With over 25 years of experience, I have taught 10’s of thousands of students. Very few enjoy practicing the short game. However, the short-game (less than 50-yards) is where the true art of “Scoring” is mastered.
The best place to start improving your “short game” - is the belief of its importance to you. Proper technique and practice benefit the best players and most assuredly help the typical amateurs. Very few golfers have the capability to hit the ball as far and as straight as professionals on TV. However, we all have the capability of hitting an accurate shot from just off the green close enough to make the putt. All of us have that capability. We don’t have the technique and haven’t practiced the shot thousands of times, but we have the capability. Good short game opponents frequently beat superior “ball strikers”.
The technique to a deft short game is pretty simple. There are four principles to follow:
- The shot should appear effortless, smooth and contain no “hit.”
- Your body must remain motionless (NOT STIFF) as to not add unexpected power from your wrist, weight shift or turning of the body.
- Get the ball on the green rolling as soon as possible
- It must contain imagination, creativity and lots of practice!
Hit shots with several clubs from the same location in order to understand how they work and what each one does. A PGA Teaching Professional or a Golf Academy can guide you through this and many other parts of the golf swing that will save you strokes.
As with any training in any sport, you must have fun and your practice should be productive. Play competitive games with a fellow golfer at a practice range. Each taking turns trying to get the closest to a target. How many in a row can you get in a 10-foot circle or land a ball into a 5-gallon bucket? Good luck and have fun learning and improving this part of your game.
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Control Specific Distance in your Short Game:
FACT: Everyone has an innate ability to judge the amount of power to exert when tossing an object. We can use that innate judgment to control distances of our chips and putts.
STEP 1: Practice tossing a ball underhanded from just off the green - concentrate on SPECIFIC DISTANCE! Notice that a smooth and fluid motion happens naturally WITHOUT flipping your wrist or moving your body by stepping like bowling.
STEP 2: From just off the green with a 7-Iron, place the ball slightly back in your stance and imitate the same motion with your club, as you did with your toss – smooth and fluid, no wrist or body movement. The club is longer than your arm so therefore less power is needed. This long lever is what you need to adapt to…
PAR 54-CHALLENGE: Track your score from less than 150-Yards. The par is now 54 (18 holes x par 3). How many over par are you for the round vs. for the par 54-challenge? You will probably be surprised.
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How to score - Part 2
This is part two of a three part series that will give an overall description and a basic “How-To” manual on one of the most difficult questions in golf. Each part of the series will have a section to cut out. My suggestion is for you to cut out the designated section, fill out the information (if required), laminate and attach to your golf bag for reference. Part one covers the short game/putting, the second part covers the approach shot and finally the third covers the tee shot (most cases the driver
As you read in part 1 of this series, DISTANCE CONTROL is the key element in the short game. The “Approach Shot” introduces the next element – direction. While direction is important, the real measure that we are striving for is distance control for this shot as well. There are two steps to approach shots. We all know that both direction and distance are required for the perfect shot. The focus of many golfers is to hit the “perfect shot”. This pressure is many times too much to bear and the golfer swings beyond their skill level or their swing mechanics collapse due to the extra pressure that the golfer places on themselves. Learning “How to Score” is not striving to hit perfect shots.
STEP 1 –You should learn the acronym RAG. R.A.G. stands for Rotten , Acceptable and Great. These are the three basic descriptions of golf shots. The rotten shot for a single digit golfer is different than it would be for a beginner golfer. You will have to adjust your evaluation based on your skill level. The purpose of this perspective is to demonstrate that trying to hit great shots with every swing will result in more rotten shots than they would have if they were only trying to hit acceptable shots. Take the pressure off your swing and take the RAG challenge. Go to the range and try to hit 20 great shots to a dangerous pin position on an island green. Track the number of your rotten, acceptable and great shots. Then hit the next 20 conservatively, trying to only hit acceptable shots. Compare the shots for each test. Routinely the conservative (acceptable) test will have fewer rotten shots and more great ones. Give it a try.
STEP 2 – Determine your “High Percentage Shot”. Practice from a level area. Start with an 80% Pitching Wedge. Use whatever means that you have to determine the distance that you are hitting it in the air. Many courses have yardages marked and you may have a yardage scopes to give precise distance. Use simple swings and focus on pure contact. Stay here and figure this shot out.
Play the next par-5 smart. Do not automatically swing for the green. Choose your second shot carefully in order to land at the “perfect distance” in order to use your high percentage shot. Then expand your “high percentage shots” to cover other distances.
I constantly remind students of ALL handicaps that they do not have to fire at all pins. Center fairway, center green and two putts will usually result in a par. We are all subject to the image that television sears on to our brain. The PGA Tour slogan is “These guys are good”. They are, and they usually fire at most pins, especially on Sunday down the stretch. We do not have to take what we see on the Television and attempt it on the course. Your skill level should decide the degree of danger you place on the shot. Remember – the higher degree of difficulty the higher the potential score.
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RAG
R- Rotten A-Acceptable G-Great
20 Balls attempting to hit only great shots into a small area of the green
20 Balls attempting to hit only acceptable shots into the center of a very large and generous green
PAR 54-CHALLENGE: Track your score from less than 150-Yards. The par is now 54 (18 holes x par 3). Do not cheat. If you are 151-yards, you are not less than 150! How many over par are you for the round vs. for the par 54-challenge? You will probably be surprised.
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How to score - Part 3
This is part three of a three part series that will give an overall description and a basic “How-To” manual on one of the most difficult questions in golf. Each part of the series will have a section to cut out. My suggestion is for you to cut out the designated section, fill out the information (if required), laminate and attach to your golf bag for reference. Part one covered the short game/putting, the second part covered the approach shot and finally the third covers the tee shot (most cases the driver). If any part is missed and desired, contact Georgia Fairway’s main office for information.
As you read in parts 1 and 2 of this series, DISTANCE and DIRECTION are the key element in both short game and the “Approach Shot”. We all know that both direction and distance are required for the perfect shot. The focus of many golfers is to hit the “perfect shot”. This pressure is too much to bear and the golfer swings beyond their tempo and skill level. Learning “How to Score” is not hitting every shot perfect, but learning to play the higher percentage shot. By changing this attitude toward playing, the golfer starts to put himself/herself in a better position in order to be more aggressive with less risk of the big numbers.
Both of the previous articles have involved control of your distance. It may seem a bit strange to control your tee shot distance. Most golfers prefer to let the “Big Dawg” out and launch the driver as far it can possibly go, and have this followed by cheers and awe from the rest of the group. It is this “Big Dawg” that must be contained. The purpose of this article is to learn how to score. To accomplish this you must accept the fact there are holes that you do not need to hit the driver. When you do, you need to place it where you want it. In effect you must control your distance off the tee as well as the rest of your shots. By containing the “Big Dawg” and placing the tee shot to a position, you are less likely to swing beyond your tempo and skills.
TIP #1 – Hitting the ball in the fairway is a high handicapper goal. Placing the ball in the fairway in a position that gives you the best angle and distance for the approach shot is a low handicapper goal.
Many times during a televised broadcast of a golf tournament, they will show graphics of the placement of the players drives on previous days. Frequently the spots are very close in proximity. It is not an accident that the players are always placing their drive in the same general area of the fairway. We would all benefit from this degree of control over the “Big Dawg”.
TIP # 2 – The “PAR” to Driver Set-up
Posture – Maintain the same posture as other clubs (if you feel that you need to stand taller with the driver – you probably need to stand taller with all the other clubs as well)
Align the ball position more toward the target foot than your other clubs – keep your hands in front of the ball. This means that your grip should be pointing at your front target hipbone.
Re-Align your hips and shoulders parallel to the target line. Most golfers, when they move the ball forward toward the target foot… they allow their shoulder and hip line turn as well. Therefore they lose the square, parallel line to the target relationship. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR HIPS AND SHOULDERS TO MOVE FROM SQUARE TO THE TARGET LINE.
Sweep the ball off the tee - the club is longer and should have a
flatter sweeping action in order to not hit the ground.
Many times we hear that the driver is the hardest club in the bag to hit. It actually is the easiest club in the bag to hit solid. The ball is teed up and there is more room for error in hitting it in the oversized sweet spot. However, it is the hardest club to hit straight. If your swing does not provide a square path into the ball (most don’t), then your ball more side spin than all other clubs and will therefore curve more. Creating a square path into the ball is a challenge that all golfers face and is the core reason that we practice.
Practice the perfect Driver “PAR” set-up position and hit it solid.
How to Control Specific Distance in your Short-Game
There are four things that must happen in order to make a golf swing. We must rotate our body, shift our weight, swing our arms and re-square our wrist/hands. All of these things must harmoniously happen while we’re fighting this overwhelming urge to hit the ball. That is the battle that all of us fight each time we tee it up on the nearby links. The putting stroke is the simplest motion because it contains only one of these actions – the arm swing. There are several reasons for only using your arms:
- The fewer moving parts are easier to control and train
- Both shifting of weight, rotation of the body and movement of the wrist cause more energy to be exerted on the ball. When energy is exerted it has to be controlled in order to get the proper distance
- Controlling only the arm swing is the easiest to understand and perform.
This arm only motion is not just for putting. It is used for any shot that is short enough that you do not have to rotate or turn your body in order to get enough arm swing. Use the following drill to train yourself on the proper movement of your arms to control distance.
Everyone has an innate ability to judge the amount of power to exert when tossing an object. We can use that innate judgment to
CONTROL
the distance of our chips and putts.
Practice tossing a ball underhanded from your golf position – concentrate on
SPECIFIC DISTANCE!
Repeat this smooth/fluid motion WITHOUT moving your wrist or your body!
From just off the green, with a 7-iron, place the ball slightly back in your stance.
Imitate the same motion with your club as you did with your arm during the toss – smooth/fluid, no
WRIST OR BODY MOVEMENT!
Place the ball in the center of your stance for putting and slightly back in your stance for short chip shots. Experiment with different clubs at different distances from around the green. The ball should look as though it is being softly tossed underhanded when the club strikes it. This allows our instinct to gauge the amount of pressure to apply to the shot and control the distance.
Beginners and many others experience a term we call “Ping-Pong Golf.” That’s when they have a difficult time controlling distances and the result is the ball going from one side of the hole to the other, etc. This drill helps all levels of players control their distance and eliminate Ping-Pong Golf
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