Short Game Variables

The fun of the short game, as well as its frustration, is that you will never hit the same shot twice. There will always be a different lie, a different amount of fairway to cover, a different amount of green, different contours, different green speeds, all of which add up to having to use your imagination to a degree if you want to get the ball close to the hole. That means being aware of the variables of short shots and being able to control them. Then you can add a little of this or take off a little of that to tailor your shot to the precise situation in which you find yourself.

There are only five variables affecting the shot: loft, angle of approach, club path, clubface alignment, and clubhead speed. The parts of the shot that these variables affect are distance, direction, trajectory, and spin. The art of the short game is in controlling those variables.

Loft affects how high the ball flies in the air and how far it rolls after it lands. A high-flying ball, for example, gets over obstacles and stops quickly when it lands. All that counts is loft at impact. Vary loft with the club selected, by de-lofting the clubhead at address, opening or closing the clubface at address, and by varying the angle of approach.

Angle of approach is the angle to the ground the the club makes as it meets the ball. The clubhead can be moving parallel to the ground, or coming down at any selected angle. The closer to parallel the clubhead is traveling at contact, the higher the ball will fly because the effective loft of the club is greater. Angle of approach also affects the amount of spin that is applied to the ball. This variable is best controlled by ball position at address. The closer to your left foot the ball is, the steeper the club will come into the ball. A more or less wristy swing will also affect this angle.

Club path governs the direction the ball will go after it is truck. It is not the only influence, though. There is a complicated relationship with the clubface alignment that is the true determinant of this direction. The ball will tend more toward where the clubface is pointing than where the club is being swung. An open or closed clubface, best set up at address, also puts sidespin on the ball, affecting where the ball rolls after it lands.

Clubhead speed determines how far the ball will go after it has been struck. Also, the faster the clubhead is moving, the more spin that is applied to the ball. Swing speed can be varied by changing the tempo of the swing, changing its length, how the club is released through impact, or by gripping up or down to change the length of the club.

The alterations you make in the shot to affect these variables interact. When you make two alterations, they can work in an additive way or negate each other. Be aware of that when you test these alterations around the practice green. Pay attention as well to the degree of alteration needed to achieve a desired result. Remember that the test is how distance, direction, trajectory, and spin are affected.

A final variable is the ball itself. A Tour ball accepts more spin and is more responsive to variations in the stroke. It will also accept more spin in a full shot, so if you curve the ball to a pronounced degree when you swing, a Tour ball might not be the best choice in spite of its value around the green.


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