Lately I’ve been going to the range about three times a week. I hit my bucket of balls, but what I really want to do is practice around the green.
This is a practice green where you’re allowed to chip, and I do it. One wedge, a putter, and one ball. Chip the ball, putt it out -- just like you do on the course. No do-overs with the chip, either. Not wanting to have to leave a ten-foot putt for an up and down gets me to focus.
How am I doing? I get up and down almost every time. I’m not trying to brag here, to tell you how great I am. I’m trying to tell you that if you practice something often enough, you learn and you get good at it.
All that putting I have been doing at home the past few months, and the chipping I do at the range, is paying off.
And there’s this -- chipping is the easiest stroke in the game, the easiest one to get good at. There is no reason not to be good at it. Just put in the practice. Getting a lesson won’t hurt, either. Chances are your chipping stroke could stand a little fixing.
If you practice regularly starting now, by springtime you can own the green. All you have to do is put in the work.
Let me say one thing to inspire you about getting good.
An amateur will practice until he (or she) learns to do it right. A professional practices until he can’t do it wrong. No one is stopping you from practicing that much, and if you do, it will pay off like you won’t believe.
Showing posts with label short game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label short game. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
The Vertical Dimension of Impact
Impact is the big thing these days. We have all learned that the bottom of the swing should take place somewhere in front of the ball.
How deep the bottom of the swing should be is another discussion -- do you take a divot, or do you sweep the ball off the grass?
There is a third dimension, which describes hitting the ball off the heel or toe, but we’ll skip that one here.
I’ll be talking about depth today because it doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and it is of vital importance to consistency in shot-making. First, a story.
Last summer when I had a playing lesson in which one of the shots was hitting an 80-yard pitch into a tight pin.
I took three rehearsal swings, each one of which felt good to me. The pro stopped me before I hit the ball and said each swing had been to different depths, which would send the ball to different distances.
He said if I wanted to master this shot I had to learn how to come through the ball at the same depth every time. Here’s how I’m doing it.
I have a piece thick-pile carpet and practice swinging across it with a half swing, making the same sound each time the sole of the club brushes the carpet. That means the club swung down to the same depth.
Here’s a way you might go about feeling your swing so this happens.
As you stand over the ball, feel like your arms are hanging from your shoulders like a shirt would hang down on a coat hanger -- no tension, very relaxed.
Now swing the club from the point where the coat hanger is suspended, on your spine at the spot level with the top of your shoulders. Just swing back and forth with that spot as the pivot, with a good rhythm and an easy tempo, and let your arms and hands follow.
Keep a relaxed feeling in your arms the entire time. All you want in them is enough muscle power to move the club and be in control of the clubhead -- no more. Don’t try to control your stroke consistently with your arms. You can’t do it, and it all gets frustrating pretty quickly.
As you repeat your swings, key in on that consistent sound of the sole of the club brushing the carpet.
Admittedly, this is all fine tuning that you don’t need if you just want to get the ball around the course. If you want to get GOOD, though, start attending to this detail.
Not to mention, after a month or so you should have a new and effective pitching stroke that will bleed over into your full swing as well.
How deep the bottom of the swing should be is another discussion -- do you take a divot, or do you sweep the ball off the grass?
There is a third dimension, which describes hitting the ball off the heel or toe, but we’ll skip that one here.
I’ll be talking about depth today because it doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and it is of vital importance to consistency in shot-making. First, a story.
Last summer when I had a playing lesson in which one of the shots was hitting an 80-yard pitch into a tight pin.
I took three rehearsal swings, each one of which felt good to me. The pro stopped me before I hit the ball and said each swing had been to different depths, which would send the ball to different distances.
He said if I wanted to master this shot I had to learn how to come through the ball at the same depth every time. Here’s how I’m doing it.
I have a piece thick-pile carpet and practice swinging across it with a half swing, making the same sound each time the sole of the club brushes the carpet. That means the club swung down to the same depth.
Here’s a way you might go about feeling your swing so this happens.
As you stand over the ball, feel like your arms are hanging from your shoulders like a shirt would hang down on a coat hanger -- no tension, very relaxed.
Now swing the club from the point where the coat hanger is suspended, on your spine at the spot level with the top of your shoulders. Just swing back and forth with that spot as the pivot, with a good rhythm and an easy tempo, and let your arms and hands follow.
Keep a relaxed feeling in your arms the entire time. All you want in them is enough muscle power to move the club and be in control of the clubhead -- no more. Don’t try to control your stroke consistently with your arms. You can’t do it, and it all gets frustrating pretty quickly.
As you repeat your swings, key in on that consistent sound of the sole of the club brushing the carpet.
Admittedly, this is all fine tuning that you don’t need if you just want to get the ball around the course. If you want to get GOOD, though, start attending to this detail.
Not to mention, after a month or so you should have a new and effective pitching stroke that will bleed over into your full swing as well.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Chipping Out of Greenside Rough
When the ball is 6-10 feet off the green and on a good lie, the chip is pretty easy. If the ball is at that distance but in rough, it’s still an easy shot, but you have to know what you’re doing.
The first thing is to find out how much grass is beneath the ball. Stick your forefinger into the grass near the ball, being careful not to disturb it.
By touching the tip of your finger on the ground, you should be able estimate how far the bottom of the ball is off the ground; that is, by how much the ball is suspended in the grass. There are three possibilities.
1. The ball is resting on top of the grass. This happens if the grass is thick or has strong blades. For this shot, use your 8-iron and hit the ball with your putting stroke. This makes sure you lift the ball off the grass and get it running when it hits the green.
2. The ball is suspended in the middle of the grass. Here, use a sand wedge of 55 or 56 degrees. Hit the shot with your standard chipping stroke. Make sure you follow through. The thickness of the grass will grab the club, so your follow-through will be short, but don’t let the grass win a complete victory. The finger test tells you how deeply into the grass you must swing the club.
3. The ball is all the way down on the ground. Take out your 60-degree wedge. Play the ball back a bit in your stance. The object here is use a steep swing and thump the ground underneath the ball with the sole of the club. Forget about hitting the ball. Just thump the ground in that spot and the ball will pop out. There’s a lot of wrist action in this stroke, not much arm action. The grass will limit the follow-through.
Practice these shots before you try them on the course.
The first thing is to find out how much grass is beneath the ball. Stick your forefinger into the grass near the ball, being careful not to disturb it.
By touching the tip of your finger on the ground, you should be able estimate how far the bottom of the ball is off the ground; that is, by how much the ball is suspended in the grass. There are three possibilities.
1. The ball is resting on top of the grass. This happens if the grass is thick or has strong blades. For this shot, use your 8-iron and hit the ball with your putting stroke. This makes sure you lift the ball off the grass and get it running when it hits the green.
2. The ball is suspended in the middle of the grass. Here, use a sand wedge of 55 or 56 degrees. Hit the shot with your standard chipping stroke. Make sure you follow through. The thickness of the grass will grab the club, so your follow-through will be short, but don’t let the grass win a complete victory. The finger test tells you how deeply into the grass you must swing the club.
3. The ball is all the way down on the ground. Take out your 60-degree wedge. Play the ball back a bit in your stance. The object here is use a steep swing and thump the ground underneath the ball with the sole of the club. Forget about hitting the ball. Just thump the ground in that spot and the ball will pop out. There’s a lot of wrist action in this stroke, not much arm action. The grass will limit the follow-through.
Practice these shots before you try them on the course.
Monday, November 16, 2015
The Short Game in One rule
The Tour golfers you see on TV have marvelous short games. Ridiculous short games, actually. There’s no way anybody can be that good. But they are, and they’re all that good.
You’re not, and you probably never will be. That’s OK. You don‘t have hours daily to devote to the short game.
What you can do is learn some basic shots that do one thing: get the ball on the green in one shot.
This is the one rule, and the only rule, of the short game for recreational golfers. Don’t get cute. Just get the ball on the green so you can start putting.
Once you’re putting, you might sink the first one and get an up and down. If not, you’re almost assuredly going get down in two putts, which closes out the hole.
I would guess that were you make doubles and triples is not in getting the ball up to the green, but from around the green. It’s when it takes you four (or five!) shots to get the ball in the hole from under 50 yards that you rack up the big number.
All you have to do that is to learn a basic pitch, a half-pitch, and a running chip, to get the ball on the green from this difficult range.
Look. The green looks small from a distance away, but once you get on it you see how big of a target it really is. It’s huge! How can you miss?
Here is how you hit the green with these little shots and keep the ball on. Plan to have the ball land about fifteen feet past the front of the green.
That gives you enough room for error so that if you chunk the shot a little bit (but see this post on how not to) your ball will still land on the putting surface.
The ball will run out, and if the pin is in back, that’s what you want. If the pin is in front, you'll have an approach putt coming back.
In fact, here’s how to think about the pin. Unless the green is really deep, pay no attention to where it is, front to back. Play for the ball to land well on the green and run where it may.
Side to side, hit the ball in its general direction, but don’t zero in on it if that constricts your landing area. You want to be hitting at a fat part of the green.
Once you're good enough to get your first short shot in the green every time, then you can start zeroing in on the pin.
You’re not, and you probably never will be. That’s OK. You don‘t have hours daily to devote to the short game.
What you can do is learn some basic shots that do one thing: get the ball on the green in one shot.
This is the one rule, and the only rule, of the short game for recreational golfers. Don’t get cute. Just get the ball on the green so you can start putting.
Once you’re putting, you might sink the first one and get an up and down. If not, you’re almost assuredly going get down in two putts, which closes out the hole.
I would guess that were you make doubles and triples is not in getting the ball up to the green, but from around the green. It’s when it takes you four (or five!) shots to get the ball in the hole from under 50 yards that you rack up the big number.
All you have to do that is to learn a basic pitch, a half-pitch, and a running chip, to get the ball on the green from this difficult range.
Look. The green looks small from a distance away, but once you get on it you see how big of a target it really is. It’s huge! How can you miss?
Here is how you hit the green with these little shots and keep the ball on. Plan to have the ball land about fifteen feet past the front of the green.
That gives you enough room for error so that if you chunk the shot a little bit (but see this post on how not to) your ball will still land on the putting surface.
The ball will run out, and if the pin is in back, that’s what you want. If the pin is in front, you'll have an approach putt coming back.
In fact, here’s how to think about the pin. Unless the green is really deep, pay no attention to where it is, front to back. Play for the ball to land well on the green and run where it may.
Side to side, hit the ball in its general direction, but don’t zero in on it if that constricts your landing area. You want to be hitting at a fat part of the green.
Once you're good enough to get your first short shot in the green every time, then you can start zeroing in on the pin.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Stop Chunking Chip shots
I don’t think anyone will disagree that the most maddening mistake in golf is to chunk a simple greenside chip shot. Just a little swing with a 9-iron, the hole is about 40 feet away, couldn’t be easier, and you lay up sod three inches behind the ball. #@9!!
Even the pros do this (Hunter Mahan in the 2010 Ryder Cup) though they do it much less often than we do. Here’s how to reduce chunking to a once-in-a-blue-moon mistake -- instead of something you worry about every time you chip.
I figured this out at the range a few weeks ago. Whenever I go to the range I am always looking for ways to make 2 and 2 equal four. The hard part is in realizing that 2 and 2 are right there in front of you so you can put them together.
The chipping stroke is by necessity quite precise. You should always take two practice stokes before you hit your shot. And we do that. It’s just that after we take two good practice strokes, we think, “OK, hit the ball,” and use a different stoke, one that brings the chunk into play.
My practice strokes throughout the session had all been identical. I mean identical. I practice this shot a lot, so I know what I’m doing. Each time, the sole of the club brushed top of the grass in the same place and at the same depth. What more needs to be right?
I realized that day whenever I moved on to hit the actual chip, I started thinking, “Hit the ball,” and my stroke would change. It took me a while to notice that’s what I was doing.
Then I realized that if I stayed with my practice stroke and played "Brush the grass" instead of "Hit the ball," I would hit these beautiful chips, one after the other, and chunking was never an issue.
I mean, I’ve chunked chips before, but I’ve never chunked a practice stroke. When I started re-creating the stroke that brushed the sole of the club against the grass just in front of the ball, my chipping got better and more consistent right away.
2 plus 2 equals 4.
Now this is nothing you’ve never heard before. Swing the club and let the ball get in the way. But do you do that? That’s the question. Can your mind ignore the ball? Can you just swing the club without thinking of hitting the ball or making it go somewhere in particular? That takes a lot of mental discipline.
That’s how to chip. Hit the ball with your practice swing. Simple. But, again, is that what you do?
Even the pros do this (Hunter Mahan in the 2010 Ryder Cup) though they do it much less often than we do. Here’s how to reduce chunking to a once-in-a-blue-moon mistake -- instead of something you worry about every time you chip.
I figured this out at the range a few weeks ago. Whenever I go to the range I am always looking for ways to make 2 and 2 equal four. The hard part is in realizing that 2 and 2 are right there in front of you so you can put them together.
The chipping stroke is by necessity quite precise. You should always take two practice stokes before you hit your shot. And we do that. It’s just that after we take two good practice strokes, we think, “OK, hit the ball,” and use a different stoke, one that brings the chunk into play.
My practice strokes throughout the session had all been identical. I mean identical. I practice this shot a lot, so I know what I’m doing. Each time, the sole of the club brushed top of the grass in the same place and at the same depth. What more needs to be right?
I realized that day whenever I moved on to hit the actual chip, I started thinking, “Hit the ball,” and my stroke would change. It took me a while to notice that’s what I was doing.
Then I realized that if I stayed with my practice stroke and played "Brush the grass" instead of "Hit the ball," I would hit these beautiful chips, one after the other, and chunking was never an issue.
I mean, I’ve chunked chips before, but I’ve never chunked a practice stroke. When I started re-creating the stroke that brushed the sole of the club against the grass just in front of the ball, my chipping got better and more consistent right away.
2 plus 2 equals 4.
Now this is nothing you’ve never heard before. Swing the club and let the ball get in the way. But do you do that? That’s the question. Can your mind ignore the ball? Can you just swing the club without thinking of hitting the ball or making it go somewhere in particular? That takes a lot of mental discipline.
That’s how to chip. Hit the ball with your practice swing. Simple. But, again, is that what you do?
Sunday, September 6, 2015
The Essence of Golf (Advice)
If I were to give recreational golfers advice on what would do the most good to get them hit the ball better, I would say these things:
Golf Swing
Get a good grip that fits your swing. This is two things. A good grip is one that has a chance of success. Many rec golfers I see play with a grip that is too strong or doesn’t leave the hands working together. See a pro, get a lesson, to be sure about yours. Also, you might have a fine grip, but it doesn’t go with your swing. If you have a neutral grip and a slice swing, that’s trouble.
Learn the correct rhythm, and the tempo that is right for you. Rhythm is the same for everyone. This blog post shows you what rhythm is and how to get it. Tempo is different for everyone. Yours is probably too fast. Try this post to find your best tempo.
Your hands must lead the clubhead coming into the ball. Most of you do the opposite, because you’re trying to hit the ball with your left hand. This is an easy idea to understand, but difficult to execute because our “hit” instinct is so strong. See this video.
Pitching and Chipping
This one is really simple. First, get lessons on how to hit these shots. One lesson for each shot. They are their own kind of shot and need to be learned that way.
Then, hit them using the iron method -- one swing, different clubs. For pitching, you really need two swings, of different length, but for chipping, only one. Calibrate each swing and you can’t miss.
Practice your standard strokes A LOT so they don’t slowly drift on you and make you wonder why you aren’t getting the ball close anymore.
Putting
I commonly spend an hour on the practice green chipping and putting, mostly putting. I see other rec golfers come on, putt for about ten minutes, and leave. Who is going to become the better putter?
Use a pendulum stroke that moves in one unit from your shoulders to the clubhead. Do not let your wrists get involved.
Find an alignment spot on the green in front of your ball and hit the ball right across it.
Practice short putts, from two and three feet, A LOT. Hit these putts with authority. Do not finesse them into the hole.
Calibrate your stroke so you can hit to fifteen feet, twenty-five feet, thirty-five feet, and forty-five feet at will. Practice these stokes at a hole to maintain them, and to learn how to add or take off a few feet because of differing green speeds.
That takes care of ninety-five percent of golf. Learn the other things, bunkers, uneven lies, wind, a multitude of short game shots, after you have mastered the material above.
Golf Swing
Get a good grip that fits your swing. This is two things. A good grip is one that has a chance of success. Many rec golfers I see play with a grip that is too strong or doesn’t leave the hands working together. See a pro, get a lesson, to be sure about yours. Also, you might have a fine grip, but it doesn’t go with your swing. If you have a neutral grip and a slice swing, that’s trouble.
Learn the correct rhythm, and the tempo that is right for you. Rhythm is the same for everyone. This blog post shows you what rhythm is and how to get it. Tempo is different for everyone. Yours is probably too fast. Try this post to find your best tempo.
Your hands must lead the clubhead coming into the ball. Most of you do the opposite, because you’re trying to hit the ball with your left hand. This is an easy idea to understand, but difficult to execute because our “hit” instinct is so strong. See this video.
Pitching and Chipping
This one is really simple. First, get lessons on how to hit these shots. One lesson for each shot. They are their own kind of shot and need to be learned that way.
Then, hit them using the iron method -- one swing, different clubs. For pitching, you really need two swings, of different length, but for chipping, only one. Calibrate each swing and you can’t miss.
Practice your standard strokes A LOT so they don’t slowly drift on you and make you wonder why you aren’t getting the ball close anymore.
Putting
I commonly spend an hour on the practice green chipping and putting, mostly putting. I see other rec golfers come on, putt for about ten minutes, and leave. Who is going to become the better putter?
Use a pendulum stroke that moves in one unit from your shoulders to the clubhead. Do not let your wrists get involved.
Find an alignment spot on the green in front of your ball and hit the ball right across it.
Practice short putts, from two and three feet, A LOT. Hit these putts with authority. Do not finesse them into the hole.
Calibrate your stroke so you can hit to fifteen feet, twenty-five feet, thirty-five feet, and forty-five feet at will. Practice these stokes at a hole to maintain them, and to learn how to add or take off a few feet because of differing green speeds.
That takes care of ninety-five percent of golf. Learn the other things, bunkers, uneven lies, wind, a multitude of short game shots, after you have mastered the material above.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
How to Learn a Short Game Shot
There is a right way to teach yourself how to hit a new short game shot. Go through this sequence and the shot will work for you.
1. Learn to make consistent contact. The shot will behave the way you want it to only if you hit it the same way every time. It might take hundreds of tries before you become consistent with how you strike the ball. It’s worth the effort.
2. Learn to hit the shot where you’re aiming it. To get the ball close to the hole, you have to hit it straight and the right distance. Straight is easier, so start there. Again, hundreds of balls won’t be to many.
3. Learn to hit the shot the right distance. This one takes time and thought. One way to start is to get a standard-length stroke and play that stroke with different clubs, seeing what distance you get with each one. Another way is to use just a few clubs and learn how to finesse each one to the right distance. A combination of the two isn’t a bad idea, either.
You might want to start with your bread and butter short shots, the greenside chip and the standard pitch (from 50-100 yards). You can always hit them better than you’re doing now.
When you pick up a new specialty shot, go through this sequence to master it. Hitting it sort of well isn’t what I want you to do. Get good!
I once heard that Lorena Ochoa would practice a new shot for about six months before she used it in a tournament. That's good advice for all of us.
-----
This tip was extracted from my first book, Better Recreational Golf. There's lots more stuff just like this in there. Believe me, I won't be disappointed if you buy your own copy. Neither will you.
1. Learn to make consistent contact. The shot will behave the way you want it to only if you hit it the same way every time. It might take hundreds of tries before you become consistent with how you strike the ball. It’s worth the effort.
2. Learn to hit the shot where you’re aiming it. To get the ball close to the hole, you have to hit it straight and the right distance. Straight is easier, so start there. Again, hundreds of balls won’t be to many.
3. Learn to hit the shot the right distance. This one takes time and thought. One way to start is to get a standard-length stroke and play that stroke with different clubs, seeing what distance you get with each one. Another way is to use just a few clubs and learn how to finesse each one to the right distance. A combination of the two isn’t a bad idea, either.
You might want to start with your bread and butter short shots, the greenside chip and the standard pitch (from 50-100 yards). You can always hit them better than you’re doing now.
When you pick up a new specialty shot, go through this sequence to master it. Hitting it sort of well isn’t what I want you to do. Get good!
I once heard that Lorena Ochoa would practice a new shot for about six months before she used it in a tournament. That's good advice for all of us.
-----
This tip was extracted from my first book, Better Recreational Golf. There's lots more stuff just like this in there. Believe me, I won't be disappointed if you buy your own copy. Neither will you.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Long Chip Shots
Chips from twenty yards or so can be the most troublesome shots in golf. They come in four varieties, based on the ratio of distance to the green and distance from there to the pin. I’m going to tell you how to hit each one.
1. Ten yards to the green, ten yards to the pin. Here, the distance are equal, but they are long distances. You need a moderately-lofted club, like a pitching wedge, to get the ball to the edge of the green but not run out way past the hole.
2. Ten yards to the green, five yards to the pin. Use a gap wedge to get the ball to the edge of the green and sitting quickly. The stroke is specialized: hit the shot by sliding the club underneath the ball, keeping the clubhead low at all times, especially on the follow-through, to get maximum spin.
3. Five yards to the green, ten (or more) yards to the pin. Use a 7-iron to get the ball on the green and running up to the hole.
4. Fifteen yards to the green, five yards to the pin. Use a sand wedge. This another specialized stroke. Power the downswing only with gravity, using your hands to guide the club into the ball. Emphasize hitting the ground directly underneath the ball with the sole of your club. When struck properly, the ball floats up, floats down, and dies right away. This shot takes practice.
If you have a tight lie for any of these shots, odds are you have good ground all the way up to the green. If so, and there are no obstacles to hit over, use a straighter-faced club and run the ball all the way to the pin.
With tight lie and something you have to hit over, it's best to just get the ball on the green so you can start putting.
1. Ten yards to the green, ten yards to the pin. Here, the distance are equal, but they are long distances. You need a moderately-lofted club, like a pitching wedge, to get the ball to the edge of the green but not run out way past the hole.
2. Ten yards to the green, five yards to the pin. Use a gap wedge to get the ball to the edge of the green and sitting quickly. The stroke is specialized: hit the shot by sliding the club underneath the ball, keeping the clubhead low at all times, especially on the follow-through, to get maximum spin.
3. Five yards to the green, ten (or more) yards to the pin. Use a 7-iron to get the ball on the green and running up to the hole.
4. Fifteen yards to the green, five yards to the pin. Use a sand wedge. This another specialized stroke. Power the downswing only with gravity, using your hands to guide the club into the ball. Emphasize hitting the ground directly underneath the ball with the sole of your club. When struck properly, the ball floats up, floats down, and dies right away. This shot takes practice.
If you have a tight lie for any of these shots, odds are you have good ground all the way up to the green. If so, and there are no obstacles to hit over, use a straighter-faced club and run the ball all the way to the pin.
With tight lie and something you have to hit over, it's best to just get the ball on the green so you can start putting.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Calibrate Your Pitching Game
The shots from 50-100 yards are hard to get right. You’re close enough that you’ll get the ball on the green. What’s hard is hitting the ball next to the pin. That means hitting it the right distance.
You can do it if you calibrate your pitching game. You'll need a laser rangefinder and a notebook. Go to the range when there aren’t a lot of people there, because you will be switching mats all the time.
The idea is to hit your wedges with two basic strokes and find out how far the ball goes with those strokes and each club.
One stroke takes your left arm back to parallel with the ground. That's your full pitching stroke. The other stroke takes your left arm back halfway that far. That is the short stroke.
Get in front of a marker in the range that is 60 yards away. Take out your sand wedge and pitch to it with the full stroke. Hit four or five balls with that same stroke and the same force.
If they all go too far or not far enough, keep moving to other mats until you find the one from where you pitch exactly to the marker. Then take out your rangefinder and find the distance to the marker. That's how far you pitch your sand wedge with a full pitching stroke.
Now do the same exercise with the sand wedge and your short pitching swing. When you're finished, you have two guaranteed pitching distances with your sand wedge. Write them down in your notebook.
Repeat both exercises with each of your other pitching clubs. I have five: 9-iron, PW, 52, 56, and 60.
When you’re finished, get a 3X5 card and write down these distances, in descending order by yards, with the club/swing combination alongside that gives you that distance. This card goes into your bag for when you play.
When I’m 78 yards from the hole, for example, I look on my card and see that the shot calls for a PW with the short stroke. And when I hit that shot, the ball stops within 10-12 feet. If it doesn't, I mishit the shot.
Pitching close shouldn’t be guesswork. It’s easy when you know what you’re doing.
You can do it if you calibrate your pitching game. You'll need a laser rangefinder and a notebook. Go to the range when there aren’t a lot of people there, because you will be switching mats all the time.
The idea is to hit your wedges with two basic strokes and find out how far the ball goes with those strokes and each club.
One stroke takes your left arm back to parallel with the ground. That's your full pitching stroke. The other stroke takes your left arm back halfway that far. That is the short stroke.
Get in front of a marker in the range that is 60 yards away. Take out your sand wedge and pitch to it with the full stroke. Hit four or five balls with that same stroke and the same force.
If they all go too far or not far enough, keep moving to other mats until you find the one from where you pitch exactly to the marker. Then take out your rangefinder and find the distance to the marker. That's how far you pitch your sand wedge with a full pitching stroke.
Now do the same exercise with the sand wedge and your short pitching swing. When you're finished, you have two guaranteed pitching distances with your sand wedge. Write them down in your notebook.
Repeat both exercises with each of your other pitching clubs. I have five: 9-iron, PW, 52, 56, and 60.
When you’re finished, get a 3X5 card and write down these distances, in descending order by yards, with the club/swing combination alongside that gives you that distance. This card goes into your bag for when you play.
When I’m 78 yards from the hole, for example, I look on my card and see that the shot calls for a PW with the short stroke. And when I hit that shot, the ball stops within 10-12 feet. If it doesn't, I mishit the shot.
Pitching close shouldn’t be guesswork. It’s easy when you know what you’re doing.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Transform Your Short Game
We don’t hit a lot of greens. If we want to try for our par, or preserve our bogey, we need a reliable short game. This is what I mean by “reliable”, in terms of recreational golf: you make good contact every time, control the ball every time, and get the ball on the green every time so you can start putting.
Every recreational golfer can attain that standard. If you do, you will prevent yourself from ringing up extra strokes needlessly.
There are two ways of shooting lower scores. One of them is to get good. The other is to stop being bad. Those two are different. This article is about the second one.
I want you to try something and see what happens. Spend some time on the practice tee learning it, then go out the the course and try it out.
Remember that article I posted a few weeks ago on hitting the ball in a flat trajectory and letting the club get the ball in the air?
That’s what I want you to do with every short shot you hit. EVERY short shot.
Whether it’s an 80-yard pitch or a 20-foot chip, hit the ball with a flat trajectory. Let the club get the ball in the air.
I’m not saying to skull it so the ball gets six inches off the ground and runs three miles.
I’m saying to keep the club low to the ground and level with it as you hit through the ball, allowing the clubface to do ALL the work of getting the ball in the air.
What you get from this solves two short game problems. First, you get much cleaner contact. No chunking. A clean, on-the-clubface strike.
Second, you get spin. You’ll have to learn how to work with this, but once you get spin, you can make the ball do anything.
Those two things add up to reliable short game shots. From there, you can start refining your shot-making to zero in on the pin, which is the getting good part.
Bonus: if you get this down in your short game, it will feed over into your long game and you’ll hit better long shots and more greens.
So try it!
Every recreational golfer can attain that standard. If you do, you will prevent yourself from ringing up extra strokes needlessly.
There are two ways of shooting lower scores. One of them is to get good. The other is to stop being bad. Those two are different. This article is about the second one.
I want you to try something and see what happens. Spend some time on the practice tee learning it, then go out the the course and try it out.
Remember that article I posted a few weeks ago on hitting the ball in a flat trajectory and letting the club get the ball in the air?
That’s what I want you to do with every short shot you hit. EVERY short shot.
Whether it’s an 80-yard pitch or a 20-foot chip, hit the ball with a flat trajectory. Let the club get the ball in the air.
I’m not saying to skull it so the ball gets six inches off the ground and runs three miles.
I’m saying to keep the club low to the ground and level with it as you hit through the ball, allowing the clubface to do ALL the work of getting the ball in the air.
What you get from this solves two short game problems. First, you get much cleaner contact. No chunking. A clean, on-the-clubface strike.
Second, you get spin. You’ll have to learn how to work with this, but once you get spin, you can make the ball do anything.
Those two things add up to reliable short game shots. From there, you can start refining your shot-making to zero in on the pin, which is the getting good part.
Bonus: if you get this down in your short game, it will feed over into your long game and you’ll hit better long shots and more greens.
So try it!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Zeroing in Around the Green
If you pay attention to the way you play, no matter how good you are, you’re aware that the place where your score gets leaky is around the green.
I often say, and I’m not backing away from it here, that good scores are only made possible by good play up to the green. But once you get to the green, you have to put it away. Too often that takes one stroke too many.
The reason is chipping requires the precision of an approach putt, because, after all, that’s what the shot represents if you missed the green.
Let me give you a few suggestions to guide your chipping practice. With less work than you think you can get really good at this shot.
First, get a lesson on how to chip. While it’s an easy shot, there is a right way to do it that you will likely never figure out by yourself.
Now designate three clubs to chip with. I would suggest a pitching wedge, an 8-iron, and a 6-iron. Go the the practice green and pick a spot. Drop three balls and chip from that one spot to the same pin, with each club.
Repeat this from a variety of places around the green, different spots to different pins, to find out which club you like for which chips.
For a month, do no short game practice except this. It will be scary how good you get.
Next, it’s one thing to be good at the “up,” but you have to be good at the “down,” too, or you might as well have left your chip ten feet from the hole.
How do you practice that? Well, all those practice chips you made? Don’t pick up the balls. Leave them where they ended up and putt each one out. Every time. Three chips, three putts. Learn to deal with the putts your chipping leaves you.
This is how I got real good at chipping. I got fed up with leaving myself with putts too far from the hole. Made me get very serious about getting those chips close. Now, even three-footers I don’t like.
In other words, don’t practice chipping only. Practice getting up and down. Keep score, too. Getting down to an average of 2.1 (up and down nine out of ten times) is realistic for anybody.
I still practice like this. It’s the only way.
Don’t neglect your putter, either. If you have a lie on good grass and there isn’t too much of it between your ball and the green, just putt. But practice that, too.
I often say, and I’m not backing away from it here, that good scores are only made possible by good play up to the green. But once you get to the green, you have to put it away. Too often that takes one stroke too many.
The reason is chipping requires the precision of an approach putt, because, after all, that’s what the shot represents if you missed the green.
Let me give you a few suggestions to guide your chipping practice. With less work than you think you can get really good at this shot.
First, get a lesson on how to chip. While it’s an easy shot, there is a right way to do it that you will likely never figure out by yourself.
Now designate three clubs to chip with. I would suggest a pitching wedge, an 8-iron, and a 6-iron. Go the the practice green and pick a spot. Drop three balls and chip from that one spot to the same pin, with each club.
Repeat this from a variety of places around the green, different spots to different pins, to find out which club you like for which chips.
For a month, do no short game practice except this. It will be scary how good you get.
Next, it’s one thing to be good at the “up,” but you have to be good at the “down,” too, or you might as well have left your chip ten feet from the hole.
How do you practice that? Well, all those practice chips you made? Don’t pick up the balls. Leave them where they ended up and putt each one out. Every time. Three chips, three putts. Learn to deal with the putts your chipping leaves you.
This is how I got real good at chipping. I got fed up with leaving myself with putts too far from the hole. Made me get very serious about getting those chips close. Now, even three-footers I don’t like.
In other words, don’t practice chipping only. Practice getting up and down. Keep score, too. Getting down to an average of 2.1 (up and down nine out of ten times) is realistic for anybody.
I still practice like this. It’s the only way.
Don’t neglect your putter, either. If you have a lie on good grass and there isn’t too much of it between your ball and the green, just putt. But practice that, too.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
One Wedge, Two Distances
I see recreational golfers use up strokes unnecessarily in several ways, but the big one is from 50-100 yards. Few I play with can put the ball on the green consistently from that range. What I’m going to talk about today is really simple. Anyone can do it. It’s solving this problem by acquiring pre-defined wedge shots that go to known distances.
Take out your pitching wedge, and practice making two swings of defined length. The first swing is taking the club back to where your hands are level with your hips. The second swing is taking the club back to where your left arm is parallel to the ground.
Check yourself in a mirror as you’re learning what these swings feel like. Often, where it feels your hands and arms are, and where they really are, are different.
Now you have two swings. At the range, hit pitches with the shorter swing to flags that are close in, such as the 75-yard flag and 100-yard flag. You might not land the ball exactly on those spots, but you should be able to estimate the distance the ball is carrying. Repeat with the longer swing. When you’re finished, you will know how to hit the ball to each of two specific distances.
I hope you have more than one wedge. Your pitching wedge comes with the set of irons, and you should have a sand wedge, in the 54-56 degree range. If so, repeat the exercise with this wedge. Now you have four distances. And if you have a third or a fourth wedge, calibrate those, too.
Now you have four to eight distances, using two swings that are easy to repeat. There will be distance gaps, but you can fill those in easily when you play. The best way to do that is to use a club/swing combination that is short of the distance you face, and hit the ball a little bit harder. Easing off instead can turn into quitting on the shot.
It might also be the case that two club/swing combinations give you distances that are very close to each other. That’s all right. The combination with the more-lofted club will stop quicker, and the shot with the less-lofted club will run out a bit after landing. It’s good to have both choices at your disposal.
Take out your pitching wedge, and practice making two swings of defined length. The first swing is taking the club back to where your hands are level with your hips. The second swing is taking the club back to where your left arm is parallel to the ground.
Check yourself in a mirror as you’re learning what these swings feel like. Often, where it feels your hands and arms are, and where they really are, are different.
Now you have two swings. At the range, hit pitches with the shorter swing to flags that are close in, such as the 75-yard flag and 100-yard flag. You might not land the ball exactly on those spots, but you should be able to estimate the distance the ball is carrying. Repeat with the longer swing. When you’re finished, you will know how to hit the ball to each of two specific distances.
I hope you have more than one wedge. Your pitching wedge comes with the set of irons, and you should have a sand wedge, in the 54-56 degree range. If so, repeat the exercise with this wedge. Now you have four distances. And if you have a third or a fourth wedge, calibrate those, too.
Now you have four to eight distances, using two swings that are easy to repeat. There will be distance gaps, but you can fill those in easily when you play. The best way to do that is to use a club/swing combination that is short of the distance you face, and hit the ball a little bit harder. Easing off instead can turn into quitting on the shot.
It might also be the case that two club/swing combinations give you distances that are very close to each other. That’s all right. The combination with the more-lofted club will stop quicker, and the shot with the less-lofted club will run out a bit after landing. It’s good to have both choices at your disposal.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
One Wedge, Two Shots
A short game skill every golfer should have is to hit two distinct shots with the same wedge -- one shot in which the ball runs after it lands, and another in which the ball stops quickly.
The reason this is important to know is that the wedge you choose will be primarily determined by the distance to the pin. But, in one instance you might have clear ground all the way, in which case landing short and running the ball to the pin is the best choice.
In another instance, you might have to hit over something and not have a lot of green to work with. Now you have to throw the ball over the trouble and have it land there and stay there.
Here’s how.
1. The Running Shot. This is a shot from my book, Better Recreational Golf, called the Air Chip. Play the ball in the middle of your stance with the clubface square to the target. Take the club back and let your wrists hinge naturally. On the downswing, let the wrists unhinge, but when they get to the ball arrest that movement and follow through with firm, but not rigid wrists.
In the follow-through, keep the clubhead as low to the ground as possible, and keep the clubface pointing at the target. The ball will take off lower than normal, check a little, then run to the hole. Experiment with your wedges to see what the air-to-ground ratio is for each one.
2. The Checking Shot. Align your stance about five degrees to the right of the pin. Open the clubface so it points to the pin. Put the ball in the middle of your stance. Swing back and through, letting the club arc upwards on each side of the ball. Swing along your body line, not at the target.
The key to this shot is club speed. The prime rule of the short game is speed = spin. Hit through the ball faster to get more spin on the ball. This, of course, is what will make the ball stop when it lands. I said faster, not harder. There’s a difference.
Since the clubface is open, the ball will go higher and thus shorter. You have to take a longer backswing than you think you need to so the ball will carry the trouble. Practice this part well, because it will seem at first like the right swing will send the ball way past the pin.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com.
The reason this is important to know is that the wedge you choose will be primarily determined by the distance to the pin. But, in one instance you might have clear ground all the way, in which case landing short and running the ball to the pin is the best choice.
In another instance, you might have to hit over something and not have a lot of green to work with. Now you have to throw the ball over the trouble and have it land there and stay there.
Here’s how.
1. The Running Shot. This is a shot from my book, Better Recreational Golf, called the Air Chip. Play the ball in the middle of your stance with the clubface square to the target. Take the club back and let your wrists hinge naturally. On the downswing, let the wrists unhinge, but when they get to the ball arrest that movement and follow through with firm, but not rigid wrists.
In the follow-through, keep the clubhead as low to the ground as possible, and keep the clubface pointing at the target. The ball will take off lower than normal, check a little, then run to the hole. Experiment with your wedges to see what the air-to-ground ratio is for each one.
2. The Checking Shot. Align your stance about five degrees to the right of the pin. Open the clubface so it points to the pin. Put the ball in the middle of your stance. Swing back and through, letting the club arc upwards on each side of the ball. Swing along your body line, not at the target.
The key to this shot is club speed. The prime rule of the short game is speed = spin. Hit through the ball faster to get more spin on the ball. This, of course, is what will make the ball stop when it lands. I said faster, not harder. There’s a difference.
Since the clubface is open, the ball will go higher and thus shorter. You have to take a longer backswing than you think you need to so the ball will carry the trouble. Practice this part well, because it will seem at first like the right swing will send the ball way past the pin.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Simple Pitch Shot
Five years ago, I published Better Recreational Golf. Several pages were, and still are, devoted to a short game shot I called, and still do, the Hard Chip. It is played just like your greenside chipping stroke, the essential feature being no wrist break, but with a much bigger swing. It functions as a pitch shot.
I developed this shot on my own because all the books I read about pitching talk about playing a mini-swing for your pitch. That's a difficult stroke to play, and is one reason why so few recreational golfers I play with pitch the ball very well.
I have found, over the years, that if you make this wristless stroke in two forms, one taking your hands back to hip height, and another taking your left arm back to parallel with the ground, you have eight pitching distances locked into a stroke that can hardly go wrong.
Now what happens? The December 2012 Golf Digest has an article titled "The New Big Thing on Tour." You know what it is? The Hard Chip! Except in the article it's called the "straight-arm" chip.
Tour pros are apparently hitting their pitch shots this way, and why not? The swing itself has no variables, so it is easy to repeat. You can change the shot by varying ball position at address, the club, or the length of your swing, but the stroke doesn't change.
The greatest benefit for recreational golfers is that it is easy to bring the club back to the ball to make clean contact. In a pitching stroke where the wrists break, this isn't easy to do.
So what I would recommend is rushing out to buy a copy of Better Recreational Golf so you can learn how to hit this easy and valuable shot. Besides, who knows what else is in there that will take the Tour by storm? And you will have been there first!
You can find it at www.therecreationalgolfer.com.
I developed this shot on my own because all the books I read about pitching talk about playing a mini-swing for your pitch. That's a difficult stroke to play, and is one reason why so few recreational golfers I play with pitch the ball very well.
I have found, over the years, that if you make this wristless stroke in two forms, one taking your hands back to hip height, and another taking your left arm back to parallel with the ground, you have eight pitching distances locked into a stroke that can hardly go wrong.
Now what happens? The December 2012 Golf Digest has an article titled "The New Big Thing on Tour." You know what it is? The Hard Chip! Except in the article it's called the "straight-arm" chip.
Tour pros are apparently hitting their pitch shots this way, and why not? The swing itself has no variables, so it is easy to repeat. You can change the shot by varying ball position at address, the club, or the length of your swing, but the stroke doesn't change.
The greatest benefit for recreational golfers is that it is easy to bring the club back to the ball to make clean contact. In a pitching stroke where the wrists break, this isn't easy to do.
So what I would recommend is rushing out to buy a copy of Better Recreational Golf so you can learn how to hit this easy and valuable shot. Besides, who knows what else is in there that will take the Tour by storm? And you will have been there first!
You can find it at www.therecreationalgolfer.com.
Monday, August 19, 2013
How I'm Trying to Simplify My Golf Game
The more I investigate my golf game, the more I throw out complications that get in the way of the basic objectives of golf: hit it straight from tee to green; hit it close from off the green; hit it close or in from on the green. Really, that's all there is. I'm trying to figure out how to do all that as simply and reliably as possible.
Here is what I have come up with so far.
As regards the swing, it is easy to think of it as a circular movement. If you look at the path of the clubhead, that's almost exactly what it is. That's a complication, though.
I prefer to think of the swing as linear. The club gets taken straight away from the ball and swing straight back through it.
That's a feeling, not a physical fact. The physical fact is that the clubhead does circle above my head and does circle back down through the ball and on into the finish.
What I feel is that my hands go straight back and they bring the clubhead through the ball going in a straight line, not on an up-and-down curve. My hands never lose their connection with the ball. They arrive at the ball before the clubhead does, and lead it into the ball. Everything is moving along the line that I wish the ball to travel on as well.
As for the short shots, I'm just trying to pinch the ball into the ground and let it fly, or run, straight to the hole. Again, it's a linear-feeling stroke aimed at the hole. One pitching stroke, one chipping stroke, used as much as possible.
Putting? There are two kinds of putts: the ones you think you can make, and the ones you just want to get close. For the first kind, I hood the club a bit going back to keep the clubface square. For the other kind, I open my stance and use a modified chipping stroke.
It's a simple game. Don't make it hard for yourself.
This all works, by the way. I only play nine holes in an outing, but I'm always at 40 or under and I don't hit great shots. I just hit very few bad ones.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Here is what I have come up with so far.
As regards the swing, it is easy to think of it as a circular movement. If you look at the path of the clubhead, that's almost exactly what it is. That's a complication, though.
I prefer to think of the swing as linear. The club gets taken straight away from the ball and swing straight back through it.
That's a feeling, not a physical fact. The physical fact is that the clubhead does circle above my head and does circle back down through the ball and on into the finish.
What I feel is that my hands go straight back and they bring the clubhead through the ball going in a straight line, not on an up-and-down curve. My hands never lose their connection with the ball. They arrive at the ball before the clubhead does, and lead it into the ball. Everything is moving along the line that I wish the ball to travel on as well.
As for the short shots, I'm just trying to pinch the ball into the ground and let it fly, or run, straight to the hole. Again, it's a linear-feeling stroke aimed at the hole. One pitching stroke, one chipping stroke, used as much as possible.
Putting? There are two kinds of putts: the ones you think you can make, and the ones you just want to get close. For the first kind, I hood the club a bit going back to keep the clubface square. For the other kind, I open my stance and use a modified chipping stroke.
It's a simple game. Don't make it hard for yourself.
This all works, by the way. I only play nine holes in an outing, but I'm always at 40 or under and I don't hit great shots. I just hit very few bad ones.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Friday, March 22, 2013
Predictability in the short game
When you have a 6-iron from the fairway, there isn't much else to do but hit the ball straight at your target. Once in a while you might fade or draw it in, hit it a little higher or lower, but nine times out of ten a straight shot will do.
Around the green, it's different. You're trying to get the ball as close to the hole as you can, with obstacles along the ground that get in the way.
Right off, you can see what the two problems are, and they are different: (1) get the ball close, and (2) overcome obstacles.
Solving the first problem is a matter of technique. Solving the second involves imagination. You need them both to have a functioning short game. This article is about solving the first problem.
There is nothing about the shots of the short game that cannot be reduced to a science. Take greenside chipping, for example. It is quite possible to develop a chipping stroke, apply it to a number of clubs, and wind up with a shot that leaves the ball kick-in close more than half the time from a given distance. See my previous post on how I did this.
You can do the same for pitches from 45 to 100 yards. If you have three wedges or four, hit them all with the same swing length, but with three different swing speeds, and now you have nine or twelve different distances you can pitch the ball, guaranteed.
For the shots in between, do the same. Find a stroke for that shorter distance, then insert clubs and swing parameters that give you a variety of guaranteed distances.
All you need to do then is decide which shot you're going to play, and determine the distance it needs to cover. That tells you immediately which club and which swing to use. You don't even have to think about it, and you'll lay the ball close to the hole just like the pros do.
By following a routine like this, you do your thinking in advance. The less thinking and deciding you need to do when you play, the easier it is to play good golf.
Creativity and imagination are overused in the short game. You don't have to figure out every shot from the ground up.
There's no need to go through an intuitive process if you know that when the ball is just off the green, 23 yards from the hole, you can use your standard chipping stroke with your gap wedge to park the ball next to the hole, all things being equal.
Things are not always equal, though. There are those obstacles I mentioned, such as little changes in elevation on the green. Mounds to hit over and downslopes the ball will land on. Less than ideal lies, and so on.
You solve these problems by starting with a standard technique and modifying it as necessary for the shot at hand. You imagination will tell you how to do this, but starting from a know technique. That's the important part.
Deviating from a known solution works out much better than making up the whole thing at once.
But going back to the original point, the more short shots you have that you know exactly how they will turn out, the better your short game will be because it will be predictable.
Spend a few hours around the practice green to get this all worked out and you won't believe how easy golf just got.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Around the green, it's different. You're trying to get the ball as close to the hole as you can, with obstacles along the ground that get in the way.
Right off, you can see what the two problems are, and they are different: (1) get the ball close, and (2) overcome obstacles.
Solving the first problem is a matter of technique. Solving the second involves imagination. You need them both to have a functioning short game. This article is about solving the first problem.
There is nothing about the shots of the short game that cannot be reduced to a science. Take greenside chipping, for example. It is quite possible to develop a chipping stroke, apply it to a number of clubs, and wind up with a shot that leaves the ball kick-in close more than half the time from a given distance. See my previous post on how I did this.
You can do the same for pitches from 45 to 100 yards. If you have three wedges or four, hit them all with the same swing length, but with three different swing speeds, and now you have nine or twelve different distances you can pitch the ball, guaranteed.
For the shots in between, do the same. Find a stroke for that shorter distance, then insert clubs and swing parameters that give you a variety of guaranteed distances.
All you need to do then is decide which shot you're going to play, and determine the distance it needs to cover. That tells you immediately which club and which swing to use. You don't even have to think about it, and you'll lay the ball close to the hole just like the pros do.
By following a routine like this, you do your thinking in advance. The less thinking and deciding you need to do when you play, the easier it is to play good golf.
Creativity and imagination are overused in the short game. You don't have to figure out every shot from the ground up.
There's no need to go through an intuitive process if you know that when the ball is just off the green, 23 yards from the hole, you can use your standard chipping stroke with your gap wedge to park the ball next to the hole, all things being equal.
Things are not always equal, though. There are those obstacles I mentioned, such as little changes in elevation on the green. Mounds to hit over and downslopes the ball will land on. Less than ideal lies, and so on.
You solve these problems by starting with a standard technique and modifying it as necessary for the shot at hand. You imagination will tell you how to do this, but starting from a know technique. That's the important part.
Deviating from a known solution works out much better than making up the whole thing at once.
But going back to the original point, the more short shots you have that you know exactly how they will turn out, the better your short game will be because it will be predictable.
Spend a few hours around the practice green to get this all worked out and you won't believe how easy golf just got.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
My Chipping Formula
I have tried every formulaic chipping system you can think of, all the ones in the books and YouTube videos, and none of them worked. Chipping by feel didn't work so hot, either.
But this year, I finally figured it out. It is incredibly easy, and I'm going to tell you how to do it.
First get a lesson on how to chip. You might think you know how to hit this stroke, but you really don't. You're doing something you made up and that's not good enough. Learn from a pro how to do it the right way.
I had a lesson, and at the start, I told the pro that I wanted to run the ball to the hole instead of fly it, and he said that's the best way to chip. Then I told him I wanted to learn the shot from scratch -- not refining what I know, but learning it from the start.
But this year, I finally figured it out. It is incredibly easy, and I'm going to tell you how to do it.
First get a lesson on how to chip. You might think you know how to hit this stroke, but you really don't. You're doing something you made up and that's not good enough. Learn from a pro how to do it the right way.
I had a lesson, and at the start, I told the pro that I wanted to run the ball to the hole instead of fly it, and he said that's the best way to chip. Then I told him I wanted to learn the shot from scratch -- not refining what I know, but learning it from the start.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Practice Chipping and Putting Together
I've been doing a lot of chipping and putting this year. Considering my recent history (two spine surgeries earlier this year), that's about all I've been able to do. I have learned a good bit about each stroke, and have gotten much better at each than I ever have been. What's important, I've found, is how you practice.
Of course, you have to learn the shots. That takes hitting lots of putts and lots of chips. Go ahead and do that. Remember, though, that applied chipping and putting comes as a package deal. The chip and the putt work together in a partnership. When you play, you hit the chip, then you go putt it out. That part needs to be practiced, too.
So after you've practiced putting for about fifteen minutes, and after you've practiced chipping for fifteen minutes, practice them together. Get four balls and chip them to the same hole, but from different locations around the practice green. Then go putt out the four balls. When you get up and down on all four, reverse the drill. Chip to four different holes from the same location.
After you have done that, narrow down the drill. With one ball, chip it and putt out. Pick a different location and a different hole. Chip and putt out. Keep doing this for dozen times or so, giving yourself a different shot every time.
Never hit a do-over chip. Learn to deal with the putts you leave yourself.
It's one thing to have good technique. It's another to know how to get the ball in the hole. If you don't have a lot of time to spend around the practice green, then do only that.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Of course, you have to learn the shots. That takes hitting lots of putts and lots of chips. Go ahead and do that. Remember, though, that applied chipping and putting comes as a package deal. The chip and the putt work together in a partnership. When you play, you hit the chip, then you go putt it out. That part needs to be practiced, too.
So after you've practiced putting for about fifteen minutes, and after you've practiced chipping for fifteen minutes, practice them together. Get four balls and chip them to the same hole, but from different locations around the practice green. Then go putt out the four balls. When you get up and down on all four, reverse the drill. Chip to four different holes from the same location.
After you have done that, narrow down the drill. With one ball, chip it and putt out. Pick a different location and a different hole. Chip and putt out. Keep doing this for dozen times or so, giving yourself a different shot every time.
Never hit a do-over chip. Learn to deal with the putts you leave yourself.
It's one thing to have good technique. It's another to know how to get the ball in the hole. If you don't have a lot of time to spend around the practice green, then do only that.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Getting Out of a Greenside Bunker
O.K., let's get this shot down, once and for all. The pros say how easy it is to get out of a greenside bunker and you still can't do it. Following a great shower of sand the ball is still sitting there, two feet in front of where it was, or else it gets picked clean and takes off across the green like a bullet.
There is a way.
1. Take out your sand wedge and open the clubface until it is almost lying flat on the ground. Really open. Don't worry about how open that is. I watched Kari Webb do this in a practice bunker and couldn't believe how much she had opened the clubface. And how easily she made the ball pop out of the bunker.
2. Align your stance about twenty degrees to the right of the pin.
3. Swing with your hands and arms as in your normal golf swing, along your stance line (and not toward the pin), but keep your lower body as still as you can.
So far, so good. Now for the magic ingredient.
4. Swing through the ball as if you were going to slide the club underneath the ball without touching it. You could do this if the ball were sitting on top of 3-inch rough. Think that you're going to do the same thing here. The club slides through the sand on its sole, the part that is primed for the task because of how much you opened the blade when you set up.
5. Practice. There has to be a range near you with a practice bunker. If there's high grass around the bunker, swing through the grass a few times to get the idea of sliding the club through a medium, then step into the bunker and do the same thing.
This shot is like learning to ride a bike. As soon as you learn how to do it, it's easy. It really is.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
There is a way.
1. Take out your sand wedge and open the clubface until it is almost lying flat on the ground. Really open. Don't worry about how open that is. I watched Kari Webb do this in a practice bunker and couldn't believe how much she had opened the clubface. And how easily she made the ball pop out of the bunker.
2. Align your stance about twenty degrees to the right of the pin.
3. Swing with your hands and arms as in your normal golf swing, along your stance line (and not toward the pin), but keep your lower body as still as you can.
So far, so good. Now for the magic ingredient.
4. Swing through the ball as if you were going to slide the club underneath the ball without touching it. You could do this if the ball were sitting on top of 3-inch rough. Think that you're going to do the same thing here. The club slides through the sand on its sole, the part that is primed for the task because of how much you opened the blade when you set up.
5. Practice. There has to be a range near you with a practice bunker. If there's high grass around the bunker, swing through the grass a few times to get the idea of sliding the club through a medium, then step into the bunker and do the same thing.
This shot is like learning to ride a bike. As soon as you learn how to do it, it's easy. It really is.
Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
A Short Game Framework
The short game features many shots with many swings with many clubs. All the possible combinations leave golfers unsure of what to do when facing any given shot. This uncertainty leads to playing the same shot in different ways with no reason other than "it didn't work last time, so I'll try something different this time." A reliable short game needs a firmer foundation than that.
Let me suggest a short game plan that takes the uncertainty out of your club selection, often the critical factor in hitting a successful short shot. There are two ways you can look at club selection, and I am going to call them the the iron method and the putter method.
Let me suggest a short game plan that takes the uncertainty out of your club selection, often the critical factor in hitting a successful short shot. There are two ways you can look at club selection, and I am going to call them the the iron method and the putter method.
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