Three Short Game Secrets to Lower Your Score. Guaranteed!

IMPORTANT TIP: 90% of all putting greens in the world are built low in the front and high in the back.

With this idea in mind let’s move on to my TOP THREE SHORT GAME SECRETS!

Secret #1: Putting – Focus on Distance not Direction

You have to develop your touch in order to control your speed. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked an amateur golfer after they hit their putt if they thought the putt was going uphill or downhill. Most students reply with, “I completely forgot about the speed!” Most of them struggle with speed more than direction. Always look towards the front of the green so you can decide if you are going uphill or downhill. Empty your mind of every mechanical thought you have and just stroke the ball. FORGET the mechanics when putting. Don’t ever hit a putt until you have visualized your golf ball going into the hole first. Make it in your mind before you hit it.

Secret #2: Chipping – Keep Your Weight on your Front Foot in the Backswing

A chip shot is a short shot around the green that has minimum airtime and maximum roll time. Another way to describe it is 1/3 air, 2/3 roll. You can use one of the following clubs when chipping: 5-iron, 7-iron or 9-iron. There are three positions in chipping that are the foundation of a successful chip shot.

Let’s review them:

The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance Place 75% of your weight on your left foot (right-handed golfers) The grip end of the golf club points to the middle of your left leg. Grip down on the golf club to the END of the grip. The reason you want the golf ball in the middle of your stance is for a more consistent impact. When you place 75% of your weight on your left foot, you are ensuring yourself that you will hit down on the ball and not up. Make sure you keep the weight on your front foot in the back swing.

Gripping down on the golf club will ensure a cleaner more controlled hit at impact. If you are struggling with hitting thin shots or topping your chips, when you move your handle further to the left (across from you left leg), you will allow the club head to hit the ball on a descending blow and not ascending.

Secret #3: Pitching – The Club head must Stay Low to the Ground After Impact

Choose one of the following clubs when you attempt a pitch shot:pitching wedge, sand wedge or a lob wedge. A pitch shot has maximum airtime and minimum roll time. In other words, the golf ball has 2/3-air time and 1/3 roll on its journey to the hole. This is the total opposite of a chip shot.

Airtime is very difficult to create if your technique is off even in the slightest. So, if you are tired of topping, sculling, and hitting the ground behind the golf ball when you pitch, follow these steps.

Low Follow-Through = Maximum Airtime

If I had a dollar for every student that told me that they are trying to follow-through high after impact so that their pitch shots will go up in the air, I would be set for life.

Most of the time, a high follow-through after impact will force the ball to be hit on the upswing, which results in a top, scull or ground-behind shot. If you setup to the golf ball just like you were going to chip, you are halfway there. Remember:

The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance Place 75% of your weight on your front foot The grip end of the golf club points to the middle of your front leg. Place your grip HALFWAY down the grip of the club. The back swing is usually longer than your chip shots. If you keep your weight on your left leg - you DO NOT need to transfer your weight. As the golf club begins to swing down into the ground, make sure you follow thru LOW to the ground after impact. You want to feel as though you chopped the back of the ball with the club head.

I promised you in the first sentence, these three short game tips that would change the way you played from inside 50 yards. Make yourself a promise to spend 15 minutes before every round this year practicing your short game and you WILL watch your scores fall. Guaranteed!