Hello, Daily Duffer readers! Sarah Chen here, your golf instruction editor. As a PGA-certified instructor with over 15 years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of working with golfers at every level, from aspiring tour pros to dedicated weekend warriors. And one thing I’ve learned is that with the right instruction and a bit of practice, anyone can improve. Today, we’re diving into a crucial area that can dramatically lower your scores: the short game.
Many instructors, myself included, often refer to the short game as the “low-hanging fruit” for quick improvement. It’s truly where you can shave strokes off your game in a hurry. Understanding the nuances of chipping and pitching can transform your approach to the greens, making those “up and downs” not just a hope, but a regular occurrence.
Mastering the Setup: The Foundation of Good Short Game
Let’s start with the very beginning: your setup. This is where you establish the control and consistency needed for effective short game shots. The key difference between a chip and a pitch, beyond distance, is often reflected in your stance and body positioning.
For chip shots have the feet close together with maybe a clubhead of space between them. With pitch shots a little bit wider. Your weight should be 60–70% on the lead foot and the ball just slightly back of center. Depending upon the lie you will usually have the hands slightly ahead of the ball.
Why this specific setup? By keeping your feet closer for chips, you naturally limit your body’s rotation, promoting a more arm-dominant, controlled swing ideal for shorter shots with less air time. For pitches, a slightly wider stance provides a more stable base for a longer, more powerful swing. The forward weight distribution and hands slightly ahead of the ball are critical for ensuring you hit the ball first, creating that crisp contact we all crave.
One detail I emphasize to my students is the “Y” shape for chipping. In your setup, your arms and the club shaft should form a “Y.” Many top instructors advocate maintaining this “Y” throughout the chip shot, which keeps your hands ahead of the clubhead and prevents scooping. For pitches, think of the “L” drill:
With pitch shots we form the letter ”L” between the lead arm and the shaft at the top of the abbreviated backswing. There is an “L” in the backswing and an “L” in the through swing. I always want to see the backswing and through swing lengths to be the same.
Actionable Drills for Your Short Game
To truly ingrain these movements, here are a few drills you can try:
Drill 1: The “Y” Holding Drill for Chipping
Setup: Take your chipping setup – feet close, weight 60-70% on your lead foot, ball slightly back. Ensure your arms and club form a “Y.”
Action: Make small chipping swings, focusing on keeping that “Y” shape with your arms and the club throughout the entire motion. Imagine your arms and the club are one unit, not breaking down at the wrists.
Why it works: This drill prevents excessive wrist hinge, leading to more consistent contact and predictable roll. It trains you to use your body to control the club, rather than relying solely on your hands.
Drill 2: The “L” to “L” Pitching Drill
Setup: Adopt your pitching stance – feet slightly wider, weight slightly forward, ball more centered.
Action: Make a practice swing where your lead arm forms an “L” with the club shaft at the top of your backswing. Then, on the follow-through, ensure your trail arm also forms an “L” with the club shaft. Focus on matching the length of your backswing and follow-through.
Why it works: This drill helps you establish proper wrist hinge for pitching and ensures a balanced, controlled swing. Matching backswing and through-swing lengths promotes consistency in ball striking and distance control. It prevents that common “stall and flip” motion that plagues many golfers.
The Importance of Chest Rotation
One crucial element that often gets overlooked in the short game is chest rotation. I see many higher handicappers make the mistake of letting their chest stall in the downswing. What happens then? You guessed it – scooping or flipping. This is essentially a smaller version of “casting” in the full swing. Your body’s rotation powers the club, even on touch shots.
To ensure solid contact, think about your shirt buttons. For short game shots, having your button line angled slightly toward the target at address helps shift the effective low point of your swing forward, making ball-first contact much easier. This is a subtle but powerful feeling that promotes a descending blow and crisp contact.
Practice with Purpose: Assessing the Lie
Learning how to assess the lie is an enormously important aspect of improving your short game. Not all lies are created equal, and understanding how to play from different situations is a hallmark of a great short game player. When you’re practicing, try to simulate real-world conditions.
When you are practicing don’t move the ball around until the lie is perfect. Make shots difficult so that you learn. As Nick Saban often said, “We make practice hard so games will be easy.”
This approach builds confidence and adaptability. If you can handle a tough lie on the range, a clean lie on the course will feel like a gift!
Club Selection and Distance Control
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different clubs around the green. Often, using a less-lofted club can reduce risk and simplify the shot. For instance, chipping with a hybrid is an excellent way to get the ball rolling quickly with minimal air time, and it’s quite forgiving.
For distance control with pitch shots, I often teach my students to use their lead arm as a clock face. Identify how far you hit the ball when your lead arm is parallel to the ground (9 o’clock). Then, experiment with longer backswings (e.g., 9:30, 10:00, 10:30) and calibrate those distances. This method provides a repeatable framework for gauging your yardages, but remember, this only works if you’re making solid contact.
Embrace the Practice!
Ultimately, improvement in the short game, like any aspect of golf, comes back to practice. The tour players you watch on television only average 13 to 14 greens hit per round, which means their short games are incredibly sharp. We can all learn from that. They are masters of getting up and down, and that consistency is built on purpose-driven practice.
So, get out there, try these drills, challenge yourself with different lies, and watch those scores start to drop. You’ve got this!
