Hello, Daily Duffer readers! Sarah Chen here, ready to help you shave strokes off your game. As a PGA-certified instructor with over 15 years on the lesson tee, I’ve seen firsthand that anyone can improve with the right approach and a little dedication. Today, we’re diving into an area that can dramatically impact your score: your short game.
It’s no secret that hitting more greens in regulation is a huge advantage. Tour players, for example, average around 13-14 greens per round. But what happens on those other 4-5 holes? That’s where a strong short game literally saves the day. As the article states, even for pros:
“…if they weren’t getting up and down the vast majority of the time they would be playing for club championships and not US Opens.”
This tells us that mastering your short game is crucial, regardless of your handicap. It’s truly the “low-hanging fruit” for quickly improving your scores. Let’s explore how to get your chipping and pitching dialed in.
The Power of Proper Setup: Chips vs. Pitches
The foundation of any good shot starts with your setup. For chipping and pitching, subtle differences are key to success. Here’s how I guide my students:
- Chip Shots (Lower trajectory, more roll): Keep your feet closer together, about a clubhead apart. Your weight should lean predominantly on your lead foot (60-70%), and the ball should be slightly back of center in your stance. Your hands will be slightly ahead of the ball, helping promote a downward strike.
- Pitch Shots (Higher trajectory, less roll): For pitches, widen your stance a little compared to a chip. Maintain that 60-70% weight distribution on your lead foot, but move the ball position closer to the center of your stance. Hands still slightly ahead.
A great visual checkpoint for chip shots from the article that I teach my students is:
“In the setup we are creating the letter “Y” with our arms and the shaft. We maintain that “Y” throughout a chip shot.”
This “Y” shape keeps your wrists firm and prevents excessive hinge, promoting a solid, consistent strike for chipping. For pitch shots, the article introduces another excellent visual:
“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.”
This “L” shape highlights the importance of some wrist hinge in pitching for control and trajectory. The crucial part is building the same “L” in your follow-through – this ensures a balanced, committed swing.
Stop Scooping, Start Rotating!
A common pitfall I see with higher handicappers, especially on chip shots, is a lack of chest rotation. They often stall their body and try to “scoop” the ball with their hands, leading to inconsistent contact or fat shots. To combat this, think about your shirt buttons.
For short game shots, I want you to feel like your shirt buttons are angled slightly toward the target at address. This pre-sets your body to make ball-first contact, moving the low point of your swing exactly where it needs to be – slightly ahead of the ball. Even on a short chip, a small but continuous rotation of your chest through impact is vital. This prevents that “casting” motion and promotes clean contact.
Actionable Drills for Your Short Game
Here are a few drills you can start using today to build consistency and confidence:
Drill 1: The “Lead Foot Focus” Chip
Purpose: To ingrain the feeling of maintaining weight on your lead foot and proper ball-first contact for chipping.
How to do it: Find a comfortable chipping green or even your backyard. Take your normal chipping stance, ensuring 60-70% of your weight is on your lead foot. Now, lift your trail foot slightly off the ground, just enough so you can balance. Make small chipping strokes, focusing on keeping your balance and hitting down on the ball. The limited movement will force you to rely on your lead side and arm structure, preventing scooping.
Drill 2: The “L-to-L” Pitch Drill
Purpose: To establish proper wrist hinge and swing length for consistent pitching distances.
How to do it: Set up for a pitch shot. Place an alignment stick or another club on the ground in front of you, parallel to your target line. During your backswing, stop when your lead arm and the club shaft form an “L” shape. Make a mental note of how far the ball flies with this swing. Then, practice hitting pitch shots, ensuring you create that “L” in your backswing and match the length of your follow-through to create another “L.” This drill helps you calibrate different distances based on swing size. Remember, for this to be effective, you need solid contact!
Drill 3: The “Hybrid Chip” Experiment
Purpose: To introduce a low-risk option for certain chipping situations and expand your short game arsenal.
How to do it: Grab a hybrid club (yes, a hybrid!). Position the ball back in your stance, similar to a chip. Grip down on the club, and make a putting-like stroke, keeping the clubface relatively square. The goal is to get the ball rolling quickly with minimal airtime, reducing the chance of error. Experiment with this shot from just off the green to see how effective it can be when you have plenty of green to work with. As the article suggests, “the less loft you use the less risk you take.” You might be surprised at how much you like it!
Practice with Purpose
Finally, remember that skill development comes from dedicated and thoughtful practice. Don’t be afraid to make practice challenging. If you always practice from perfect lies, you’ll feel lost on the course. I’ve found that one of the most important aspects of improving your short game is learning to assess the lie.
Practice from different situations – good lies, tight lies, rough – and make shots difficult. This type of practice builds resilience and adaptability, so when you face a tricky chip or pitch on the course, you’ll have the confidence to pull it off. As the article wisely advises:
“No one has ever gotten good at the short game (or any element of golf) without practice. Always make practice challenging so that shots on the golf course are easier.”
Keep these tips in mind, hit the practice area with a plan, and you’ll soon be knocking strokes off your score and enjoying your short game more than ever before. Happy golfing!
