Struggling with your short game and fed up with throwing shots away around the green? The answer is to practice and have a plan of action to fix this area of your game.
Struggling with your short game and fed up with throwing shots away around the green? The answer is to practise, have a plan of action to fix your short game and knock shots off that handicap.
SENSIBLE PRACTICE
Just because the field is 300 yards long, it doesn’t mean that you only have to focus on your long game. There is plenty of short game sharpening activities that you can do to finish off that bucket of balls.
LEAP FROG
Chip a ball past the front of your mat and then try to land the next ball just ahead of the last one. Continue this with as many balls as you like. This will improve your distance control and your ability to land the ball on a certain spot!
GO LOW
Practise hitting small punchy chips, keeping the ball under the horizon. Use a variety of clubs - a 5-iron to let the ball release, an 8-iron for slightly less roll out and also try keeping a more lofted club like a pitchingwedge low too. This will hold you in good stead for those moments when you need to escape from under low branches, especially when you need to limit the run out!
ON THE COURSE
There is no better place for practising your short game than on the course, as long as you pick your practice time wisely and are aware of other golfers. On-course practice provides an opportunity for you to hit shots in a realistic environment and this will work wonders for your confidence.
PAR 18
On a quiet hole, and if your club allows you to do so, throw 9 balls around the green. Chip and putt out. You should be aiming for no more than a score of 3 on every ball. Make yourself a scorecard for this drill - print a few off and keep them as a record of your progress. If you're playing against someone else, introduce a tournament. Set a budget and the loser buys the prize each time you get out there!
