Let’s talk about the short game.
Now for me the short game is the poor relation in golf. It’s the thing everybody knows you should practice if you want to lower your scores, but no one does.
No idea why.
Maybe it’s because we are all obsessed with striking the ball perfectly and the buzz of watching it zip into the azure blue sky.
I agree it’s a feeling that can’t be beaten.
Granted, if you want to get good and I mean really good you have to learn how to hit the ball properly so you can hit more greens in regulation.
It’s a simple fact, the more greens you hit, the better you play.
Unless you’re the world’s worst putter, but that’s a subject for another time.
But the long game, is and always will be a long term project. Something you have to keep (excuse the pun) chipping away at and steadily improve over time.
And you may start working on it and see no real improvement in your scores to start with, but it just feels better.
But if you want to get better quick, want to score lower starting today and want to really, really improve, the short game is the place to look and start to get to work.
With a decent short game your horrendous days turn into ok days, your ok days into good days and your good days into great days.
Basically the trend line for your golfing performance goes on the up.
Never a bad thing.
So what to practice in the short game?
Well in my opinion you need to learn three shots.
- The chip and run
- The splash from thick rough and or sand
- The distance putt
Get those three shots down and you will be a match for anyone around the greens and have more than enough shots in your locker to get you out of a tight spot.
Just learning and applying those simple short game shots will give you the ability to get it up and down out of a phone box.
And that certainly can’t be bad for your golf game.
Bob James PGA