Short Game Tips

By Kennie Sims, PGA

The short game can have the biggest and most immediate impact on your handicap. If you can manage to lower your putts per round and increase your up-and-downs per round, your scores will drop quickly. An up-and-down happens when it only takes you two shots to hole out while chipping, pitching, or playing from a greenside sand bunker ( i.e., one chip with one putt). Most duffers will take three to five shots to hole out (two chips with three putts ). The ability to hit basic chip shots, bunker shots and pitch shots on the green on your first try is a goal for some, while others are trying to get these shots within a 10-foot radius of the flag. Your goal will depend on your skill level, your feel for distance and most importantly, your technique.

Correct positioning of your hands and arms at the address position can quickly turn your short game around. Your ability to keep the club moving on the proper path can be determined by the way you hold the club and stand over the shot. Players with great short games have a lot of similarities in their setup.

On the PGA Tour last year the lowest average for putts per round was less than 28 (Aaron Baddley at 27.96). If you average one three-putt green and five one-putt greens per round, you will have 32 putts per round, which is an attainable goal for everyone. To accomplish this you must devote time for instruction and practice. During your practice sessions you need to work on developing touch and feel. Successful practice sessions will help you to begin developing confidence, and that confidence will put you on the road to becoming a good putter.

The proper posture over the putter can determine whether or not you will consistently putt well. The best putters stand so that their eyes are directly above the ball, which requires standing near the ball with arms rather close to the body and a considerable bend from the waist ( see above ). If done correctly, it will become clear why the putter is the shortest club in your bag. To insure that you have good posture, check your eyeline by dropping a ball from the bridge of your nose. Your putterhead should be positioned where the ball lands. If the ball lands too far away or too close to your body, you need to adjust your spine angle. Doing so will help you to keep the putter on the correct path, which means more putts holed.

Here are a few things to make note of:

1. Keep your stance very narrow to reduce leg motion.
2. Keep your arms very close to your body, and choke down for more accuracy.