Short Game Guide

8/3/2019 Short Game Guide

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The Best TechniquesFor Putting,Chipping, and Pitching

8 Drills To Lower Your Scores By 5, 10, Maybe 15 Strokes

! ,That's right Depending on your skill level if you spend the time and put forth,the effort to improve your short game you might cut as many as 15 strokes off

.your 18 hole score

, - .I'm Gary Jack Palmer and welcome to this mini tutorial on the short game I've,played golf for over forty years and somewhere along the line I realized that I

. - just wasn't getting any better It was clear that I would never become an over.powering driver of the golf ball or a precise striker of the irons

,But as I reflected on my predicament it occurred to me that most of my strokes.weren't being delivered with my driver or irons Most of my strokes were short

, , . ,game shots putting chipping and pitching And that was the part of my, .game that I practiced very very little

, .I had taken dozens of lessons over the years but never a short game lesson .Suddenly there was light at the end of the tunnel If I could significantly

, .improve my short game I could drastically lower my scores Even if my ability,to hit my woods and irons never got one bit better I could still become a pretty

.good player

1Gary Jack Palmer Golf Short Game Fundamentals

IntroductionImproving Your Short Game

Is The Quickest Way To Lower Your Scores


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- . ,That's the premise for this mini guide on the short game In these 25 pages I, , .present the very best techniques for putting chipping and pitching Techniques

.that are easy to understand and incorporate into your golf game

, , Also included are 8 terrific putting chipping and pitching drills used by some of.the best players in the world ,If you master these techniques and drills you will

.absolutely become a better player capable of shooting much lower scores

:Note

.You have personal rights only to this guide None of these pages may be altered or.copied in any fashion without express written permission

, :If you have a friend who would like a guide please refer them to the following link

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IntroductionImproving Your Short Game

Is The Quickest Way To Lower Your Scores( )Continued


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Introduction 1

Table of Contents 3

Significance of the Short Game 4

Introduction to Putting 5

Putting Grips 6

Putter Styles 7

Putting Alignment 8

Putting Drills 9

Reading Greens 11Introduction to Chipping 15

Chipping Fundamentals 17

Chipping Drills 18

Pitching Fundamentals 21

Pitching Drill 23

Summary 25


Contents and Page Numbers


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, At the end of the first round of the 2007 Masters Justin Rose was tied for the. ,lead He had a phenomenal round of 3 under par including 15 pars and 3

. - .birdies It was the only bogey free round of the day You might think he hit. .nearly every fairway and green in regulation Not exactly

, ,On this day Justin Rose hit only 5 of 18 greens in regulation a statistic usually+ .reserved for a 90 shooter But Rose got up and down so well he took only 20

. ,putts in his round of 69 That is getting up and down at its finest even for a.touring pro

, %Statistics tell us that in a round of golf over 50 of our score comes from short. , , .game shots That's putting chipping and pitching from 100 yards or less

, %.Wow over 50 So why are we always hitting drivers on the range and hardlyever spending time around the practice green?

,Depending on our skill level we can probably save 5 to 15 strokes per round by.improving our play from 100 yards in


The Significance Of The Short Game


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, , .Belly putter or long putter cross hand or claw blade or mallet Whatever your, .putting style you must be comfortable and confident over the ball Great putters

.always think they'll make the next one

,To be comfortable and confident you must have a solid putting routine that gets.you focused on fundamentals that produce positive results Your confidence is

. ,bolstered and your mind is freed from negative thoughts So after you read, :your putt you might try something like this

Take a few relaxed practice strokes

Place your eyes directly over the ball

Set the putter face square to the target line

, , Align your feet hips and shoulders parallel to the target line

Look down the target line and visualize the ball rolling into the hole

Look back at the ball and immediately putt


Introduction To Putting


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.You should select a putting grip that feels comfortable and natural Of the two, ,grips pictured below the Claw is the least familiar in golf and the Reverse

.Overlap is the most common Either grip will allow you to swing the putter in a.smooth motion while keeping the wrists from breaking

Claw Putting Grip

Reverse Overlap Putting Grip


Putting Grips


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, .During the span of a player's lifetime a major obstacle sometimes arises The.Putting Yips That's when a golfer loses the ability to smoothly swing the putter

.back and through Golfers suffering from this problem often change from a. ,standard length putter to a long putter Even if you don't have the Putting Yips

the long putter may enable you to swing the putter with a smoother pendulum, .motion and you may see significant improvement in your stroke

Standard Putter

Long Putter


Putter Styles


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, ,The best putters align their feet hips and shoulders parallel to the target line. -and their putter face square to the intended line This set up gives you the best

.chance to successfully roll the ball to the hole Below are 3 techniques that will.help you stay aligned to the target

( ) , .1 To establish the target line try spot alignment Pick a spot on the perceived.target line a few feet in front of the ball This is normally an old ball mark or a

.discolored spot on the green Since this spot is much closer than the overall, .putting distance it is much easier to properly align to this intermediate target

( )2 Select a putter that has lines on the top to help you aim the face down the. , -target line As an alternative to lines Odyssey 2 Ball putters utilize two white

discs that extend away from the putter face to facilitate alignment of your golf.ball to the chosen target line

( ) ,3 To ensure that the putter face is aimed down the target line try logo. ,alignment When you replace your ball after marking align the logo down the

. ,selected target line Or you can use a Sharpie to draw a straight line on your, .ball and use that instead of the logo


Putting Alignment


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, % .In an 18 hole round of golf about 43 of our shots are made with our putter% ,But do we spend 43 of our practice time on putting drills? Probably not

. ,because we love to smash our driver on the range Ironically a 3 foot putt and- .a 300 yard drive count the same 1 stroke

.We may never be able to hit a monster drive like John Daly We may never.have the smooth tempo of Fred Couples or Retief Goosen But we can certainly

become a much better player by spending an appropriate amount of our practicetime working on putting drills.

.Here are 3 of the very best drills that you can practice

( ) .1 Pick out a 6 foot putt on the practice green and lay down a dime Place.your ball on top of the dime and take your putting stance Stroke the ball and

. .see the dime Keep focused on the dime until you hear the ball go into the hole,This drill will train you to keep your head still throughout the stroke which

means your putter face has a greater chance of being square to the target line.when you strike the ball


Putting Drills


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( )2 Place 5 balls in a straight line at intervals of 2 feet leading away from the. , , , , .hole This sets you up for putts of 2 4 6 8 and 10 feet

, .Beginning with the 2 footer make every putt through the 10 footer If you miss

, , .a putt replace the balls and start all over with the 2 footer

,This drill adds a little bit of pressure and a sense of competition similar to what.you might feel when you get on the course

( ) .3 You've probably used impact tape on your woods and irons on the range , .If not you should

What do you think you would see if you put some impact tape on the face of.your putter? You might be unpleasantly surprised

,Pick 2 holes on the practice green about 20 feet apart so you can go back and.forth Stroke several of these 20 footers checking the impact tape from time to. ,time If you aren't consistently contacting the ball in the center of the face you

.might be looping your stroke or moving your head Try keeping your head very.still and taking the putter back and through down the target line You should

.see immediate improvement


Putting Drills ( )Continued


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,You start reading golf greens about 100 yards out well before you get to the. .putting surface From a distance you need to get a general lay of the land

. ,This is much easier if you're walking When you're riding in a cart you don't.have as much time to make the needed observations

. ,Pay attention to the contour of the terrain As a rule of thumb greens are.usually built to slant from back to front But surrounding hills or mountains will

. , ,definitely make greens slope in a certain direction Look for lakes ponds and. .water hazards Greens are built with drainage in mind They will usually drain

.towards nearby water


Reading Greens


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, ,Now we have reached the putting surface and we need to consider the slope .which is the slant or tilt of the green

- , ,Is the green bowl shaped humped terraced or relatively flat? Where is the low

,point of the green? If we poured water on the green which way would it run

off?

.Walk from your ball to the hole Sometimes you can feel the slope with your. ,feet better than you can see it Determine whether you are going uphill

, .downhill or sidehill

.You should now have a pretty good understanding of the slope of the green , .Based on that understanding you can begin to determine the break of your putt


Reading Greens ( )Continued


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,Now we need to consider the grain the direction in which the grass tends to.grow

,Standing behind your ball and looking toward the hole if the grass appears light, .and shiny then the grain is with you A putt with the grain will be faster and

. ,will break less If the grass appears dark and dull then the grain is against. .you A putt against the grain will be slower and will break more

, .On some bent grass greens the grain will have little effect On some Bermuda, . ,greens the grain will be a very significant factor Remember when reading golf, .greens grain will have an influence on both speed and break




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,Besides slope and grain another factor that influences speed is the manner in.which the greens are mowed and maintained

, .During tournaments it is customary to increase the speed of the greens This

. ,can be done in a couple of ways The putting surfaces can be double cut cut

.first in one direction and then cut again perpendicular to the first mow The. ,greens can also be rolled Machine rolled greens have greater surface firmness

, .smoothness and speed

.The weather can also dictate how greens are prepared When it is very hot and, ,humid the greens superintendent may choose to leave the grass a bit longer

. ,which slows down the putting surfaces When there is a lot of rain mowing, .may be deferred which again leads to slower greens




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, ,When's the last time you practiced your chipping? Last week last month ,maybe never? That's crazy because it's something you can do at the practice

.green or in the backyard

.It doesn't take a lot of time and the rewards are gigantic Think what kind of

, , ,scores you could shoot if you eliminated the skulls the fats the thins the, , .chunks the blades and the shanks And think how much better your putting

would be if you were looking at six footers instead of 20 footers following your.chip to the green

,Back in the day the Pitching Wedge was considered the right chipping club for.playing short shots around the green The Sand Wedge was the only club

- .choice for blasting out of green side bunkers

, .In the modern golf game chipping club selection is wide open The best playerswill use everything from hybrid woods to a lob wedge to get the ball close to. ,the hole They will commonly chip with irons from 5 through 9 plus wedges with

.lofts from 48 to 64 degrees

As green complexes get more and more,challenging getting the ball close to the

.hole becomes more and more importantWe waste way too many strokes by

selecting the wrong chipping club for the

.shot at hand .Don't rely on just one club


Introduction To Chipping


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, A better choice is to use the same basic chipping technique each time but tochoose a different chipping club depending on the distance you need to make

.the ball travel to the hole

( , , , - ,You master a single method stance alignment ball position take away and

- ),follow through then select a different chipping club depending on the height and.distance you want the ball to travel It's all about keeping it simple and

.consistent

Choosing the right golf club for the given situation is absolutely critical to short. . ,game success Assume you have 60 feet to the hole Besides the distance the

:chipping club you select will depend on whether you are

on the fringe of the green

in the rough near the green -in a deep green side bunker on a bare lie going uphill or downhill

.Really good players consistently pick the best club to handle their lie

. , .You're not going to make many chip shots Hopefully some but not many Soyour emphasis should be on selecting a chipping club that will help you get the

.ball in the proper position to make a putt

, .Normally you try to chip the ball as close to the hole as possible But there are. , ,exceptions to the rule A 6 foot straight uphill putt may be far more desirable

, , .than a 3 foot breaking downhiller Pick the right chipping club to put yourself.in the best position possible


Introduction To Chipping ( )Continued


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. Address the ball with most of your weight on your front foot The ball should be. .positioned slightly towards your back foot Place your hands ahead of the ball

-This set up will produce a descending blow with limited hand and wrist.movements

, .Take a smooth short backswing and then accelerate the club through impact Amajor cause of poor chipping is taking too long of a backswing and then

.decelerating the club at impact to prevent hitting the ball too far

. ,The hands must lead the clubhead throughout the chip shot That is the hands.should always remain in front of the clubhead A tendency of poor chippers is

,to allow the clubhead to overtake the hands causing a flipping of the hands in.an effort to scoop the ball into the air Keep the hands in front of the clubface

, .throughout the swing letting the loft of the club elevate the ball


Chipping Fundamentals


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, ,If you're like most golfers you love to smash your driver on the range hit a few, .irons then head for the first tee Very few of us get to the course early enough

.to spend any time on the practice green

, , ,So off we go hitting an occasional good chip but way too many that are thin

, , , , .fat skulled too long too short or maybe even shanked How many strokescould we have saved if we had spent 30 minutes on chipping drillson thepractice green?

Get good at the four drills below and you will see your scores come tumbling.down

( ) . ,1 Start this chipping drill with a 7 iron Between the ball and the hole stick atee in the green where you think the chipped ball needs to land to roll close to

. , , .the hole Using the 7 iron try a few shots adjusting the tee as necessary .Try to land the ball as close as possible to the tee Repeat until you can.consistently chip close to the tee and roll close to the hole

.Now move the tee closer to the hole and switch to a 9 iron Go through the

. ,same process Then move the tee closer to the hole again and switch to your.favorite wedge

,On the course select your chipping club and pick out a landing target for your. .chip That target could be a discolored spot on the green that simulates the tee

.This spot chipping drill should really help your touch and feel around the greens


Chipping Drills


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( ) .2 Grab your shag bag and an old rug or piece of carpet and head outside.Simply lay the rug down away from the chipping area and try to land balls on it

.Use different clubs and different distances

This will give you a real sense of how far different clubs and swing lengths carry

.the ball

( ) .3 The Descending Blow Chipping Drill is all about hitting down on the ball -This drill requires you to do 2 things in the set up that will help you get the chip

.airborne consistently

, .First lift the heel of your back foot so only your toe is touching the ground , .Consequently nearly all of your weight will be on your front foot

, , .Second put the ball back in your stance aligned off the toe of your back foot

,From this position you will be chipping with a descending blow and your hands.will stay in front of the club face throughout the chipping motion This chipping

,drill teaches you to hit down on the ball with your hands leading the club face .which results in chips that fly consistently to their target


Chipping Drills ( )Continued


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( ) . .4 You don't need a ball for this one Just your DRIVER

- .Get into a chipping set up with your driver Take your grip about half way down.the shaft The clubhead won't reach the ground and the butt end of the driver

.will be resting against your side

,Place most of your weight on your front foot keeping your hands well forward in. , .front of the clubhead Make chipping swings back and through With the driver,shaft against your side you are forced to keep your hands in front of the

.clubhead

, ,For effective chipping your hands must always stay in front of the clubface and.you've got to log some serious practice time


Chipping Drills ( )Continued


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.Chip shots and pitch shots are totally different Unlike a chip shot which spends, .most of its time on the ground the pitch shot spends most of its time in the air

,On a chip shot the clubhead always stays below the hands going back and. , .through On a pitch shot the clubhead rises above the hands

. A pitch is a shot that we play from 100 yards in Most of us have some,difficulty with the pitch shot because it is not a full swing or at least it shouldn't

.be a full swing A golfer who uses his driver swing for a pitch shot is not going. , .to get very good results Pitch shots are all about distance control not power

- :The basic set up for a standard pitch shot is as follows

Feet about as wide as your hips

Front foot slightly open towards the pin

Ball positioned in the middle of your stance

Hands slightly ahead of the ball

Slightly more weight on the front foot

- , . A pitch shot is a mini swing a scaled down version of your full swing For a,right handed player the backswing stops when your left arm is about parallel to

, .the ground as in the image below The through swing is a similar length to the.backswing


Pitching Fundamentals


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In the picture below we observe the proper position of the club at the top of the.backswing The left arm is parallel to the ground and the butt end of the club

. ,is pointing at the golf ball From this position the golfer turns through the ball,so that his belt buckle faces the target and his arms are again parallel to the

.ground


Pitching Fundamentals ( )Continued


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Create a Distance Chart for Your Wedges

,Many golfers still play the game with two wedges the pitching wedge and the. ,sand wedge Normally a pitching wedge has 48 degrees of loft and a sand

.wedge has 56 degrees That 8 degree difference equates to about 30 yards in

, . distance between the clubs which is not a good thing Being in between . ,clubs is a bad situation And with a 30 yard gap you're going to be in between

.clubs way too many times

,That's why many golfers have incorporated additional wedges into their bag . ,while removing some of the longer irons For example you might elect to carry,the standard pitching and sand wedges and add wedges with 52 degrees and

.60 degrees of loft

,For the sake of this drill we'll assume we carry the four wedges mentioned. , -above Beginning with the 60 degree hit several balls using our mini swing pitch.shot technique described earlier Determine the average distance that you hit

. , , .the 60 degree Repeat this process for the 56 52 and 48 degree clubs

:The distance chart you create may look something like this

60 Degree 55 Yards

56 Degree 70 Yards

52 Degree 85 Yards

48 Degree 100 Yards


Pitching Drill


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,Now your gap between wedges is a much more manageable 15 yards and you. ,know exactly which club to select from 55 to 100 yards And don't forget you

.use the exact same swing for each shot

To hit shots from 55 yards in you can choke down on your club a couple of

- .inches and shorten your mini swing pitch shot a bit These short pitch shots are like chip shots in that they are feel shots that require a significant amount of

.practice

,The guy below has choked down on his club a little and has shortened his.swing so that his left arm doesn't quite reach parallel on the backswing


Pitching Drill ( )Continued


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, %Statistics tell us that in a round of golf over 50 of our score comes from short. , , .game shots That's putting chipping and pitching from 100 yards or less It's

.also the part of our game we tend to practice the least

,Consequently we tend to overlook the very area of our game that gives us the

. ,best chance for improvement Depending on our skill level we can probably.save 5 to 15 strokes per round by improving our play from 100 yards in

.Not all of us are capable of becoming a long drive champion We may never.be able to hit our 7 iron 200 yards But I'm absolutely certain that golfers of all

skill levels can develop good short games when they utilize the proper.techniques and dedicate the necessary time to practice

,If you would like to explore the Short Game further I recommend that you visit

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Summary

Documents

Short Game Guide