The Critical Short Game

Most of us don’t play golf as often as we want. When we do play in that business event or charity outing, we may be able to drive the ball OK and even hit some decent iron shots that get us near the green. From that position near the green, we have the potential to make a good score on the hole or really mess up and take several more strokes t get the ball in the hole.

In simple terms, some of the most important shots are in the short game area, from 100 yards out and into the hole. The following are techniques you can practice to help you score better and keep away from those nasty double and triple bogeys.

From just off the fringe, with little green to work with, take your sand wedge. Open the club face and your stance slightly and play the ball forward in your stance, it’s almost like playing a bunker shot. Lean your weight forward and swing the club back and through along your stance line. This stance and swing will result in a shot that lands on the green with some loft and might spin more or less depending on what type of ball you’re playing. This shot will give you a chance to make the putt and keep your score on the hole no worse than a bogey. An important reminder is that I tell a student is that loft is your friend; you must use the loft of the club wisely.

Recreational golfers fear the bunker shot more than any other. Professional golfers, on the other hand, find the bunker shot to be one of the easiest. The bunker shot, executed correctly, is the only shot in golf where you don’t hit the ball. Instead you hit the sand behind it and the ball is carried out and onto the green on a splash of sand.

Here’s is a simple way to play the sand blast from a greenside bunker. First open the face of your sand wedge or lob wedge. Then take your stance in the sand, make sure to dig in your feet about an inch in the sand, this will help you with stabilizing your lower body. Your stance should be slightly left of the target (Flagstick) and your aim slightly right. Position the ball forward in your stance. You are now almost ready to swing. Aim at a spot in the sand an inch or two behind the ball- remember you want to hit the sand, not the ball. Now swing the club up steeply and swing down into the sand and through to a high finish. The big key here is that 99 percent of the time people don’t finish their swing, if you finish the swing most of the time you will get the ball out of the bunker and onto the green.

THE BUNKER SHOT, EXECUTED CORRECTLY, IS THE ONLY SHOT IN GOLF WHERE YOU DON’T HIT THE BALL.

Practicing your short game shots at a range or golf course will pay big dividends when you play. Remember that many of the strokes you lose are lost around the green. You’ll enjoy the game more when you get the ball in the hole on fewer strokes. Working on your short game and bunker play will help you accomplish that. Remember to practice the short game just as much time as you do on your other parts of the game.