Gary Player says that winning golf is played from a hundred yards in. He's right. More strokes are lost here than probably in any other phase of the game. So if you're looking to trim your golf handicap, work hard on mastering those short chips and pitches that you often face around the green. Misfiring on these shots pitches can cost you one or two strokes a hole, if you're not careful. These extra strokes add up quickly on a scorecard.
But knocking it close to the pin on short chips and pitches means hitting the right spot on the green. It's your most important priority when executing one of these shots. Missing the right spot often leaves you well short of the hole. Or, it or sends you way past it. Almost as important as hitting the right spot is choosing the right club. While you can use an assortment of clubs to hit these shots, one club is invariably the best choice. Players with low golf handicaps know which club to use when and what spot on the green to hit.
Visualizing The Shot
The key to hitting the right area of the green is visualizing the shot. In essence, you have two spots on the green to choose from. The first is near you. The second is near the hole. Before hitting the shot, see the ball in your mind's eye landing on the spot before you swing. Then, it's just a question of judging how far the ball will travel as a putt. If you practicing hitting spots, you'll improve dramatically on these shots.
For example, you can use anything from a 5-iron to a pitching wedge to hit short chips and pitches. I've seen golfers use all the clubs mentioned above to hit the ball close. Which club you use is more a matter of personal preference and confidence than anything else. The trick is finding one that you're comfortable using on short shots. Then practicing with it until you're proficient at hitting the right spot on the green. When you are you'll cut strokes from your golf handicap.
Some players, like Tiger Woods, play everything around the green with a wedge. To do that, you have to be good at popping the ball with this club. You also have to have great feel for this shot. Others use a pitching wedge for most shots around the green. Golfers with high golf handicaps should putt everything they can when on the green's fringe. Invariably, their worst putt is better than their best chip from that spot. A putter requires a simpler stroke than a wedge and the ball behaves more predictably. More importantly, you can control the shot better.
Most Common Misplayed Short Shot
Among the short shots that players with high golf handicaps tend to misplay the most is the one on a severe slope. Often players select a club with too much loft, like a sand wedge, to hit this shot. Invariably, the shot comes up well short of the hole. What these players fail to appreciate is that the 15 to 20 degrees of loft already built into the slope. Add to that the loft of the sand wedge and it's easy to see why the ball comes up short. Others use the upslope. They employ a club with less loft than normal, making it easier to hit the right spot. It's easier to hit your spot with a less lofted club. There's a flatter trajectory and you're making a shorter swing. Downhill reverse all of the above.
Shots From The Rough
On short shots from the rough, you can play the ball to the near spot or to the farther spot. For once, the less lofted club is the more dangerous. Using this club, you have to carry the ball just over the fringe and run it to the hole. It's not worth the risk. If you hit the ball a little heavy, you risk landing short in the high grass instead of the green. Using a wedge is a better option here. Aim for spot closer to the pin. You'll almost always carry the ball well onto the green and get it close.
Some shots, though, give you no option. Let's say you have to lob the ball out of the rough, over a bunker, downhill to a tight pin. It's a difficult shot because you have little or no chance to stop the ball on the green. The club of choice is a sand wedge. To knock it close, block out the bunker mentally and aim for the fringe. Keep the knuckles of your left hand pointing to the sky through the ball. That holds the clubface open and gets the ball up quickly and down softly.
You need to make two critical decisions when your ball lies just off the green. Deciding where to hit on the green is the first. Choosing the right club is the second. Pick the right spot on the green and choose the right club to make the shot. Then visualize the shot before pulling trigger. Do those things and you'll hit short chips and pitches just like they teach in golf lessons. You'll also dramatically cut strokes from you golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
