The Importance Of Mastering Golf's Short Game

No doubt we have all heard the phrase in golf of drive for show and putt for dough

. Anyhow, a few golf instructors also declare drive for show and chip for dough. Whatever way you look at it, the golf short game could make or crush your score. One can definitely improve your score by learning golf's short game; both putting and chipping.

How frequently have you made the perfect long drive from the tee, a second shot scarcely short of the green, after which for no reason the chip into the green is either too short or over the green? In the end you may have ended up taking 3 putts to put the ball into the hole. 4 shots have been made with the chip and putting the golf ball in the hole, which are two times as many as it took to get from the tee-box to the edge of the putting surface. For a par 4 hole this suggests a double bogey; have many of those and your golf score is more than triple digits.

In contrast to this, when you are able to learn to chip the golf ball relatively near to the hole, you stand a better likelihood of putting the ball to get a par. Obviously, the best situation for many par 4 holes is usually to drive the golf ball as far down the fairway as practicable while keeping it on the fairway, followed by an approach shot on the green. You then have the prospect of either taking one putt for a birdie or two for a par.

However, for the beginner golfer, hitting lots of approach shots onto the green is really a tricky proposition. It's more likely that they'll miss the green to the side, hit it short, or over the green. For this reason mastering the short game is so important; a good chip shot gets you close to the hole to save par. However, it all has to begin with a decent drive onto the fairway; should you suffer with a banana ball your first step needs to be to learn how to cure a slice.

The only way to learn how to chip the ball successfully is to practice. Not like the full swing, the chip requires touch or feel. This will only be learned by continual practice. The chip shot necessitates subtlety and to accomplish this shot you have to break down the shot into two segments; the plan plus the execution.

To begin with you should plan the type of chip shot that will have the very best chance of success - getting the ball close to the hole. This will depend on your lie (whether or not the ball is on the fairway or the rough,) if there are any hazards between your golf ball and the hole, and finally planning where on the green the ball will land and how far it needs to roll to reach the hole.

The preferred kind of chip shot is the bump and run. If you are just off the green and have enough green to work with, in that case this can be the best shot. The easiest method to chip the ball from a variety of distances is to choose one golf club that you are secure with and then practice the different chip shots with only that club. The 7, 8, or 9 iron is a sensible choice for this kind of chip shot.

You will need to play the ball back in your stance plus your hands in front of the clubhead. Narrow your stance and stand closer to the ball using a square club face. Situate your weight over your leading foot and swing with your shoulders and arms like a pendulum. The practice part is to know how hard to hit the ball to get the ball rolling near the cup.

If you keep practicing this type of chip shot you may manage to get the ball quite close to the flag stick which provides you with the possibility of saving par. The short game is mostly easier to dominate than hitting the driver however it necessitates just as much practice. Accordingly, the next time you happen to be at the driving range practicing using your driver, do not forget to practice your golf short game, particularly the chip shot.

by: Mick Euan Tait

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