Rick Timm illustrating chipping

Did you know?....70% of all the shots in a round of golf are 60 yards from the hole! Wow….How often do you practice this area of the game?? Not very many amateurs practice these areas because they are just not as exciting as seeing a long distance shot like a driver. As a PGA golf professional who has taught the game for over 22 years, I want to explain the 3 basic areas of short game: Chipping, Pitching and Putting.

Chipping A good definition for chipping is that the ball travels the maximum amount of distance on the ground and has minimum air time. Set-up should be as follows. Place the ball in the back of our stance and then think of the phrase “Triple Left”. We want our weight on our left leg (about 80%), make sure our hands are left of the ball and our head should be slightly ahead of the ball. (reverse the above of left-handers) Our swing distance should be from about 8 o’clock to 4 o’clock. If we vary the speed and use lower lofted clubs around the green, we can obtain a wide variety of distances. I recommend using a 6,7 or 8 iron and if the ball is setting down in the rough, use a 9 or wedge. The motion should be strictly an arm and shoulder movement with no lower body action and definitely no wrists.

Pitching

A good definition for pitching is that the ball travels the maximum amount of distance in the AIR and has minimum GROUND time. Set-up should be as follows. Place the ball slightly forward of center because we want to preserve the loft. Think of the phrase “Triple Left” as we did in chipping. Our majority weight is on our left leg (about 70%), make sure our hands are slightly left of the ball and our head should be slightly behind the ball. (reverse the above of left-handers) Our swing lengths must vary with this shot. Think of 3 basic positions…9 to 3 o’clock, 10 to 2 and 11 to 1 o’clock. If we vary the speed and use different lofted clubs, we can obtain a wide variety of distances. I recommend using a PW, SW or Lob Wedge and experiment with swing lengths and speed. This shot will need to have increased lower body movement more so on the forward swing then on the backswing and the wrists should hinge at about waist height. During the follow through, we need to prevent the face from releasing excessively…try to hold onto the follow through a little longer than with a full swing to ensure the proper direction.

Putting

Putting is over 40% of the shots in a round of golf, but we hardly practice this area 40% of our total practice time. Putting is a very individual part of the game of golf. There are certain fundamentals present in every consistent putter. 1. Eyes must be over the ball at address. 2. ball position slightly ahead of the center. 3. one lever or pendulum motion with no wrist action. Here are a couple of drills to help you develop the basic fundamentals for a solid putting game.

Putting Drills:

“push drill” line up 6 balls about 3 feet away in a semi-circle and push each ball into the hole. If you make 6 out of 6, move another foot away. This will help with acceleration, keeping face square with target and confidence.

“lag drill” take 6 balls and get about 30 feet away from the hole. On each side of the hole, place a tee 3 feet away in four corners. Your goal is to putt all 6 balls into the 6 foot circle.

Good luck with your short game and have a successful season!