We all know that it feels great to drive our ball way down the fairway, but at the end of the day, if your short game is a mess, you will never win a round of golf.
The hard part is to know who to listen to when taking advice and then to have the time and dedication to practice, and practice and then practice again!!!
According to Golf Digest, here are their top five tips to improve your short game.
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Do not freeze your swing on pitch shots.
Even though you are trying to hit the ball a lesser distance on pitch shots, this does not mean that you should abandon the mechanics of your swing. Make sure you turn your body–proven by the creases in your trousers at the top of your right leg. On the downswing, turn toward the target, with your hips level at the finish.
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Utilize the bounce on pitches.
In order to get a pitch shot as close to the hole as possible, be sure to take advantage of the bounce that comes with the shot. Slide the club through the grass and hit soft, floating shots but only if your hands are in line with (or slightly behind) the clubhead at impact.
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Pitch with your arms
If you are adding wrist action to your pitch shots, it increases the chance of hitting it fat or thin. You should be using your arms more. There should be very little hand action or forearm rotation. All you are trying to do is maintain the clubface loft that you established at address. That makes the ball fly nice and high and with plenty of spin. Keep it simple.
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Slide the clubface under the ball on flop shots.
In order to hit an accurate flop shot, slide the clubface under the ball, and have the clubhead pass the shaft at impact. It is important to set the clubface open at address (pointing right of the target), which adds more loft, and then grip the club — in that order. You can even weaken your grip, your hands rotated toward the target; that will soften the shot even more. But the key is to open the clubface before you take your grip.
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Slam the club to hit a flop shot.
Though many players may not fully commit on a flop shot, this is necessary to get the full effect of the swing. To hit this shot properly, open the clubface, extend your left shoulder going back, and then slam the club into the ground. This may sound scary, but the bounce of the wedge will do its job to prevent the club from digging. The key is to not slam the club and stop. You need to keep the clubhead moving forward full throttle, with the face pointing at the sky.
So, there you go, sounds easy doesn’t it?
However, to improve your short game, it is worth going and booking a few lessons with your local PGA pro, and then go out onto the course and see if you can start to lower your score.
