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Short game shots are something that seem like they should be easy - plus they look so easy for pros on TV - but wow can it be difficult.
The technique is different from the full swing and even varies quite a bit from chips to pitches and high-arcing flops. To help simplify it all for new golfers and avoid some of the frustration that can come from skulls and chili dips, we have compiled five short game tips from the GolfPass archives that can act as a great starting point to improving your game around the green. Even if you're not a beginner, going to back to some of these basic fundamentals will be helpful.
1. Putt from off the green
This tip won’t necessarily improve the chipping and pitching of a beginner golfer, but it will help you get the ball in the hole quicker when faced with a ‘short game’ shot! As Martin Chuck says, “putt when you can putt; When you can’t putt, chip; when you can’t chip, pitch.” Meaning if you can putt from anywhere 10 yards off the green or closer (or potentially longer for some of the crazy Texas wedge addicts) it is almost always the safer and smarter option. If Jack Nicklaus can put his ego aside and put from off the green, so can beginner golfers.
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2. Chipping grip tip
Fundamentals are so important for beginners, especially when it comes to short game. Here Erika Larkin shows a simple grip change that will help you get the ball airborne more easily. I’m a big fan of reducing risk, or eliminating the bad shot, for golfers of all skill levels.
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3. Simple chip shot setup
Simple chip shot setup was a relevant enough title to include in this list. A great setup will help you eliminate bad contact that can be demoralizing when it happens repeatedly. In this tip, Debbie Doniger gives you everything you need to set up for success on most chip shots.
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4. 'BOA' chipping drill
One aspect that is tough about getting started playing golf is your friends who do play are so eager to help that they will fill your head with all types of thoughts. Next thing you know you’re standing over a chip shot thinking “feet close together, correct grip, hand forward, chest to target follow-through…” then you duff it. This beginner short game tip from Martin Hall simplifies things and will lead to better contact. Stand perpendicular to the ball at address and make some practice swings brushing the grass where the ball is and then step in and hit it.
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5. The high shot around the green
Inevitably we encounter shots around the green where the ball must be hit high. Maybe a bunker is between your ball and the hole or the green is elevated. It's a shot that beginners often struggle with mightily. This episode from Nathalie Sheehan’s Breaking 100 series will succinctly explain how to hit high pitch shots through great visuals and drills for beginning golfers.
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