Need short game help - which to buy?

I can't get flops to work, my short chips are atrocious (I'm always catching them thin), and my sand play is nonexistent. Which book would help me best?

If anyone is particularly interested in any of these books, visit their threads in the reading room linked below.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/14236/the-short-game-bible-by-dave-pelz

http://thesandtrap.com/t/23514/secrets-of-the-short-game-by-phil-mickelson

http://thesandtrap.com/t/14234/the-art-of-the-short-game-by-stan-utley

Might as well learn from the master of flop shots, that would be Phil.

Flop shots are one of my strongest shots in the short game. I can flop better then a simple uphill chip with my 9 iron. Go figure....

Sure, you can go to the Dave Pelz 3 day short game school. For a cool $2700. That is if you're rich...

I've read a bunch of books but honestly get more from watching vids on youtube and taking it to the course for practice. An afternoon at the practice facility dialed me in and I honed it at the local par 3.

If you want to get into theory and carry 4 wedges Pelz is a good reference.  Phil's book and DVD are easier to understand but his suggested swing on flop shots and pitches messes up my regular swing.  I'm sure it's more to do with me than Phil though.

I've read Pelz's book in detail the past year, and adopted portions of it. This week I am viewing Mickelson's DVD which is linked to Phil's own book. Both have benefits for different players with different goals.

Pelz has an interesting background. He played golf at Indiana U. in the 1960s against such players as the Nicklaus guy from Ohio State. A physics major, he opted for working for NASA and shifting to amateur golf after graduation. In the 1970s he went entrepreneurial into putter design, and slowly started making money in different research projects for tour pros. Eventually, he became a short-game guru.

Pelz published his SG bible in 2000, so his views of total set make-up are a bit dated. He's pre-hybrid, and assumes PWs are 50* +.  Also, he recommends four wedges.

In recent years, the most common 4-wedge set would dump the XW, and insert a GW between the now stronger PW and the SW.

If you adopt Pelz in his entirety, it would take probably a dozen practice sessions to get the first "run-through" on his method. The full meal deal involves:

• Tweaking iron set so you have 15-yard differences in yardage between numbered irons (2000 advice: dump 2i and 6i and start bending lofts).
• Developing your wedge (lofted shot) distance matrix (4 wedges x 3 backswing lengths).  This involves hitting a dozen or so shots until you get the feeling of your 9 O'Clock PW (half swing) going 50 yards. Same for other distances. Might do this at a Pelz short-game school if you have the time and $$$.
• Tweaking wedge shafts (higher the loft, the softer the flex)... includes other valid and insightful point for optimizing your wedge hardware package.
• Developing your running chip shots (generally inside 40") and your sand shots.
• Pelz has several sections on putting within the book.

Pelz recommends recalibrating your wedge distances at least once a season.

If you have mechanical instincts and ample time to practice, the Pelz system might be for you. And, a 3x3 or 4x3 wedge matrix can be useful for managing the partial-wedge game, if you don't want to go all-in.

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Mickleson has a more name recognition as a current PGA star. He offers a somewhat different approach in his book/DVD Secrets of the Short Game .

He focuses more on general principles of short-game shots, and the specifics of how to hit them. Excellent coverage of how bounce works in the short game.  (He gives general principles for distance control rather than building a matrix). Video sequence:

• Putting Section (9 bullet points covered)
• Chipping Section (8 bullet points covered)
• Flop Shot section (2 bullets) "Hinge and hold" is basic principal behind chipping and lob shots
• Bunker Play section (4 bullets)
• Three other sections

Mickelson appears to cover partial wedge shots under chipping and flop. Will need to get deeper into video to see if this holds.

A person who has an OK short game could probably pick up useful insights and a couple of clever shots from Mickelson without having to revamp one's swing. Or, you could try him out video segment by segment and rebuild your inside-100 game.

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Summary - Mickelson organizes by skill area - you could do chipping but skip putting - whereas Pelz offers a systems approach for short game, and your entire game.

If you have time, you might borrow Pelz and Mickelson's offerings from a friend and browse both. Then, pick one to go with.

Excellent tips, WUTiger. I have time to practice and am relatively new to the game so "reworking" my swing isn't much of a problem, so Pelz jumps out at me. Do you find that the relatively outdated nature of Pelz's book detracts from the help it gives? For example, does he advise anything that is more recently discredited? Or is it still relevant and useful? Also, you mention Phil's emphasis on bounce in the short game. This is something I have no clue about! Does Pelz ignore this topic?

Thanks for your help.

Just hinge and hold and you should be good to go!

A caution on Phil M and bounce. He uses different wedges than the rest of us. At a Friday demo day (see related post), a Callaway rep told me the Mickelson wedge grind removes metal from the front of the sole (almost a spoon dip) and has most of the bounce in the back half of the sole. Thus, he can swing aggressively, get the leading edge under the ball, and have the back half of the sole prevent excessive dig-in. Question for people who play Vokeys: Does this sound like the T-grind sole?

1. Pelz and value? Pelz's book has elements of a time capsule, giving players advice on how to configure their irons and wedge mix using the equipment of circa 2000. A person moderately familiar with the golf clubs and the swing could easily make adjustments for 2012 era. Ideas discredited? Not really, but others are more popular. For example, the super-lob wedge (XW) of 64* or more is not recommended by many teaching pros. From a practical standpoint, most 4-wedge sets include PW, GW, SW and LW (58-60*).

If I was Pelz's business advisor, I would suggest he publish SGB, Vol. 2, to take into account equipment changes and knowledge of how new turf-grass strains influence short-game shots. He may find life more manageable, however, by selling the original 2000 book and having people come in for short-game schools.

Note: Some stronger players have taken to playing five wedges - mainly due to ever-stronger iron lofts - so they can have more short-range full swing options.

2. Bounce .

For the basics of bounce and wedges, check out this article by club designer Ralph Maltby: http://ralphmaltby.com/50

Pelz discussed bounce in different places in his book.