Short Game Crisis

[chspeed]

A lot of the content on this site is devoted to the full swing. This makes sense, as it's where the biggest difference to most people's games happens. I've spent the past many years working on the full swing, taking lessons, etc. and my long game is now at a point where my short game is a joke compared to my full swing. Yesterday I hit 10 out 14 fairways, had 14 nGIR, and shot well over 90. I chipped and putted like a 36 handicap. Yanked putts, bladed chips. This is typical of me, and my good rounds are always ones in which I putt and chip like a normal person.

When my long game goes awry, I know what to do. If it's mid round, I choke up and punch some shots. Afterwards I'll film my swing, go back to some recurring priority pieces for me. I know how to get things reasonably back on track.

With my short game, I don't know what to do. I realize I have no short-game foundation to build on. It seems that for many good players, short game, specifically putting, is largely about feel. When I am putting and chipping well, which is rarely, I would tend to agree. But I am now completely lost. I have no feel at all - I'll blow putts past the hole. Leave others horribly short. I'll go to the putting green and putt for a while, find a few things that seem to work, but really have nothing to fall back on. Then next time on the course I might putt OK, but I may also putt horrendously. It's not that I'm just missing a few short putts, I'll miss ALL my short putts. Three feet? I'll push it. Or leave it short.

Should I take short game lessons? Go to a clinic? (mental health clinic?) Read a book? Help, me. Please.

 

[billchao]

There's stuff in the TST Instructional Content thread.

Short game (around the greens anyway):

 

Putting:

 

You can also post videos of your short game and putting on your swing thread.

[Vinsk]

44 minutes ago, chspeed said:

A lot of the content on this site is devoted to the full swing. This makes sense, as it's where the biggest difference to most people's games happens. I've spent the past many years working on the full swing, taking lessons, etc. and my long game is now at a point where my short game is a joke compared to my full swing. Yesterday I hit 10 out 14 fairways, had 14 nGIR, and shot well over 90. I chipped and putted like a 36 handicap. Yanked putts, bladed chips. This is typical of me, and my good rounds are always ones in which I putt and chip like a normal person.

When my long game goes awry, I know what to do. If it's mid round, I choke up and punch some shots. Afterwards I'll film my swing, go back to some recurring priority pieces for me. I know how to get things reasonably back on track.

With my short game, I don't know what to do. I realize I have no short-game foundation to build on. It seems that for many good players, short game, specifically putting, is largely about feel. When I am putting and chipping well, which is rarely, I would tend to agree. But I am now completely lost. I have no feel at all - I'll blow putts past the hole. Leave others horribly short. I'll go to the putting green and putt for a while, find a few things that seem to work, but really have nothing to fall back on. Then next time on the course I might putt OK, but I may also putt horrendously. It's not that I'm just missing a few short putts, I'll miss ALL my short putts. Three feet? I'll push it. Or leave it short.

Should I take short game lessons? Go to a clinic? (mental health clinic?) Read a book? Help, me. Please.

 

I assume you have apparently put good time in on your long game which is of course significantly more difficult. Whatever plan you’ve done with your long game you should focus that plan to your short game. 

[billchao]

It wouldn't hurt to take a short game lesson if you feel you need it.

[pganapathy]

I would suggest spend time practicing your short game.  The next couple of times you are at the course, budget an extra half hour to an hour and go to the practice green. Chip, putt, bunker shots, flop shots, hit all of them and work on it.  Lessons are a help too if you don't have the correct technique to work on.

[chspeed]

50 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I assume you have apparently put good time in on your long game which is of course significantly more difficult. Whatever plan you’ve done with your long game you should focus that plan to your short game. 

I know you’re right - I guess I’m somehow hoping that there is a shorter path to improve that part of my game, or that somehow all the work on my long game would magically translate to my short game. If anything, I feel like I’ve gotten significantly worse in the short game area ,although I have no data to back that up and it may just be that I notice it more now.

 

50 minutes ago, billchao said:

It wouldn't hurt to take a short game lesson if you feel you need it.

Definitely feel like I need it. Thanks.

[David in FL]

Chipper

[Edsland]

Best lessons I’ve ever had where short game

[ncates00]

Not sure if this helps, but what I do is instead of "swinging the clubhead" as in my full swing, when it comes to the short game, I swing the whole club as a unit.  I don't let the clubhead race out in front nor handle drag.  I think this helps to keep the loft on the club and it makes for a steady, non-accelerating motion.  It's more or less constant speed, instead of trying to accelerate; maybe even slow down through the hit slightly.  I also almost feel like I'm hitting a little tiny draw and very, very shallow angle of attack, almost a nippy/blade it over the green feel.  On my gc2, I get pretty good spin for my level of play- around 6-7k rpm on a 56* 50 yard pitch.  If I'm not feeling very confident, I'm fine opening the face up and letting the club bounce and catch the ball.  It doesn't give you the grab of the nippy shot, but it works well. 

I use a very similar motion with chipping too. 

For higher trajectory/flop shots and bunker shots, I do the same thing but with an excessively open face and try to hit a spot about an inch or so behind the ball on purpose; the feeling is to throw the sand onto the green.

7 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Chipper

of course you say that @David in FL haha!

Edited April 22, 2019 by ncates00

[chspeed]

10 minutes ago, ncates00 said:

I'm fine opening the face up and letting the club bounce and catch the ball.  It doesn't give you the grab of the nippy shot, but it works well. 

I use a very similar motion with chipping too. 

Thanks - this is the pitching motion that I've learned about on this site. I've dedicated some time to it, particularly for bunker shots, and actually have a decent bunker game because of it. Around the green though, I have been unable to get consistent results. Too many bladed shots, and not enough feel of swing length so that even when I make the proper contact, I end up short or long.

[chspeed]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

There's stuff in the TST Instructional Content thread.

Short game (around the greens anyway):

 

Putting:

 

You can also post videos of your short game and putting on your swing thread.

Thanks. I have read through all these previously, and tried these techniques. Perhaps the issue is that I just haven't devoted nearly enough time in practicing them. For example, for a while I focused on a longer putting swing length without any perceived acceleration. But I could never get any consistency. One day I'd be (relatively) dialed-in, and the next I'd be misjudging distance by miles. So I returned to a stubbier, accelerating putting motion, which seemed to work OK. Until it didn't. Same type of story with chipping and pitching.

I'm not a talent by any means, but I'm reasonably coordinated in sports and even in some finer motions (I can shoot a mean game of pool), but for some reason, when it comes to short game, I have no game.

Maybe I just need to spend a lot more time on this. And I say this carefully because I know long game matter more for most.

Edited April 23, 2019 by chspeed

[Vinsk]

37 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Chipper

[ncates00]

22 minutes ago, chspeed said:

Thanks - this is the pitching motion that I've learned about on this site. I've dedicated some time to it, particularly for bunker shots, and actually have a decent bunker game because of it. Around the green though, I have been unable to get consistent results. Too many bladed shots, and not enough feel of swing length so that even when I make the proper contact, I end up short or long.

You'll get it; just try to have the same speed backswing and through swing.  Really helps with the feel for short shots.  And try different clubs too.  

[billchao]

4 minutes ago, chspeed said:

For example, for a while I focused on a longer putting swing length without any perceived acceleration. But I could never get any consistency. One day I'd be (relatively) dialed-in, and the next I'd be misjudging distance by miles. So I returned to a stubbier, accelerating putting motion, which seemed to work OK. Until it didn't.

That makes sense. You're used to hitting x distance by bringing the club back to y, then accelerating to z. When you change the way you accelerate your putter you're going to have to "relearn" your distances a bit. But in the long run, the pendulum swing is going to be more consistent than a short, poppy swing.

I went through something similar after I got my Edel putter. Different loft, so the ball came off the head a different way and I had to relearn my distances a bit. I've gotten better with it now and I'm working on a stroke change that should make me even more consistent.

11 minutes ago, chspeed said:

when it comes to short game, I have no game.

Take some videos of you pitching and chipping and post them in your swing thread. Maybe you think you're doing the technique right and you're not. Again, I went through something like that. Thought I was doing things right because I could hit soft pitches, but the bladed shots suggested otherwise. In reality I relied heavily on timing to hit good shots.

16 minutes ago, chspeed said:

Maybe I just need to spend a lot more time on this. And I say this carefully because I know long game matter more for most.

Glaring weakness is a thing. You hit 14 nGIR and shot "well over 90."

[Piz]

Stay calm...and keep taking your alcohol.  

[chspeed]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Take some videos of you pitching and chipping and post them in your swing thread. Maybe you think you're doing the technique right and you're not.

Agree. Will do.

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Glaring weakness is a thing. You hit 14 nGIR and shot "well over 90."

To be fair to myself, this was a particularly good ball striking day, I’m not usually close to that accurate. Still, you’re right, the short game is a glaring weakness.