Short game problems?

[Jesh]

Lately I've been hitting around 50 on 9 holes, instead of the 45 I think I should be at, due to the fact I'm normally getting close to the GIR, but once I'm up close, I'm scared, because I know I can't chip, nor putt. Chipping, I'm decent from 50 yards or farther, but from closer than that, I can't do too much. I just learned how to get a flop shot going. I haven't been able to practice it much though, so I don't want to try that until I can practice more.

[HSip]

Lately I've been hitting around 50 on 9 holes, instead of the 45 I think I should be at, due to the fact I'm normally getting close to the GIR, but once I'm up close,

Practice, practice and more practice. You cannot, absolutely cannot, play "scared". Spend 75% of your practice time on chipping, bump and run etc. The flop shot can be a high risk shot for Hi-HCPs. When you need it use it but for the most part learning to use, for example, an 8I, PW and SW for chipping will help you gain confidence and confidence is what you need.

Keep after it and soon you'll be looking forward to being inside of 50 yds. Good luck

[kris]

practice a lot on the short game, chipping, and putting. only when you get relatively consistent with practice will you have some confidence with you on the course. in short, become better and you will gain a lot of confidence.

[MI Rob]

Practice your short game more than your longer game for awhile. Practice practice practice.

[glbrum]

like everyone else has said, you just have to practice it. if you're scared, not matter how far away you are from the pin, you're gonna hit a bad shot. you have to be confident and expect to hit a good shot otherwise it won't happen.

As far as the flop-a-dop goes, while it may be fun, it is a very hard shot to hit and I wouldn't advise hitting it unless you absolutely have to.

[Blades4me]

I agree with all of the others have said, including the flop shot. One thing I didn't see was if you are bad from 50 yds and in. Leave your approch shot at 125 to 100 yds in.

Since I practice my short game a bunch I don't mind shots from 50 yds and in, but there is a technique for it and you have to practice it b/c it is all feel. However, what I prefer is to be 150 to 100 yds out so I can do at least a 3/4 swing which helps a lot to get the ball to check up.

[ControlJunkie]

As others said, practice is by far the most important thing. That's how you're gonna get a much better touch or feel for your distances, and the speed of the green.

I recently completely changed the way I chip based on something I saw from Ledbetter, and the change has been nothing short of amazing. It just took a couple practice sessions to really get it dialed in.

Also, you MUST commit to the shot and see it all the way through. If you don't commit to it, you will come up short on every single one because at the last second you're subconciously slowing your swing. The thing is, the more practice you get, the better your touch will get, and the more you'll find yourself not second guessing yourself.

Also, along with that, keep your head down and focused on the ball the ball through the entire swing, even moreso than on a full shot. This is one thing I learned the hard way. If you come up to early, you'll either top every chip/pitch or hit every fat.

Hope all this helps!

[Jesh]

I actually had a tournament today, and I did good with chipping. Not too much else was good though. (114 on 18, worst I've done all year.)



I'm getting a Lob Wedge, it's coming on Monday, I'll practice a lot with that.

[anthonykim3]

honestly flop shots aren't hard at all

[Zeph]

Not for someone at index 5.9, but at 30+, it's a frightening shot. I was scared to death from it before, but now I've practiced it a lot and feel much more confident. It's still a harder and more risky shot than a chip.

I don't know what you struggle with when chipping, but here are a few things that might help:

- Don't put the ball too far back in your stance, I prefer having it in the middle or slightly forward
- Put 70% of your weight on the left foot through the entire shot
- Turn with your chest and slightly hips, not arms
- Hit the ball first with a descending strike for the chip shot, don't try to lift the ball. For a flop or pitch, slam the club into the ground right behind the ball.
- Look at the back of the ball until you've seen the spot on the ground right under the ball. If you look up too early, you won't be able to see the spot the ball was and you've looked up too early
- Make a longer follow through. If you lose speed and come to a complete stop right after the ball, it won't go anywhere. Get your hands and club out ahead. For pitch or flop shots, finish high with the club pointing somewhere from 45º to 90º into the skies. For a chip shot, finish with the club pointing at the ground from 45º to parallell against the target

[HSip]

[QUOTE=Zeph;325572] Not for someone at index 5.9, but at 30+, it's a frightening shot. I was scared to death from it before, but now I've practiced it a lot and feel much more confident. It's still a harder and more risky shot than a chip.


That was my point earlier. When I play with 20 to 30 HCP'rs trying to hit flop shots when there is absolutely nothing in front of them - I have to bite my tongue to avoid giving that, heaven forbid, unasked for advice. I think it was someone like Byron Nelson that said the best advice he could give an amateur was "get the ball on the ground as fast as you can". I practice the flop (as well as many other short game shots) but only feel that it's the right shot one or two times a round, if that. And you're absolutely right there is a big, big difference between a 5.9 and a 30+. Cheers

[right handed phil mickelson]

Work on some bump-and-run chip shots. Those are the easiest chip shots to work with at a high handicap like yours. Also, if you feel comfortable with using it, keep working with that flop shot. It will come in handy later on.

work on some long chips/pitch shots such as 30-40 yards. Those are some difficult yardages to get close to the pin with.

Then work on your irons and ball striking so you don't have this problem :)

Hope this helps!

~RHPM

[bentur123]

when my chipping isnt goign to well its usally because i dont feel confident and fail to follow through on my chips properly

[flopdarock]

i live and die by my short game...
best bit of advice ive ever gotten was to 'putt' with my 5i when im just off the green...
i absolutely love the flop shot... but i never get to use it unless there is trouble between me and the hole...
as for 50 yrds... thats all about feel and the only way you can get a good feel is to practice those shots over and over...
find a good pitching practice area and drop 10 balls at 50... then 45... then 40... etc

[Jesh]

My short game has gotten a lot better, using a lot of the tips you guys have given me. Today I left a chip from just off the green (one I usually leave a good twenty feet away) like an inch away. It should've fallen. :(

[enarhi]

Chipping is all about feel, and the only way to get a feel for distance, spin, trajectory, etc. is tons of practice. One of the best pieces of golf advice I ever had was to envision tossing a ball underhanded to the hole and then emulate that feel in the chip...helps to develop consistency and improved feel simultaneously.