Short Game Drills/Games

[Travtex]

Just wanted to throw around ideas for chips/pitches/putts practice games/drills. I probably won't be doing anything more strenuous until next season, heh.

My practice facility is awesome for short game practice, even more so in that hardly anyone uses it for such (Everyone has to break out the big dog on the range... I like to spend an hour in the practice bunker, heh).

Some games I've adopted:

Putting: Start with a ball one putter-length from the hole, next ball a grip's length further and forward from that ball position, and so on until I have a spiral of 10 golf balls radiating out from the hole. Miss one, start over. Vary the hole and starting point to get a formidable variety of looks.

Pitching: Our practice bunker/pitch green has two flags. I like to start about ten yards off the front of the green and hit one ball at each flag. I stay at that range until both balls are 6' from the cup or closer before getting to move back 5 yards. (I don't think I've made it too far with this game before running out of practice time, ha ha.)

Chips: The chipping green has enough space for chips anywhere from fringe to about ten yards off. I pick a spot, pick a hole, then drop three balls. All have to be within 3' before I can switch distances/targets. (Aside: Am I developing a bad habit, here? I'm inordinately fond of my 58* wedge around the green, using it for almost everything. Gotten to where I can do quite a variety of shots with the club, but I feel like I shouldn't be ignoring the 'Use whichever club gets the ball rolling' advice.)

Bunkers: Haven't gotten creative here, yet. Basically I'll pick a spot in the sand, drop a couple of balls, and hit one at each flag. If they're within 6', I move/change the lie/etc.

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Any others?

[dkinser86]

If you can get a buddy, make some competitive games out of up and downs. A buddy and I play an 18 hole match play round. The person with honors picks the spot and the hole to play. We have a clause, that we dubbed (luck of the lie) Basically, you drop as you would a penalty and play it from there, as you would on the course. We are only allowed 1 other club than a putter. Loser buys the winner a drink at the bar.

We also play stroke play putting. Once again, the person with honors picks the spot and the hole, but it must be at least 15 feet away. This time, we normally play 50 cents a stroke.

I like being out a with a friend. I think it makes practice a bit more fun, and can really put the pressure on. A 3 footer to win a Jack and Coke? It's close enough to winning the US Open for me.

[bong_crosby]

When I'm having problems with the speed of my putts, I'll get four balls and stand somewhere near the middle of the practice green. This gives me the option of putting uphill and downhill. I alternate between putting uphill medium, downhill long, uphill long, downhill medium. I concentrate very little on line and mostly on the speed. The best time to do this is when the course is not very busy since you stand in the middle and fire balls all over the green.