How do you practice your short game?

[moadhia]

So this season, I really want to fix my short game. I want to know how you guys practice your short game.

This how I am planning to planning to divide up my practice session

- hit 5 100 yard wedge shots
- hit 5 80 yards wedge shots ( with my GW and SW)
- hit 5 60 yard wedge shots ( with SW and LW)
- hit 10 40 yard wedge shots(LW)
- hit 10 20 yard wedge shorts ( LW .. half with open face and the other half with square face)

Have anything to add.

[ilikefishes]

As Woody Hayes said, "Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect".
If you are just stepping up and hotting balls, you won't get much improvement. However, if you are going through a pre-shot routine and transferring that over to the course, then you will see improvement.

Also, what are plans on your short game, meaning putting & chipping?

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[senorchipotle]

So this season, I really want to fix my short game. I want to know how you guys practice your short game.

multiply each of those by 5. p.s. the face should always be square, it can be open or closed, but it should always be square to your target.

[Paz]

multiply each of those by 5. p.s. the face should always be square, it can be open or closed, but it should always be square to your target.

Not if you are trying to work the ball right/left. An open/closed face relative to the swing path is basically required to work the ball. If you are trying to hit a straight shot, then yes the clubface should be square to the swing path. example: when im hitting a draw i drop my back foot back slightly, close the face relative to the swing path by taking a stronger grip, but square it to the starting target by aiming right of the finishing target. So when I swing through I still hit a straight shot because the clubface is square to where I am aimed, yet not square to the clubpath so it creates some right to left spin. as with everything in golf, try to keep it simple. keep the clubface square to the path on every shot you aren't trying to work.

[Blades4me]

I practice dead hand chipping around the green to get used to the roll out; I find it is also easier to control than spin. I practice my 50 yd shot with my 54 & 60* wedges on the range mostly and my 100 yd short with my pw & 54* wedges. I have a pretty good feel for between 100 and 50 yds, but the under 50 yarders are tough so I try any avoid those. After awhile you will "develope" a feel for what is needed---practice, practice, practice and it will pay off.

[senorchipotle]

Not if you are trying to work the ball right/left. An open/closed face relative to the swing path is basically required to work the ball. If you are trying to hit a straight shot, then yes the clubface should be square to the swing path.

why would you be trying to work the ball left to right on a 20 yd pitch/chip?

[Blades4me]

Hmm, thats an interesting question.

[Kieran123]

Well, last night at the range I hit the 50 yard shot for about 30 minutes, ( different types of shots, higher flight, punch and run, mid flight etc ). I literally won't stop until I get 5 in a row of each type of shot I am happy with. Then I did half an hour of chipping, again, bump and run, as well as flopping, and a standard chip until I had 5 in a row of each that I was satisfied with.

Sure, it can be tedious and a little frustrating, but I think it will really help my short game.

[dbuck]

So this season, I really want to fix my short game. I want to know how you guys practice your short game.

The regimen in and of itself sounds reasonable-but as others have said, its not the number of shots but the quality of shots that matter. Have a reasonable goal for practice and once you achieve it, stop. For instance with the 100 yd pitches, have a reasonable goal of the size of the circle around the target you want the balls to land in. If the first 3 hit it, I'd move on to the next goal. If none of the five hit it, I'd try a few more to see if I could get a better feel.

I am a bit different as I basically only use one club from 100 yards in so the feel and weight of the shot is important to me. Close around the green, I vary the loft of the club by opening the face. So practicing these shots is very important--I wouldn't be stuck on 5 open and 5 square--it might be 3 or ten but I am looking for feel and how the ball rolls or stops with varying angles and weights. I practice uphill chips and down hill chips, moderate and severe to see how the ball responds. And yes, my clubface is often open to the target line. My feet will be open, my shoulders parallel, and the face open. I swing the head along the target line; on these short shots, the open face adds loft more than direction. Putts are the same way, long putts I am concentrating on making a good stroke, and learning how the ball reacts in distance. I will spend some time on 10ft in practicing reading a line then setting up and concentrating on the stroke. Then maybe a few flat 4 fts so I can just concentrate on a smooth accelerating stroke. When I have the feel I want, I quit. If I have my game (long or short) has been generally consistent, and a practice session is not going the way I think it should, I might curtail it and come back another time, or I might try a different area of the game to end on a positive note.

[chilly]

Well, last night at the range I hit the 50 yard shot for about 30 minutes, ( different types of shots, higher flight, punch and run, mid flight etc ). I literally won't stop until I get 5 in a row of each type of shot I am happy with. Then I did half an hour of chipping, again, bump and run, as well as flopping, and a standard chip until I had 5 in a row of each that I was satisfied with.

I like practicing this way as well, it simulates the "pressure" of pulling off a good shot on the course. You also take a bit more notice of technique when trying to be perfect on every single shot.

[Kieran123]

I like practicing this way as well, it simulates the "pressure" of pulling off a good shot on the course. You also take a bit more notice of technique when trying to be perfect on every single shot.

Exactly. When I have 4 in a row, I know I NEED to make the 5th or start over again. So it adds a little pressure, as it's like just having one attempt at it, like on the golf course.

[gir]

I practice in a nearby field. The field has an old abandoned volleyball area that has grown in with grass that I use as my green/target. I can hit full shots up to about 150 yards. I usually hit about 50 balls or so, then I chip/flop my misses onto the makeshift green. My shortgame has improved quite a bit this way and is actually now probably the stronger part of my game, with my full swing being the weakest part.

[clipper100]

I practice 3 times per week and play 3 times.

I need Pelz's help.

Apparently I am NOT practicing correctly... My short game gives me an extra 5 shots per round.

[enis750]

its not always about putting in 8 hour practice sessions
its better to get out for a 45 mins or 1 hour session and get out everyday, rather than one huge sessions - its all about muscle memory

for me, I spend very little time on the range itself (unless i need to work on something)

i practice wedge shots from all distances and with different clubs
learning how to play a PW roll out shot from 20 yds is just as benificial as a the carry it to the pin 20 yd wedge shot
thats the other thing - learn how to use ALL YOUR IRONS around the green - there is no reason to only use the SW around the green
its no problem getting to the green - now that your there, make it count and score

putting - i practice a lot of lag putting for distance control
i also do the Philly Mac Circle to practice pressure situations

most importantly, switch it up EVERY session to keep things lively
you will get bored otherwise and not want to practice

[James_Black]

its not always about putting in 8 hour practice sessions

Very true I practice for 30min every day after school out the back of my garden.

[zeg]

My suggestion would be to use that plan (or something like it) as a baseline, but add something varied each time. Maybe scale back a bit on that plan to make a bit more time for something else each session, depending on how much time you have available. It's good to practice each of your shots every time, but if you don't add something to keep it interesting each day, you may find yourself in a rut. Especially for the short game, where every shot is unique, I think practicing some creativity is key.

[The Recreational Golfer]

With my big bucket of 99 balls, I'll hit some with my short irons, then six long pitches (I use a PW for 40-90 yards) and six short pitches (56-degree wedge from closer than 40 yards). Then my middle irons, and repeat the pitching sequence. Then my hybrids, and repeat the pitching sequence. Then a few drivers and finish out the bucket with pitches.

Around the green, I'll chip from one spot to four different holes, one ball to each hole, and putt out. When I get all four balls up and down, I'll do the same exercise from another spot. Finally, I'll throw eight balls into the high grass, chip out, and quit when I get up and down with at least four of them.