5-20 yard shots - help

[Jason]

Hello,
My long game is OK, putting is OK, however that 2nd or 3rd shot to get on the green is killing me. When I practice at home, eventually I find a rhythm and touch. When I play on the course though, I freeze up and find myself either hitting the ball incredibly short, mishitting, or hitting it way too far.
Thanks for any tips,
Jason

[Koth]

Make sure you're using your shoulders to swing and not just your forearms or wrists. Using the bigger muscles in your shoulders instead of your arms or wrists will give you more consistent results.

[Wildcat]

Best thing to do is to find a system to adopt so you can repeat your shot and gain confidence. You have to be able to step up and swing the club for chips and pitches without reservation, otherwise you'll wind up hitting a bad shot more often than not.

Read a book or two (I just finished Stan Utley's Art of the Short Game) or watch some instructional videos, and find a swing that makes sense/looks good to you for the chip/pitch. Then go out to the range and practice it...if you're going to use a system using different clubs, hit each one with different lengths of backswing so you know what the ranges are for each club. If you're going to use just one club (as Utley does), do the same thing.

Once you realize that hitting that wedge a little too hard isn't going to cause a disaster, you'll be able to step up and hit with more confidence, and hit better shots.

[JohnQVegas]

At my course, we have a practice hole you can use for practice in alternative to the range, so you can drop X amount of balls at different locations/distances and practice shots. If your home course doesnt have this option, 5-10 yard chips from off the putting green can't be too hard to do, just find a time during the week when the traffic is lower.

[Elvisliveson]

Best thing to do is to find a system to adopt so you can repeat your shot and gain confidence. You have to be able to step up and swing the club for chips and pitches without reservation, otherwise you'll wind up hitting a bad shot more often than not.

I couldn't agree more. To that end, I have found this method works for me everytime on 5-20 yard shots. Ball back in stance, weight favoring front foot. Cock wrists taking the club back and hold it coming down and thru swing because, as previously stated here, the swing is with your shoulders. I just vary the club based on distance and height requirements, not the motion.

[Jason]

thanks for the replies, appreciate it.
I've been told that the chip and pitch shots can be hit similar to the putting stroke, however I've also heard that you should rotate your lower body some with the ball. any comments on dos and donts?
Thank you.

[JohnQVegas]

A chip is just a putting stroke with various clubs, depending on how much carry:roll you want to achieve. No wrists, keep your hands stiff, and just make a putting stroke. the higher the loft, the more carry, the less roll you want to achieve.

[JohnQVegas]

In more detail, if you do a standard putting stroke for chips, Lob Wedge has 2:1 ratio for carry to roll. PW/9i is about 1:1, 7i is 1:2

[sean_miller]

A chip is just a putting stroke with various clubs, depending on how much carry:roll you want to achieve. No wrists, keep your hands stiff, and just make a putting stroke. the higher the loft, the more carry, the less roll you want to achieve.

A chip "might be" just a putting stroke. Coincidentally, just like putting, you have to take a personal approach to chipping. There is no one answer for everyone. Just several good options. The one you mention is in fact a very good one.

[Paradox]

I think the biggest thing with pitching is to have CONFIDENCE in the stroke. You do have to get a feel for how long of a stroke to make and all that by practicing but when you're on the course...trust your feel and go with it.

I used to hate 50-60 yard shots because I didn't know what I was doing and one day I stopped and thought "well, my problem is that I don't think about how I want to hit this ball and I have no idea what I'm doing" so now I ALWAYS take two practice swings getting a feel for how far back I want to take the club, getting a feel for the wrist hinge...getting a feel for still using my body and not being lazy and using just arms. I make sure my weight is about 65-35 on the front foot, and then I trust myself.

[Zeph]

I think the biggest thing with pitching is to have CONFIDENCE in the stroke.

Confidence comes from knowing you can do it well.

Knowing you can do it well comes from practice. Practice comes from dedication.

[The Recreational Golfer]

If confidence is a problem, take two or three practice strokes that you know from practice sessions will work, then step up to the ball and hit it with that same stroke before doubt has a chance to creep into your brain. Think only of repeating the practice strokes, and NOT AT ALL about what the result might be. That will get you over the hump in a while.

[WUTiger]

For chips and pitches, a lot of tour players and teaching pros recommend an arm and shoulder swing (see Koth above) with quiet lower body and feet close together.

I adopted this method following a Cleveland scoring clinic at GG. And before the clinic, one of our Sandtrap teaching pros had demonstrated the method. Arm and shoulder works fine for quarter and half swings, but I find I need an iron swing with hips turning on 3/4 shots and longer. Also, if rough is unusually thick, you have to give the shot a little extra right hand, or you'll likely come up short. You've just got to play around with it.

The arms and shoulder approach has greatly improved my shot line... but distance control needs more work.

[zeg]

I'd strongly suggest either getting an instructor to help you with this or get a book on short game technique and study/practice from that. Trying to put together a short game based on Internet assistance is going to be really frustrating---there are several very different schools of thought that all have adherents, so you'll get a mismash of advice that won't add up to a confident stroke. Some play the ball back, some forward, some middle; some use a 60° wedge for every shot, others use every club in the bag; some use quiet lower body, some swing with the legs, etc.

Personally, I've had a lot of luck with the Utley book mentioned above. However, I haven't tried any other books so all I can say is I'm better after a few weeks of following that than I was before...

[JWL1957]

A chip "might be" just a putting stroke. Coincidentally, just like putting, you have to take a personal approach to chipping. There is no one answer for everyone. Just several good options. The one you mention is in fact a very good one.

Soooooooo true.

[DaSportsGuy]

When I have trouble chipping it's usually because I'm almost trying to be too smooth and just waving at it. I try to focus on driving through the ball.

Yesterday in a match I just couldn't get my short game going and I was just shooting myself in the foot. When I lose focus is when I have trouble with my short game.

[goblue107501]

However you decide to play a shot, one thing always holds true. Accelerate through the ball. You can adjust the distance by adjusting the backswing no matter what type of shot you want to play, but you have to accelerate through the ball. Once you 'get' the feel for certain shots and distances it becomes pretty natural.

[flystraight]

My short game is getting better lately, and it's because I realized I could practice in the regular ol' city park, right down the street. Who needs a range? (And besides, the only range near me doesn't even have a grass area.) I bring a bucket with all my old golf balls, drop them, and just pick different spots to aim.

I start out picking one distance, hitting about 50 balls there, and then picking another and hitting about 50, etc. But I finish up by mixing it up; hitting one 20 yards, then 5 yards, then 15, then 5 again, etc. Whatever. This helps in getting used to knowing how hard to swing for any shot while out on the course.

The added bonus is that when I'm actually playing, the grass on the golf course is so much nicer than the park that it's usually easier. (Unless, of course I'm in deep rough or something.)