Work on the short game makes the long game better, vice-versa or both?

[nevets88]

GMac in an interview said that working on his short game helped his long game.

Do you think this is the case for you? Or vice versa? Or both ways? Or depends on the person? Or any kind of practice is good for the game.

I think the "slow motion"ness of the short game gives you a little more insight into the nuances of your full swing.

Anyways, I just thought it was interesting to think about.

[case31]

For me, practicing my short game improved the mental aspect of my long game. I neglected my short game for years, which meant that if I didn't hit a GIR, it was essentially an automatic bogey (or worse).
About 3 years ago I started seriously working on the short game. I would place three balls in varying lies (sitting up, buried, deadspot, etc.), chip them towards a hole, and then putt out. I would then repeat hitting a different shot, so if I chipped the first three, I would try a flop shot on the next three...that sort of thing. On each putt, I would follow my "on-course" routine and read the break, set up, and putt.
It didn't take long for my scores to drop. Plus, I can be more aggressive on the course as my ability to get out of trouble has improved significantly.

[$2 Nassau]

I've never worked on my short game before, unless putting/chipping for 5 min before a round can be considered. I tend to just work on my swing if I have any time to practice. But I have noticed that as my ball striking improves my chipping/pitching also improves.

[motteler621]

hmm not sure but I believe if you dont have a good full swing then your short game will lack. Also if you work on your full swing then your short game will automatically get better because you will be still doing those moves just shorter for pitch and chip shots

[B-Con]

The two have many similarities. I would think that ball striking and what it entails (hands, impact position, weight, etc) and swing path control are easier to practice in a shorter/slower swing. So I would assume that improving the short game would be more likely to improve the long game rather than vice versa, and would be the easier path to take. (That's how I'm learning.)

[saevel25]

I think a drill by Jim Mcclean is to practice hitting just in the impact zone. I have to look at his book again to see it, but its one he stresses.

But there is something about having a poor position at the top of the swing that can cause problems, while you might be good from 3 to 6 on the swing clock, but when you get past 6, there might be an issue that causes an error as you come through impact. so i think its depenent on the person, ie ME.. I can hit pure irons, but if i happen to miss the green, i am screwed. most of the time i duff my chips or slightly top them. I started putting from the rough just to get it near the hole, its sad. Actually i wish i would just miss in the bunker, i got bunker shots down because i can take a hack at the ball and not worry about finesse. I can't even take a 7-iron and do the little bump and run, wont happen.

[wrx_junki]

Don't think it helps with the long game but definitely takes the pressure off of your long game. I've seen some very bad swings matched with some great short game players.

[xxsoultonesxx]

Find some drill that you enjoy doing around the chipping green, confidence with chips is crucial. Even if I'm hacking the ball to get to the green, I always feel like I have a decent chance at up and down from 30y and in.

[ks8829]

Short game practice definitely improve my iron, fairway and even driver swing for me. I focus on my take away and backswing on my short game and carry it over to my overall golf swing.

I believe it's because you are practicing in the impact or hitting zone. I focus on shaft and club position on my short game and carry it to my golf swings.

[case31]

hmm not sure but I believe if you dont have a good full swing then your short game will lack. Also if you work on your full swing then your short game will automatically get better because you will be still doing those moves just shorter for pitch and chip shots

I know this is going to sound rude, but that is completely incorrect. You can have stances and swing motions on chips, bump-and-runs, or sand shots that are

vastly different from a normal iron shot. Example, the flop shot requires you to flip the club head through in a manner that is totally unlike a normal swing. Plus, it takes practice to get the feel for distances on each type of shot.

[Fourputt]

GMac in an interview said that working on his short game helped his long game.

He's dead on. I almost never spend any time on the range, but I do put in time on the chipping green at several nearby courses, and it definitely helps my overall swing. The tempo is the same for a long swing or a short one, and when hitting short pitches I use the same takeaway as I would for a full swing. It works like the quarter takeaway waggle that you see a lot of pros use in their setups. Same wrist cock, same shoulder turn, just shorter.

It helps my full swing, and it fine tunes my short game. I warm up for most competition rounds this way, not on the range.

[sean_miller]

Short game practice gets you making clean contact from a variety of lies, to a variety of distances, at various trajectories. It programs your brain to see the final target and the initial target, where your ball must land to end up there. Eventually you trust your mechanics and can take more of a "feel" approach with short game shots. That's a great feeling to have on a tee box - seeing the desired ball path in the sky and trusting your mechanics enough to just do it. .

[motteler621]

I know this is going to sound rude, but that is completely incorrect. You can have stances and swing motions on chips, bump-and-runs, or sand shots that are

I agree, but I dont think those stances and swing motions for chips, bump and runs and sand shots that are vastly different from a normal iron shot are going to help your long game. I think that working on your long game is going to help out your short game more than working on the short game to help out your long game, which was the OP question.

[case31]

The question was "work on the short game makes the long game better, vice-versa or both?". The point I was trying to make is that the answer is Both. Work on the short game improves the short game; work on the long game improves the long game.

[noefi13b]

In my experience short game helps long much better than the other way around. Both in scoring and general ball striking....

Since switching to almost exclusive short iron and wedge practice at the range, my scores started to drop because my short game is actually getting better AND my long game feels as good if not better than when I practiced it a lot .... The reverse was not true... for me at least..

[chef35ca]

I've found that the times when i'm spending a decent amount of time a week on the short game area it's really translated into the rest of my game.

My usual routine is-take 8 balls, toss them randomly & try to pitch, chip, flop them close & make the putt. Over & over. Bare spots, long grass, sidehills, sitting up in bunkers, buried in bunkers, under & behind trees, shortsided, 50 yds of green to work with, & etc.

I find that the more i hit these shots the more confident my full swing is. It usually translates to more staright tee balls & better approaches & if not, then i have the confidence to dig my butt out of any on course situation because i've played that shot. Repeatedly.

So many people i play with have such a rough time around the greens & 100yds & in. Because they never practice it.

[Quinn07]

I believe the short game is the key to playing well, the most prominent example of this is Tiger Woods. He has dominated the PGA Tour the past 15 years because he's arguably one the best putters the game has ever seen. Does it affect your long irons, I am not sure unless you are using them in the short game. I will say that having a great short game certainly takes the strain off your mid to long irons as you don't have to worry about whether or not you are going to get up and down if you miss a green. Looking at it that way I guess it would indirectly affect your long game positively. Does practicing the short game improve your long iron ball striking, I am not too sure.

[allin]

I do think that the practice I put in improving short pitches and flops, helps my long game. Because you still have to turn your body properly, sequence things properly, but with more emphasis on feel it can help your long game. I believe this is especially true when you have lost confidence due to a poor patch of play. Your timing and rythym can be lost when frustration sets in. Most of us naturally relax when working on finesse shots. When your rythym improves often your game comes back and all the technical problems you think are causing you to play poorly just seem to vanish.