Stuck in the low 90's need to get to the next level, short game reassessment

[inthecup]

I totally changed my full swing over the winter and went from a violent shoulder rotation to a smooth lag and release swing.  Very happy with the change and it has narrowed my misses.  My scores have dropped and my blow up holes have decreased but I still struggle to break into the 80's.    I think my lost strokes are mostly around the green now.  I will continue to work on long game but I think I need to re-visit how I approach the short game 100 and in.

I see it this way:

Partial swings 1 to 110

Chips from the rough, need to fly 6-7 feet and roll, low trajectory

Chips from the fairway need to go up to 20 yards, low trajectory hits checks and trickles out

Pitches from the rough less than 60 yards usually 56 degree flies in short and rolls out

Pitches from the fairway less than 60 yards, can be 52 56 or 60 depending on the green and the circumstance, feel shot

60 to 100 will be a "half swing" with PW through 56 degree.  My version of a half a 56 degree goes 60 yards stays a foot from the pitch mark, 52 goes 85 yards, PW goes 100.  I then choke up more or less and feel the in between distance.

The first problem I want to work on is right around the green deep rough.

There is a short game area at my club and I like to spend time there.  When I do I am pretty accurate, that may be because I hit 10 balls to the same spot and dial it in but I am not sure.  The first strokes I want to get back is the short game duff.  Sunday I duffed two, balls in deep rough.  My guess is that I am decelerating but I am not sure.  My club has lush blue grass rough.  If the ball is sitting up no problem, when it sits down sometimes I get into problems.  If possible I like to hit a low 52 degree wedge and let it run out, if I don't have the room I bring out the 56 degree or 60 degree and try and fly it to where it needs to go and depending on the green let it run.  If I am flying over a hump in the green I may drop a 60 in.  My pitching stroke is a stiff wrist-ed shoulder rotation which I thought was the simplest move.  Now I am starting to think I might be better with a hinge and hold and bring the ball in higher from the rough.  The increased club head speed would cut through better.  Unfortunately the short game area in the club does not have the same rough as the course.  It never it cut as long nor is it as thick.

Any suggestions on the first area short 15 yards and in down in the rough shots.

[iacas]

You may be right that the short game is where you are losing most of your strokes at this point.

How many greens in regulation do you hit, on average? What percentage of the time do you have better than a 75% chance of hitting the green after your tee shot (par 4s and 5s)?

Yes, I'm saying again that oftentimes people think their short game needs work when really they need to work on their full swing again - but it's true, and it's a bit like that Nike commercial: "the best way to improve your short game is to have a very short short game." (The commercial shows someone stuffing a 3-wood or something.)

Beyond that, if it actually IS your short game because you hit 9 GIR and still can't break 90, then look at the pitching threads, run your putting stats, and you'll quickly shave some strokes.

[inthecup]

I do not hit a lot of greens.  I keep stats on a SkyCaddy SGXw so I know.

I hit 25% greens

55% fairways

1.9 putts per hole.

My thinking on the short game is that I made a radical change to my swing and it is coming around.  It keeps getting better and better and I am hoping the long game continues to improve.  If I could knock off the duffs and miss hits I would easily be in the 80's.

If you tell me I am wrong I will go after my driver and iron play still keeping sharp on the short game.

[BirdieNumNums]

Check out "the rule of 12".  This is for about 5-7 feet off the green and in.  I use this instead of just relying on my 56º.  I get a lot of looks the first time I measure it out(I can estimate if in the mind for a "quicker round"(I'm by no means a slow player)), but once people see the result they either ask me how I do what I'm doing or will comment on my chipping, in a good way.

The thing that intrigued me about this was the result if I caught it fat.  With a SW if I hit it fat or decelerate the result was pathetic, but using rule of 12 the results weren't ever as bad as it would have been with a SW.  After getting good at it(doesn't take long) I've knocked in more chips in on the course within 3 weeks than my previous 3 years.

Here ya go, I did the leg work for ya! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTCpkYqF8Ig