What players have the best short games that you like to watch?

[SCTrojan08]

What players have short games that you admire the most and why?

[Chris223]

Who else but Phil?  What I wouldn't give to hit one solid crisp "phil flop" just once in my life.

[saevel25]

If you look at the top short game guys on tour right now, the top 5 in short game the past 5 years. The most consistent year to year are,

Brian Gay

Matt Kutchar

Steve Stricker

Luke Donald

Charles Howell III

Phil is ranked 52nd, he only has 2 top 25 scrambling years in the past 5 years, not very good. For a so called genius he's surprisingly not consistent with the short game. Though i think that's due to his putting more than anything.

[GingerGolfer]

If you look at the top short game guys on tour right now, the top 5 in short game the past 5 years. The most consistent year to year are,

Brian Gay

Matt Kutchar

Steve Stricker

Luke Donald

Charles Howell III

Phil is ranked 52nd, he only has 2 top 25 scrambling years in the past 5 years, not very good. For a so called genius he's surprisingly not consistent with the short game. Though i think that's due to his putting more than anything.

I think people call him a genius simply because he can hit shots than nobody else can. His basic chips are just average for the tour, but the higher the degree of difficulty the better he gets. The shot he hit in the scottish open to win was a shot I don't think anybody else could have pulled off in those circumstances

[saevel25]

Back to OP, i went off topic, I honestly like to watch Tiger's short game. I always thought it was his most under-rated part of his game. That pitch shot he made for the master's was just amazing, then the flop shot at The Memorial a few years ago.

[Stretch]

Brett Rumford.

[Shorty]

Brett Rumford.

Yep.

Rumford is probably the best. Second only to Mickelson, I'd say.

Maybe even better but without the crazy wow factor.

[boogielicious]

Current players: Luke Donald from the sand.  Phil for any crazy shot. Tiger putting when he is on.

Past players:  Tom Watson, Seve, Ray Floyd.

[jamo]

If you look at the top short game guys on tour right now, the top 5 in short game the past 5 years. The most consistent year to year are, Brian Gay Matt Kutchar Steve Stricker Luke Donald Charles Howell III Phil is ranked 52nd, he only has 2 top 25 scrambling years in the past 5 years, not very good. For a so called genius he's surprisingly not consistent with the short game. Though i think that's due to his putting more than anything.

Yup. I've mentioned this before, but Phil is very up and down. He'll hit an amazing shot you didn't think was possible, and then he'll flub a 40-yard chip halfway there. He's flashy but not terribly consistent. Tiger's actually had better short game numbers for most of their careers, even when you take out putting.

[MS256]

Well since my short game rules are:

1. Only use as much loft as necessary for the shot at hand.

2. Only depend on as much spin as necessary for the shot at hand.

Day in and day out I would have to go with Stricker and Donald.

Tiger doesn't break those rules to excess and (mostly) picks his spots so I'll go with him as number three.

Phil makes a mockery of my rules but since he's so good at it he (mostly) gets away with it, but I have seen it cost him if the ball is sitting off of the ground and a more simple shot would suffice.

For the big situations at the most crucial times I'll go with Tiger mostly because he seemed to always make the tough putt when he absolutely had to have it.

My natural instincts in the short game lead me to way too many Phil type shots so I constantly have to remind myself that there's no need to make something hard out of something easy when it's totally unnecessary.

[saevel25]

Well since my short game rules are:

1. Only use as much loft as necessary for the shot at hand.

2. Only depend on as much spin as necessary for the shot at hand.

Day in and day out I would have to go with Stricker and Donald.

Tiger doesn't break those rules to excess and (mostly) picks his spots so I'll go with him as number three.

Phil makes a mockery of my rules but since he's so good at it he (mostly) gets away with it, but I have seen it cost him if the ball is sitting off of the ground and a more simple shot would suffice.

For the big situations at the most crucial times I'll go with Tiger mostly because he seemed to always make the tough putt when he absolutely had to have it.

My natural instincts in the short game lead me to way too many Phil type shots so I constantly have to remind myself that there's no need to make something hard out of something easy when it's totally unnecessary.

I have never seen tiger pull out a mid iron for a chip shot. Tiger pretty much used his wedges

Want someone who breaks your rules, Stan Utley. He was a one wedge for multiple shots type of guy, and he had one of the best short games ever. I think he still holds the record for the least amount of putts in a round because he chipped in an obscene amount of times.

Basically, do what works for you. I prefer to use one wedge for all my shots, i am just comfortable with developing feel that way. The only time i wont, is if i pull out my hybrid for just off the fringe shots.

[Ernest Jones]

I have never seen tiger pull out a mid iron for a chip shot. Tiger pretty much used his wedges Want someone who breaks your rules, Stan Utley. He was a one wedge for multiple shots type of guy, and he had one of the best short games ever. I think he still holds the record for the least amount of putts in a round because he chipped in an obscene amount of times.  Basically, do what works for you. I prefer to use one wedge for all my shots, i am just comfortable with developing feel that way. The only time i wont, is if i pull out my hybrid for just off the fringe shots.

For me it depends on the motion I'm using. If its a real chip or pitch with speed I'll almost always use my 56* but I also use a putting motion whenever feasible in which case I'll use the iron that gives me the correct air-roll ratio.

[mvmac]

Tom Pernice Jr.  Could watch him all day around the greens.  Learned from Seve.

[Stretch]

People often forget him in this department because of the focus on his full swing, but I read an article with not that long ago with Peter Alliss and some of the other old stagers where the consensus was that if you needed someone to pitch a golf ball close with your life on the line you could do a lot worse than to call Ernie.

Interesting to me that he sets up the same way Rumford does. Left foot turned out, right square to in, knees in. Lower body stays very quiet.

[MS256]

I have never seen tiger pull out a mid iron for a chip shot. Tiger pretty much used his wedges

Want someone who breaks your rules, Stan Utley. He was a one wedge for multiple shots type of guy, and he had one of the best short games ever. I think he still holds the record for the least amount of putts in a round because he chipped in an obscene amount of times.

Basically, do what works for you. I prefer to use one wedge for all my shots, i am just comfortable with developing feel that way. The only time i wont, is if i pull out my hybrid for just off the fringe shots.

Not that it matters but my rules have little to do with the loft stamped on a club. Lower loft and/or less spin can be done with a lofted club.

[k-troop]

No votes for Zach Johnson?

I guess it's not specifically "short game", but I love watching that guy play wedge shots.  His hinge-and-turn swing is perfect for hitting less than full wedges; the way he rotates his hips hard through the ball and holds the face open is perfect mechanics (though it does look a bit mechanical).  His distance control is superb, and you almost never see him spin one wildly back.

Around the greens, especially from bunkers, I like Luke Donald.  His tempo on pitches and bunker shots is so silky, and I think he led the tour from <100 yards on more than one occasion.

[boogielicious]

Zach certainly has great wedge play, but most consider chip, pitch, sand and putt as short game.