6 Handicap - need a short game training plan

[smurfsky101]

Does anyone have a good resource / thread to go to to get a 'training plan'?

I just came off a long break since high school, where I usually shot in the mid 80s, but never really practice properly (just whacked the ball around on the range).

Coming off the break, I figured the best approach would be to play a decent bit of golf and get a 'baseline'. I'm trying to approach this like a damn scientist. The whole game golf thing is really fun.

Obviously, I need to learn how to get up and down. Whenever I miss a green or am more than 20 feet away, I have a dreadful feeling that i'm about to throw away another 3 strokes as i walk up to the green.

GameGolf link http://www.gamegolf.com/player/smurfsky101

Current State / Stats

• Relatively happy with my swing / solid fundamentals.
• average score 79.5
• 41% FIR 
• 57% GIR
• 25% scrambling
• 36 putts
• 285 yard driver average (35% fairways hit)
• 247 yard 3 wood average (43% fairways hit)
• 3.71 avg (par 3s)
• 4.37 avg (par 4s)
• 5.21 avg (par 5s)

Strengths

1. length off of tee
2. short irons 
3. bunker shots
4. escape / recovery shots (over trees, punch shots, etc)

Weaknesses

1. chipping from all distances and lies
2. 4 to 7 foot putts
3. 15 to 50 yard pitches
4. lag putting
5. course management

What next?

My goal is to reduce my handicap by 4 strokes (getting closer to averaging 75) before the end of this year, including the existing rounds. I assume that will mean I'll need to dedicate 90% of my time to short game practice, but I want to make sure I do it in the most efficient way possible.

Given the above information, does the community here have any ideas for a 'training plan' that I could attack? I find that my short game practice isnt productive, and I'm not seeing any gains reflected in my score in that area. I know i've geeked out a bit here, but I'm treating this like a job, and I believe that I have the ability to drop at least 3 strokes before it 'gets harder' again, and I'll have to really work to find areas to pick up easy strokes. It's very frustrating hitting 11 greens and still shooting around 80.....

[mchepp]

Lots of good short game stuff out there. My recommendation would be:

http://shortgamesecrets.tv

You can buy one or buy all of the videos. I have watched a few and they have helped.

[Club Rat]

46 minutes ago, smurfsky101 said:

Weaknesses

1. chipping from all distances and lies
2. 4 to 7 foot putts
3. 15 to 50 yard pitches
4. lag putting
5. course management

Most low handicappers can virtually get up and down from everywhere. If you sharpen your play around the green, it will cure other situations which drive up scores and lessen the burden which also causes stress on other parts of your game.
It also leads to better approach shots by being more relaxed and allows you to concentrate on the shot you want to make.

Short game requires imagination and skills. There are times when a simple basic play may be a better choice than let's say a spinner attempt. Short game skills also require confidence in your abilities.

I like to work on basics and the tough shots every chance I have. I'll start with chipping with each wedge, bump and run with 9 & 8, hit flops from tight lies and ruff and pinch shots to various distances.

Honestly, the key is simply dedication to practice, practice, practice.

[phillyk]

It depends on what type of learner/player you are around the green.  Whether it's eyeing the shot and playing accordingly or trying to land the ball at a specific spot with a certain amount of spin.  I have gone through both and right now, I'm more of trying to land the ball at a specific spot.

As to the drills/practice.  One plan is to go to a nice practice area or a dead course in the very late afternoon and drop 100 balls between green-side fringe and 40yds out or whatever.  Hit all of them with one wedge, then do it over again with another wedge, and lastly doing it again by choosing a certain wedge for a specific shot.  A good thing to recognize as you do this is ball flight or arch of the ball with each wedge, because it will help determine what wedge you need for a situation.  Another drill is dropping a dozen balls near a practice green with 5-ish different pins set-up.  Hit to each of the pins but randomly and never going at the same pin twice in a row.  Idea being that you don't want to get too comfortable going for the same spot.  This drill is a good one to use with a aim stick thingy to also work on the actual stroke.

[JxQx]

It may be a good idea just to get a short game lesson. There are probably some flaws with your chipping form or putting stroke leading to a lot of your issues. Also have you been fit for your putter? That may be another aspect to look at if you haven't already.

[p1n9183]

Just according to the stats you really need to start practicing putting. After knocking down 2 or 3 strokes against scratch golfer you can divide your practice between putter and short game. 

[Groucho Valentine]

Its hard to recommend a training plan per sea. So much of short game and putting is about personal feel and touch i find it hard to describe sometimes. But i agree with a couple of other posters here and say the quickest way you're going to drop strokes is to improve your putting. 36 per 18 is an awful lot of putts... 

Ive found that as a players ball striking skill improves, the more important putting becomes. Especially  5-10 footers. If you can manage to one putt 3 or 4 of those 11 GIR you get a round, it can make a huge difference in your scores. 

[Jameson]

Agree with latest comments, good putting is key, and for the great ball strikers, even more. We always think that our putt is good or not bad and hence don´t spend a lot of time practising it... but, putt is key and always can get better. At least, is what has happened to myself, I am improving it with different exercises and my scorecard is getting better too...

[DaveP043]

20 hours ago, smurfsky101 said:

• Relatively happy with my swing / solid fundamentals.
• average score 79.5
• 41% FIR 
• 57% GIR
• 25% scrambling
• 36 putts

The last two are telling, to me, especially the number of putts.  For me, I expect 32 or so putts to be normal, below 30 is really good, 36 is simply bad.  What has to improve?  You need to hit full shots closer, that will decrease 3-putts, and probably increase 1-putts.  You have to hit your first putt closer, that will decrease 3-putts.  You have to chip and pitch closer, that will increase 1-putts.  You have to make more of the medium to short putts, decreasing 3-putts and increasing 1-putts.  Which ones are specific to you, I have no idea, you have to decide.  Short game and/or putting lessons might be in order.  

You may want to look through the instructional content on this site, especially in the Swing Thoughts area, there's lots of good advice from good instructors there.  You could post videos of your swing, including putting, chipping, and pitching swings, in the Members Swing area, and get advice from good instructors.  Be sure to Reveal Hidden Contents to understand how that area works, and for advice on how to film and upload video.

[phillyk]

Well to add onto my previous post, to work on putting, you can just putt everything out after you practice chipping/pitching.  It doesn't take a lot to improve on the both of these.

[smurfsky101]

Thanks everyone for the tips!

I think I have a lack of fundamentals on <50 yard shots. Spent some time yesterday comparing my chipping & pitching strokes against  a more 'hinge & hold' technique. Made some modifications and saw immediate results (able to get most shots from 20 to 50 feet in the fringe to within 5 feet out of a few hundred practice strokes on a variety of lies)

Putting in particular i'm having issues with reconciling what my minds -eye line is compared against where I'm 'actually' aiming. Going to try and work on that today.

Also, I have some mental issues surrounding shooting low scores, get nervous and start thinking about the score instead of hitting each shot, hopefully with time that will get easier. Maybe go play a few rounds from the ladies tees to practice shooting real low.

21 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

The last two are telling, to me, especially the number of putts.  For me, I expect 32 or so putts to be normal, below 30 is really good, 36 is simply bad.  What has to improve?  You need to hit full shots closer, that will decrease 3-putts, and probably increase 1-putts.  You have to hit your first putt closer, that will decrease 3-putts.  You have to chip and pitch closer, that will increase 1-putts.  You have to make more of the medium to short putts, decreasing 3-putts and increasing 1-putts.  Which ones are specific to you, I have no idea, you have to decide.  Short game and/or putting lessons might be in order.  

You may want to look through the instructional content on this site, especially in the Swing Thoughts area, there's lots of good advice from good instructors there.  You could post videos of your swing, including putting, chipping, and pitching swings, in the Members Swing area, and get advice from good instructors.  Be sure to Reveal Hidden Contents to understand how that area works, and for advice on how to film and upload video.

@DaveP043, you're out of NOVA also? Where do you normally play?

[TourSpoon]

When I attacked this issue a few years ago I really concentrated on practicing the short game every chance I could get even on the way to work! To start with I realized that I needed to get the ball closer to the hole so when I practiced chips, pitches, and sand game, I made a goal to get X number of short shots within 6 feet of the hole. I didn't move onto the next shot until I made my goal. So if I started with off the green chip shots I would try to get 7/10 in that range and then move to the next area of concentration. I would also do the drill with my 48, 54 and 60* wedges to have a club for any situation (except the bunker then it was just the 54 and 60*. 

The next area was putting. I would start with having to make at minimum 10-25 3 footers in-a-row on a straight line and moved to 6 footers trying to do the same (10 takes a while). Then I moved to 10 feet and would not leave until I was 6/10. I would also do the clock drill with 3 and 6 footers with a specific goal. It's amazing when you get adept at these how the confidence improves all areas of your game. I agree with Dave that 36 putts is too many. 

As a result, I was able to improve my up/down percentages to save par more often. Having some confidence, It allowed me to free up my mind on those approaches. I also took some short game lessons to help me understand how to hit a variety of shots and to get some perspective on the many options there are. Whenever I go for a tune-up, I spend time on that area. 

The lag putting and longer pitches just take practice. Lag putting became a lot easier knowing that I was solid from 3-6 feet and again, it takes a lot of pressure off the mind. Once last thought, before every round, even if it's the only thing I do, I hit a bunch of 3 footers to get that confidence. It's funny how a simple 3 foot par save on the first hole can just bring about a great mindset into the rest of your day. Good luck! 

[TourSpoon]

So I just got back from the range and did my chipping/pitching drill. It's a lifesaver. I was thinking about your GIR being on average 10/18 greens. That putting stat sticks out at 36. If you on average miss only 8 greens, can avoid the dreaded 3 putt, and get up/down 50% of the time you are shooting 76. Throw in a birdie or two and you are golden. 

 

[nycgopher]

One thing that helped me immensely when I was a low handicap was taking 3 balls and putting them in a variety of lies around the green. I would treat them as if I were playing them in an actual round as far as preparation, focus and pre-shot routine and hit each one to a different hole. Then I would go putt them out. If my lag putting needed work I would do the exact same thing but only use a putter and be on the green. This required me to hit a different kind of shot on every stroke. Just like grooving your swing on the driving range on one course is vastly different from the course, going and hitting 100 chip shots with the same wedge is a little bit different from playing on the course. I would rather a beginner stick with hitting a lot of wedge shots using the proper technique but when you get to a low handicap you have the swing ingrained. At this point the short game is about learning to feel the distance without having a chance to hit the shot several times before. Add pressure when you want to go home - I have to get 5 in a row up and down before I can leave sort of thing.

Another thing that can be useful is to have distance markers in your backswing for putting. Ex: You take it back this far for a typical 10 footer and then let gravity do the rest and so on so forth. On slower greens this was something I could do for shorter distances but for longer putts would have to actually add some additional acceleration. I found that it was easier to use this strategy on faster greens.

[dave s]

my only input here to be to make sure you have the right, best tools (clubs) for your short game.  I made a couple of bonehead wedge purchases then called Titleist Vokey from their website.  As soon as I said, I live near Firestone CC in Akron, the guy knew exact course conditions I'd face and recommended the right loft, bounce and grind for my 'around the green' wedges.

So many people I play with don't have tools that allow them to get it close very often.  It's tough to hit a wedge with a near flat sole out of 3-4" Kentucky bluegrass. OTOH, a wedge with the right bounce number and grind slides right through that spinach.

If you're playing on bermuda, wedge choices might differ.  For playing off really tight bent grass approaches and deeper (up north) roughs, I have the right tools to get the job done.

Also, I used to use several clubs, (8-iron all the way through my most lofted wedge) around the greens to pull off any and all shots.  This year I simplified things and use a PW or my 58* (most lofted) wedge.  I'm much better with those two than trying to pull off an 8-iron pitch and run with good distance control.

Lastly, I try to stay out of that 15-50 yard range at all cost.  I'm good on the low end of the range from 15-20 yards or so, but the 20-50 yard range is a difficult shot for most players unless its a very straight forward pitch and run.  If you have to hit a 40 yard shot from a tight lie, float it up and have it land softly, that a REALLY tough shot unless your name happens to be Phil.

Make sure you have the right tools, first and foremost. Second, try to simplify the process and get really good with two clubs before introducing more.

dave

[GolfLug]

7 minutes ago, dave s said:

my only input here to be to make sure you have the right, best tools (clubs) for your short game.  I made a couple of bonehead wedge purchases then called Titleist Vokey from their website.  As soon as I said, I live near Firestone CC in Akron, the guy knew exact course conditions I'd face and recommended the right loft, bounce and grind for my 'around the green' wedges.

So many people I play with don't have tools that allow them to get it close very often.  It's tough to hit a wedge with a near flat sole out of 3-4" Kentucky bluegrass. OTOH, a wedge with the right bounce number and grind slides right through that spinach.

If you're playing on bermuda, wedge choices might differ.  For playing off really tight bent grass approaches and deeper (up north) roughs, I have the right tools to get the job done.

Also, I used to use several clubs, (8-iron all the way through my most lofted wedge) around the greens to pull off any and all shots.  This year I simplified things and use a PW or my 58* (most lofted) wedge.  I'm much better with those two than trying to pull off an 8-iron pitch and run with good distance control.

Lastly, I try to stay out of that 15-50 yard range at all cost.  I'm good on the low end of the range from 15-20 yards or so, but the 20-50 yard range is a difficult shot for most players unless its a very straight forward pitch and run.  If you have to hit a 40 yard shot from a tight lie, float it up and have it land softly, that a REALLY tough shot unless your name happens to be Phil.

Make sure you have the right tools, first and foremost. Second, try to simplify the process and get really good with two clubs before introducing more.

dave

Great post. I have always had a vanilla approach to all short game shots - My 56 deg. WS Ping Glide gets the business for EVERYTHING 105 yards in. This year I am going to experiment a bit with different bounces.

[smurfsky101]

First off, thank you all for your advice! Am working on practicing with a purpose, chipping with the phil technique and putting everything out, adding pressure before being done with the practice session

Just got back from Scotland (wedding there), played a few links courses including North Berwick. - the fairways are so hard you can putt pretty much everything from around the green!

 

Highlights include (North Berwick Links) 

* 6 strokes to get out of course

* four putt

* chipped into a stone wall a few times (losing distance on the hole)

* 2 birdies

* 87

 

[Patch]

Short games lessons are a good thing. I have taken short game lessons myself, and they do help. 

If you want something to read, and you can keep track of you progress, there was a book out some years ago called Anthem's Golf Red Zone Challenge, or something like that. Pretty sure it's still available. Has some good practice plans in it. 

Any kind of practice, on anything, is going to require time be allotted to get the most out of that practice method. What I mean by that is, let say a person's learning curve is 10 hours for something. Lets say that person only puts in 4 hours of practice. After only 4 hours that person gets frusterated, and repeats the same time mistake with another practice scenario. I see this in golf quite a bit. Some folks just don't stick with their practice method long enough to see the desired improvement.