Did nothing but chipping & putting for 2 months ... the result

[rkim291968]

About 2.5 months ago, I fell down and ended up with what my doctor said was a "bruised nerve."  He said it will take about 5 weeks to heal.  Well, it took 10 weeks b/c I kept doing things that delayed the recovery.   For those 10 weeks, the only golf stuff I could do was putting off green (which I never was good at, I always chipped even from 1st cut), or making short chips.   I did that for about 2 months on the course.  And the result was significant.  My short game improved.  For the 1st 3 rounds off of the injury, I averaged 30 putts per round, 2+ improvement. 

OTOH, my swing form didn't suffer much.   I lost 20 yards on average but managing to keep the ball in play more.   With the aforementioned improvement, I am playing at the similar level before the injury.

So, what's the morale of the story?   If you are injured and is limited to do only specific things (like putting), you can still keep in reasonable golf "shape" so to speak.

 

[Shindig]

Welcome back to golf.  I'm glad to hear about your recovery.  Now get your full game back!

[Zeph]

A friend of mine came by a few times some years ago to hang out in the backyard. I had some clubs and balls out, so we were chipping and pitching around the lawn. He doesn't play golf much, but after taking part in this pastime activity he started getting better at it. One of the following days we took a trip to a course and played a round of golf. His long game was atrocious, as most beginners are, but when he got close to the green, he was getting the ball on the green and close to the hole from all kinds of locations. Given his poor long game, he usually ended up outside of the green.

Practice works, and it's easier with the short game since everything is slower and shorter. It's a lot more difficult to make changes on the full swing. Not practicing the short game and putting is pretty common for the average golfer, and quite a few shots are lost because of it. Same thing goes for the bunkers. I had a period where I practiced bunker shots a lot, and when I ended up in one on the course, I felt like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Another morale of the story would be to practice every aspect of the game, and not only the short game when you are injured. Do it when you are healthy too! 

[Gator Hazard]

1 hour ago, rkim291968 said:

About 2.5 months ago, I fell down and ended up with what my doctor said was a "bruised nerve."  He said it will take about 5 weeks to heal.  Well, it took 10 weeks b/c I kept doing things that delayed the recovery.   For those 10 weeks, the only golf stuff I could do was putting off green (which I never was good at, I always chipped even from 1st cut), or making short chips.   I did that for about 2 months on the course.  And the result was significant.  My short game improved.  For the 1st 3 rounds off of the injury, I averaged 30 putts per round, 2+ improvement. 

OTOH, my swing form didn't suffer much.   I lost 20 yards on average but managing to keep the ball in play more.   With the aforementioned improvement, I am playing at the similar level before the injury.

So, what's the morale of the story?   If you are injured and is limited to do only specific things (like putting), you can still keep in reasonable golf "shape" so to speak.

 

Welcome back dude! 

[David in FL]

Glad you're back!  

[Buckeyebowman]

I can believe it. Today I and a friend engaged in a 2 man scramble against his Dad and his Uncle. His Uncle has, shall we say, some mental issues. He's on meds. Also, he didn't play golf until his Brother (my friend's Dad) got him some clubs and started taking him to a par 3 course just to get him out of the house. Nowadays, if he's not playing golf, he's chipping around the back yard, He will do this all day, every day!

This year he's gotten much better. He's not long, but he keeps the ball in play. And get him abaout 40-50 yards from the green, he's an absolute killer! Hole after hole after hole, he was chipping and pitching to one putt distance! He blew our minds!

And, BTW, we lost!

Edited June 9, 2017 by Buckeyebowman