Two years ago my short game was a mess; chunks and bladed shots. I had no confidence at all. I decided I needed to do something about it. I worked on it every spare moment I had. I did not take a lesson, though I spoke with a couple pros. We just couldn't work out our schedules. I watched videos, other golfers who were good at it, read articles and practiced, practiced, practiced. Some things didn't work for me. Some did. By last August I began to feel some confidence (yes, it took that long). Now, when looking at a 20 yard pitch or a ten yard chip I feel pretty good about my chances. Same goes for bunker play. I worked on that for months. Spending as much time as I could several days a week trying different things. It was a lot of work. You can take a lesson but you still have to put in the time. I'm a 9 handicap but I do not fear bunker play anymore. In fact, today I got up and down to save par on the 18th hole with a fairly difficult bunker shot (ball above my feet to a rather steep, elevated green). That felt good.