GolfTEC | Momentum

Short Game Details That Stop Most Players
By Tom Gibbs, Director of Instruction - Park Meadows, Colorado

GolfTEC research has shown players enjoy their round of golf more often when consistent contact is made with the ball. It is true, having correct full swing fundamentals to promote centered ball contact can greatly increase the enjoyment of a round of golf. If you want to see your score drop and add to the enjoyment of your round you will need to have a proven short game. Short game details that stop most players include surveying terrain accurately, being able to control distance around the green and picking the right club to pull off the shot. With this being said, I have outlined some common short game flaws and drills that will help break bad habits.

Terrain – Incorrect Reading of Greens and Surrounding Terrain – Touring Professionals success during a round of golf is largely due to their ability to navigate the course. A lot of amateur players are not able to judge gravity correctly with the roll of their ball or plan accurate terrain reactions. The lack of this management greatly reduces a players chance to have a good short game, even if mechanics are correct.

Big Picture Versus Small Picture – To get a true sense on how gravity is going to take the ball once it is rolling on the ground, avoid getting too caught up with the line between your ball and the hole. Too many times I find players not seeing the “true” line because of simply not looking around. Be sure to review the slope of the entire green, for that matter the slope of the entire golf course! Have you ever read a putt and went to address the ball only to realize you think it may break the complete opposite direction? This is most likely because you only read the break from one angle and with a narrow vision from ball to hole only. To get a better understanding of terrain and how gravity will make your ball react look more at the bigger picture.
Gravity Challenge – I have found players will typically under read the break of their putts while touring pro’s will generally over read theirs. Here is a challenge for your next round of golf. If you miss your first putt on any hole played make certain it is on the high side of the hole. Of course try to make your first putt and be realistic about it. This challenge only applies to your first putt as your second one should be close enough to tap in! It is very rare for one to go out for 18 holes and realistically miss all eighteen of their first putts on the high side, several will end up going in! Remember, most players under read breaks thus never giving their putt a chance!

Distance Control – Over / Under Shooting Your Target – How is it that touring pro’s can make it look so simple to get up and down from nearly impossible locations? Simple, they have perfected their distance control. Distance control is largely dictated by stroke length and angle of approach into the ball. Stroke length with proper acceleration helps determine the overall velocity on the ball when it flies. Proper hinging of the wrists at the correct times can promote the correct angle of approach into the ball which helps control trajectory.

10 10 10 – Here is s simple drill that will help you gain distance control. Set up ten range buckets ten yards apart for ten shots at each. Start with the ten yard shot and work your way back with each bucket until you reach the 100 yard shot. For each distance hit ten balls. The main goal of this drill is to determine stroke length on back and forward stroke for each distance. By the time you complete all ten distances you should find out which distance needs the most attention for your practice
To Hinge or Not to Hinge, that is the Question? – Usually players have over reactive wrists after impact and not enough before impact. This type of wrist movement creates a shallower angle into the golf ball which promotes thin and chunked solidness of contact. To promote a steeper angle of approach into the ball let your wrists hinge on the back stroke only. This in turn promotes you to hit more down on the golf ball for better solidness of contact. Simply placing a little more weight on your left side at address helps with a steeper angle. Towel Drill – to help gain a steeper angle into the ball, place a towel roughly two inches behind the ball. In order to not hit the towel you will need wrist hinge on the backstroke with your body weight on your left side. Not all short shots require a steep angle of approach, but for those that do, practice the towel drill. Wrist movement can be challenging, be sure to work on this with your coach in the bay to get video feedback to align your feel.

Club Selection – Incorrect Club Used to Create Desired Shot – All Professional players have a Sand Wedge…if you do not have a wedge with more loft than your pitch, get one! I find a lot of amateur players will reach into their bag for a club that simply does not have enough loft to pull off the shot at hand. Higher lofted wedges can really help your game if used properly.

Sand and Lob Wedge 101 – A typical SW has 56 degrees of loft while a typical LW has 60 degrees of loft. Either way much more loft than a standard Pitching wedge at 48 degrees. Sometimes even 60 degrees isn’t enough for short shots that require little to no roll once the ball lands. In this instance you will need to add loft to your SW or LW by opening the clubface. When you open any clubface for more loft, it aligns the club more to the right. Here is a good rule to follow: You should open your stance just as many degrees as you open your clubface to accommodate correct alignment. Use alignment rails on the ground to check it. I find players are challenged at opening their clubface because they fail to open their stance as well.

To add to your enjoyment of golf be sure to work with your GolfTEC coach on your short game. It is good to work with your coach inside the bay on video then move outdoors together for live conditions. Your coach at GolfTEC will agree that a sound short game is a major factor to lower scoring.


	\| UNDER THE MICROSCOPE \|
		Short Game Details That Stop Most Players By Tom Gibbs, Director of Instruction - Park Meadows, Colorado GolfTEC research has shown players enjoy their round of golf more often when consistent contact is made with the ball. It is true, having correct full swing fundamentals to promote centered ball contact can greatly increase the enjoyment of a round of golf. If you want to see your score drop and add to the enjoyment of your round you will need to have a proven short game. Short game details that stop most players include surveying terrain accurately, being able to control distance around the green and picking the right club to pull off the shot. With this being said, I have outlined some common short game flaws and drills that will help break bad habits. Terrain – Incorrect Reading of Greens and Surrounding Terrain – Touring Professionals success during a round of golf is largely due to their ability to navigate the course. A lot of amateur players are not able to judge gravity correctly with the roll of their ball or plan accurate terrain reactions. The lack of this management greatly reduces a players chance to have a good short game, even if mechanics are correct. Big Picture Versus Small Picture – To get a true sense on how gravity is going to take the ball once it is rolling on the ground, avoid getting too caught up with the line between your ball and the hole. Too many times I find players not seeing the “true” line because of simply not looking around. Be sure to review the slope of the entire green, for that matter the slope of the entire golf course! Have you ever read a putt and went to address the ball only to realize you think it may break the complete opposite direction? This is most likely because you only read the break from one angle and with a narrow vision from ball to hole only. To get a better understanding of terrain and how gravity will make your ball react look more at the bigger picture. Gravity Challenge – I have found players will typically under read the break of their putts while touring pro’s will generally over read theirs. Here is a challenge for your next round of golf. If you miss your first putt on any hole played make certain it is on the high side of the hole. Of course try to make your first putt and be realistic about it. This challenge only applies to your first putt as your second one should be close enough to tap in! It is very rare for one to go out for 18 holes and realistically miss all eighteen of their first putts on the high side, several will end up going in! Remember, most players under read breaks thus never giving their putt a chance! Distance Control – Over / Under Shooting Your Target – How is it that touring pro’s can make it look so simple to get up and down from nearly impossible locations? Simple, they have perfected their distance control. Distance control is largely dictated by stroke length and angle of approach into the ball. Stroke length with proper acceleration helps determine the overall velocity on the ball when it flies. Proper hinging of the wrists at the correct times can promote the correct angle of approach into the ball which helps control trajectory. 10 10 10 – Here is s simple drill that will help you gain distance control. Set up ten range buckets ten yards apart for ten shots at each. Start with the ten yard shot and work your way back with each bucket until you reach the 100 yard shot. For each distance hit ten balls. The main goal of this drill is to determine stroke length on back and forward stroke for each distance. By the time you complete all ten distances you should find out which distance needs the most attention for your practice To Hinge or Not to Hinge, that is the Question? – Usually players have over reactive wrists after impact and not enough before impact. This type of wrist movement creates a shallower angle into the golf ball which promotes thin and chunked solidness of contact. To promote a steeper angle of approach into the ball let your wrists hinge on the back stroke only. This in turn promotes you to hit more down on the golf ball for better solidness of contact. Simply placing a little more weight on your left side at address helps with a steeper angle. Towel Drill – to help gain a steeper angle into the ball, place a towel roughly two inches behind the ball. In order to not hit the towel you will need wrist hinge on the backstroke with your body weight on your left side. Not all short shots require a steep angle of approach, but for those that do, practice the towel drill. Wrist movement can be challenging, be sure to work on this with your coach in the bay to get video feedback to align your feel. Club Selection – Incorrect Club Used to Create Desired Shot – All Professional players have a Sand Wedge…if you do not have a wedge with more loft than your pitch, get one! I find a lot of amateur players will reach into their bag for a club that simply does not have enough loft to pull off the shot at hand. Higher lofted wedges can really help your game if used properly. Sand and Lob Wedge 101 – A typical SW has 56 degrees of loft while a typical LW has 60 degrees of loft. Either way much more loft than a standard Pitching wedge at 48 degrees. Sometimes even 60 degrees isn’t enough for short shots that require little to no roll once the ball lands. In this instance you will need to add loft to your SW or LW by opening the clubface. When you open any clubface for more loft, it aligns the club more to the right. Here is a good rule to follow: You should open your stance just as many degrees as you open your clubface to accommodate correct alignment. Use alignment rails on the ground to check it. I find players are challenged at opening their clubface because they fail to open their stance as well. To add to your enjoyment of golf be sure to work with your GolfTEC coach on your short game. It is good to work with your coach inside the bay on video then move outdoors together for live conditions. Your coach at GolfTEC will agree that a sound short game is a major factor to lower scoring.
				How can you achieve backspin from 100 yards and in? In this article, proper techniques to create backspin from close range are addressed. \| READ MORE \|

				Golf Digest names GolfTEC clients among top 100 Most Improved in 2007. \| READ MORE \|

				Improve your chipping with the Tac Tic training aid. The Tac Tic will help prevent the breakdown of the left wrist during impact. \| READ MORE \|

				What kind of golf clubs do our Coaches carry for on-course success? \| READ MORE \|

			UNDER THE MICROSCOPE SHORT GAME DETAILS THAT STOP MOST PLAYERS \| FULL STORY INSIDE \|

Albuquerque • Atlanta • Allentown • Austin • Birmingham • Boston • Charleston • Chicago • Cincinnati • Cleveland Columbus • Dallas • Denver • Des Moines • Detroit • Fort Collins • Grand Junction • Hawaii • Houston Indianapolis • Inland Empire/Palm Springs • Jacksonville • Kansas City • Knoxville • Las Vegas • Lubbock Memphis • Milwaukee • Minneapolis • Nashville • NYC Metro • North Carolina • North Jersey • North LA • Omaha Orange County • Orlando • Oxnard/Santa Barbara • Philadelphia • Phoenix • Pittsburgh • Portland • Reno Richmond • Rochester • Rowland Heights • Sacramento • San Antonio • San Diego • Santa Clarita SF Bay Area • Seattle • St. Louis • South Florida • Tampa • Tucson • West LA • Westchester