| A great way to lower your score is to reduce | | | | should always be in front of the face of the |
| the number of strokes it takes to get you to | | | | club at impact. |
| the hole once you are within shooting | | | | |
| distance of the green and this article | | | | Try a few practice chips and pitches with the |
| examines just how to go about making your | | | | toe of your rear foot balanced on your front |
| short game even shorter. | | | | foot. This forces you to put your weight onto |
| | | | your front foot. Now, stand normally and hit |
| As something like three quarters of all golf | | | | a few more practice shots. At first this |
| shots are made within 120 yards of the hole, | | | | exercise might seem a little bit silly, but |
| your short game provides you with the | | | | you'll be surprised at how well it helps to |
| opportunity to improve your score with less | | | | prevent you hanging back and lifting the ball |
| effort. One good technique for improving your | | | | into the air. |
| short game, which is as much mental as | | | | |
| physical, is to start from the hole and work | | | | Remember too that if your head is behind the |
| backwards. Begin by getting your ball to the | | | | ball then your weight will also tend to be |
| hole from just off the green and then move | | | | behind the ball. To prevent those fat chip |
| progressively backwards out to a distance of | | | | shots you want to keep your weight to the |
| 100 to 120 yards. | | | | front. Remember also that keeping the ball on |
| | | | the ground longer will increase your |
| The first thing you need to do of course is | | | | accuracy. |
| to select the right club. The more height you | | | | |
| want on a shot, the more loft you will need | | | | Now try taking a 7 or 8 iron and move your |
| on your club, so simply match the height and | | | | grip an inch or so below the position in |
| distance to our selection of club number. | | | | which you would normally grip the club. Align |
| Remember though that on short shots you want | | | | your shoulders with the target line and open |
| the ball to stay out of the air as much as | | | | your stance slightly. Keeping your lower body |
| possible. | | | | still and allowing the arms and shoulders to |
| | | | do the work, take the club back about 18 |
| For short shots position your chest in front | | | | inches and use a putting stroke allowing the |
| of the ball and shift the majority of your | | | | club to follow through by about 18 inches |
| weight onto the balls of your feet. For | | | | after impact. |
| higher shots move your chest farther back, | | | | |
| even slightly behind the ball, and put | | | | For a good chip shot you need to lean a |
| slightly less weight onto the balls of your | | | | little towards the target and make sure that |
| feet. | | | | your hands a set slightly ahead of the ball. |
| | | | Also, narrow your stance and flex your knees |
| In general, power is not an issue in the | | | | slightly. Your swing doesn't require a great |
| short game and proper contact with the ball | | | | deal of force and, if you impact the ball |
| will do more to ensure accuracy and the | | | | squarely on the sweet spot, you will also |
| correct distance than having a forceful | | | | stop the ball from getting too much height. |
| swing. You need to concentrate therefore on | | | | |
| getting the club face to connect squarely | | | | With a little bit of practice you'll find |
| with the ball at its sweetspot. This is | | | | that your short game can become very short |
| particularly important when using wedges, as | | | | and, once you've got it as short as possible, |
| the loft on the club can easily result in a | | | | the next things to do is to shorten your |
| hooked or sliced shot. Remember too that, in | | | | putting game. |
| the short game, the handle of the golf club | | | | |