Bel
|
Home |
Driving Range & Miniature Golf |
Learning Center |Golf
Pro Shop Golf Tips Articles by Jay Perkins, PGA Professional  •ON THE GREEN• Article Seven Perfecting short game still best way to chip away at scorecard numbers BY JAY PERKINS When it comes to the short game or scoring game, using a variety of clubs can add creativity to your game and lower your score at the same time. I can’t count how many times I’ve played with golfers who use only one club for all types of short game shots. Whether it was a chip shot from just off the green, or a lob type shot that needs more spin and height, they use the same club such as a pitching wedge or eight iron. When asked why they limit themselves to one club for such a wide variety of shots, they usually reply that they didn’t know how to use the different clubs or they just simply did not know they could use other clubs for those particular types of shots. There are many ways to hit different shots, but to limit oneself to a single club, with a single technique, only restricts the golfers options and actually can increase pressure to hit that one particular type of shot, the only one they know. If you stop and think about the infinite number of different green-side lies one can get, combined with the varying topography between the golfer and the flagstick, it makes you wonder if we shouldn’t have more clubs in the bag. Right now, we will stick with 14, but remember the golfer’s bag has plenty of clubs other than just a nine iron, eight iron and pitching wedge. You probably have seen tour players use their putter from off the green or a three wood just off the fringe. What this is telling you is that they don’t restrict themselves to one or even two clubs, but actually utilize every possible club in the bag to help lower their score or make the short game easier. When teaching chipping, I personally try and introduce the idea of using anything from a five iron through a lob wedge for chips and light pitches around the green. Obviously, there are more that can be used, but introducing that many takes time and certainly a fair amount of practice time on the part of the player to gain confidence in using such a wide variety of clubs in so many types of situations. The best way to gain confidence is to learn the proper techniques for chipping, pitching and green-side play from a golf professional and then apply the different techniques to a wide variety of lies and terrain. Fortunately, the techniques are not hard to learn or understand, but practicing and applying them takes perseverance on the part of the golfer. Once put into practice, so confidence can be raised, the short game becomes something the golfer looks forward to performing and can in itself spur the golfer on to better scores. As golfers, we all know Dave Pelz has built a business around this phase of the game. He knew, from studying statistics from the world’s best players, how using variety and different skills around the green can consistently lower scores and boost confidence levels. Years ago, when I was a young apprentice golf professional under the tutelage of Baltimore golfing icon Johnny Bass, he impressed on me how important it was to learn as much about the short game as possible. He would constantly tell me to hit chip shots and putts and work more on shots from 100 yards and into the green than on the swing itself. He would tell me that if you can get the ball close to the hole on chips, sand shots, and pitch shots, the green appears to be much bigger, because your confidence will grow to the point where if you do miss the green, you know you can still save par and not lose strokes to par. He was right and definitely ahead of his time in his thinking. We know now that the short game is a large part of being able to score better. Just think about Tiger Woods and all those wonderful miracle shots he hits on television week in and week out, and all the new types of wedges now on the market. We now have such a great opportunity to expand our possibilities around the green, with the wide range of new techniques being introduced from great teaching professionals and the wide variety of new equipment on the market. There are no excuses for limiting ourselves to one or two clubs or one technique for short game play. We have infinite possibilities and need to take advantage of them all. Keep and open mind, be willing to learn and practice, practice, practice! There’s a whole new level of golf out there just waiting for you to experience it. If you have any questions regarding this tip or others, please feel free to e-mail me Jay Perkins at jperkins@pga.com. I will be happy to share with you any thought or ideas I have on the swing or your game. Good luck and thanks for visiting us at www.belairgolfcenter.com. Stay balanced and have fun! Harford County resident Jay Perkins is the PGA Professional at Bel Air Golf Center in Kingsville. Read more about Jay Perkins. More articles |
Your Complete Center for Golf
Home | Driving Range & Miniature Golf | Learning Center |Golf Pro Shop
3103 Belair Road, Kingsville, Maryland 21087-1016
Route 1 just below Mountain Road
410-817-GOLF (4653) | 410-817-4107 (Fax)