Short Game woes

I am currently playing off a handicap of 5 (just about) and my long game has been brilliant for the last few months. However, when it comes to shots from 100 yards and in my game goes to absolute pieces! Shots requiring a full swing are ok but anything less than that and the inevitable happens. I hit the ball fat, then I grip down and hit it thin and am losing shots all the time.

I have lost all confidence in my short game because of this and even chipping (which was good until recently) has become a nightmare.

Has anyone suffered from the same problems and if so how did you get back on track? Any practice drills etc.

Current wedges are a Mizuno MX23 PW, MP series 52* with 7* bounce and a MP series 56* with 11* bounce.

I am also wondering if the above wedges are suitable for my course which at this time of the year is fairly wet.

Any help and advice is appreciated.

My mental pressure for short game is higher than teeing off driver with hundreds of spectators...looking at me.

I don't know why, but when I want to chip or to pitch, the body feel very tight ( due to pressure ) and I'll hit fat,thin,skull everything.

Maybe your problem is same with mine, too much mental pressure while at short game.....

ScottyNI - hi mate - I am having very similar problems myself and hate it! I am off 5 and so far this year my wedge and short game has been a joke and my long game has been amazing! I am not too worried about putting as greens are not great at this time of year, but duffing wedges is one of the most annoying feelings in golf. I am particularly suffering with my 50-70 yard lob wedges.

I am going to try and solve this by re-reading dave pelz short game bible (which i recommend). Last time i read this a year ago i really improved my wedge game and shot some under par scores. Second I am going to the range to work out exactly what type of swing i am going for. At the moment my wedge swing is half my normal swing and half a pitch shot and you cant play golf with conflicting ideas in your head! Going to find a method that works and stick with it.

One last point that may help. When i am struggling with wedges i go to a safety swing that rarely fails. With a slight open stance and weight slightly forward, ball in middle, I take the club back and cock my wrists. In the downswing I try to keep my wrists cocked right to the finish, almost dragging across the ball. This will produce a slightly faded shot which stops fast - its difficult to hit heavy with this one and in one of golf digest's issues phil mickleson describes this technique well.

Hope some of the above helps

nick

Hi Scotty,

I have been taught a shot over the last few months that has changed my 100yds in accuracy 100% better.

I can hit 100yds with my 52 degree no problem however I was taught to take a pitching wedge sand with feet about six inches apart and slightly open. Swing shorter back comming through holding the clubface open.

Two thing happen...........standing with the feet closer together helps with a steeper attack, hence no thins of fats.
Holding the face open improves accuracy, turning the wrists over is difficult to control.

It exactly the same for chipping.


Hope this helps


Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

Ian - that sounds like what the technique i was trying to describe does - helps keep the face from turning over. It's a great shot to play as you can get quite aggressive with the strike as you know you wont go to far.

nick

just to add, read a recent article re: pitch shots 40-50 yds. rec: to keep weight on the foward foot throught the swing. No need to shift weight for that distance. i tried it at the range and i though it was pretty effective.

Yes definitely keep the weight on the front foot. I've been struggling too of late and was given an absolutely brilliant tip today: take a much shorter backswing than you think you need for the distance. This will ensure that you accelerate and punch through the ball rather than waft at it and try to scoop it up. With a bit of readjustment I find that this worked great for both 20 yard shots with a lob wedge and 120 yard shots into the wind with a 9-iron.

Cheers Guys,

I think you might have something with keeping the weight on my front foot. I haven't being doing that of late and also think I may be deccelerating into the ball. Will try some of your tips above this weekend and let you know how I get on.

Many thanks for the tips.