Losing so many strokes around the green help please?

I have to be the worst player around the greens. I lose atleast 10 to 18 strokes a round near the green. I've tried the PW,9,8,7 irons. But seems I chunck,hit behind the ball, double hit the ball, skull it you name it I can do it if it's wrong. Any suggestions I love to play but very discouraged when I get near the green and it takes twice as many strokes to get onto the green from 30yrds or less then it does from the tee?

Hi Joe,

You and me both!!!!!!! I've bought new wedges, I have a truckload of putters, and I'll try just about anything that any magazine publishes anywhere! For the last several weeks, I've been playing with a guy who is just the opposiste of me (really good short game skills) and it's made my game look even worse.

Earlier this week, I decided that this is a part of my game that needs to be addressed seriousily. I believe that Dave Pelz is the "go to guy" when it comes to the short game. I've bought his book, "Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible", and have begurn to read it carefully. He presents a comprehensive plan for approaching the short game and backs up his program with data that makes his approach pretty convincing.

For me, there is no quick fix. Not only are my mechanics faulty, but my whole approach to the short game is disjointed and not well thought out. My short game ruins my scores, breaks down under pressure, and is the weakest part of my game. I'm determined to do something about it and I'm betting on Pelz to help me out.

Jim

There are several common problems around the green
1) To long a backswing - this can cause numerous problems including decelerating the club and lack of follow through
2) Trying to hit the ball with the hands and breaking down the left wrist. The left wrist HAS to be flat at impact, especially for the shots around the green.
3) Not allowing for enough ball release. When pitching or chipping the general rule of thumb for distance 1/3 of the way onto green and 2/3 release to the pin. You need to identify a landing spot prior to the shot.
4) Practice and practice putts from 7, 5 and 3 feet in.

There are many other issues, but this might be a start

Mate, its probably now a complete lack of confidence that is derailing your short game and believe me I know how it feels. Try to concentrate on one thing at a time not a whole bunch of ideas. I know when my confidence goes south I have a tendency to lift up out of the stroke to see where i've duffed it to next, so maybe just start with a nice still head position and chip a few balls with a putting action.

Hope this helps.

How often do you practice the around the green stuff?

I've developed that part of my game fairly well over the past few months for 1 single reason - comfort.

Do you notice after playing pool for the first time you can't grasp the concept of backspin or hitting the cue ball on the right side to make it rebound right from a dead straight hit etc. But after a while, with very little instruction you just get it...

I feel that the short chips/punches/lobs etc. are the same.

I've started heading out to a par 3 course at 8 in the evening (very tight to make it around in less than 2 hours before its dark - so there's no one behind me), I only play 12/13 holes at my pace, but I play some balls from a really thick rough or a really bald lie and get comfortable. If I duff the first one, I'll drop a ball and play it again to see what went wrong. I'll try and see how the ball reacts to things and try different shots... Even when I play a good chip, I'll drop another ball and say to myself - do that again..

If I land on one of the par 3's in one (a rarety) I'll still drop a ball in an awkward spot and practice a lob/chip etc. on my way to the green.

One shot that I'm really delighted with is when the ball is in thick rough up to between your knee and your ankle - really dirty long stuff, not that thick, but long and clingy (20/40yrds from the green). I always chopped at that and the club gets tangled in it... The ball laways popped up 5 yrds ahead and still in the rough or just into shorter stuff (essentially a shot dropped). Latley I tried to lock my wrists - really solid (not tense) and do a mechanical completley handless swing and bang out pops the ball - even 50/60 yrds away. I didn't read that anywhere, but just got comfortable with the club and decided it seemed a good way to solve that problem.

There's a lot to be said for just hitting balls at the green from situations you hate to be in and getting used to having the club in your hand

Try and think of a chip like striking a match. Take a short backswing, have a little pause (i.e. dont rush it) and then hit down on the back of the ball like you were striking a match. Almost like a very mini punch. The ball should pop up. This ensures you accelerate. The pause too is crucial. Just a spilt second but it saves you rushing it

Once you feel comfortable with a basic chip just head up the range with only a wedge and try putting it back in your stance, or forward a bit, try closing/opening the face or putting weight on the front/back foot and see the sort of shots you get. You'll soon get a feel how to play a low running chip or a higher floaty one. Once you can do all that with a PW then try a 9i or a SW and pretty soon you'll have lots of confidence. Much better when you have the stock basic chip to fall back on though, the one you can always rely on, out on the course

I think one of the problems is that almost all the gurus and experts talk about using anything between a 7I and the PW, varying the roll etc etc. and poor short gamers are never quite confident enough about the club they've chosen to excute the shot they've gone with.

Forget the gurus for now; as someone who has suffered here (I even resorted to a chipper for a while) I'd suggest picking ONE club (SW is my choice) that with a slow back swing and a commitment to swing through (see Random hero on deacceleration) you'll at least get the ball on the putting surface - two putts and off to the next hole.

Then, as Paul says, try different shots BUT with the SAME club at first to give yourself a better chance of 1 putting.

When you've saved half those shots you're wasting then think about being clever around the green.

This has worked for me, and my short game is improving lots - sadly my ability to get off the tee has deteriorated in proportion to the improvement, but thats a different story.

chipping and pitching has become very simple for me once I incorperated a method I described in this post
http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/g...highlight=chip (how to chip)
other memebers on here said they had good results as well

Go see a Pro they will fix 90% of your problems in 15 min for 50 bucks. Much cheaper than buying a bunch of equipment when the problem is the golfer.

I will quote Jack Nicklaus " why spend 6 months trying to figure something out that a golf pro can fix in 5 minutes."

Good Luck

there are many things most "pros" do not know, I went through a few who did not and when I found one who did, the change followed. Most pros are not aware of the biomechnical reasons why the rear wrist should cup before it cocks

I don't know what kind of courses you are playing but you may find success if you find one club you like and try hitting a variety of shots with it. Unless you have a sandtrap to carry you can play an 8 iron and be successful with bump & runs & chips. You close down the face for the bump and run, open it up for the chips. Practice with one club only, you might be amazed at what you can do.

First, you've gotta start by not missing any GIR. Please keep in mind that the average pro misses 1 out of every 5. But lets not confuse you with the facts.

Seriously, short game, more than anything else, is simply practice, practice, practice.

Either you play short shots by feel (and this takes tons of practice), or you play them by yardage and limiting backswing (aka the Pelz method), which takes less practice than feel, IMO.

The other thing I did (and will sometimes still do) is putt my way to the green, if the way is clear. If you're not confident in your ability to chip (which I certainly wasn't early on, and have only slightly more confidence now), then putt. What difference does it make. If you've gotta fly some trouble, then make sure you don't quit on the shot. Or, take your lumps, and chip to a spot where you can putt onto the green. The biggest key that I've discovered for any less-than-full swing is this:

You cannot successfully quit on a shot and have a good result.

I have yet to prove this wrong, or be proven wrong with anyone I've played with.

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
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PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

...if the average pro misses 1 out of 5, he or she is still hitting 13 or 14 GIR per round! That's insane!

My best round ever is still a 73. And I hit 11. But my misses were either fringe or just off. So some of them I was putting. But I clearly remember what helped me get to a 73....MY CHIPPING! I got up and down for par 5 times if I remember correctly. I could have had 7 bogeys instead of 2.

My misses were not leaving me short sided. Plan your misses. Going for the flag ALL the time is death. If you stick out of the sand, play for the part of the green where the sand doesnt come into play. But thats sand play, not chipping...so back to the title...

If you leave yourself room to work with WHEN chipping, you will find it easier to execute. You won't feel like you have to hit a PERFECT shot to get up and down.

I dropped to a 6.2 handi since starting to "play for the miss." If you know you would rather be SHORT and just off than long, PLAY FOR IT! I have found myself LAYING UP on par 4s in the last 2 months and getting up and down due to pin position at times.

__________________
What's in my bag....
Cleveland VP 2 Blade Putter
Ping Tour Wedges, 54 & 60
TaylorMade rac LT2, 4i thru PW
Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood 21* 3i - Aldila NV 90 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 18* 5 Wood - ProLaunch Blue 75 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 15* 3 Wood - Aldila NV 75 Stiff Shaft
Cleveland HiBore XL 9.5* - Fujikura Fit-On Red Stiff Shaft

Oh no!
work on your short game as much as possible.
Liam,