All About the Short Game

Some days your full swing shots just can’t miss. Other times, you can’t hit a green from a perfect lie with your favorite club. That’s when you see how important your short game is to keeping your scores down. Personally, I love the short game; nothing helps you cut shots off your score as much as chipping and putting. There are so many ways to get the ball close from a short range, but sometimes you cannot decide which shot to use. I don’t think there are any of us that have not hit a chip shot fat or bladed it over the green. The most common mistake I see is in the player’s hand position. When you address the ball, you want a slight lean toward the flag with most of your weight on your left side. Make sure that your hands are slightly ahead of the ball. When you do this properly, you will form a lowercase ‘y.’ Keep your wrist firm during the shot and maintain this during the chip shot. You should catch the ball cleanly before your club contacts the ground. If you spend some time on the practice green working on this shot, it will reduce your score and make chipping much more fun.  Kyle Kelly
Golf Pro • Woodland Hills