Category Archives: Golf Swing Tips – The Short Game

Breaking 80 Golf Score – A Milestone Of Achievement At Golf

  By golfer | March 31, 2010 - 8:58 pm | Golf Mental Game, Golf Swing Fundamentals, Golf Swing Tips - The Short Game
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Perhaps you are close to breaking 80 at golf right now, or perhaps you are scoring over one hundred. The same principles apply to both levels of competence required to break 80 on the golf course. Breaking 80 is a milestone in every golfers dreams. Believe me, it is a terrific achievement, and not all golfers have the ability to shoot below 80.

Let me run through the characteristics of the golfer who breaks 80 regularly.

1. Sound fundamentals. The grip, stance, etc. are proven and tested to stand up to playing the golf game in a variety of weather conditions, and levels of competition.

2. Golf swing. The golf swing is solid and dependable. Tried and tested under pressure. You have the ability to play a variety of shots, such as bending the ball to the right or left as desired, so to avoid trees, water, etc. This calibre of golfer can play the long irons and wood clubs out of bunkers, to gain distance when the opportunity presents, from those hazards.

3. Short game. Putting and chipping close to the flag stick. Very rarely taking three putts on a green, and getting down in two from the edge of the green.

4. Mental golf game. The mental challenges of playing the game are demanding, and you must have the mental strategies to cope with them.

None of these characteristics of the golfer who breaks 80 is very easy achieved, but they are the hallmark of that level of scoring. A lot of practice and dedication are called for if you are to play golf at this level. Are you up for the challenge of breaking 80 at golf?

Golf – Short Game Tips

  By golfer | February 8, 2010 - 7:48 pm | Golf Swing Tips - The Short Game
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I am about to tell you about one of the best golf short game tips I know. Few golfers would argue against the fact that one of the benefits of practicing on the golf range is to become good at all types of golf shots. It is fine to hit the same chip shot from the same spot and then go to the real golf course and believe you have mastered the short game in this department.

The challenge comes when you have to play the same chip shot under different conditions than the ones when you pratciced under. If you can successfully chip the ball close to the hole from twenty yards off the green, from a flat lie for instance, are you confident enough to be able to do the same from a sloping lie? If the answer is no, then the practice session you just had is partially wasted.

One of the best golf short game tips I know is to lay out a bucket of golf balls all around the practice green. By doing this, you will be recreating the actual shots you will encounter on the golf course. This is what I call valuable practice, and it is making the best use of your time practicing.

Try and play these shots from a variety of different lies. Some will be from down sloping lies, others flat, and some will be played on the up slope. By placing the balls on different patches of ground you will get the maximum benefit from this exercise. For example, place some of the balls on short grass, some on longer grass, play some of the shots out of the rough, and some from a green side bunker, if there is one.

Placing the ball from a divot will give you valuable insights into playing from these lies, as so many golfers do not know how to play these shots.

The value in this short game tip comes from the knowledge it gives you about club selection and in visualising each shot before you play it. Not all chip shots need to be played with the same golf club. It depends on the lie you are going to play the shot from.

Try experimenting with different clubs. You will probably find you are more comfortable with one or two clubs in a range of different situations, where you feel these golf clubs can adequately cope with playing the shot well. I know my favourite, all purpose club is the nine iron for playing all chip shots from just off the green.

By introducing variety and realism into your practice regime, you will gain confidence on the golf course when you have to play the ball from whatever lie you find. I hope your game benefits from this best of golf short game tips.

The golf video lesson I have appended to this article shows the correct way to play the chip shot. Learning the right amount of wrist action, body movement, and so on, is the key to playing these golf shots well. Once you master the chip shot, you have the potential to save shots around the greens.

Golf Short Game Tips – Greenside Bunkers

  By golfer | February 2, 2010 - 11:54 am | Golf Swing Tips - The Short Game
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Beginners at golf have a natural tendency to fear playing golf shots out of greenside bunkers. This is a negative attitude in itself, and will likely result in a poor shot out of the bunker. This golf short game tip aims to overcome the club golfers reluctance to play this type of golf shot.

When I first started playing golf, I too used to worry about having to play out of bunkers close to the green. When I lined up the shot, it was always with the hit and hope expectation that the ball would end up somewhere near the golf flagstick. This is entirely the wrong mental approach to have.

All it takes to play the greenside bunker shots satisfactorily is practice. Yes, it is that simple. Take a bucket of balls to the practice green, line them up in the bunker, and play the balls out of the bunker.

Start with learning the correct golf swing technique for this shot. Your feet need to be pointing to the left of the target, which is an open stance position.

You are going to swing the club from outside to in, keeping the club face open at impact, so ensuring that you do not pull the ball to the left. Keeping the clubface open at impact, while swinging across the line of flight will result in a straight shot. Be sure not to roll the wrists at impact as you play the bunker shot.

Use the wrists to hinge the club up when you take the club back, and splash down behind the ball to complete the shot. How much sand you need to take depends on the type of sand in the bunker you are playing out of. As a rule of thumb, I would want to aim one inch behind the ball if the golf flagstick was about twenty yards away.

With practice you will soon have the confidence to play out of those greenside bunkers.

Golf Tips – Chipping Golf Swing Drill

  By golfer | January 30, 2010 - 10:52 pm | Golf Swing Tips - The Short Game
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The golf chip shot is a really important part of the golf game. It can be a stroke saver, and if your short game is sharp, it can get you out of gaol when you look like dropping a shot or two. It is important to be confident in this department. Do you think you could get down in two from ten yards off the green, say, once every three attempts? Only you know the answer to that. The following is one of many golf tips on chipping.

I have found that I get better at chipping when I have some competition. It’s alright practicing on your own, but if you have a chipping competition with your golfing buddies it can keep you more focused. When you think about it, out there on the golf course for real, you will be up against competition and pressure, so I think it’s a good idea to practice under the same conditions, to sharpen those chipping skills.

You start by taking it in turns to nominate a position, say ten yards off the practice green. It can be any lie you choose, on the fairway, in a bunker, or out of the rough. You play one chip shot each, and the closest to the flag is the winner. If you win, you get to choose a different position to play your chip from. It has to be a different spot each time. If you lose the contest this time, your partner gets to choose the next location to play from.

And so on,for as long as you want, and you can play by your own rules.

I have found this golf chipping technique has helped me improve my golf game.