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It feels like forever since the sun was last shining here in northern England and I was able to get out and hit some golfballs in the garden... although it was actually only 8 days ago! We're forecast some nice dry weather this weekend so I hope to get out there once again and teach myself some basics to improve my short game. Last week I tried a cricket-style shot, as suggested by my brother, where I decrease loft by keeping my hands in front of the club head and pushing through, popping the ball up off the ground and landing with little back spin. It is a delicate little shot, which worked well at a very short range, but I found I was digging the club into the turf. Any tips to avoid doing this? I think this shot could be used within close proximity to the green where there is little room for error...? Secondly I tried a more conventional chip where my hands are directly above the club head, totally square at the point on impact. I kept a shallow angle of attack and follow through, reducing the thins I usually hit. This worked better for longer range shots and stopped the ball dead due to increased backspin. I think this will become my default shot as it feels great lifting the ball into the aid and dropping it down so nicely. I enjoyed the control of this shot and figured out the placing the ball further forward/back determined how high the ball goes. Result! These shots are a real eye opener for me as I have never practiced chipping/pitching and just "go for it" during a round. I hope that by the time we get back onto the course I'll be able to put these into practice and see my scores reduce significantly. Ps. I hope you are all keeping safe and well, maintaining safe distances and doing everything possible to stay healthy.