Secrets of Golf

[Sojal3454]

How can golfers effectively enhance their short game skills to lower their scores, and what key techniques or drills can be incorporated into practice sessions for noticeable improvement? Pakistani loves the golf, and want to connect with legends then join this pakistani whatsapp group.

Edited February 1 by Sojal3454

[Josh Parker]

Practice, practice, practice....

I spend a lot of time practicing short game.  I want to have multiple shots around the green with different clubs so that no matter what I am faced with, I have options.   

I will set 15 balls down and take 5 shots each with all 3 wedges and practice hitting to the same hole.  

One shot would be bump and run with a 50*, one shot would be more flop shot with 58* and a one hop stop shot with 54*.

Having the ability and confidence to hit a soft high flop on a short sided flag or a low skip shot to a flag at the back of the green will help keep scores lower.  Most of us aren't hitting every green or even half and so having the ability to put the ball close is a must.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Be creative during practice, use different clubs, find different lies and different stances. While stock shots are great, it is rarely the case on the course with needing a foot higher than another or ball below the feet, above the feet, needing to hit a slope and bump it up and more. Find creative ways to make shots so when you get to the course you have some sort of idea of what club X will do if you do X or Y or Z

[billpierce]

I have found that that warming up using gates and the star putting drill real really gets my confidence going there just to see the line and make the putt.  Then randomly drop 15 to 20 balks off of the fringe with random lie and random distances  allows you to take that mindset of sinking the putt tochip just to a reasonable distance and then drain it. 

[Rob Person]

4 hours ago, Sojal3454 said:

How can golfers effectively enhance their short game skills to lower their scores, and what key techniques or drills can be incorporated into practice sessions for noticeable improvement?

Welcome to the site, and your first post!

First off, don't try to mimick the pro's you see playing on TV! (Trust me, I've tried! ) they have thousands of hours practicing each shot. 

Are you referring to 15 yards up to the green short game,  or beyond that up to 50 yards?

I'm a newer golfer, and for me it's learning about which club can do what for particular shots. I've seen friends use anything from a 3w down to a putter off the green. And bunker shots using 8i through 60⁰.

My biggest hurdle has been body position and club position.  I'm fortunate enough to have a practice area locally that has 2 different chipping areas, with anything from 2 inch deep grass to bunkers.

So, as was said, practice,  ALOT!

btw, I still duff those short chips regularly!

[DaveP043]

6 hours ago, Sojal3454 said:

How can golfers effectively enhance their short game skills to lower their scores, and what key techniques or drills can be incorporated into practice sessions for noticeable improvement?

One "secret" is the understanding that you can't always accomplish anything on your own.  You can't "dig it out of the dirt", as was said about Ben Hogan.  Practicing a lot, but using the same techniques you're using now, will make you more consistent at that poor technique, but will probably have a serious limit on how much you improve. Accept that, and go get a short-game lesson.  And THEN put in the work to make whatever changes are necessary.  There's no "magic bullet", it takes both improvements to technique and practice.

[Kenny B]

6 hours ago, Sojal3454 said:

How can golfers effectively enhance their short game skills to lower their scores, and what key techniques or drills can be incorporated into practice sessions for noticeable improvement?

Welcome to the forum!  All great responses so far; more will likely follow, but the common theme will be lessons and practice.  You can't know how to execute the many shots that can occur around the green without someone to assess your skills and provide a path to a better short game.  Once you know how to execute, then it's just a matter of practice to be able to call upon a particular shot for each situation you encounter.  

That said, the bump and run shot is the easiest to learn, has less risk involved and gives good results.  However, that shot cannot always be used which is why options mentioned above are needed.  Practice must include assessing how your ball reacts on the green with each type of shot.  Balls are different as are the club used and condition of both green and rough. So, lots of variables but that is what is challenging and fun.  It's a learning process that must be continually practiced to obtain and maintain skill level.  Part of that process is learning where to land the ball for various pin positions allowing for the proper amount of rollout.  That comes from your experience and skill to repeatedly land the ball on the spot you determine.  

Best of luck and let us know what you find out.  We are all in various stages of this learning process.

[Rob Person]

Also, and this is just from my limited experience,  once you think you have developed a solid game, and have those particular shots down packed, you will see someone else perform a shot (on the course, on a video, or elsewhere) and will make you want to try it that way...

to me, this is why golf is hard...errr... fun, because it can always change!

[Fore67]

16 hours ago, Sojal3454 said:

How can golfers effectively enhance their short game skills to lower their scores, and what key techniques or drills can be incorporated into practice sessions for noticeable improvement?

One game I play when I get a chance to play by myself is the opposite of a scramble. I play worst ball. From my drive, I hit 2 balls for my approach and then choose the poorer shot for my 3rd, play 2 from there, choose the poorer shot as well. Still make some pars and it's truly a challenge.  I'm not holding anyone up and I get plenty of practice from 200 yards in. Also, allows you to accept bad shots easier and gives you the opportunity to play some shots you might need to play in an important moment.

Try it, you might really like it. 

Cheers,

Mike

[KingSlender]

I think Padraig Harrington offers the best advice around the green - lookup his YouTube videos.  The biggest key is KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Weight on your front foot and let the club do the work.

If you can putt - putt.  I'm a 7 handicap and it's not beneath me to grab the putter if I'm 10-15 feet off the green and can putt it - as they say, your worst putt is always better than your worst chip.

Greenside in the rough, I try to emulate my putting stroke as much as possible - Scheffler and Stricker are this way as well, keep their arms locked through the chip - versus someone like Mickelson who is all over the place.