We’ve all the seen the incredibly long yet accurate drives of Tiger Woods. The ball flies through the air and lands in the middle of the fairway, 300 yards away.
The green-eyed monster of envy rises in us as we wonder if we could ever possibly hope to drive like that. Fortunately, long drives are not the be-all-and-end-all of the game of golf.
So, we get to the ’short game’ because without decent short game skills, all those great long drives are not worth a candle.
The “short game” is made up of those shots that get you onto the green from no more than about a hundred feet out, whether it’s from the fairway, a bunker, the rough or a drop zone. It includes chips, sand shots and pitches.
This is where you get to use your higher numbered golf clubs, as well as your pitching iron and sand wedge or lob wedge.
You will find practice areas on most golf courses. You really ought to spend some time practising hitting the ball onto the green from various distances. Try to hit the ball into a ten-foot circle in the centre of the green at first. Experiment using your wedges, but remember that what works well for one person, might not work so well for you because your particular swing is an unknown factor in the equasion.
When you can perform this skill fairly consistently, it is about time to start practising how to get out of a sand bunker. Being able to get the ball out of a bunker can really cut your score quite dramatically and it is very frustrating if you can’t do it.
The way to do it is to plant your feet firmly in the sand with your left foot turned to face the hole. See an imaginary 4-inch circle around the ball and try to hit the outer edge of that circle.
Take lots of sand with your ball and swing through completely. Don’t decelerate at all when or after you hit the ball. It should pop up onto the green and stop. This doesn’t work well though unless the sand is dry, soft and powdery. On hard surfaces, you might need to avoid actually hitting the sand at all.
However, as in every skill in the game of golf, it is only continual practice that will help you to improve your game.
