The Short Game

Chipping, Pitching, and Bunker Play

The short game, neglected by most amateurs, is the best way to save strokes and improve your score.  To improve you need to understand short game basics and to commit time to practice.  Many golfers struggle with short distance shots where they use a “less than full” swing.  On chip, pitch and bunkers shots our stance should vary from slightly open to very open.  Here are the three ways to control distance and remember good players use a combination of all three:

1. Shorten the length of your swing.
2. Choke down on the grip, shortening the club’s length.
3. Slow down the speed of the swing.

Chipping: Basically the difference between a chip shot and a pitch shot is that in the chip shot the ball spends more time on the ground, and in the pitch shot the ball spends more time in the air.  Chip shots are low trajectory shots from just off the edge of the green.  In this shot the land between your ball and the hole is relatively flat with no hazards in the way.   Normally we will use a straighter face club, namely a seven or eight iron, to get the ball on the green quickly and rolling like a putt as soon as possible.  The plan is to have the ball in the air about one third of the distance and on the ground for two thirds.  Visualize a spot on which the ball will land.  Make your backswing length comparable to the length of the shot.  We should choke down on the club a little bit, assume a slightly open, narrow stance, place the ball slightly back in our stance, tilt the shaft toward the target, make a short, firm wristed stroke and brush the grass after impact.

Pitching:  On most pitch shots we are farther off the green with more land to cover prior to landing on the green.  We may be pitching the ball over a bunker or up a hill.  In most instances we will use a very lofted club, sand or lob wedge.  In this shot we will have more of a backswing, allow the wrists to hinge upward, use a slow tempo, take an open stance, and hit down on the ball.  We hit down on the ball to make it go up, we do not try to lift or help the ball into the air.  Allow the club to do the work.  The ball should carry about two thirds of the distance and roll the remaining one third.  Again visualize the spot on which you are trying to land the ball.  To properly use the loft of the club, the ball should be played slightly forward of the center of your stance.  Keep the shaft straight up and down, not tilted toward the target.

Bunker Play:  To many the most feared shot in golf, but with the understanding of proper technique, it becomes much easier.  First you must have a sand wedge or lob wedge to execute this shot.  The bounce on the sole of a sand wedge assists you in this shot.  Bounce means that on the sole of the club the back is lower than the leading edge of the club.  This bounce allows the wedge to slice through the sand a lift the ball out of the bunker.  We begin with a very open stance, an open clubface (aiming well to the right) and the ball forward in our stance.  The backswing should be parallel to your body, which is actually swinging across the line of the shot.  With an open clubface, open stance and swing path parallel to your body, the ball should take a high trajectory out of the bunker and onto the green.  Again on this shot we must hit down, not trying to lift the ball, no matter how high the lip of the bunker may be.  Imagine the ball is sitting on a dollar bill, strike the sand behind the ball at the back edge of the bill and allow the club to come out of the sand on the front edge of the bill.  We are trying to take out a long, shallow slice of sand.  Be sure to follow-through allowing the sand to fly out of the bunker and onto the green.