Tag: short game

Categories
PGA Tour

Thoughts from the Valero Texas Open

By Shooting 90

I enjoy watching the PGA Tour on TV. Outside the majors, Ryder Cup, or Olympics, life’s busy schedule usually prevents me from watching extensive coverage of each event, although I usually at least try to catch the back nine of the final round.

Beginner and high handicap golfers can learn both things to do and things not to do from watching professionals on TV. I plan to share my thoughts on each tournament I watch.

This week was the Valero Texas Open, played on the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. It was an enjoyable final round to watch with Andrew Landry and Trey Mullinax both battling for their first PGA Tour victory.

It was also great to see Zach Johnson, with 12 PGA Tour wins but none since the 2015 Open, in the final group on Sunday. Zach could never get it going on Sunday, shooting an even par 72 and finishing 5th in the tournament.

There’s been a lot of talk again about “rolling the ball back”, forcing pros to use limited distance balls. Some feel that the combination of club technology, ball construction, and player conditioning has allowed players to hit the golf ball too far, rendering many courses unusable for tour events.

Although the AT&T Oaks Course measured 7435 yards, which puts it middle of the pack for course lengths, it was referred to as a shot maker’s course. There are shorter courses on tour including Riveria Country Club and Harbour Town, which require precise shot making and do not necessarily benefit long bombers of the golf ball.

I’m not convinced the golf ball needs to be rolled back, especially when a shorter hitter like Zach Johnson can compete on tour. Zach can compete not just on the shorter, shot making courses, but just about any course on tour.

What Zach Johnson lacks in distance he more than makes up for in his short game and putting, especially his wedge game. In fact, even the long bombers have an incredible short game. You’ll see pro golfers occasionally spray it all over off the tee, but every one of them has an exceptional short game.

This is a great lesson for beginner and high handicap golfers. While it is important to work on your swing speed to build up your distance, and putting the ball in play off the tee is also very important, but you will make the most progress on lowering your scores by focusing on your game from 100 yards and in. That includes your wedges and putting.

So, when you are at the practice range, it is important to work on your driver and irons but spend the majority of your time spilt between your wedges and putter. Create the best short game you possibly can.

Categories
Golf Practice

Play More Golf to Lower Your Handicap

By Shooting 90

Playing more rounds will improve your scoring, lowering your handicap, faster than increasing your practice time.

Time on the practice range is important to continually improve our full swing. Developing a repeatable swing with as much club head speed as possible will allow you to hit more fairways and greens, but learning how to lower scores happens on the course.

There are simply too many factors that come together to lower your handicap. While all of these factors will be encountered on the course, some of these are more difficult to practice off the course, and some golfers choose not to practice them.

Working on your full swing is important, but at least half of your practice time should be on the short game; pitching, chipping, and putting. The majority of shots on the course will involve your short game. The practice time you spend on your short game should reflect this. Improving your short game equals lowering your handicap.

When is the last time you practiced uneven lies on the practice range? Most beginner and high handicap golfers hit every shot at the range from a near perfect lie. Improved scoring comes from mastering how to hit the four main uneven lies, which can only be done on the golf course. Hitting out of the rough is also best learned on the course.

Two great ways to play more golf is by getting a membership at a club or by joining a league. Joining a club immediately made me feel more obligated to golf, since I prepaid my season. Playing competitive golf in a league has so many benefits. Golf’s handicap system levels the playing field making for an enjoyable experience for all golfers.

Start playing more rounds today and lower your handicap today!

Categories
Golf Tips

Takeaways from the Match Play Championship

By Shooting 90

For an event that many argue its very existence, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship provided a very exciting Sunday afternoon of golf. Jason Day outlasted Victor Dubuisson to win the final match in 23 holes. Day squandered a three hole lead on the back nine, including being two up with two holes to play, only to withstand probably the greatest back-to-back up and downs in the history of golf from Dubuisson on the 19th and 20th holes.

On the 19th hole, being played on hole #1, Dubuisson’s second shot bounced over the green and into the desert, prompting Nick Faldo to exclaim “He’s ruined!”. He then proceeded to hit an unbelievable chip shot from next to a jumping cactus to within 5 feet. He made the putt, sending the match to the 20th hole.

The 20th hole was played on hole #9. Earlier in the match on the 9th hole, Dubuisson hit his approach shot left into the desert and ended up conceding the hole. He again hit his second shot left on this hole into the desert and under a branch. He hit his next shot through the branch to within 7 feet. He once again made the putt to send the match to the 21st hole.

After halving the next two holes, Day won the 23rd hole with a birdie.

There are a few things a high handicap golfer can take away from this match.

First off, both Dubuisson and Day had very good short games the whole day. So good, it prompted Greg Norman to tweet the following.

It is so important to have a solid short game, yet this is an area that many high handicap and beginner golfers do not practice near enough. Dedicate weekly practice time for pitching and chipping.

Both golfers showed tremendous mental strength. Dubuisson stated he only slept one hour the night before because he was nervous about playing Ernie Els in the morning. He must have been physically drained after 41 holes of golf on Sunday but it only showed on a few shots. His mental determination was strong the whole day. Day won the 9th hole and then did not win another hole until he won the match by winning the 23rd hole. He blew leads of 3 up on the back nine and 2 up with 2 holes to go. He had Dubuisson all but dead on each of the first two extra holes only to see Dubuisson make miraculous shots to extend the match. He could have collapsed but didn’t. He instead played the best golf of the two on the extra holes.

One last takeaway from Sunday is something not to do. Don’t try to be a hero and hit a miraculous shot you can’t pull off. Dubuisson only attempted those two shots because he had no choice. It was attempt the shot or lose the match. I’m a big believer in making your own luck but even with that the golfing gods were smiling on Victor. He actually conceded the 9th hole earlier in the match when he was in the desert. Unless playing the last hole in their flight of the club championship, a high handicap golfer has no reason to attempt a shot that they have little chance of pulling off. Take the unplayable lie and move on.

Categories
Golf Short Game

Learn to Chip Around the Green

By Shooting 90

The short game probably has a bigger gap in ability between low and high handicap golfers than any area in golf. The ability to get up and down is critical in improving your game. How many times does a high handicap golfer take three or four shots from beside the green to get the ball in the hole?

The need to be able to shoot a variety of shots is one of the challenges high handicap golfers face in having a good short game. The chip, pitch, flop, and sand shots are all part of a well-rounded short game. In this post, we will be talking about the chip shot.

Around the green, many beginner and high handicap golfers exclusively use their pitching or sand wedge, attempting to fly the ball most of the way to the hole with a lofted shot. Sometimes it is best to play a chip shot. A chip shot consists of bumping the ball up in the air just enough to get it on the green and rolling. The big benefit of a chip shot is that it is much easier to control both the direction and distance when your ball is rolling opposed to flying through the air.

Chip shots can be made with a variety of clubs including your 7 iron, 8 iron, 9 iron, and wedges. Use your wedges for chipping when your ball is closer to the hole as they will provide more spin and your ball with roll less. Your less lofted clubs are for longer chip shots where you need your ball to roll a greater distance.

The stance and swing for a chip shot differs from a regular shot. The ball is played off the inside of your back foot with the handle of the club forward of the ball. Probably the most important thing to remember about a chip shot is that you strike down on the ball allowing the loft of the club to get it in the air. Many amateurs make the mistake of trying to scoop the ball into the air.

While the setup and execution is the same for all of your chip shots regardless of what club you choose, it is important to practice chipping with all of your wedges all the way down to your 6 or 7 iron. The club you choose will depend on how far away from the hole you are.

In the video below, Peter Finch, shows us how to control our distance when chipping.

Spend a serious amount of time chipping during your practice sessions. Becoming a successful chipper will most definitely lower your scores. The short game offers high handicap golfers the biggest impact on their game with more practice.