9 Must Have Golf Short Game Tips
Is there a better feeling in golf than crushing a 300-yard drive?
Well, there's one: actually putting the ball in the hole.
Unfortunately, this is something many new players don't get. No matter how hard you hit the ball, you need the short game to back it up. Without the right technique and shot selection, your scores will stay high.
Ready to start working on your swing? Here are our nine best golf short game tips you'll want to keep in mind!
1. Know Your Priorities
First things first: in golf, the short game is all about taking the least risky shot. For example, as cool as flop shots look, they're very hard to execute. Here's your priority order for the short game:
- Putt whenever it makes sense
- Chip if you can't putt
- Pitch only when necessary
Simply sticking to this order will do wonders for your scores. This may surprise you, but even pros tend to limit their risk. When faced with a difficult situation, they'll often pick the shot they can execute most often.
2. Pace Your Putts
Have you been practicing golf a lot? If so, all that trial and error will be a big help while you're controlling distance with putting. If you're a newer golfer, though, you'll need a more reliable system to control distance.
There are many ways to do this, but the easiest method is to pace your putts. For every foot of putt distance, add one inch to your backstroke. This is a bit of an oversimplification, but it's still a lot of help for beginners.
3. Lean Forward When Needed
As an adage says, "golf is a game of inches." One annoying example of this is when your ball rolls past the pin and ends up in the deep rough. Even if that happens, a putt may still work—with one setup change.
First, place your weight on your forward foot. To match this stance, drop your forward shoulder as well. When done right, this angle will make it much easier for your putter's face to connect with the ball.
This stance will make the ball jump a bit to clear the longer grass. When it gets back onto the green, it should start rolling normally. Mastering this shot is a great way to make some short game gains.
4. Keep Your Hands Softened
If you decide to use a chip shot, you'll want your hands to be as soft as possible. A light grip pressure ensures a lack of tension in your arms. According to Tiger Woods, "light grip" is about a four on a scale of 1-10.
After that, it's all about promoting ball-first contact. Stand in a slightly open stance, with your chin high and back straight. Start the backswing with your shoulders, then accelerate through while keeping your head still.
5. Use an Extended Shaft
Struggling with your golf short game? If so, one simple thing that can help you improve is wedging an alignment stick onto the end of the club. When you get used to it, you should be hitting balls with more consistency.
One thing to keep in mind is that the stick shouldn't touch your body during the swing. If it does, you're likely scooping at impact. Avoid this by keeping the top of the grip moving toward your target during the swing.
6. Rotate Your Body
Another way to get better contact on your chips is to let your body rotate during the swing. That will place most of your weight on your front foot, keeping the shaft leaning toward your target at impact.
Think of your right knee as the trigger for this downswing. When you swing the club back, move your right knee toward the left knee. That will unlock the right side of your body and make it easy to rotate forward.
7. Learn the Bunker Playbook
Did your ball end up in a greenside bunker? Don't despair yet—getting out of it is easier than it may seem! You only need two skills to do it consistently: take a lot of sand and create a lot of speed.
One way to get good at this is to take the ball out of the equation. Instead, practice swings that get the sand out of the bunker and onto the grass. That way, you can practice motion without any distractions.
Once you develop a swing that feels right to you, keep it. If you need to make further adjustments, change your club selection. The only change in your motion should be to add more loft for closer shots.
8. Pitch With Your Arms
If you're playing a pitch shot, don't add too much wrist action. Instead, focus on using your arms more. When you sole the club, your arms form a "V" shape—preserve that shape as you swing the club through.
With this shot, there should be very little forearm rotation involved. All you want to do is maintain the loft that you established at the address. This is a key example of how proper exercise can help your game.
9. Make Use of the Bounce
When it comes to how to improve your short game in golf, few things will be more useful than the bounce. This is the angle between the edge of the club and the ground when the club is in the address position.
What you want to do is make use of the bounce. That will help you slide your club through the grass to hit a nice, floating shot. Ensure that your hands are in line or a bit behind the clubhead at impact.
Learn These Golf Short Game Tips
In the end, golf is like any other game: the more you practice, the better you'll get. That said, knowing the fundamentals is a good way to see results right away. The above golf short game tips are a great starting point!
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