No matter what the rest of your game looks like and how much work your game needs, the short game is something you can, with a little focus start to easily improve immediately, with major positive impact to your golf score.
And while the long game requires some athletic ability to execute consistently and effectively, the short game does not.
The short game can be broken into three categories:- Pitch shot - anything from 100 to 30 yards and in to the green
- Chip shot - shots from around the green
- Bunker shots
- Having a repeatable stroke, or swing mechanics, that you can depend upon under any circumstance
- Knowing exactly what distance you hit the ball
- Knowing what the ball will do after it lands
The key to good wedge play lies in making a smooth, short stroke that accelerates through the ball and uses the loft of the club to hit  the shot you want.
Key Concepts of the short game:There are only a few simple things to understand about swing mechanics for the short game. They are easy to execute, even at home without hitting a ball so if you are serious about lowering your score, this is the way should focus.
- Alignment
- Feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are parallel to the target line
- Feet are spaced about 14 - 18 inches apart
- Club face is square
- If you are properly aligned, your swing should naturally swing parallel to you shoulders, traveling down the target line through impact
- The closer you ensure that you are aligned parallel to the target line, the closer your ball will be to the pinArms, shoulders and hips move in unison in the back swing
- Cock your wrists in the back swing and let the momentum of the club un-cock them through the ball at impact. Keep everything synchronized through the forward swing.
- Swing through to a full high finish for the distance-shot (100-30 yards in); follow through to for the 30-yard pitch shot is shorter than for the distance-shot but always longer than your back swing
- Ball position
- For chip shots, the ball is positioned in the back of your stance, off the back heel. This will allow you to hit the ball with a descending blow and create a low, running trajectory
- ball position, in normal lies, must be in the exact center of your stance between your ankles. In the sand, the ball is positioned toward the front, inside of the left heel
- Stability
- Imperative in the short game. Having a rock solid, repeatable swing depends on keeping your body stable through the swing and developing a smooth rhythmic swing
If you get these things right, the only thing you need to worry about is distance control.
Distance control comes from ingraining three basic back-swing positions and determining exactly how far you hit the ball with each of these swings. Looking at the face of a clock, the swing positions would include (using your left arm as the guide):
- 6:30 - (left arm moves to back foot; club shaft is parallel to the ground)
- Approximate ball distance with pitching wedge is 15 yards
- 7:30 - Approximate ball distance with a Pitching wedge is 50 yards
- 9:00 - (left arm parallel to the ground; club shaft is vertical) Approximate ball distance is 75 yards
- 10:30 - Approximate ball distance is 100 yards
Obviously you need to calibrate these distances for your own swing but it is imperative that you determine exactly how far you hit the ball with each of these swing lengths.