Should you chip to the flag or chip to a designated spot before forwarding the ball to the hole? That is the question.
Landing Area
When I work with my clients, I often find that they focus on the destination of the flag and not the route that they should take to get to the flag.
The power you give to a shot and its direction of course is essential. These factors are governed by the green’s contours, condition, and speed. But, above all else, the most important point when playing a short shot is the landing area.
It is integral to allow for how the ball will react to ground conditions. The position from which the shot is played can also create an additional curve. Long grass tight lies, and up-hill and down-hill shots can also add elements that need to be considered. Despite all of these factors, and despite where you are positioned, your first thought should be as to where you want the ball to land before carrying on to the flag. This should be coupled with selecting the club that best suits this play, allowing for your stance, lie, and conditions. Only after this should you move onto considering technique.
A landing area is a changeable position depending on which club you chose to play. A flatter faced club generally works best when the landing area is closer to you, whereas a more lofted club gets closer to the flag and hole.
Learning to control these types of shots can only come from practice and lots of it, but also realising that there isn’t one club that is best suited to play these shots. An experienced player will learn that to get the best out of each shot, using different clubs will help to increase consistency.
7toSW
Short irons are the best clubs to play for the varying shots that are required for a short game. For example, 7/PW are great clubs for the chip and run, whereas 9/SW are best suited for the pitch and run. Lofted clubs like gap and sand wedges are ideal for more lofted shots.
To reiterate, choosing the right landing area is key to a consistent method. When you're out practising, you should think more about the landing area than where the ball is finishing.
If you're having problems picking and landing on a point, then I get my clients to help visualise the point by placing a tee into the green and imaging a dinner plate in size around that tee. That’s your landing area. The skill then lies in reaching it. If you're still having problems landing the ball on the desired spot then you might need to look at your technique and get a lesson from your friendly PGA Pro.
Practice
I ask all my clients when practising to go out with one ball and one club when staring out, generally a 7 iron. Follow this up with a 9, PW and SW and learn how each club changes the landing area. Do not change the technique: place the ball in 9 different spots around the green and see the different reaction you get each time.
After you have achieved this then take all four clubs and your putter out to practice. You should then decide which is the best club to play from each of your chosen points. In addition to this, you should try putting the ball into the hole, keeping the score as a record. Though 18 is the desired score I always challenge my clients to try and beat 24 shots, which normally keeps the mind active.
So, get out and practice, and remember that 75% of your game is played from 75 yards from the green and within. Trying to make your short game more consistent will greatly help you reduce your scores and your handicap.
awgolf
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