Short game practice

slingerz

Can someone give me some drills or tips on how to practice for the short game and putting. I'm convinced that even with a modicum of improvement I'd take another 3/4 shots off my round

SuprSi

I use two drills for my chipping. Basically, whenever I can't make it to a golf course, I put an upside-down umbrella into the ground and try to chip into it. I then carry this over onto the practice range where I try to use what I've learned with the umbrella by chipping the ball onto a spot on the green around the same size as the umbrella. It takes some time as you need to know how the ball will release when it hits the ground, but when you get it right you should be pretty competent from around 10 - 15 yards.

Mister Sifter

Putting:

The one drill i consistently use is... get three tees and pick a hole on a putting green. Put the tees in at say 4, 8 and 12 feet from the hole. get three balls and start at 4 feet. You can only move back to 8 feet once you've holed all three. If you miss, you go back to the start. The idea is to hole nine in a row.

It can take ages, but by the time you walk off, holing 4 and 8 footers seems very easy. It gets you into the frame of mind of holing putts and seeing the ball drop.


Chipping:

I've no real system here... i generally just drop 3-4 balls at the side of the green and chip as many different types of shot i can until i'm bored. I prefer this to hitting tens of balls from the same place, but that's just a personal thing. If you can get up to Carton House. it's quite easy to spend a morning just hitting different kinds of chip shots.

WHIP IT!

I've mentioned on here before a great drill I saw on Setanta Golf.
The pro called it "Par 18" and works like so:

You take nine different spots around the practice green, chip shots of various difficulty and nature (ie, some pitch-and-runs, some flop shots to tight pins etc) and you try get up and down with all of them.

A chip in is considered a birdie, a chip and one-putt a par - hence the name 'Par 18'

ShriekingSheet

Putting:

This is something I've cobbled together myself from a few age-old tips. It's quite mechanical which many players won't like. But for me, it works in so far as it builds my confidence and prepares me to putt in "automatic pilot" on the course, picking a line and rolling the ball on that line without much thought.

I take a six or seven foot putt with little break, if any, and roll a few in so I have a definite idea of line. Then I put a wedge along my toes and check the allignment of my feet (going behind the ball). I adjust the wedge on the ground if I see fit. Some people stand a little open which is fine. Others like me stand square. So the club should be bang on paralell to the line I want the ball to go on.

I stand back up to the ball, toes at the shaft of the wedge so I now know I'm alligned properly. I pick up the ball, pocket it, and go back to address position, checking that my posture is good and upright so that my arms hang nicely. From that position I drop the ball from my left eye. Where this ball strikes the ground is where my ball should be at address. I stick a tee in the groung here. You stick the tee well into the ground so there's just a couple of cm showing.

When you place a ball in front of the tee, what you're left with is a template of your ideal set-up.

The tee serves two purposes. (1) it ensures you're striking the middle of the ball giving a nice forward roll (striking low into the ball will catch the tee) and (2) your eyes can focus on the tee once the ball has been struck.

I then replicate the template on the far side of the hole, giving roughly the opposite slope. It's important to roll a few in before laying down each template so you know the exact line.


So you've made your preparations. I then take three balls and hole them at one station, then move to the far side. After a good number in a row holed, I'll step away from the templates to another hole on the green, drop three balls on different lines and go through my routine, including getting a good read. I then step up and hit the putts without any thought of technique or set-up. The idea is that I've been building this into myself on the template so no need to consciously think of it on these putts or on the course.

I find that you can hole a ridiculous amount of putts in a row on the template, which builds confidence. It also ingranes a solid set up which you can trust on the course, without the template.

It may not be for everyone. For those who like it, I'd recommend it more for practice early in the week as opposed to on Friday afternoon with the Medal the next morning. With practice in general, I find working on more technical elements well in advance of competition and making your practice less technical and more "play" focused as you come closer to game day is the best way to go.

Trampas

Graeme1982 wrote: »

Putting:

The one drill i consistently use is... get three tees and pick a hole on a putting green. Put the tees in at say 4, 8 and 12 feet from the hole. get three balls and start at 4 feet. You can only move back to 8 feet once you've holed all three. If you miss, you go back to the start. The idea is to hole nine in a row.

It can take ages, but by the time you walk off, holing 4 and 8 footers seems very easy. It gets you into the frame of mind of holing putts and seeing the ball drop.

Very good drill. Try and get a flat area on the green so any pulls or pushes will definitely miss so only true smooth putts go in

slingerz

i know that putting grill. hard to find a flat straight putt though

Its more chipping and pitching that i'm looking for

Blunder

Whichever Drills you do, Chipping or putting, make sure you straighten your back every 3 or 4 balls. Most people dont reset properly when practicing chipping and putting. By Right you should go through your routine completely on every ball. If you go through a bag of balls without straightening your back you will cause some damage to your lower back. You wouldnt think it but you will!

WHIP IT!

Blunder wrote: »

Whichever Drills you do, Chipping or putting, make sure you straighten your back every 3 or 4 balls. Most people dont reset properly when practicing chipping and putting. By Right you should go through your routine completely on every ball. If you go through a bag of balls without straightening your back you will cause some damage to your lower back. You wouldnt think it but you will!

Also makes it more realistic - stops you getting into a kind of "groove" and hitting the same shot over and over, making it easier to get it right after 3, 4, 5 shots or whatever. You only get one chance on the course itself.

derby7

My 2 cents:
Tips for chipping:
If you use one club for pitching, or pitch & run (say your PW) and its not consistant for you, then try a different club, maybe a 9 iron or 7 iron, and see if that improves your consistancy.
Putting:
I always try to see if the put breaks from the right or the left and if then run the ball up to the hole. This should then give you a consistant 2 put on most greens ! Plenty of practice of course and always be confident that you will make the put. Also: if other players are putting before you, watch for speed, break, etc.