Improve Your Short Game in 2 Easy Steps

Did you know that PGA Tour golfers get "up-and-down" only about sixty percent of the time? According to Dave Pelz, that number drops greatly for the average golfer.

Driving the ball moves you down the fairway (maybe), but getting on the green, and finishing in the least number of strokes, is really what the game is all about!

The short game, whether it's chipping, sand saves or putting, should be worked on only at the practice facility - you don't want to start working on your game during a round as that could prove to be disastrous.

Golf for Beginners has compiled a few video tips and drills to help you score better down the stretch.

1. CHIPPING: I just came upon this simple golf video tip from PGA instructor Meredith Kirk yesterday - getting into a good chipping stance.




Read: Tips to Improve Consistency in your golf game


2. PUTTING: According to Dave Pelz, good putts start with tempo. Think "pendulum". Vary the length of your backswing to control the speed of your putts. Watch this Youtube.com video to see how the Master does it:




REMEMBER: Final putting tip for today: the only golf club in the bag specifically made to hit the ball into the cup is the putter – master it first, master it best!

What golf short game tips can you share with our readers? Post in the comments section below and on Twitter, tagging @Golf4Beginners.

Photo: Wikimedia

Why Zach Johnson Is One Tour Player You Can Emulate #golf

Everybody wants to know what Jordan Spieth is doing, but Zach Johnson is the golfer you should really be paying attention to if you’re a 12+ handicap player. He has all of the preferred swing positions that will help you eliminate that weak slice, gain distance and hit the golf ball with authority. 

What are those swing postures? Johnson's exceptionally strong grip is something that’s easy to copy and adding it will immediately help with that open club face that plagues almost all higher handicap players. 

Next, Zack sets up with his shoulders square to his target. Most higher handicap players have their shoulders open or aimed left of target at address, which makes it more likely you’ll swing over the top and slice the ball. 

Lastly, ZJ's left arm (forward arm for lefties like me) is flatter at the top of the golf swing than most tour players. For you, the flatter left arm makes it easier to swing the club more from the inside instead of swinging over the top. 

If you can get your club face more square by adopting a more closed face (strong grip), square up the shoulder at address and swing the path of your club more from the inside on the downswing, you’ll hit the ball farther and straighter and that weak slice will be a thing of the past.  

These changes will also free you up to turn your hips more through impact. Most players stop their hips through impact to give their hands time to try to flip the club square at the last second. That’s big power leak. When you don’t have to worry about your club face being open at impact, you can turn your hips more freely through impact which is a big source of power and consistency. 

The golf instruction video and information in this blog comes to you from Craig Jones of FaceFirstGolf.com, who has recently released a new online training program ... a bootcamp...for 12+ handicap players. Not only has Craig taught 10,000+ lessons and owned five golf learning facilities over the past twelve years, he was once a 15+ handicap player himself and worked his way down to a ONE handicap (super impressive).  Craig breaks down the more difficult concepts into simpler terms AND respects the rules and etiquette that make golf such a great sport. 


photo: Wikipedia