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Inside 50 Yards
Author: Bobby Eldridge
Article:
In the next 15 minutes, I am going to change the way you play
your shots from inside 50 yards. If you spend 15 minutes before
every round of golf on these four tips, I guarantee you the
strokes will fall off your scorecard.
We are going to cover putting, chipping, pitching and bunker
shots. Before I get to my four short-game secrets I need to lay
a little groundwork first.
From the putting green in front of the clubhouse at Ft. Myers
Country Club, where I grew up playing, to the practice putting
green at Starfire Golf Club, and all points in between, for 35
years, I have heard the same problem. "I putted so poorly today.
If I had putted halfway decent I would have shot my best round
ever!"
But...every time I pass the practice putting green where I
teach, ALMOST NOBODY is practicing before they tee off. But
here's the thing- every single professional golfer spends at
least 15 minutes - 1 hour on the practice putting green before
they tee off. That's not the tip. I just wanted you to get an
idea of the time that it takes to get better.
IMPORTANT TIP: 90% of all putting greens in the world are built
low in the front and high in the back. There are two reasons, in
case you are wondering.
First, it holds the shots that are coming onto the green and
secondly for drainage purposes. The reason I am telling you the
greens are built low in the front and high in the back is for
you to understand the idea that the majority of putts hit from
the front of the green going to the back are going to be slower
than putts hit from the back of the green going towards the
front.
Since this is true, when you are facing the green, putts from
the right side of the green will have a tendency to break to the
left and putts from the left side of the green will have a
tendency to break right. With this idea in mind lets move on to
my TOP FOUR SHORT GAME SECRETS!
Secret #1: Putting - Focus on Distance not Direction
Do you know why most amateurs three-putt more times on their
first nine holes than their last nine holes? By the time they
get to the last nine they have the feel of the greens! My
colleagues have always agreed that in order to become a great
putter you must have the ability to read greens. However, I have
always believed you must also have GREAT TOUCH.
I have just given you an incredible tip. You have to develop
your touch in order to control your speed. I can not tell you
how many times I have asked an amateur golfer after they hit
their putt if they thought the putt was going uphill or
downhill. Most amateurs reply with, "I completely forgot about
the speed!" Most of them struggle more with speed more than
direction. So how do you apply this advice?
Always look towards the front of the green so you can decide if
you are going uphill or downhill. Empty your mind of every
mechanical thought you have and just stroke the ball. FORGET the
mechanics when putting. Don't ever hit a putt until you have
visualized your golf ball going into the hole first. Make it in
your mind before you hit it. Secret #2: Chipping - Keep Your
Weight on your Front Foot in the Backswing
A chip shot is a short shot around the green that has minimum
airtime and maximum roll time. Another way to describe it is 1/3
air, 2/3 roll. You can use one of the following clubs when
chipping: 5-iron, 7-iron or 9-iron. Common complaints that I
receive from amateurs about chipping are that they top the ball,
hit the ball thin, hit the ground behind the ball, blade the
ball over the green or completely shank the ball.
The mis-played shots I just described to you are usually the
result of an incorrect set-up. There are three positions in
chipping that are the foundation of a successful chip shot.
Let's review them:
The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance
Place 75% of your weight on your left foot (right-handed
golfers) The grip end of the golf club points to the middle of
your left leg. Grip down on the golf club to the END of the
grip. The reason you want the golf ball in the middle of your
stance is for a more consistent impact. If you place the golf
ball too far forward in your stance, you will have a tendency to
hit the ball thin, or top the ball and you will pull the ball to
the left. If you play the ball too far back in your stance, you
will have a tendency to top or shank the ball and push it to the
right.
When you place 75% of your weight on your left foot, you are
ensuring yourself that you will hit down on the ball and not up.
Make sure you keep the weight on your front foot in the back
swing.
Gripping down on the golf club will ensure a cleaner more
controlled hit at impact. If you are struggling with hitting
thin shots or topping your chips, when you move your handle
further to the left (across from you left leg), you will allow
the clubhead to hit the ball on a descending blow and not
ascending.
Secret #3: Pitching - The Clubhead must Stay Low to the Ground
After Impact
Choose one of the following clubs when you attempt a pitch shot:
pitching wedge, sand wedge or a lob wedge. A pitch shot has
maximum air time and minimum roll time. In other words, the golf
ball has 2/3 air time and 1/3 roll on its journey to the hole.
Just the opposite of a chip shot.
Airtime is very difficult to create if your technique is off
even in the slightest. So, if you are tired of topping,
sculling, and hitting the ground behind the golf ball when you
pitch, this is the pearl for you.
Low Follow-Through = Maximum Airtime
If I had a dollar for every amateur that told me that they are
trying to follow-through high after impact so that their pitch
shots will go up in the air, I would be set for life.
Most of the time, a high follow-through after impact will force
the ball to be hit on the upswing which results in a top, scull
or ground-behind shot. If you setup to the golf ball just like
you were going to chip, you are halfway there. Remember:
The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance
Place 75% of your weight on your front foot The grip end of the
golf club points to the middle of your front leg. Place your
grip HALFWAY down the grip of the club The back swing is usually
longer than your chip shots. If you keep your weight on your
left leg - you DO NOT need to transfer your weight. As the golf
club begins to swing down into the ground, make sure you follow
thru LOW to the ground after impact. You want to feel as though
you chopped the back of the ball with the club head.
Secret #4: Bunker Play - The Backswing is a Full Swing Just Like
Your Driver
This tip will help you sleep well the night before a big golf
tournament. Your ability to play successfully from the sand
weighs heavily on technique and a small amount on strength. If
your technique is correct, you do not need to have a lot of
strength. The two mistakes that hold amateurs back in the bunker
are a line drive hit or leaving the ball in the bunker.
Most of the time they are afraid to swing too hard because they
are afraid of the line drive shot. So, you end up swinging so
slow that the ball only moves two feet. First and foremost, set
up correctly.
The golf ball should be positioned across from you left heel
Place 75% of your weight on your front foot The grip-end of the
golf club points to your BELT BUCKLE. Do not transfer any
weight. Stay on your front leg. What you are trying to do in the
bunker is hit the sand not the ball. This setup will ensure that
this happens.
The reason you play the ball across from your left heal is so
the clubhead will swing DOWN into the sand at impact and not up.
Placing weight on your left foot ensures the clubhead swings
down at the bottom of the swing. Placing the handle of the club
across from your belt buckle allows the bounce on the bottom of
the clubhead to impact the sand at the correct angle.
I promised you in the first sentence, these four short game tips
that would change the way you played from inside 50 yards. Make
yourself a promise to spend 15 minutes before every round this
year practicing your short game and you WILL watch your scores
fall.
Again, my name is Bobby Eldridge and I am the Head Professional
at GolfSwingGuru.com. My one and only goal is to make you a
better golfer this season.
We teach a very unique swing method that WILL lower your scores,
and have you playing great golf in no time flat. Our DVD's are
presented by Kyle Hallberg, the Director of Instruction at
GolfSwingguru.com.
If you have been struggling with your game and you would like to
improve, our unique system can help you. We are so confident
that it will help, we GUARANTEE that you will Drop 7 Strokes
From Your Average Round of Golf.
That is completely possible if you let us help you. We hope that
you will learn more about our unique way of swinging the club,
and we look forward to hearing your success story.
Click Here to See The Simple Golf Swing DVD
Click Here to See The Simple Golf Swing eBook
About the author:
Bobby Eldridge is the Head Instructor for the PurePont Golf
Academy where he teaches "The Simple Golf Swing" theory. You can
check out PurePoint Golf instructional DVDs at
http://www.golfswingguru.com/dvd.php
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