How to Improve a Golf Short Game
If you want to improve your golf scores and lower your handicap, spend more time trying to improve your short game. Once you have confidence in this aspect of the game, you will find that it translates to a real improvement in your long game. In fact, no matter how errant your tee shot, the truth of the matter is, you can easily make up the mistake. Here are ways to improve your golf short game.
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Instructions
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Start by becoming more confident in your wedge play. There is no other club in your bag that can reduce your score more than the wedge play. Spend at least ½ of your warm-up or practice time hitting wedges until you begin feeling more comfortable using it. While the ball's position for the wedge shot will depend on many circumstances, for instance your lie, distance or trajectory, the best way to practice the wedge is to place the golf ball in the center of your stance.
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Understand that as with putting, sand play is nothing more than a “confidence game”. Too often, players hit away from the sand traps, because they lack the confidence to execute a shot properly. Strangely, in many cases it is preferable to land in a sand trap rather than a remote area off the green. Hitting a sand shot is really quite simple. Your objective will be to hit the golf ball about two inches to its rear, using a cushion of sand to gently lift the ball to the surface of the green. Getting the ball close to the flagstick will come with practice. The more you practice, the better you'll perform. Most professional players can get up and down from a sand trap, using two strokes, over 80 percent of the time.
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Practice chipping from many different lies, using different clubs. Regardless of the position of the ball, first visualize the flight of the shot you are about to hit. Then, focus on where the ball will have to land in order to end near the hole. Take a few practice swings to get used to each type of lie.
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Hit the putting green before tee time. In most cases, the green is cut at the same time. So, you should be able to determine the relative speed of the greens. Remember: the more time you spend practicing, the sooner you will start to see a lower score.
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