The 5 Ls of Short Game

From a right handed golfer's perspective I have an easy mantra to follow relative to a short game pre swing set up and swing: LLLLL. Let me explain!

First, let's focus on the goal. In full swings we are faced with the only two important factors: distance and direction. With full shots, high quality players will agree, direction, keeping the ball on the course and in a playable location, is paramount. Certainly distance is a concern, maybe carrying 100 yards of water, but generally it is keeping the ball moving toward our target. When we get into the realm of short game, we reverse the Ds and no longer is direction our primary goal, but distance. If we pitch, chip or putt and the ball is not near the hole, it is because we are too short or too long, not too far left or right. Speed, distance control, feel, perception, all these are number one and actually, I'm sure you'll agree, directly affect direction as well! In other words, the speed or distance you strike the ball is the focus.

When you hear TV commentators speaking about a particular golfer as he or she approaches a short game shot, you often hear, "This player has good feel, touch, speed control, perception etc.", NEVER, "boy does she or he have good directional skills!!!"

Whenever a shot requires that we strike it with less than full speed, it is a short game shot and the 5 Ls should be implemented. Here they are: a right handed golfer starts out by turning left of the target, what we call open. Then place about 60-70 percent of your weight on the left side, thereby creating the feel of hitting down, rather than a right sided weight distribution and an upswing move. Now the player is much closer to a necessarily finished swing by starting out in the pre swing close to finished two ways, weight and turn. During the swing the remaining 3 Ls are; left arm goes up, or back, then down, or forward, with the compulsory finish of a high pose to your body with left arm coming up. This motion is what brings me to a phrase I repeat to lesson takers all the time. Once they are in position, LS 1 and 2, the next 3 are: left arm up, down and then turn, turn where, LEFT!

How do we control distance, whether chip or pitch? It is determined by length and speed of swing, as in a putt or a chip putt. Putts obviously do not fit into the 5 LS since there is no horizontal plane. How do we control height, really simple, use a low lofted club for low shots and high lofted for high shots. I'm not being a wise guy, just demonstrating the simplicity. The swing remains the same, we just change tools. Same system for ball placement whether slightly forward or back, we move the same!

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