Short Game: Distance Over Direction

When dealing with golf shots there are only two concerns: distance and direction. In short game shots the distance factor is way more important. When golf professionals speak of short game distance, they often talk about pace, feel, perception, touch, distance control and more. Speed is SO important that it also affects your direction. If you give it some thought, whenever you putt, chip or pitch and the shot is not good, it is because the ball is way too short of the cup or way too long: rarely too far left or right. You may hear a TV announcer mention something about a player who's walking to the green to make a short game short and the commentator will say, this player has good distance control or touch, not that he's good at aiming!

Assuming you have a good putting stroke as well as chipping and pitching swing, let's focus on distance. Try drills with each type of shot by hitting one very short, maybe 10 feet, then the next at 11 feet, then 12 feet. The first attempt most golfers are not too good, but on time two, they are vastly improved and on the third, they've found their stride. It's not only good for practice, but a good warmup while waiting to tee off and it gives you a good feel for the greens of that particular golf course.

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