Working On Your Short Game

As promised in our introduction yesterday, we plan to deliver information to help you with your golf game and provide all types of information that is both interesting and unique. Today I am providing a great article written by John Woosey - "Avoid Common Golf Mistakes By Working On Your Short Game." The author touches on some great points you should find helpful. Enjoy this excellent information and good luck with your next round of golf.

Avoid Common Golf Mistakes By Working On Your Short Game

By John Woosey

We’ve just had the 2009 Open Championships at Turnberry in Scotland and many people were thrilled yet again at the climax to an exciting four days of golf. Veteran Tom Watson seemingly had the tournament wrapped up with a two stroke lead on the eventual winner Stewart Cink but the pressure got to the 59 year old and with a series of poorly hit putts he entered the downward spiral that lost him the tournament. As heartbreaking as this was to watch for the lucky crowds on the course and millions on television, if you ask any golfer they will tell you it happens to everyone now and then. You could play great for the front 9 holes but have an absolute stinker on the home stretch. In Tom’s case his short game (chipping, pitching and putting) really hurt him when it counted most and many other golfers can either send their ball off the back of the green or pitifully short of the flag if their short game isn’t up to scratch. So how can you avoid these devastating moments? Well practice is the key with many sports including golf. A key aspect of an impressive short game is often touch and taking many shots at different distances from the flag will help you to get the feel for the power and speed you should put into a shot. With chipping from short distances you are aiming to get the ball to land on the green, generally in front of the hole, as depending on your choice of club the ball can roll for a fair distance after it touches down on the green. Practicing either in your back garden or, if you’re allowed, on the edge of your local putting green try and aim your shots correctly and get used to using the correct club for the job. By doing this practice or even using various chip training aids like a net basket set at different distances you should gain distance control, a vital skill and knowledge to have when approaching the green from short distances. Although this will give you a benchmark, when out on the course, local conditions will dictate how you adapt the weight of each shot as greens can run faster and slower in wet dry and wet weather. In the case of putting you need distance control again, in the form of how much power to put into each putt. Practicing on your local putting green again will help you develop a sound judgement of how much power to put into your putt. One issue with putting is that the green is rarely even and so you should practice on various slopes and directions to know how to predict the line of each shot. Many players are surprised at how wide you need to aim your putt to get it to swoop round and back to the cup. By practicing these skills you should be able to cut down on your handicap and make those vital pulse pounding shots that can truly decide who goes home a winner.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/avoid-common-golf-mistakes-by-working-on-your-short-game-1079785.html

About the Author:
There are many other golf related subjects that John Woosey writes on such as Golf Insurance and Travel Insurance for Golfers

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