Learning Golf

[Andru]

Golf is a game of skill. There are some basic skills that can help you maintain solid ball contact. I've been a huge proponent of learning golf from the green out. Meaning. Start with putting and progess to the longer shots. This is the only true way to build a solid reliable game for a lifetime.

For some reason Lessons have turned into full swing then short game. It's the long road to success in golf. There's no doubt about it. I've had the opportunity to help a few friends get started and they were all breaking 100 within 2 months of starting ( this is not an ad ). I know I know. I'm not a CPGA pro so the 'establishment' has labelled me incompetent in this area.

I'm not going to lie. Most of these people will need the help of a pro to mold their swing into a work of art to hit the next level. But they have sound fundamentals ( Grip, Setup and tempo ) And they all compress the ball With some consistency and hey they're shooting in the 90's on a regular basis.

We're not talking about calculus or physics here. It's golf. And if you take the best golfers in the world. Wood, Mickelson, Els and Goosen. They all have one thing in common. As kids they started chipping and putting around the green.

Tiger as a 2 year old. Mickelson and his father use to stand facing each other working on chipping the ball. ( Phil's Father is a righty ) and they worked on chip shots. Els' father tore down the tennis court and built him a putting green when Els took up the game. He spent hours out there.

The point of this little speech is Golf doesn't have to be as difficult as we make it. We should follow in the footsteps of the greats and build a game from the green out. Our love for the game makes it very difficult to spend a month building a game from scratch but in the end it's worth every minute of it when you've got a chance to shoot your career best in september.

[wayland]

Interesting statistic they showed on Golf Channel was that of the top 5 ranked golfers on PGA (Tiger, Phil, Vijay, Furyk and Goosen), none of them were currently ranked high on the "total driving" statistic (which counts distance and accuracy). Of the 5, I think the highest was 54 and Vijay was an atrocious #142).

Why are they the top 5 ranked golfers in the world though? Short game

[goshawk]

I am a strong proponent of working on the short game more than the big sticks. After all, in a typical par 72 round, you're likely to hit the big stick an average of 12 to 16 times, depending on the length of all the par 4's. If the average score of golfers is in the 90's, that's a very small percentage of strokes with the driver. More than likely, with a score of 95, there were probably as many as 30-40 putts, possibly more. Going with the low end, 12 drivers vs 30 putts. Which one should be practiced more?
The one area of practice that can save more strokes than any other is pitching and chipping. If these shots can end up within a few feet of the hole, a golfer could convievably have 18 putts in a round. Imagine a golfer who typically scores 100 in one season. During the off-season, he practices his short game to the point of being very proficient. He gets to the first round of the season and scores 80 because he's had half the putts he did last year. Do you think he's excited?
Short game. It's the best way to get your score down.

[BirdieGirl]

Knowing this kind of makes those of us who don't have a long drive feel like we can still keep up! :) :) :)

[el tigre]

Interesting statistic they showed on Golf Channel was that of the top 5 ranked golfers on PGA (Tiger, Phil, Vijay, Furyk and Goosen), none of them were currently ranked high on the "total driving" statistic (which counts distance and accuracy). Of the 5, I think the highest was 54 and Vijay was an atrocious #142).

Why are they the top 5 ranked golfers in the world though? Short game Only Furyk is in the top 5 in scrambling (#4). The next highest is Goosen at #44.

Although there is no statistic that can accurately predict the top 5 ranked golfers, the closest is GIR % - which is a ballstriking statistic. Tiger is #1, and Mickelson, Singh and Furyk are all in the top 25.

This is not surprising - there have been other statistical studies that have shown that the best predictor of your handicap is your GIR%. While there is no denying that putting and short game are not practiced enough and everyone can save a few strokes if they improve these skills, the bottom line is that the less you have to use your short game skills, the better you will score.

[TourIQ]

Interesting statistic they showed on Golf Channel was that of the top 5 ranked golfers on PGA (Tiger, Phil, Vijay, Furyk and Goosen), none of them were currently ranked high on the "total driving" statistic (which counts distance and accuracy). Of the 5, I think the highest was 54 and Vijay was an atrocious #142).

Why are they the top 5 ranked golfers in the world though? Short game

http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?/newsandtour/gw20051223puttingmatters.html
Golfers who have been No. 1 on the PGA Tour money list over the last 20 years (1986-2005) ranked, on average, 29th in putting, 21st in GIR, 74th in driving accuracy and 35th in driving distance. During that span, only five times (Curtis Strange, 42nd, 1988; Tom Lehman, T-55, 1996; Tiger Woods, 60th, 1997; Woods, T-102, 2001; Woods, T-83, 2002) has the No. 1 player in earnings been out of the top 40 in putting average.

The gap between you and the pros is even bigger than you think
The real difference between you and Tiger ..
http://www.golfdigest.co.za/features/details/index.php?feat=6
or http://www.popeofslope.com/downloads/therealdifference.pdf

[Andru]

Only Furyk is in the top 5 in scrambling (#4). The next highest is Goosen at #44.

Although there is no statistic that can accurately predict the top 5 ranked golfers, the closest is GIR % - which is a ballstriking statistic. Tiger is #1, and Mickelson, Singh and Furyk are all in the top 25.

This is not surprising - there have been other statistical studies that have shown that the best predictor of your handicap is your GIR%. While there is no denying that putting and short game are not practiced enough and everyone can save a few strokes if they improve these skills, the bottom line is that the less you have to use your short game skills, the better you will score.
Stats are not everything because they don't tell the whole story. Not even part of it. GIR's is overrated. Scrambling doesn't always represent a person's short game competence. You have to look at each persons game individually.

Since the short game represents every shot inside 100 yards it's safe to say it has the largest impact on anyone's score.

The best example I can give anyone is this. I sat at the 17th hole in NJ last year. The 600+ yard par 5. Everyone ( Except Tiger ) the first two days layed up. We sat and watched a ton of groups go through. The difference between the best in the world and the fringe players is this; The best were inside 10 feet and made birdies the fringe guys were either off the green or 20 feet away and made par.

If you look at scoring avg. The difference between #1 and #197 is 4 Shots. That's it. 4 shots. If your think #197 needs to go the range more to get to where Tiger is he's chasing a rainbow, he needs to save more pars.

The best GIR is 71%. If everyone out there believes the answer to playing better is trying to hit 71% of your Greens. Good luck. You'll still be a 20 handicapper in 2 years. maybe a 14. To get into the big leagues you need to get the ball up and down. That's where you make the money.

Knowing this kind of makes those of us who don't have a long drive feel like we can still keep up! :) :) :)

When your Ballstriking isn't there one day. You can still score well. That's why scratch golfers are scratch golfers. When they're hitting on all cylinders. They're flirting with par. When they're hitting it poorly they're shooting 1 or 2 over.

I play with a senior and he doesn't hit it as far these days. He still plays form the blues though. Anyway. He can't get to some of those par 4's in 2. He plays for just short and gets it up and down for par all the time. It's really something to watch. At the end of the day. I shoot 76 he shoots. 73. It's a par 70 so I'm 6 over he's 3 over. My first thought is how did that happen? Then again I know. He chips at least one ball in every time I play with him.

This is the guy that spawned my initial thoughts on this subject. I spend 90% of my time on the range doing short game and 10% hitting balls and when I do hit balls it's a structured practice 25 balls and I'm done. Every ball has a prupose and/or a target. I'm either performing a drill or aiming at a target. There's NO drag and scrape.

[TourIQ]

I play with a senior and he doesn't hit it as far these days. He still plays form the blues though. Anyway. He can't get to some of those par 4's in 2. He plays for just short and gets it up and down for par all the time. It's really something to watch. At the end of the day. I shoot 76 he shoots. 73. It's a par 70 so I'm 6 over he's 3 over. My first thought is how did that happen? Then again I know. He chips at least one ball in every time I play with him.

Hi Andru

I remember the day when my son 'forgedblade' shot 2 course records [30 for 9 holes and 64 for 18 holes which included one 3-putt]. The club is a 9-hole track and the Board of Directors at the club consider both a 9 and 18 hole score as records. The course is 56 years old and the 2 course records still stands today.

On the front 9 his ball striking was not stellar and his GIR's were down from his normal level, but then I seen his short game soar. When he missed a GIR his longest putt after a chip was 2 feet or less. On hole 7 he chipped in for a birdie on a missed green par 3. On hole 1 he lipped out a 50 footer for eagle. On hole 5 he lipped out for birdie. On hole 8 he chipped into the cup but the ball flipped out for a tap in par. On hole 9 he cut off the par 4 dogleg and had a 30 yard chip to the green and he was trying to chip in for eagle [and a front 9 score of '29']. He came up 6 inches to the left, for a tap in birdie. After the front 9, I asked if he was nervous trying to chip in for a '29' and he said No, if I would of been nervous I would of never got it within 6 inches for an easy birdie.
On the front 9 he only used 10 putts, enroute to a '30'. On the back 9 he shot 64. Previous records 31 & 65.

We rushed the back 9 to get home for a late BBQ.

[hogannut]

Great post!!! Let's all remember how long golf has been played for. Out of those hundreds of years only the last 50 have you seen the development of instruction, before that it was trial and error and copying what you saw better players did. One of the reasons I admire Hogan so much is he was self taught. Ironically Hogan who was very independent wrote his book and pretty much invented a whole new aspect of golf, formal instruction, but his intentions of writing the book was so an average player could go out to the practice area and improve his game on his own.

As for the comments on Tiger and Phil. Absolutely correct. Although we all think Tiger was in training at 2 years old, he actually played a lot of sports until he was 10 or 12 and then (according to his mother in an interview) chose to play golf exclusively. Up until then he had played organized baseball and football as well as golf. For me anyway I encourage my two boys to play any and all sports. They both play organized hockey, and they belong to a tennis club. My younger likes golf a lot and we putt almost every night in the winter after dinner in the living room. I have told him from the time he was 3 and started hitting golf balls that putting is the most important part of golf. He ALWAYS putts when we go to the range or dome. Putting is his favourite thing to do in golf, and I encourage it. He'll develop his swing over time and I don't want him hitting tons of balls at his age. A dozen warm up shots before we play is plenty for a 9 year old. He got a chipping net for his birthday last week and loves it. We use it in our back yard and he loves trying to make the shot. He hasn't made one yet, but he's not giving up....his words!! I gotta stop now as the tears are making the screen blurry.

[el tigre]

Personally, I only consider pitching, chipping and bunker shots as part of the "short game". Putting is a totally different part of the game, while IMHO you are using the same ballstriking skill in every full swing - regardless of whether you're using a sand wedge from 70 yards or a 6-iron from 170 yards.

At the professional or low-handicap amateur level, the game is always won inside 100 yards. But I would argue that you cannot reach the professional or low-handicap level without consistant ballstriking - to the point where good ballstriking is often taken for granted by golfers at that level. A short bout with the sh&*$ks is all it takes to remind someone of just how difficult it is to score on a consistent basis when your full swing doesn't work.

Of course, we've all had those memorable games when our full swing was off but our short game and/or putting saved us. Or the opposite - hit a ton of greens but 3-putted them all. But over the long term, your average score has the strongest correlation to the average number of GIR's per round. In fact, you can predict one stat with the other pretty accurately.

In addition, I would also argue that better ballstriking will improve your scrambling %, since your misses will be closer to the hole. After all, it is a lot easier to get up-and-down when putting from the fringe than pitching over a bunker to a short-sided pin.

That being said, most people don't practice their short game and putting enough and don't bother with instruction in this area. Its not a bad place to start learning the game (especially for kids who are not big enough to swing longer clubs), because these shots are technically easier to learn than the full swing. And even those golfers that do take short game lessons may not put in enough practice to ingrain the "feel and touch" that is such an important aspect to these shots. It is a neglected part of the game, for sure.

But I can almost guarantee you that there is nobody with an average score under 80 that averages only a 1/3 of the greens in regulation. You would need the short game AND putting skill of a PGA pro to get up-and-down that often.

[Andru]

Personally, I only consider pitching, chipping and bunker shots as part of the "short game". Putting is a totally different part of the game, while IMHO you are using the same ballstriking skill in every full swing - regardless of whether you're using a sand wedge from 70 yards or a 6-iron from 170 yards.
The short game is defined as anything inside 100 yards ask any professional from club to touring pro.

You can't debate this if you're changing the parameters. Improving from 100 yards and in, will help your GIR.

The shot you play from 90 yards is not the same full swing shot you play from 170. The skill is similar but it's not the same shot. If you did you'd be hitting a big slice with your woods and irons. Totally different action, flight and reaction when the ball hits ground.

The point about memorable games is just that. If you're a good short game player those 'memorable' games happen all the time.

1/3 is not an exageration. But for a person shooting in the 100's or 90's it can mean 6-9 strokes a round.

But I can almost guarantee you that there is nobody with an average score under 80 that averages only a 1/3 of the greens in regulation. You would need the short game AND putting skill of a PGA pro to get up-and-down that often.

This is inaccurate because you're not taking into account PGA tour players are playing much more difficult golf courses. The scrambling stats they post are misleading. If you put them on a regular weekend track without tucked pins, 4 inch rough and slower greens. Their short games will eat it for breakfast.

[el tigre]

The short game is defined as anything inside 100 yards ask any professional from club to touring pro.

You can't debate this if you're changing the parameters. Improving from 100 yards and in, will help your GIR. A professional will not need a full swing on a shot inside 100 yards, except maybe with a lob wedge. Other than that, I agree that improving from 100 yards and in will help your GIR - especially for long hitters, but even for average players on par 5's.

The shot you play from 90 yards is not the same full swing shot you play from 170. The skill is similar but it's not the same shot. If you did you'd be hitting a big slice with your woods and irons. Totally different action, flight and reaction when the ball hits ground. The swing is the same and the skill is the same - it is the equipment that is different. The differences in action, ball flight and reaction arise from the different clubface lofts, shaft lengths and the grooves used on wedges. Obviously it is easier to slice woods and long irons than wedges, and it is easier to create backspin with the naturally-steep angle of attack from a wedge - but you do not have a different swing for each of them.


This is inaccurate because you're not taking into account PGA tour players are playing much more difficult golf courses. The scrambling stats they post are misleading. If you put them on a regular weekend track without tucked pins, 4 inch rough and slower greens. Their short games will eat it for breakfast. If by "short game" you mean all shots within 100 yards, then I agree. They would be hitting a wedge into almost every green for their GIR.

What I would argue is that if a PGA Tour player played on our regular weekend tracks, their scrambling ability would be almost meaningless. It would be a bad day if they had to get up-and-down more than 3 or 4 times.

[Andru]

The swing is the same and the skill is the same - it is the equipment that is different. The differences in action, ball flight and reaction arise from the different clubface lofts, shaft lengths and the grooves used on wedges. Obviously it is easier to slice woods and long irons than wedges, and it is easier to create backspin with the naturally-steep angle of attack from a wedge - but you do not have a different swing for each of them.

The different reaction on the ball is a result of the cut spin you put on it. It's a low knock down wedge shot. Barely releasing the club face and holding off the finish.



What I would argue is that if a PGA Tour player played on our regular weekend tracks, their scrambling ability would be almost meaningless. It would be a bad day if they had to get up-and-down more than 3 or 4 times.
regardless. my point still stands. It's not unreasonable for a single digit handicapper to post PGA tour type scrambling numbers given the conditions of a regular golf course.

[Shadow]

Golf is a game of skill. There are some basic skills that can help you maintain solid ball contact. I've been a huge proponent of learning golf from the green out. Meaning. Start with putting and progess to the longer shots.
Absolutely Correct!!! If you can't chip and putt you will never score, even if you hit a lot of greens and fairways. But if you can chip and putt, you will score, even if the ball striking is off.

My 2006 stats show this:
Fairways - Down
Greens - Down
Up and Down Percentage - Down

Scoring Average - LOWER!!! Why? Putts per GIR - DOWN, ie., fewer 3 putts and more birdies.

[el tigre]

If you can't chip and putt you will never score, even if you hit a lot of greens and fairways. But if you can chip and putt, you will score, even if the ball striking is off.
Shadow, as a low-handicapper what you mean by "your ballstriking is off" and what that means for a high-handicapper is totally different. The "short game" skill requirements of a scratch golfer like you and someone trying to break 90 are in a different league altogether. It is a fact that many low-handicappers have a tough time understanding (or perhaps "remembering" is a better word).

If a scratch golfer has 9 GIR's, that probably means they had 7-8 chips or bunker shots to try and save par. So obviously, chipping and bunker play are important skills for them to learn.

Even with much fewer GIRs, a high-handicapper would be lucky if they're chipping from 20 yards or less to save par 7-8 times in a round. Poor ballstriking for a high-handicapper typically means hazards, lost balls and pitch-outs that have taken par completely out of the equation. Poor ball-striking for a high-handicapper also means they are usually faced with a 30-50 pitch shot to a green with bunkers/hazards still in play, instead of a simple chip from the fringe. That kind of shot would be a difficult up-and-down for anyone - even an exceptional short game artist.

Personally, if I hit more than 2 greenside bunkers in a round that usually means I'm hitting the ball well - because my misses are closer to the green! Why would a spend a lot of time practicing bunker shots at this point, when I can go 2 or 3 rounds without ever having to play one? I'm already pretty good at the 20-yard pitch over the bunker - I just wish I didn't have to play it so much! For an inconsistant ballstriker like me, the reality is that I would be scoring a lot better if I wasn't putting to save bogey so often!

I'm certainly not advocating that anyone ignore the short game, but when your practice time is limited you have to work on the things that are going to give you the best return. Putting practice can benefit everyone because we all need to putt out eventually, regardless of our skill level. But IMHO the relative importance of chipping, pitching and bunker play will vary widely by your current level of play.

In all liklihood a low-handicapper will benefit from more short-game practice because they already have decent ballstriking skills - that's why they are a low-handicapper in the first place! High-handicappers will benefit from a better short-game too - but they need to develop dependable, consistent ballstriking skills in order to put themselves in a position where good chipping and bunker play can really make a difference.

[Andru]

I stand by my method. Master the shots from the green out and by next summer you'll be shooting in the 80's consistenly. And you'll have a foundation to take you to the best golf of your life.

Now I don't know why it's been assumed I'm saying eliminate the long game practice. That's nonsense. I'm saying learn the shots that will immediately help you. Even if you get to the green in 4 you'll be able to get down in 2 and make a 6 vs. an 8. Or perhaps make a 5 when you chip one in.

Go to the Canadian Open in September and watch it for yourself. The game is from 100 yards and in. master this and learning the long game is a snap.

Just imagine standing in the fariway or rough and all you have to do is get the ball near the green because you KNOW. It's 2 shots from there.

It develops confidence. You swing freely because you can deal with whatever the consequence. Instead of standing in the fairway scared because you know if you miss the green. It's 2 chunks and 3 putts. You swing tight trying to guide it to the green.

[Shadow]

Shadow, as a low-handicapper what you mean by "your ballstriking is off" and what that means for a high-handicapper is totally different. The "short game" skill requirements of a scratch golfer like you and someone trying to break 90 are in a different league altogether. It is a fact that many low-handicappers have a tough time understanding (or perhaps "remembering" is a better word).
At my age I have trouble remembering everything.:)

I understand your point that higher handicappers can lose more strokes by bad shots than they can save by having a good short game and putting. However, strokes can still be saved so I agree with Andru that spending more time on developing a better putting stroke to avoid 3 putting and making the occasional 1 putt will still help. The early work on a putting stroke will pay huge dividends in future years when the golfer's swing improves

Hitting a lot of greens (14) I chip and pitch infrequently and the quality of my shots is less than ideal, IMO. What saves me is my putting, vastly improved and a game saver if need be. Playing from the back tees at our place last week I hit ONLY 11 greens and even with relatively poor chipping, I was able to score 71, getting up and down all 7 times, because I was making the 8 to 15 footers. This is really thrilling for me as I spent 40 years being a mediocre putter. I wonder if spending 40 years on poa annua greens was part of the reason because as soon as I moved to a bent grass green course, the hole seems to have gotten bigger.

[TourIQ]

As for the comments on Tiger and Phil. Absolutely correct. Although we all think Tiger was in training at 2 years old, he actually played a lot of sports until he was 10 or 12 and then (according to his mother in an interview) chose to play golf exclusively. Up until then he had played organized baseball and football as well as golf. For me anyway I encourage my two boys to play any and all sports. They both play organized hockey, and they belong to a tennis club. My younger likes golf a lot and we putt almost every night in the winter after dinner in the living room. I have told him from the time he was 3 and started hitting golf balls that putting is the most important part of golf. He ALWAYS putts when we go to the range or dome. Putting is his favourite thing to do in golf, and I encourage it. He'll develop his swing over time and I don't want him hitting tons of balls at his age. A dozen warm up shots before we play is plenty for a 9 year old. He got a chipping net for his birthday last week and loves it. We use it in our back yard and he loves trying to make the shot. He hasn't made one yet, but he's not giving up....his words!! I gotta stop now as the tears are making the screen blurry.

Hi hogannut

Thanks for sharing the family story of your son. When he finally beats you in a game then you know that you have trained or developed him well, and the torch is passed. Great he loves to practice the short game. Far too many kids now want to use driver and bomb it 3 faiways over :eek: as they have no clue where it is going . Once he beats you then he will do it all the time :rofl: that is what you have to look forward to :D