As a Teaching professional I'm continually surprised that when I first meet a new student, they want to work on their driver so they can lower their score. My first thought is to show them that they need to work on everything from 50 yards and in. Greens In Regulation on the LPGA Tour averages 70-75% . That means 25-30% of their time is spent getting up and down. So for the recreational golfer maybe at best they might hit GIR 20% of the time and that guess might be high. So in an 18 hole round that would mean you hit 3.6 GIR. Know the intention of your practice, Pay attention to the intention 70% of each practice devoted to short game (putting, chipping & pitching from within 50 yards) 30 minute practice = 22 minutes of short game 60 minute practice is = 42 minutes of short game Practice the short game first What is not easy to do should be done with great persistence
Chipping away at your score! Good technique is very important to be good at chipping but the most overlooked part of chipping is club selection. Keep the same stroke and change your club depending on how far away the hole is. LET THE LOFT Of THE CLUB DO THE WORK. A good rule of thumb is: If the hole is close to the front edge - use a wedge ( edge wedge) If the hole is near - use a 9 iron ( Nine Near) If the hole is in the center of the green - use a 7 iron ( 7 center) If the hole is far away - use a 5 iron ( Five Far) The second most overlooked thing is picking a spot to land your ball. Most people only look at the hole but what must happen is to pick a stop between you and the hole of where you want your ball to land and then roll into the hole. Get good at hitting your spot and you'll see more consistent, reliable chips REMEMBER, CHIPPING is about getting the ball onto the green as soon as possible and let it roll like a putt. You are NOT trying to fly the ball to the hole.