My swing has been feeling good since lesson 8 and getting better each time I play or practice. I’ve been to the driving range a few times and it is really helping. I’ve also had a couple of hour practice sessions at GolfTEC. It’s still a work in progress, but I broke 80 twice in the last week so I must be doing something right.

On Tuesday I went to a free GolfTEC wedge clinic where they reinforced the fundamentals of chip and pitch shots. It was perfect timing and a nice refresher because yesterday I had an hour-long outdoor lesson in the short game area at a local course. We worked on chipping, pitching, finesse wedges, bunker shots, and putting. It was a packed hour! Here are some notes I took from the clinic and lesson.

Chipping

• 0-20 yards to the pin.
• Rolls more than it flies.
• Ball back in stance, weight on left leg, shaft tilted to target so that hands are ahead of the club.
• Match back swing and forward swing in speed and length.
• Swing more in to out to help the ball pop up.
• Only have the toe part of the sole on the ground (the point of the toe will work to part the turf which can come in handy with thicker grass), shaft more upright (still tilted forward though), and stand closer to the ball so it can be like a putting stroke.
• Can hit off the toe of the club if need to deaden the shot and less roll out.
• Can also play ball forward to get a higher shot, instead of back in the stance and produce less roll.
• Try to take a divot right under the ball, sweeping through at a shallow angle instead of steep, but still have hands forward.
• Determine % carry and % roll for each wedge and a basic length shot for each.
• Ladder drill with clubs spaced out a yard or two apart. Land the ball between each one going out and then coming back to create feel for distances.
• Put a poker chip or something similar on the green and try to land balls on it.

Pitching

• 20-40 yards to pin.
• Ball flies more than it rolls.
• Use more body and some rotation compared to chipping.
• Ball in the center of the stance.
• Don’t have to open the stance to see more of the target like a lot of people like to, it’s a preference if you want to.
• Determine % carry and % roll for each wedge for pitch shots of a basic length.
• Ladder drill.
• Phil’s “hinge and hold” method.
• Always follow through longer than back swing was so that you don’t decel and come up short.

Finesse Wedge

• 40-80 yards.
• 1/2 and 3/4 swings with each wedge.
• Similar fundamentals as pitch.
• More body rotation.
• Nice and smooth, don’t need to focus on power

Bunker Shots

• Hit 2 inches behind the ball.
• Club should travel 8 inches in the sand.
• Don’t try to hit closer to the ball to change length of shot. Very difficult to do.
• Don’t focus on the ball. Focus on the entry point in the sand.
• 2 line drill. Make 2 lines 8 inches apart in the sand. Club should enter sand on back line and leave on front line. Don’t need to use a ball all the time with this drill.
• Only use LW, SW, and GW/AW for green side bunker shots.
• Can adjust length of shot by changing the wedge and length of the swing.

Putting

• Stand closer to ball so that dropping a ball from eyes is on the putting line.
• Shaft of putter more upright so that the toe of the putter isn’t off the ground. Shaft should be in line with forearms.
• Put a CD on the ground and putt off of it so you can see if eyes are on the line.
• Putt a poker chip to make sure the sole is going across ground and the toe isn’t pointing up in the air. If putter isn’t soled correctly, won’t be able to hit the poker chip with a solid hit.

One of my goals this year is to put in significant short game practice time and I have plenty of things here to work on. Determining carry/roll percentages and distances for my wedges with chips and putts will make a huge difference in my ability to get up and down. Right now I play the guessing game and am so inconsistent around the green because of it. With a couple of small changes to my putting technique I should be able to make more putts inside 15 feet.

Check out my 10th and final lesson.

If this info was helpful to you and you end up working with GolfTEC, give them my name and I’ll receive a free lesson.