Instruction
Short Game:
Set Yourself
up for Success
I
Focus on the fundamentals to improve your
play around the green
by ERIC LAYTON
see it all the time. Blades, chunks, shanks, tops, and
yips are plaguing the short games of amateur golfers.
For many players, just getting the ball onto the green
from 30 yards away seems like a huge success. We know
to improve our scoring we must get those short shots
close enough to give us a chance at a one putt. So why
is it so hard?
Most of the time, the answer to that question hap-
pens before we ever hit the shot. The pre-shot decision making
and pre-swing setup play a huge role in our chances of executing
a quality shot. Let’s look at the fundamentals of the two basic
shots we play around the green, so we can better prepare to hit a
quality shot.
SHOT 1: THE CHIP
The goal of the chip is to get the ball onto the green and rolling
toward the hole. The initial trajectory tends to be lower. You can
chip with most every club in you