Leaving it short

[prowlsta]

Anyone got any good drills to help me make sure I dont leave the ball short- putting and chipping its the one crime im most guilty of on the golf course, especially on slow greens and it's so frustrating when you've read the line correctly.
Im fine when it comes to the middle of summer on the fast greens- I'm told my backswing is too short on my putts - any imput would be great thanks!

[Ian Hancock]

Re: Leaving it short

Hi James,

I think most of us are prone to this problem and there is not any shore way to correct it.

I think it comes from fear of the long one comming back so we try to "get it close" dustbin lid sayings etc.

For me I think you should try to hole every chip shot from any distance, which gives you a different perspective of chipping, putting is similar, any good player I have played with hits the ball past the hole.

I know there are times when the dustbin lid is good enough but generally you should try to hole everything.


Remember.......It will never go in if it doesn't reach the hole.


Good luck


Ian.

[gord962]

Re: Leaving it short

I tend to follow a bit of a different philosophy. I try to get the ball within 3 feet from any distance outside 30 feet. Just try to get the ball in a position for a one putt, if chipping or only a two putt if your are standing over a long putt. The 'never up, never in' philosophy has never worked for me because I tend to not worry about my next shot, which leads to long 2nd putts, which leads to a 3 putt.

[LowPost42]

Re: Leaving it short

To stop leaving approach shots short, take one more club. Always pretend the pin is at the back of the green.

To stop leaving pitches and chips short? Practice practice practice.

[Mizunoman]

Re: Leaving it short

When practicing putts pop a tee in the ground about 6 inches past the hole. Hit putts using the tee as the target. Make sure the ball hits the back of the hole when it goes in. Also check that the ones that miss reach the tee. Its just a matter of re-calibrating your feel and touch to hitting the ball past the target.

For chipping its a bit more difficult, remember and hit the ball positively. Thats the most important thing. Apart from that its all practice, just like LowPost says.

D.

[LowPost42]

Re: Leaving it short

After re-reading the original post, (and the subsequent answers) I'd like to offer the following:

For chips and long putts, line is the tertiary concern.

Your primary concern is speed - like Gord, I try to get the ball to within 3 or 4 feet (making a much easier short putt.

Your secondary concern, especially when chipping, is good technique. This includes your stanca, the length of your backswing, and making sure to follow through.

The tertiary concern is your line - a concern for sure - but line is only useful if (and that's a BIG if) you get the speed right.

Remember: if you 3 putt, it's because your 1st putt sucked!

[patriot07]

Re: Leaving it short

I live about 15 miles from McKinney, TX, where Todd Hamilton lives right now. And he came out to our local country club where I work right after he won the British open, and I asked him what the best advice he could give an amateur golfer was, and he said "no 3-putts". It was really awesome, he was such a nice guy, all I wanted was a picture with him, but he had one of his friends run out to his car and get the Claret(sp?) Jug, and I got to hold it in a picture with him. He told me he was going to run an experiment that night at the local bar and see how much beer it would hold. He was an absolutely great guy.
And in Tiger's book, he said the same thing as the post above: in long putts, hitting the ball solidly is much more important than the line. If you hit it on the right line, but don't hit the ball correctly, you're still 10 feet from the hole, but you can misread a putt by 3 or 4 feet, hit the ball the right speed, and still have just a bit more than a tap in for your 2nd.