Two Common Short Game Mistakes To Avoid

Every golfer knows that it’s not your driving distance but your short game that makes or breaks your score, and that’s unfortunate because nothing can be more frustrating than trying to overcome short game shortcomings.

Here are some common short game mistakes for golfers over 50 to avoid that can take a few strokes off of your score:

Using the Wrong Club

The biggest mistake a golfer can make is in not knowing their equipment. It is important to become comfortable with your clubs on the practice green, making note of which clubs achieve what distances with how much force. This takes the guessing out of any short game challenges.

As an example, you might be comfortable and confident in using a 7 iron for a short bump-and-run chip shots. So use it on the course and don’t waver. Don’t let any book, video or other golfer tell you which club goes what distance. It’s completely personal and you can only know by familiarizing yourself with your equipment.

When Tiger Woods faces a shot from anywhere around the green he generally uses his 60 degree wedge. With simple adjustments to his technique, Tiger will use that 60-degree wedge to hit a flop shot where the ball only goes 25 feet, or he’ll use it to hit a shot from 60 yards. He doesn’t try to use several wedges. After playing that wedge for years Tiger knows it works for him; he is most comfortable with that particular club.

So you see, short game success is just as much about your familiarity and confidence with your equipment as it is about specific techniques. You can have a better short game, more fun and a lower score just by familiarizing yourself with your equipment.

Over-thinking the Shot

Golf as a sport is first and foremost about enjoyment. Every round played is a chance to build confidence, relax and have fun. This is almost impossible to do if you are over-analyzing every aspect of your short game. Odds are you will have your best days out when you let the game just happen.

Put into perspective, chances are you have a few golf lessons under your belt, additional knowledge gained from golf television and websites, and you’ve notched off hours of practice time. You might as well just take your swing and let all of that experience speak for itself.

If you spend too much time analyzing every little detail of your short game you are probably only going to overwhelm and frustrate yourself. Every golfer knows it’s impossible to play well when you have too much in your head, so a simple but big part of bringing your short game together is just enjoying golf. It’s OK to concentrate when a difficult shot presents itself, but not every mistake you make needs a solution to fix.

Know your equipment, play your favorite clubs around the green, and relax. Don’t over-think your shots on the course – leave that for the practice green.

Choosing the Right Club For Chip Shots

Most senior golfers when asked what their club of choice for chip shots is would say their pitching wedge. This is not wrong, but there are certain things to keep in mind when choosing which club to chip with. In the professional golf world, there are two equally acceptable schools of thought:

1) All For One and One For All – These golfers have one club that does it all. These players control height and distance by adjusting their swing to chip the ball wherever it needs to go. This can take quite a bit of practice before you can become proficient and accurate.

2) Quiver Full of Clubs – Some golfers prefer to take advantage of the capabilities of individual clubs. These golfers have practiced a great deal with all of their clubs and in various scenarios – they know several clubs well and when they should use them. Each club will vary greatly in terms of distance and shot type (high, low, etc.). To master each club requires trying several different shots with each ones until you are comfortable and confident.

So which method do you choose? That’s the wonderful thing about golf – there are always many different methods and none of them are right or wrong. It really boils down to personal preference. Try both methods and see which one agrees with you more.

A senior golfer that is just beginning might be better off utilizing different clubs for various chip shots. The reason is that a new player is still developing a sense for his or her swing and control around the greens. Since different clubs produce different results, using them all only further acclimates the player to fundamental motions in golf. Over time, a beginner golfer may become more comfortable – and therefore, more successful – with a couple of different clubs for chip shots and will begin to use those particular clubs more often.

Intermediate to advanced golfers with a solid grasp of their clubs and swing fundamentals might consider making the move to one club for every chip shot. At this stage it is safe to assume that the player will be capable of learning how to manage his backswing and power his shot to achieve specific results. Particularly around the green, this mastery is important and controlling one specific ‘favorite’ club may be the better route.

Chipping is one of the more important skill sets to have in golf. Regardless of which method you choose to chip with, it is important that you practice, practice, practice to perfect your technique.

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