Dave Pelz: “Studying the game”

Make a shorter backswing, then accelerate through to chip in more. Photo by Leonard Kamsler

Who doesn’t love the sight of a chip shot tracking to the hole, rattling the pin and dropping? There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy that more. First, you need to work on your technique: Position the ball off your back ankle, lean slightly forward to ensure a descending blow, and accelerate smoothly through impact. Acceleration is the key, but it must be gradual and not abrupt.

Think to achieve a more gradual acceleration, with the follow-through about 20 percent longer than your backswing. Remember, in chipping you should always pair a short backswing with a longer follow-through—never a long backswing to a shorter follow-through. Read the rest of this entry »

Focus on two simple keys for wet sand. Leonard Kamsler

Picture your ball sitting in wet, packed sand. To get out, do you think you have to swing harder and hit closer to the ball than you do when the sand is dry? If you are nodding yes, then you’ve got it wrong.

Read the rest of this entry »

t’s a fact: High-handicap golfers need the short game more than good players do.

A popular misconception is that the worse you play golf, or the higher your handicap, the less you need a short game. Actually, the exact opposite is true. Which is why I say, “The poorer your game, the more wedges you need.” Read the rest of this entry »

Most teaching professionals feel the grip is the most important fundamental in golf. I have two reasons for disagreeing with this classic belief.

First, in the short game — what I consider the most important part of golf — the grip shouldn’t be your main concern. My testing shows that when it comes to influencing success around the green, the grip falls behind alignment, ball position, and stability. As further evidence of the grip’s priority, look at a player like Paul Azinger, who has a great short game but a most unusual way of holding the club. Read the rest of this entry »