I have only golfed a couple of times this season. Of the five people I golfed with, three of them have asked me to help them with their short game. Considering one of the other five golfers was our head golf professional, this seems like a large percentage asking for help with their short game.
These three golfers have a lot in common:
- Avid golfers, playing golf two to three times a week. A three, nine and fourteen handicap.
- They putt from absurd places; even through rough at times because their confidence is so poor.
- None of them have committed to a golf lesson (even though they talk about it), but all of them watch videos and try to gather information from the internet.
- They practice and insist that they just need to get their timing down.
These three guys are all successful business people and were high achievers in sport; a former Calgary Flame, a National Team hockey player and a president/CEO of a corporation, and so I ask myself … why do they insist they can figure this out on their own? Eventually we have to own our swing and figure it out for ourselves, but this is different than doing it on our own.
The short game should be easy, shouldn’t it? We have all kinds of information on all aspects of the swing and/or the short game available to us on the internet. So why not just fix the problem ourselves? Firstly, you need to know what the problem is to fix it. Surely you are not doing everything wrong. If you are trying numerous things, you might just be clouding your mind with stuff. Or maybe you are trying to change something you are already doing correctly. So you blame it on timing and you continue to work at your game, some good, some bad, but no real and consistent improvement your abilities.
My tip is this. Get some help! Forget about all the information that is bombarding your brain from the internet. See a PGA of Canada professional and have him/her probably evaluate your technique, and improve your understanding of where you are and where you want to be. Provide the structure and drills you need to assist you in your progress. The same basic structure and help a coach or mentor assists with to help you achieve success in business and sport.
Now, to my three Amigos. I know you are not coming to a lesson, so here is a drill to help you with your chips and short pitch shots. Not a tip, but a drill. I have analyzed your chip and pitch swings and you all have this in common: overactive wrist and hand motion resulting in topped shots, fat shots and on occasion a good shot. This pattern has led to your lack of confidence.
Drill: Set up and hit some one-arm chips with an eight iron. First using your left, then with your right. Now try this in a short pitch swing using a sand wedge. When you can hit five good shots with each hand, you can add the other hand.
