My short game tip...
I think I got this from Jack Nicklaus
Lesson Tee book, which is actually a cartoon drawn instruction manual, its terrific. It basically says you have 10-11 different lofted clubs for a reason, so you can have one swing, one tempo, consistently and let the difference in club do the work of adjusting for loft and distance.. makes sense, but while most people use it for the long game, when it comes to the short game people tend to have 5 or 6 different swing techniques or speeds or swing lengths that they use with the pitching wedge - basically using the PW from 120 yards out to the fringe and varying the swing speed or backswing length. Jack says this is wrong, and instead to practice 3 swings - the full swing at full tempo, a half swing at normal tempo, and basically what amounts to a putting stroke with the wedge through longer irons.
@Ridley Simon mentions using a full swing with a 64 and that's what I'm referring to. Use a full swing, dial up the loft, when you are less than a pitching wedge out but too long for a chip. Once you get to chipping range, use ONE chip swing with a range of clubs, not a variable speed/backswing approach with the PW. It will build consistency in the short game by mastering one pitch swing.
When you get around the green, especially within 5-10 feet of it, the object is to land the ball on the green as soon as possible and let it roll to the hole the rest of the way. But you want to use the same stroke for all these shots regardless of the distance from the fringe to the pin and that motion should be a putting swing. So when you are say 5 feet off the green, and the pin is 5 feet from the fringe, use a putting motion with a high lofted club like a SW or 60 or 64, you want to loft it 6 feet then roll 4 feet to the pin. But if you are 5 feet off and the pin is 20 feet from the fringe, use the same motion with a 7 or 8 iron. The ball will land inside the fringe and roll the remaining 15 feet. If the pin is on the opposite end of the green, say 40-50 feet, use the same putting motion and a 3-5 iron. The ball will loft 5 feet then roll the remaining 40 feet. Practice this same putting style stroke with lofted irons and low irons from around the fringe to get a feel for your loft/roll ratios. It helps sooooo much to use one consistent swing whenever possible, I found this shaved strokes off my game as much as anything. People would see me take a 5 iron from the fringe and roll it to within 1 putt range, while they take a pitching wedge and try to finesse some quarter swing they've never practiced, then chunk or skull it and end up just adding strokes.
Obviously there are variables like slope of the green, grain direction and your ball's lie - using a putting motion only works with a good clean lie. But the point Jack makes is, don't make up a new swing on the course. Use a full swing, a half swing and a putting motion, and that will cover every shot you may ever need, if you select the right club. And using a 4 iron from 4 feet off the green is a perfectly fine selection if the pin is 60 feet away. Much much more consistent than trying to chip the ball to the pin in the air most of the way.
Anyway, worked well for me.
