This 9-part course will dial in your short game forever

Welcome to Shaving Strokes, the GOLF.com series where we share the progress, lessons learned and takeaways from novice golfers like you — including the speed bumps and challenges they’ve faced along the way.

After my round the other day, I looked at the card and was instantly overwhelmed: Again, I played bogey-golf, shooting 45 on nine holes.

Although I can’t be happy with the result, bogey-golf has been the story of my life for the last 1.5 years, as I can’t consistently hit low scores. I took lessons, improved my swing, found more fairways than ever before, and even played with different putter grips and styles. But the results remain the same.

When you dive into the numbers a bit from this latest round, it’s clear where I need to pay more attention: the short game.

On six separate occasions, I had opportunities to save money simply by going up and down. I do so on one, bogey or worse on the other five.

As most of the top teachers remind me, if you can win from 100 yards, you will give yourself a chance to play better. And until I really commit to improving my short game, it will continue to be an Achilles heel.

Thanks, Top 100 GOLF Instructors Todd Sones is here to help, and he’s going through an in-depth lesson with fellow instructor Adam Porzak to help anyone struggling in the woods like me. Check out their tips below.

Perfect your short game with this in-depth golf course

In the video above, Porzak references a great quote from Ben Hogan that every beginner golfer should remember when it comes to practicing the short game, “the secret is in the dirt.”

We’d say we’ve done enough to work on shooting and throwing, but if you’re still having problems, it’s time to put more time into this area of ​​the game. Sure, it’s a lot of fun to blast drives or work on iron shots, but mastering the short game is the fastest way to improve your score — and Sones and Porzak provide easy ways to do so.

Stand on the handle

In the short game, technique becomes more important, as one millimeter can be the difference between hitting a perfect shot and a single cut. So Porzak explains why it’s important to keep the hands in front of his body during the swing motion.

“The first thing in the setup is the position on the handle, and I always keep the center of my hands in front of the center of my body,” he says. “If I have the ball back, the handle goes with me. If I have the ball in front, the handle goes with me.”

By understanding this in the setup, you can determine how wide or low the clubface should be to hit a particular shot.

There is no backup

Another common mistake made by many non-coaches is trying to tap the bottom of the ball to help it get into the air. Unfortunately, this often shifts the weight from the front to the back, resulting in a head or neck injury.

Porzak reminds viewers to just let the top of the club do the work to hit those high, soft wedge shots.

“The ball came out soft and landed like a butterfly with sore feet, not because I helped it, but because the club floor helped it,” he explained. “I’m just trying to find out [the clubface] I’m back to where I started [at address].”

Shaft location

When it comes to shaft position in the short game, it all depends on what type of shot you plan to hit, as the shaft will look different for a flop shot versus a bump and run.

Sones explains an easy way to measure how much shaft lean you need depending on your shot.

“If I want to hit a low shot, I will hit the handle one ball in front of the handle,” said Sones.

The image below shows how to determine the shaft position for the low shot, mid shot, and lob shot.

By understanding how to use shaft angle to your advantage, you will be able to increase or decrease loft, which should help you avoid leaning back – which produces negative results.

Shoulder angles

Have you ever checked where your shoulder angles are for short game shots? If you experience inconsistencies like I did, some of it may be due to the way you position your shoulders.

“Here’s the big thing, my spine has to be neutral,” said Sones. “Whenever I see someone with their hands forward, that means they are moving their right shoulder back [for a right-handed golfer] it’s low, so the bottom of the golf swing will be much earlier.”

Football field

Another big factor in the short game is ball position and understanding how it affects your shot type. Both Porzak and Sones discuss this, and explain how the position must change to hit the shot you want.

“When I get a bump and run, I have the ball off my right shoulder [for a right-handed golfer] and it has to do with the middle of my body,” said Porzak.

A good way to measure your ball position is from your torso, using the center of your body, armpit and shoulder as guides.

Hip and grip

To be able to control your short game shots, Porzak says it’s important to maintain a stable lower body and rotate from the waist up. He then explains a great way to feel the right movement – which will help you feel more connected throughout.

“My chest and my hands go together in the back, my hip and my grip feel like they go together in the swing,” Porzak said.

A perfect catch

When it comes to your short game grip, Porzak starts by explaining what a bad grip does to a player.

“It’s common to see golfers come in with a stiff right hand — it’s too bad,” Porzak said. “Because they can no longer go under [the ball]they end up going up and covering the face, feeling the need to add loft and the body and hands doing something wrong.”

He then states that by pre-setting the shaft and using a weaker grip (with the right hand for a right-handed player), it allows more freedom to open the face and square with touch.

“That right hand allows me to open my face more when I come back,” he said. “If it starts at the top, I can put it in a place where the face is open. If I rotate it, it’s just enough that it will release and not come off [where you feel like you need to scoop by leaning back].”

Low point

Most beginners often make the mistake of stopping their swing short after making contact with the ball and not following through. But Porzak says that error adds strokes to your game, and explains why it’s so important to complete a full rotation.

“I hit a chip shot, then the sand moves [after making contact with the ball],” he says. “That was the ball, the turf, the past, which is the result of contact and constant rotation. When I stop rotating, the pressure drops. [the club] he’s too far behind the ball, or if I support, it causes a lean.”

Club in front

Finally, Sones breaks down the importance of keeping the club in front of the trajectory – especially in these short shots of the game to improve accuracy.

“Here’s the rule of thumb for any shot – the club must land in front of the shoulder,” Sones said. “The minute you swing the golf ball you get the club behind your clue, you’re in trouble. When I put it back, the club is still in front of my shoulder, so I don’t get caught.”

Porzak then jumps in to explain why takeaway is so important when hitting shots near the green.

“Next to the setup, the takeaway is everything,” he says. “I put it like that [another club] down my goal line, and I was just trying to keep that club right in front of me. This was something that helped me visualize that straight line [on the takeaway]and helping to keep the club in front of me at all times.”

The image below shows how this happens.

So if you’re someone who really struggles with the short game like me, start using the tips above in your practice routine. Over time, you will be able to get a feel for the proper setup and swing positions, helping to reduce some inconsistencies.

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Editor