Short Game

No Sway, Jose

One of the great players on the PGA Tour was Chi Chi Rodriguez. In his heyday, Chi Chi could play and hit the ball as well and as far as almost anyone, even though he was smaller in size. Yet despite his ability, Chi Chi’s swing isn’t necessarily one you should try and emulate. He had a lot of lateral sway, and to swing like him required athleticism and timing skill.

For most golfers, including some Tour players, excess swaying can cause all sorts of problems, the major one being a lack of consistency.

Simply put: If you’re in a different spot at impact, your golf ball is going to wind up in different spots, too. To help tidy up all that excessive sway (and I say “excessive” because the body is going to sway a little even with a good swing), use your golf bag like I’m doing here. Brace it against your right leg, and make a few practice swings without pushing into the golf bag on your backswing.

Now, try again with the bag between you and the target. Brace the bag so it’s even with the outside of your left shoe. You need the extra space so the left leg can move slightly toward the target and become perpendicular to the ground at impact. With a few swings, the bag should remain stationary and not tip or sway as you work your way into the forwardswing and finish position.

This simple tip will help prevent you from swaying too much and serve as a nice visual cue as well.

Hank Gardner, PGA, is the director of instruction at Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

PROspectives: Ryan Moore


Kind of looks like I’m milking a cow, doesn’t it? Well, that may be what I call this drill, but what I’m really doing is creating lag. Keep the angle between your left arm and the shaft at 90•_¡.

For a long time I’ve been doing a drill that I like to call Milking the Cow. From the photos, you probably can guess where it got its name. Why is it important to milk the cow in your swing? Because it creates a 90•__ angle between your left arm and your club shaft and, in golf, that’s what we call lag.

Ryan Moore now plays the Adams Insight Tech a4 driver. For more info on equipment, visit golftipsmag.com/ezlinks.

Lag is a must if you want to hit powerful, accurate shots. Without it, your hands release too soon and power effectively evaporates. (I see this happen quite a bit during pro-ams when my amateur partners cast the club from the top of their swing like a fishing rod. Not only does hitting the ball like this create a major power leak for them, but it also causes an outside-in swing path and a slice.)

To create maximum lag, follow these five easy steps:
1. Address the ball as usual, then swing the club to the top.
2. Swing halfway down while retaining a 90•__ angle between your left arm and your golf club.
3. Return the club to the top of your swing.
4. Swing halfway down again and retain the 90•__ angle. You should feel as though you’re making a pumping motion and that your right hand is milking the cow.
5. Swing to the top one more time, then in one fluid motion swing through the ball. Practice milking the cow whenever you hit balls, and I guarantee you’ll make better contact, hit the ball farther and be more accurate with every shot.


1 At the top of my swing, the angle between my left arm and shaft is 90•_¡.	2 From there, I swing down about halfway and retain that angle.	3 Then I return the club to the top while retaining the 90•_¡ angle.

4 I pump it one more time. This really feels like milking the cow.	5 By now I feel the angle and, hence, lag. I’m ready to go!	6 I make a normal swing, keep the angle as long as possible, and nail it!

check out the video
https://golftipsmag.com/video/Ryan Moore milks the cow on our website.

Ryan Moore, PGA Tour, has earned nearly $5 million in four full seasons on the Tour._Ê

PROspectives: Eric Axley

watch _È

On the PGA Tour, the ability to get up and down consistently from around the green is critical, and being a good pitcher of the ball makes saving pars a lot easier. The three basic shots you need to know are high, medium and low pitches. Master these three, and you’ll be able to handle just about any situation.

TaylorMade
player Eric Axley favors the new Burner driver.
For more info on equipment, visit golftipsmag.com
/ezlinks.

High Shot: The high-pitch shot can be intimidating for the average player, simply because it’s an easy one to hit heavy or thin. Here’s my surefire technique: Place the ball forward in your stance, open the clubface and address the ball with your hands a bit behind it. Hinge your wrists fully in the backswing and then keep your hands slightly behind the ball through impact so they can rehinge in the finish.

Medium Shot: For a medium-trajectory pitch, place the ball in the middle of your stance and place your hands in a neutral position (equal with the ball). Hinge your wrists a bit as you bring your arms to waist height and then try to match the same position in the finish._Ê

Check out the video
golftipsmag.com
See Eric Axley demonstrate his pitching technique._Ê

Low Shot: For the low pitch shot, lay the ball a bit back in your stance and allow your hands to lean slightly forward at address. Make a short backswing with little wrist hinge and then keep the club low to the ground in the followthrough.

Hitting a high pitch requires ample wrist hinge on the backswing._Ê	The wrist hinge you create in the back swing should be matching in the finish._Ê	In a medium- trajectory shot, waist-high is a good place to aim for.
Match the back swing height in the finish and hold it to ingrain the proper feel.	Low shots require almost no wrist hinge and a fairly short swing.	Keep the clubhead low to the ground after impact.

Eric Axley just completed his third full season on the PGA Tour. So far, he has one victory and 15 top-10 finishes.

Pitching Control

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Learn the keys to high and low pitch shots

Short Game Games

Putt ‘Til You Drop

Putting from all directions to the same cup will force you to work on right-to-left and left-to-right breaks.

One of the absolute basics of good scoring is solid putting from short to medium range. If you’re confident from these distances, it will take pressure off all your other short-game shots and make you a better lag putter as well.

To get started, go around a hole placing tees a step apart, all at a distance that’s about four feet from the hole. Make eight stations (marked by tees) around the hole and begin anywhere you like. Try to make at least four in a row, all the while concentrating on your alignment and speed control. Every time you make four consecutive putts, start over and try to make four more. Don’t quit until you can make two sets of four at every station.

Once you’re confident with the four-footers, increase your distance one foot and repeat the game. Continue moving back until you get to the 10-foot mark, which I guarantee will be quite a challenge.

The wrists and elbows should maintain the same angles through the entire stroke.

Improved putting is probably the quickest way for players of any level to lower their scores. Even on the PGA Tour, putting rules—next time any player wins a big tournament, check his putting stats. You can be assured he’s probably one of the best, if not the best, putter in the tournament that week.

There are many different ways to stroke a putt, just as there are many different ways to make a full swing. However, the modern stroke tends to feature very little wrist or elbow movement during the stroke. The putterhead should be powered by a rocking motion of the shoulders, with the distance of the backswing and downswing being the same. It’s_Ê best if you allow the clubhead to open and close naturally during the stroke

Take a look at the structure I’ve created in my setup position. My elbows are slightly bent, and my wrists are solid. Maintaining these positions will create consistency.

Playing games and doing drills are great ways to improve your putting prowess because they help make practice fun and can instill the proper techniques. However, it’s extremely important to have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish during the putting stroke before you spend a lot of time ingraining bad fundamentals and troublesome tendencies.

At right, you can see a good setup position. My stance is comfortable and not too narrow, providing a balanced, stable base. My arms are hanging comfortably, though bent at the elbows, and my wrists are slightly cupped. It’s critical to maintain these solid positions throughout the stroke, particularly through impact. If you allow these positions to break down, your ballstriking and overall consistency will suffer. Notice how my eyes are, more or less, directly over the ball (not too far inside or outside). If you want to be able to aim properly, this is a must.

Make the mistake of playing the ball too far forward in your stance, and your consistency will suffer.

In a good golf swing, the clubhead is released freely through impact. The same should occur in a good putting stroke. Here, you can see the club moving back to the inside.

Chipping For Dollars

Getting up and down consistently is often dependent on your chipping ability. Compete with yourself or a friend and improve your stroke quickly.

Here’s a chipping game that’s fun to play by yourself or with a partner. Place three clubs about three feet behind and around the hole (pictured above). You can vary the distance the clubs are from the hole, depending on how challenging you want the game to be, but three feet is a good place to start. Pick any type of chip shot you want (bump-and-run, spinner, flop, etc.) and play nine holes at a time by chipping nine balls as close to the hole as possible. After you hit your shots, walk to the hole and remove the three clubs. Add a stroke for any ball that touched the clubs. Every ball represents a hole in a round of golf. If you can make your first putt on any ball that didn’t touch a club, consider that a par. Obviously, if you hole out, that’s a birdie. Putt all the balls out with a two-putt maximum (two putts also adds a stroke). Keep your score and challenge yourself to get better every time you play. This game is particularly good because it also tests your putting ability.

Practice Makes Perfect

It’s important to combine chipping and putting practice. It simulates what you’ll have to do on the golf course.

One of the most important things you can do to improve your short game is find ways to combine chipping and putting. Obviously, when you’re playing a round of golf, you don’t get to hit a number of chips or putts in a row (hopefully), just as you don’t get to smash 10 or 15 consecutive drives as you might on the range. Instead you have to be able to follow a chip or pitch with a putt, just as you have to follow a drive with an iron shot. It’s critical that you get used to this progression in practice, or you’ll have problems when you get out onto the course. To help yourself develop a more proficient short game, be sure to putt out every ball when you play the three-club game. Try to concentrate equally on both chips and putts, and if need be, put more emphasis on putting. If you fail to one-putt, however, don’t give yourself two or three more tries. Take your one-point penalty and move on. Remember, you want to simulate on-course play._Ê

Consistent, solid impact is as important for chip shots as it is for full iron shots.

If putting is the quickest way to lower your scores, then chipping is the best way to lower your number of putts per round. No matter how good a putter you are, the closer you get to the hole, the more likely you’ll be to sink putts. The first step to becoming a good chipper is simply to be able to make solid contact every single time you line up to the ball. If you tend to hit your chip shots fat and thin and off the toe and heel of the club, you’ll never be a consistent chipper of the golf ball.

To become a more proficient chipper, try choking down on the grip. This will help you gain more control of the clubhead. Place the ball slightly back in your stance to encourage a crisp, descending strike onto the ball. When you make your stroke, be sure to keep your right wrist bent through impact to further encourage a slightly downward angle of attack and a smooth, brushing motion of the clubhead. Practice these simple techniques, and you should see your results improve considerably.

To become a confident chipper, you must develop sound fundamentals and learn to make consistent contact.


Ball-first contact is key to crisp chips. To accomplish this, you must learn to lead the clubhead with your hands, as seen here. It should feel somewhat like a sweeping motion.	When chipping, play the ball significantly farther back in your stance than you would for a putt, and don’t be afraid to set up with a good amount of forward shaft lean.

Golf Tips Senior Instruction Editor Chuck Winstead teaches at the University Club in Baton Rouge, La._Ê

Pitch Right!

If you want to control your shots more effectively around the greens, the best thing you can do is set up with a narrow stance and always remember to keep the shaft leaning toward the target. Since it’s a chip shot, you don’t have to worry about releasing the club; instead, you want to hold the face square to ensure optimal directional control. This setup position also helps to avoid flubbed chipped shots—one of the most embarrassing and avoidable shots in golf.

Use your left arm as a guide for how much lean is needed, and remember to keep the clubface square to the target. In the illustration, notice how my shaft and left arm form a straight line. That’s all the lean you need. Any more, and you might top it. Any less, and you’ll lose consistency. During the stroke, maintain this forward-shaft lean position. You’ll see how easy it is to hit straight and accurate chips more often.

To chip with consistency, remember to keep your hands ahead of the golf ball. This will help you control trajectory and spin on shots around the green.

Pitching Mechanics: Three Ways To Score

Playing well from within 100 yards is a must if you want to score well. Just look at the best players in the world. They all miss the fairway sometimes, but from within 100 yards, there isn’t a player out there who doesn’t expect to knock it close from a hundie and in. This is golf’s scoring zone, where the difference between a long birdie putt and a short tap-in can be made up by hitting the right kinds of shots. Yeah, that’s right. You have to know what it takes to not only hit the green from 100 yards, but what kind of shot you need to hit to stick it close. Let’s look at three basic types of pitching mechanics: a low pitch, medium pitch and lob shot. You’ll quickly find that hitting these three shots requires different approaches to your setup mechanics. Although subtle, these differences are what you need to know to score.

Hit It Low: Get Square

It doesn’t get anymore straightforward than this. Literally. To hit the ball low with some added roll (typically for shots up a hill or with a back pin location), simply adjust your stance so everything is lined up parallel to the target and stand a little closer to the ball. That means, aim your shoulders about two to three feet left of the target, and aim your feet another foot or so to the left. By staying square, you’re more likely to hit the ball with a square clubface and get the ball airborne on a low trajectory and rolling toward the target. As for club selection, grab your 9-iron or pitching wedge, as opposed to your sand wedge. They have less bounce, making it easier to hit the ball crisp and get it moving with minimal backspin.

Choke up or choke down? Hey, do whatever feels right to you. Just make sure you play the ball back in your stance and get the clubshaft leaning toward the target. Try and keep that lean throughout the whole swing and limit your wrist rotation by holding the face square.

Medium Height: Setup Slightly Open

What’s a medium shot? Medium shots fly high, but also have some release once the ball hits the green. They’re the most all-around shot you can hit, and are great for middle pin positions. To hit them, open up your stance, but keep your clubface square to the target. It’s also a good idea to narrow your stance to help steepen your angle into the ball and avoid hitting the turf behind it. As you can see by the photo, even though I’m geared to hit a soft pitch shot, my back is straight, my chin is away from my chest and my knees are flexed. This goes to show that no matter how small a swing you make, they all require the same athletic position at address. I like to use a sand wedge for my medium shots, but don’t be shy to experiment with a gap or lob wedge as well. They work, too.

Opening your stance can make it tough to find the correct middle ball position. The way to find it is to consider the middle of your stance relative to your sternum. Play the ball directly below it, and no matter how far you open your stance, the ball still will be in the middle.

High Pitches: Really Open Up

To hit a high lobber to a tight pin, first narrow and open your stance, which includes both your feet and shoulders. Second, make sure your clubface is open as well. (By open, I mean grip the club with the clubface open, don’t open the face with your hands.) The ball is likely to fly where the clubface is facing, so open your stance so the clubface is facing the target. You’re probably wondering how open you should be. Ahh, that’s where you need to put some work in around the practice greens. Your optimal blend of body and clubface openness requires some trial and error. Just remember that the shot calls for an accelerating and descending blow into the ball. Finally, play the ball forward in your stance and stand a little further away. If you really want to pop it up, allow for some negative shaft lean away from the target. Dicey? Yes. Fun? Also yes, as long as you practice this shot often.


Don’t hunch or sink over your pitch shots. Stay athletic!	Other than the clubhead, there isn’t much movement.	Let your wrists cock as soon as they reach your waist.	See the L shape? You want this position with every shot.

The weight shifted some and I’m now centered on the ball.	The wrists are still cocked. This is a good sign.	The hands are in front of the ball before and at impact.	The club is between my arms. Hence, I didn’t flip my wrists.

Well past impact, the hands can finally start to release.	Even this far into the swing, my head is still rock-steady.	My right knee is closer to the target.	I made it to the finish facing my body at the ball.

The Swing Sequence

The cool thing about all three pitch shots is that they’re very similar as far as the swing itself goes. In looking at these photos, I want you to pay special attention to my body and club position just before and after impact. Hitting good pitches requires you to keep your hands in front of the ball through impact. After contact, you want to limit the release of the hands to promote better spin and directional control. See how my right knee bends toward the target through impact? That’s a sure sign I’ve not only rotated my body, but it also indicates I’ve hit the ball with a descending blow.

Jeff Yurkiewicz, PGA, is the head golf professional at the Kostis/McCord Learning Center at Grayhawk GC in Scottsdale, Ariz.

On-Path Pitching

One of the keys to accurate pitching is getting the clubhead moving consistently down the target line. A great way to practice this is to take a 10-foot piece of string and stretch it out directly on the target line of a pitch shot. Anchor each end firmly in the ground with a tee, and place a ball just on the inside of the string. Concentrate on keeping the clubhead (the end of the shaft) aiming at the target line or parallel to it throughout the backswing and downswing. Through impact, it’s critical to keep the end of the shaft moving down the line, with your thumbs pointing at the target line all the way.

Glenn Deck, PGA, is the Director of Instruction at Pelican Hill G.C. in Newport Beach, Calif.


A 10-foot piece of string is all you need to get your pitching on target. Try to keep your thumbs on the target line.	Place a tee in the butt end of the grip and try to keep the tee pointing at the target line as you move into the finish.

Short Game CPR

When someone refers to saving your score on a particular hole, it typically requires a chip, pitch or bunker shot to get the ball up and down. These three shots can have the biggest impact on your score when learned and executed properly, since you can only do so much to make up strokes from the tee box or on the green. But around the green, using my simple methods for consistent results will help bresuscitate your round no matter how tough a ballstriking day you may have. In the next few pages, you’ll see how easy it is to become more proficient around the green by using these tips for all three shots. It’s time to save your score with Short Game CPR.


WRONG! Three of the most common chipping errors are assuming the ball should be played way back in the stance, believing the hands need to flip over to get the ball airborne and thinking that your weight should be on your back foot. Wrong! These three errors, whether independent or in cahoots with one another, will produce poor results. Check your chipping style and see if you’re guilty of any of these mistakes before your next round of golf.		CORRECT! Ah, now that’s better. The above photo illustrates the correct impact position while chipping. You can see the shaft is still perpendicular to the ground, even after impact. This proves I had my weight and hands forward, and I’ve avoided any breakdown of the wrists through impact with the ball. Hold this position, and you’ll start seeing better results.


WRONG! If you find yourself trying to scoop the ball when hitting pitch shots,it’s probably because you don’t understand the mechanics of how pitching should work. The key is an understanding of loft. With a pitching or sand wedge, you have to trust the club has plenty of loft, and the way to take advantage of it isn’t to scoop up, but rather hit down on the ball! Any time you try and hang back on the shot, you’re destined to hit it fat or thin more often than you’ll produce a good result.		CORRECT! Here we go. In this sequence, I’ve put my trust in the loft and allowed my body to shift toward my forward foot while accelerating through the ball. Notice the difference in hand positions here and on the opposite page. You can clearly see that my hands are leaning toward the target and I’m going to hit the ball on the downswing. This is how to do it! Also, look at the difference in my hip positions. I’ve rotated my body fully through the ball, further ensuring that I committed to the shot and didn’t hold anything back.


WRONG! Here, I’ve made a handful of mistakes. First, my body weight is still on my back foot, causing me to release my hands too soon. In this case, I’ll either hit it fat or blade it (which is what I’ve done here). Also, the second big flaw is my lack of rotation. By not rotating my body, my hands are going to reach the impact zone too soon, and by the time they reach the ball, I’ll be hitting too much on the upswing.		CORRECT! The right way to play this shot is to be aggressive and strike the sand on a downward blow. To do this, keep your weight forward and remember to rotate your body fully through the shot. Look at the difference in hip and knee positions here and on the opposite page. By knocking my knees on the followthrough, I know I’ve hit this shot from my forward side. As for the hands, they should release after impact.

Derek Hooper, PGA, is the Director of Instruction at Lake of Isles Golf Academy in Connecticut. He has more than 15 years teaching experience in the U.S., as well as in Australia, Japan and Taiwan. For more information, log on to lakeofisles.com.

Sweep Before You Reap

How you make a practice swing when chipping from off the green is especially critical. First of all, you’re not just trying to calculate how far you need to hit the ball, you’re also trying to determine how high the ball should fly and how much roll you want it to have. Also, a practice stroke helps you to assess the lie, which can range from having a ball that’s sunken down in the rough to one sitting high on the collar. All these variables come into play when making a practice swing, which is why I think it’s critical that every golfer learn my rehearsal technique before hitting a chip or pitch shot.

To begin this shot rehearsal, first inspect the lie as best you can. Note if the ball has grass above, below or to the sides. The higher the ball sits up, the more backspin you’ll impart on the ball, and the higher and farther it will carry. The lower it sits, the more grass that will come between the ball and clubface, causing the ball to both fly lower and with more forwardspin once it hits the ground. After assessing the lie, determine how the grass will react to a downward sweeping motion through the ball. In this case, make two practice strokes, both by sweeping down through the grass. Do this as close to the ball as possible (without hitting it), and get a feel for whether the grass is catching the clubhead or if the grass allows the clubhead to slide through easily. If it’s grabbing the face, you’ll need a firmer grip for more steadiness and a slightly more downward angle of attack to prevent a flubbed shot. If the grass is loose, then a softer, more delicate grip will help you make a smooth stroke through the ball.

Finally, two practice sweeps will help you feel whether or not your ball sits on some sort of incline or sidehill, since some greenside lies aren’t as obvious as they look. Hitting successful chips and pitches always requires you to make a downward stroke into the ball, so try and avoid any scooping or lifting of the ball. That kind of shot rarely pans out!

These two sweeps, although seemingly simple, should be rehearsed before every chip or pitch shot to ensure you have as much information as possible about the kind of lie you have to contend with. This will also make a big difference in your ability to successfully get up and down from anywhere around the green. Do this little rehearsal, and you’ll start seeing better results with your pitches and chips around the green.

Want to learn some more quick tips to help your game? Check out the all new www.golftipsmag.com for several short game tips that are sure to help you lower your score!

Barry Goldstein is a professional golf teacher at Inverrary CC in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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