Practice Practice Practice Your Short Game
As a winner of 163 tournaments around the world, I understand
the importance of mastering the short game. Everyone knows that for over 50 years as a professional golfer I have never been
the longest off the tee and couldn’t always reach the par fives in two, so I did a couple of things to change my odds
— I worked out regularly in the gym to get fitter and stronger, I stuck to a healthy diet, and I really practiced my
short game.
And, boy, it really worked for me! In 1961, when I won my first Masters, I was
playing the last hole one shot behind Arnold Palmer. I hit a good tee shot, but put my second in the bunker right of the green.
Confident that I had practiced this over and over again, I was able to get up-and-down for par, putting huge pressure on Arnie
playing the last. Amazingly, he went in the same bunker and couldn’t get up-and-down for par, allowing me my first of
three Masters victories.
I am proud of the fact that I have been known as one of the
game’s best-ever bunker players. You know, this is a shot that terrifies amateurs, but with the correct technique and
plenty of practice, it is often easier to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker than it is to chip or pitch from greenside
rough. The secret is in “striking the match” behind the ball and letting the sand get the ball out. Not releasing
the clubhead through the sand and following through is where so many amateurs come unstuck.
Again, at the British Open in 1974, I hit my second over the back of the green right up against the clubhouse wall.
I was able to fashion a left-handed chip shot with my putter to about 15 feet and two putted for victory. Another major thanks
to a sharp short game.
And finally, there is putting. It really is an easy part of
the game to perfect through practice. The most important aspect is keeping your head still through the stroke and not to look
up too early to see if the ball is going into the hole. Use your ears! If you have hit a good putt and kept your head still,
you can hear that beautiful sound of the ball finding the bottom of the cup!
Remember, 70% of all shots are played from around 100 yards and nearer from the pin. More than
any aspect of the game of golf, a solid short game will lower you handicap and make you a better player.
