The Short Game
You are listening to Swinging Through History the podcast with your host(s) Gavin McCaffrey.
In this episode of The short Game
The short game in golf refers to shots made when the
golfer is located relatively near the green – or on the green itself.
Generally, shots that are made from inside of 100 yards are considered to be part of the
short game. You might wonder if putting is part of the short game – indeed it is!!
The goal of the short game is to get your ball up on the green in as few shots as
possible – and – leave yourself with ‘make-able’ putts for par – putts usually within 10
feet of the pin.
These shorter shots are critical – because they demand accuracy and control – and your
stroke count can quickly rise if you lack skill in this area.
A golfer with a good short game excels when shots require finesse and precision – and
is able to recover from approaches that missed the green. They understand the
importance of club selection – and excel at using their putter and short clubs such as
Wedges. Let’s talk a bit more about the terminology of the short game:
A pitch shot is a type of approach that is executed when a golfer uses a high
lofted club to hit the ball high in order to have it land softly on the green. Pitch
shots are generally performed using a pitching wedge.
A pitch and run shot is executed when a golfer restricts the elevation of his pitch
shot in order to have the ball land sooner – before rolling a good distance towards
the hole. This shot is helpful when it’s windy or when the ground is hard.
A chip shot is executed when a golfer’s ball is located on grass and close to the
green. In order to execute a chip, golfers will usually use a high lofted club – such
as a wedge – to pop the ball onto the green from where it will roll towards the
hole. The swing motion is restricted to that of a very short shot and the motion of
a chip can resemble that of a putt.
A chip-in is a specific type of chip shot where the ball travels towards the hole
and falls in after being struck. What’s great about a chip-in is that it does not
require the golfer to use a putter at all following his shot from off the green.
For a bump and run shot, the golfer will hit the ball in such a way as to make it
hop a short distance before rolling a good distance afterwards.
A flop shot – also known as a lob shot – is executed when a golfer hits the ball very high over a short distance using a high lofted club, such as a lob wedge.The main goal of these shots is to make the ball come to rest very close to where it landed on the green – or said another way – make sure the ball does not roll very far after landing on the green. A bunker shot is a type of shot that is executed whenever a golfer finds himself in a sand bunker. When the bunker is located next to the green, the shot can be referred to as a ‘greenside bunker shot’. For those, a golfer will normally use a high lofted club with a good amount of bounce – such as a sand wedge. A typical greenside bunker shot will see the clubhead travel completely underneath the ball but will never actually come in contact with it. Instead, it is the sand that is located between the ball and the clubhead that will actually push the ball up into the air.A shot from a sand bunker that sends the ball – and sand – out of the bunker in adramatic fashion is known as a blast, or an explosion.A putt refers to any shot that is executed using a putter. Putts are normally used
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