7 Short Game Mistakes Golfers Make (And How to Fix Them)

Britt Olizarowicz

Mar 27, 2025 . 6 mins read

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When it comes to saving strokes on the golf course, the short game is the best area to work on.

You may be spending hours practicing your short game and trying new techniques with very little luck.

However, there are some short-game mistakes amateurs make that keep them from finding consistency and accuracy in their short game.

Here are 7 short game mistakes you will want to be aware of and stop today.

Key Takeaways

If you don’t have time to read through each of these short game mistakes and drills to fix them, here are the key takeaways and a video from Rob Cheney detailing some of the most common of these mistakes.

• The arms and body have to be connected to succeed in the short game. Swinging with just your hands and arms will not produce the intended results.
• Weaken the grip a little to encourage a higher lofted shot
• Be aware of the plane of your swing on these short game shots
• Keep the ball in the middle and adjust your stance accordingly

7 Short Game Mistakes Amateurs Make

Swinging with Just the Arms

With the short game requiring a more delicate touch, many golfers are afraid to move their bodies. Instead, they swing just with their arms and hands.

This is the wrong way to handle short game shots, as it will limit their control and consistency.

To get the lower body incorporated into the short game, try the belly button drill.

Using a Strong Grip

Do you play with a bit of a strong grip? It’s common for amateur golfers to have a stronger grip to help eliminate the slice.

The strong grip is great for closing the clubface as you reach impact. However, it’s a poor choice when you are close to the green.

The issue with the strong grip is that it closes the clubface too much and sometimes even delofts the wedge.

A slightly weaker grip keeps the clubface more open and helps you control the short game, especially those pitch shots.

Shaft Position Getting Too Far Inside

The golf club needs to travel down the line on the backswing in the short game. The tendency for many amateur players is to take the club too far inside as the first move away from the ball. Taking the club back too far inside often causes those shanked chip shots you see.

If you do a great job of getting your wedge back close to the plane, chances are you may still hit the ball thin. One of the best ways to combat this is to place a tee peg in the top of the golf grip.

Swing the wedge back to the position where it is parallel to the ground. Make sure that the tee is pointed down the target line. If it’s too far to the right of the target, you took the club inside.

Some players like the tee to point a little left of the target and that is also acceptable.

Timing Issues

Timing and tempo in the short game are just as important as in the long game. You can use alignment sticks to create a drill called the chopstick drill, which is often seen in putting.

Once you get the hang of this drill, it is also a great option when hitting chip shots.

• Video Timestamp: 2:53 – 6:02

Poor Ball Position

Most amateur golfers think that the golf ball has to be in the back of their stance to hit good short game shots. This is not the case. In fact, placing the ball too far back (or forward) in the stance can lead to inconsistent strikes.

Instead, you want to keep the ball mostly in the middle of your stance.

You can get your feet closer together, and you can certainly play it slightly back if that helps you catch the ball more on the downswing. However, most amateur golfers take a full width (shoulder width) stance and place the ball near their back foot.

This can leave you with very little time to square the clubface and some serious inconsistency in your strikes.

Play around with the ball position a little and see if you can hit better shots with the ball in the middle and the feet closer together.

Excessive Shaft Lean

A little shaft lean at impact can help with lower lofted chip shots around the green. This shaft lean tends to leave you with a bit of flex in the lead wrist, and it’s a great position for a square and properly struck chip shot.

The problem is that if you take this shaft lean too far and exaggerate it a bit, you’ll end up with a closed clubface and a golf ball that likely rolls past your target.

Focus on a moderate forward press. In addition, learn how this excessive forward press can actually make it harder to hit great chip shots.

Not Understanding Wrist Action in Pitching vs. Chipping

Just as driver swing is slightly different than an iron swing, the pitch shot and the chip shot are not quite the same.

If you don’t have a good understanding of wrist action in pitching and chipping, it’s hard to hit the right shots when necessary.

Chip shots require more of a flexed lead wrist, the pitch shots require more extension in the lead wrist at impact. The flexion closes the clubface where the extension opens it slightly.

If you have too much flexion in the lead wrist on a pitch shot you may lose a bit of control and height on the shot. Too much extension on a chip shot can cost you accuracy and the distance you need.

This video from Rob Cheney will help you see what it takes to nail down the mechanics of the pitch vs. chip shot.

Conclusion

If you’ve been struggling to determine what is causing the issues in your short game, maybe one of these mistakes will catch your attention.

Wearing the HackMotion while you practice your short game can help you identify any wrist or clubface-related issues in the short game.

It’s like practicing with a coach on your wrist. The best part about fixing these short game mistakes is that they will instantly save you strokes on the course.