7 Short Game Golf Tips to Instantly Save Strokes on Every Round

The short game is one of, if not the most fun, areas of the game to practice. Changes to the short game have a very quick impact on the rest of your game. Even putting in a short amount of time on your chipping and pitching skills can save you several strokes out on the course.

The best short game tips are ones that you can implement immediately. Let’s face it; nobody wants complex ideas that make the game even harder than it is.

Below are some easy and effective tips and drills to improve your short game. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first day on the course or if you are trying to break 70; these tips can help.

Short Game Tips (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to read my short game tips right now, here are a few of the most critical points you can learn.

• The short game includes putting, chipping, and pitching; the golfers who are really good practice and perfect all three.
• Putting leaves the least amount of room for error when approaching a golf hole, but it requires the most amount of practice.
• You have several tools in your bag to use for short games, don’t assume it’s just the wedges.
• Technology like HackMotion can help you see your strengths and weaknesses in your short game and develop a more consistent score.

7 Tips to Improve Your Short Game

Improving your short game is a journey, not a destination. But no matter the status of your short game now, if you have this short game formula to work with, you’ll be able to see results quickly.

Hands Forward on All Short Game Shots

Where are your hands when you are set up to hit a shorter shot around the green?

For many golfers struggling with inconsistency in the short game, the hands are too far back at setup.

Instead of having hands in front of the ball or in line with the ball, the hands end up behind it.

At setup, we want to get ourselves into a position that we can return to for impact. When you hit a great chip or pitch shot, your hands are in front of the ball at impact, the club is traveling down, and you will compress the golf ball.

When you set up this way, it’s much easier to return to it to make contact with the ball.

Wrist Position Determines Clubface Angles

HackMotion is an excellent tool for helping you work on your short game and become more consistent in the short game.

I’ve specifically used the HackMotion to work on my wrist position and how it impacts the clubface angle in the short game.

Even though a chip or a pitch may have a shorter swing and less overall motion, the clubface still needs to be square when you make contact.

Wear the HackMotion for five or six chips and see what your stats look like. Are you adding an extension on the downswing (opening the clubface up), or are you learning to square things up toward the target?

Wrists come into play during the short game, and practicing these positions until they are consistent is a great way to fine-tune your technique around the greens.

Engage Your Shoulders

Tension is a killer in the short game. I noticed in my own game that tension can creep up on me and start to make it difficult to remember to use the big muscles instead of hands, wrists, and arms.

It’s important to hit down and through a chip or pitch shot. To do this with ease, let your shoulders relax and feel heavy right before you swing.

• This relaxing of the shoulders will help you almost feel as though you are dropping your arms down a little again, which is not a bad thing.
• With the shoulders relaxed, the hands and arms will relax a bit, and you will have an easier time hitting the ground.

Try this the next time you take a practice swing for a short game shot and see if it helps you clip the grass during the practice swing.

Lean Into It

A little weight on the left side is important in the short game. With these shots being shorter, there is really no need to transfer a lot of your weight to the right side.

Instead, lean on the left a little just before you swing and feel like you stay on that left side through impact. This works for all short game practice plans and routines.

For right-handed players, leaning into the left side (lefties can do the opposite and lean into the right) is going to help promote that descending blow, a crisp impact, and a straight and high ball flight.

Change the Club, Not the Swing

One of the best drills I ever worked on was to take the same location and hit various clubs.

For instance, I would be about 20 or 30 yards from the hole and hit a 60-degree, 56-degree pitching wedge, 9 iron, 8 iron, and 7 iron. Depending on the lie, I may even hit a hybrid.

The idea behind this is to develop distance control and to learn what works under certain conditions. Some of these shots are hard to hit and are certainly not the best club selection.

However, that’s the point.

Some golfers think they have their sand wedge and their pitching wedge to choose from when on the putting green.

In reality, you should have plenty of tools and options to use. Learning how to hit each of these clubs from various locations makes improving your shot game much easier.

Read the Green on Chips and Putts

Many golfers take the time to read the green when striking a putt; however, very few attempt to do it when hitting a chip or pitch shot.

Don’t do this!

For many chip and pitch shots, your goal should be to hit the golf ball in the hole. You have made it this far and are this close to the green; stop playing for the center.

Of course, if you are headed over a bunker and there is a water hazard behind the hole, get the ball on the green. However, many times the shots are simple, and you can chip them in if you spend just a second to read the green.

Look at the entire shape of the green and its slope. Think about how your shot is going to bounce when it makes contact with the surface of the green. Chances are it will hit and bounce left or right, depending on the slope of the green.

Use this drill to tap into your instincts and get a better feel for all chips and pitches.

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Practice with Pressure if You Want It to Stick

Have you ever hit shots on the driving range and felt like it was really easy? This is common.

You can quickly become a driving range star, but performing on the golf course is much different.

Why does this happen?

Most of the time, it’s because there is no pressure in the short game. If you want to continue to make progress and get that translated to the golf course, put the pressure on.

Challenge yourself, play a game with a partner, and pretend to play a golf hole. You can do any of these things; however, if you stand there and just hit one shot after another, you won’t learn to transfer much to the golf course.

Drills for Short Game Improvement

In addition to educating yourself with knowledge and tips, you also must put the work in to train your body physically.

These drills, along with the Hackmotion drills library, will help you optimize your practice time so every minute spent at your local short game facility will pay off.

Chipping – Move the Penny

If you struggle to make consistent contact with the golf ball during chipping, it could be simply because your concept of what impact looks like (and feels like) is incorrect.

Pitching – ’L’ Shape Drill (40-60 yards)

This is an awkward distance that intimidates many amateur golfers. If you take the time to practice using this drill, then you will put yourself ahead of your competitors easily.

Putting – Through the Gate

Getting comfortable with putts from three feet and in is crucial if you want to lower your scores.

Having the confidence to sink these will help you save par much more often, as it will take the pressure off your chipping and pitching. No longer will you have to hit your chips and pitches to tap-in range.

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FAQs

Here are a few commonly asked questions about how to quickly and effectively improve your short game.

Why is my golf short game so bad?

Your short game is poor because of the lack of consistency in the motion you make. Using something like the HackMotion could help you move your wrists consistently and start to improve turf interaction. The short game requires attention to detail and practice to get better.

How can I improve my short game at home?

Chipping in your yard with plastic or foam golf balls and setting up a putting mat or green at home are great ways to improve your short game.

You don’t need anything fancy; I used to try and chip shots from a mat on the patio to an empty coffee can in the yard.

How much should I practice my short game?

Golfers love to stand on the range and practice hitting their drivers; short game practice should make up at least 50% of your total practice time. If you spend an hour on the range working on your swing, spend the same amount of time working on the short game.

What grip is best for short game?

Overlap and interlock grips work fine for the short game; if you have a problem with feel and touch, you may want to try the overlap, as it tends to lighten the grip pressure.

What is the difference between chipping and pitching?

Chipping is a shorter shot that stays low to the ground, lands on the green, and then continues to roll to the hole. Pitch shots have more loft, fly higher, and stop quicker than chip shots. The difference between chipping and pitching is important to understand because both shots can be used to help you on the course.

Final Thoughts

The short game is a fun thing to practice. If you get good at shorter shots, it’s easier to score. Time spent on your short game will translate to the course much quicker than time spent on the long game.

Use these tips to get your game to the next level. If you want to check on progress and understanding, investing in HackMotion will help you get there.