Three Drills to Improve your Iron Play

 

Stay Connected for a Better Short Game

 This simple drill utilizing a towel will keep you connected for better chipping and pitching.

Short Game Shot Selection

I prefer to bring the ball in low on windy days.

 

Training Aid to Improve your Chipping

This training aid, which in essence extends the length of the club will improve your chipping technique.

 

Manage the Severe Downhill Chip

The severe downhill chip is much easier if you learn this simple technique.

 

The Long Bunker Shot

 One of the most difficult shots in golf is the long bunker shot!  I suggest using less loft for more carry and release.

Pitch and Run Shots

Vary your lofts of wedges when hitting pitch and run shots.  Always land the ball near the edge of the green and let it run to the hole.   The farther the hole is from the edge of the green, the less loft is needed.  The less the ball is in the air, the less can go wrong.

Fill your Wedge Yardage Gaps

You need to fill your wedge yardage gaps with three if not four wedges.  I carry four wedges with 4 degrees difference in each wedge start at 45 degrees (PW).  This gives me 15 yards between wedges starting at 70 yards with my 57 degree wedge.  It also gives me more choices around the green.

 

Chipping Made Easy

This is an easy way to become a consistent chipper of the ball.  The technique is based on having your hands oppose each other and position the club more upright so it sits more on the toe to get the leading edge off the ground.  This will help your consistency and avoid chunking the ball.

Dial in your Wedge Yardages

 Dial in your wedge yardages starting with a 50 yard baseline shot with your most lofted wedge.  It’s a matter of combining your length of backswing with speed to obtain 50 yards.  I would err on a softer swing rather than a hard swing.  Once you get 50 yards dialed in, just change the length of your swing to carry 30,40, 60 and then your full swing yardage.  I carry four wedges and my full swing difference between wedges is 15 yards.  

57 degree - 70 yards, 53 degree - 85 yards, 49 degree - 100 yards, 45 degree - 115 yards

Your yardages may vary but I recommend even loft increments to fill any voids.

How to Play Uneven Lies Around the Green

Uneven lies around the green can cause some issues.  These tips will help you with uphill/downhill lies in particular.  The general rule is don’t fight the hill!  For an uphill lie set your body angle with the hill…there will be more weight on the back leg and play the ball forward of center in your stance.  For a downhill lie play the ball behind center and more weight will be on the front leg.

Theses pictures reflect the difference in an uphill/downhill lie.

Chip with a 5 Wood or Hybrid from Tight Lies

To avoid the chunky chip shot from a tight, wet lie, put the wedge back in the bag.  Instead use a 5 wood or hybrid and use it like a putter.  It takes all the risk out of the shot.  In fact you might even try this technique for any of your chips near the green.  It’s easy!

 

Become a Great Bunker Player

 This drill will provide a visual which will help you hit great bunker shots.  

Hitting the High and Soft Landing Pitch Shot

This drill will help you hit higher and softer landing pitch shots.  It’s really no more complicated than making an underhand toss.  The swing is rhythmic and distance control is determined by the length of backswing.  

Paint your way to Improved Chipping

This is a great visual and feel drill to help with your chipping. I’m using a paint brush attached to a shaft to demonstrate how the motion and position of painting is very similar to chipping.  

Get the Ball Rolling!

The Slo Mo Screen developed by Eyeline Golf is a cool tool which allows you to see how the golf ball reacts after being struck with a putter.  In the slow motion video you can see how the ball is bouncing a bit and rotating in mid air.  I use the two tone Tru Roll golf balls also from Eyeline Golf to make it easy to see how the ball reacts.  Watch the video in full screen mode for a closer look.

In the pictures below, it's very obvious just how this ball is air born and rotating.  When putting we want to get the ball rolling and not hopping!  There are a couple of fixes to help you get the ball rolling sooner.  The idea is to have a little forward shaft lean at impact and have the feel you are striking the ball on a level or slightly upward stroke.  This will help you achieve a truer roll.  As a certified "4 Elements of Putting" instructor, I use many tools from Eyeline Golf to help you become a better putter.

Short Game Clinic by Terry Dill

Following are some snippets from a short game clinic conducted by former PGA TOUR, Champions TOUR and European Senior TOUR member, Terry Dill.  The clinic was conducted at The Hills of Lakeway several years ago and I videoed some of the clinic.  Terry has been a friend and mentor of mine since 1972.  In fact, he was my first official "boss" as he hired me to work as a cart attendant at Lost Creek CC when I was a junior in high school.  It was also under his mentorship I qualified for the Champions TOUR Q-School finals in 2005.

In this video, Terry is sharing some of his short game techniques he learned from playing the game at a very high level for a number of years.  I was fortunate he shared with me many of his experiences and I utilize his techniques in my teaching of the short game and full swing too. 

I apologize for the video not being perfect but if you listen, you too will hopefully pick up some valuable information which will help improve your short game.

Following is another video of Terry explaining some of his short game techniques. 

Short Game Secrets

Terry Dill, retired PGA TOUR and Champions TOUR player (and winner), developed an intricate short game system which covers everything from chipping, pitching, bunker shots and full wedges.

I helped him put all of this information into writing after peering through pages and pages of notes he had taken over his professional career.  The end result is a very comprehensive short game program in which he was so kind to share with me so that I can now share with my students.

This is a video which briefly explains some of the details of his ideas about the short game. 
I have incorporated this information into all of the short game improvement programs I offer. 

A great short game will improve your score and any short game work you put in will help your full swing as well. 

Enjoy the video!

Short Game Shot Selection is a Tale of Two Lies

When faced with a shot from around the green, the lie of the ball will dictate your club and shot selection.

In this video I am demonstrating two shots from the rough about 60' from the pin.  On one shot the ball is sitting "up" and on the other the ball is sitting "down".  Each of these lies will require a different club selection, but the shot shapes are very similar.  In both instances, the ball flight is low.

When the ball is sitting up in the rough, a sweep shot is the best selection, but when the ball is sitting down in the rough, the pinch shot is required.

There are situations which may call for a flop shot or a higher ball flight and I will review those in the near future.

Pitch and Run Shots from 20 Yards and In

The "pitch and run" shot is a very useful and safe shot to hit.  This shot can be hit when the landing area is fairly flat and you have room for the ball to run once it is on the green.  Typically, I will hit this type of shot when my ball is anywhere from 5-15 yards from the edge of the green AND I have 10-15 yards of roll out room.  In this video I am using my lofted wedges, but if there is enough green for the ball to run out, I may use as little as an 8 iron for the shot.  If at all possible, I will use the "pitch and run" method as it requires less swing and eliminates errors caused by making a bigger swing.

Here are some stop action photos of the pitch and run.  Note how the swing (and my hands) stay low on the backswing and finish.