Over the past 10 or 15 rounds, I found that my approach shots from 60 to 5 yards from the green are well below my expectations. Of course every golfer wants to have tap in shots, but goodness, my short game is struggling. Do not get me wrong, I make the odd shot that is very good, but my average results is a good 10 to 15 feet farther away than normal and I find this very frustrating!

As a seasoned golfer, I understand the ebb and flow of a golf game. I am prepared for the various swing challenges over the course of a season, however this particular swing hitch is a little prolonged and worse than normal. I am setting myself up for some great scores only to squander them away with a very poor chip. My putting can only save me for so long.

Fortunately, I think a found a solution playing against Bruce the other day. He is a steady player with a rock solid short game. As I watched (and learned) him navigate difficult shot after difficult shot, I realized that I do not play the same way I practice. There is a significant difference that I can easily rectify.

Watching Bruce, I found that his chipping during the round is exactly the same as during his warm up before the match. He has a great pre-shot routine (as do I), he practices the weight he wants to hit the ball ( I do not), and he does not hit the ball until he is convinced on the strength he wants to hit the ball (I do not). So, I guess my pre-shot routine is not as solid as I thought. Funny thing, I used to perform all these pre-swing actions and for some reason I stopped. And now it has caught up with me.

The only reason I can think of why I stopped doing what worked in my short game is speed of play. I am so focused on zipping through the round sometimes, I forget to take my time when needed and stay focused on the immediate task at hand of hitting a great chip close to the pin.

Well, this is an easy fix and it stops today. I know how to do all the correct things, so it is not an entire rework of my chipping. It is a reinstatement of doing what positively affects how I approach my short game. The funny thing is, I do this with my putter all the time.

I am looking forward to finding my short game very soon, however in the meantime, if you find it; could you please send it my way!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!