Mark Crossfield provides sage advice for the fledgling amateur. No wait, he offers sage advice for all golfers regardless of your skill level. I stumbled across this quick video that explained what all golfers should know and practice in order to strengthen their short game. Personally, I have used this advice for years depending on the situation, lie, and pin position. I think that if you adopt Crossfield’s tip, your short game will drastically improve.

3 simple chip shots,

How would you play them,

Do you have good imagination around the greens? pic.twitter.com/tQ5fMMHCkT

— Mark Crossfield (@4golfonline) April 9, 2023

Crossfield’s explanation is very simple. Being able to use a variety of clubs with which to chip will lower your golf score. I have practiced with all my clubs (except driver and 3 wood) around the green extending out to 25 yards. I realized early in my career that if I am going to carry 14 clubs, I needed to learn how to use them all.

At this time, I primarily rely on four clubs around the green for most of my chips. They are my 56° sand wedge, 52° gap wedge, 7 iron and my 5 iron. These four clubs allow me to hit 95% of all chips with relative success. They are not used equally because I prefer my sand wedge and 7 iron, but I do practice with them all. It really depends on what I am trying to achieve.

Many players rely specifically on their wedges for shots around the green, but I think that by expanding our abilities to use all their clubs will provide the confidence needed by all golfers to improve their up and down percentage.

On a slightly different note, here is a quick reminder of what the convention is for using a wedge, when.

If you are thinking of improving your short game, I recommend following Mark Crossfield’s advice. Being able to use a plethora of clubs for the same possible shot will open the door to lower golf scores. It worked for me.

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