It makes zero difference if you can pound a ball 300 yards if our short game is nonexistent. Regardless of how well you hit the ball off the tee, any player with a weak short game might as well stop playing golf if they intend on lowering their handicap. Over the many years of talking to and watching players claim that they cannot seem to make any headway with their score, I have come to realize that their focus is on the wrong thing. As a serious golfer, if you do not intend to work on your short game, it is time to hang up the sticks. Sounds a bit harsh, well it is because a great short game directly equates to lower golf scores.

Yesterday, I played Laurentide Golf Course in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. It is one of my favourite courses because their greens are usually the best in the area. Being early in the season, their greens were in fantastic shape, however the rest of the course was still in the early season condition. The staff were professional and courteous; overall, it was a great golfing experience.

I shot a reasonable 10 over with four doubles! Yup, I was either hitting the ball well or I was not. Every double bogey was the result of poor shots during my short game. These ‘no trouble doubles’ were the result of poor chip shots for no apparent reason. As it happens every year, the rust on my short game results in a higher than normal score. As my round progressed, however, the rust fell away and I started to feel like I was in more control around the greens.

My greatest challenge was hitting the ball fat. Hitting behind the ball is something I usually struggle with early in my golf season, fortunately it works it way out of my game the more I practice and play. I consider my short game to be anything closer than 50 yards to the green and chunking the ball is nothing new after my long winter’s nap. Unfortunately during yesterday’s round it cost me 6 extra strokes which resulted in my final score of 10 over. I am not overly worried, however the frustration factor is always an issue. I keep telling myself it is early in the season and to relax and enjoy my time on the links.

My buddy Blair had an up and down round. He played well for 14 holes and ballooned on the other four. He definitely felt the sting of frustration through a challenging short game. On the first hole, he did feel the elation of a lucky shot that saved some strokes. Lets look at the result first:

Blair was sitting at 135 yards out after his second shot. This long par 5 has a pond in front of green and going for it in two is not possible for anyone in our group. As Blair lined up his shot, he felt confident with the distance he had to the pin. Unfortunately, he hit the ball thin and it rocketed towards the pond. If you have not guessed it yet, his ball hit the red 100 yard marked and bounced straight back 10 yards. What was more interesting, he hit his next shot near the green and got up and down for a bogey. Hitting that stake saved him a few strokes and we thought his luck was only beginning. In this case, his short game resulted in a great up and down and less overall strokes on the first hole. Talk about a lucky bounce!

As stated earlier, having a strong short game is key to lower golf scores. It is important to develop your overall game starting at the pin and working outwards. Considering my greens in regulation percentage was around 35% yesterday, being able to get up and down kept my score at a reasonable number. The next time you head to the practice area, consider spending more time working on your short game; the results might surprise you.

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