This article is a follow on to my last post called Sharing Golf Knowledge – Part 1. It covers more knowledge I shared with Noah when we played last week. The crux of our discussions focused on developing a strong short game with which he could build. We played nine holes and in that time, we discussed how to build a strong short game foundation. Walking off the ninth green, Noah said he felt confident that he can refine what we discussed and eventually lower his golf scores. I am confident he can as well.

Starting on the first hole, I asked him to run my through his process of chipping and putting. His putting was very solid and after a few holes, I explained about how swinging his putter ‘back 6 forward 12’ he could create a more refined consistent putting stroke. He agreed that following through on contact, he could feel what I was trying to espouse. Noah’s pre-shot putting routine is solid and required very little refinement.

Chipping around the green was a different story. Although Noah has the skill to make great short game shots, his consistency was weak and his process was none existent. This is nothing new nor unexpected. Developing a consistent short game requires a great deal of effort; but first, he needed a basic knowledge of how to chip in different situations.

Fortunately, we were the only golfers playing at that time so we could take multiple shots if we wanted. The main topics of our discussion were as follows:

• Selecting different clubs depending on the distance to the landing area
• Selecting a landing area
• Assessing the stressors on each shot
• Focusing on the three foot lag area around the green

He tried multiple shots from various distances around each green. I had him use different clubs and demonstrated what happens when using different clubs. He found that his eight iron was going to be used far more than he thought.

As we navigated around the links and we discussed each shot. We talked about how the lie of the ball affected each shot. Uphill shots, downhill shots, or sidehill shots all required a different set up and Noah understood why the change was needed.

As Noah talked through each shot, I could see that he was understanding that chipping was more than grabbing his attack wedge for every shot. Using the knowledge I shared, Noah was starting to build the foundation needed to develop a strong short game.

Working with Noah was great fun. I think I offered enough knowledge for Noah to improve his short game. It will take some time and effort. As he continues to build his short game, I will always be available to help him if he runs into challenges.

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