The short game i.e. anything from 80 yards and closer to the green is of vital importance for those players wishing to achieve lower scores. 

The general convention for scoring expectation is that once the green is in reach the player should allow one shot to the green and a further two shots (putts) when on the green.

 Quite simply, the ability to roll three shots into two is invaluable with respect to professional and amateur players alike. There are several shots and situations to be covered in the short game clinic.  

Sand Play The starting point for the short game clinic is "Sand Play" this is because in the writer's experience, sand play causes more problems for the club golfer than any other short game requirement. Situation 1. Green side bunkers. The three problems facing the player with regard to green side bunkers, are. Elevation. Direction. Distance. Elevation.

The first point to be clear on is that the player needs to use the appropriate club. That is to say a sand iron with at least 55 degrees of loft and some bounce to see a definition of bounce and a range of sand irons. Other sand irons can viewed via the irons section of the Golf Factory.

a) Ball forward in stance, opposite the left heel. 

b) Weight inclined toward the right side (85% bias). 

c) Hands down the middle of the body (making the hands behind the ball) clubhead 5 degrees open 

d) The foot/shoulder alignment should be about 20 degrees to the left. 

Having adopted the above set up, the player now has every opportunity to develop elevation. 

The suggestions for executing the shot so that all the three criteria of elevation, direction and distance are satisified will follow, keep reading! 

Direction. The player has to swing parallel to the foot line i.e. 20 degrees to the left of the target. Ordinarily, this would cause the ball to fly to the left of the target, but as the clubhead is in the open position, the ball will fly on line. 

Distance. Distance is largely derived (during sand play) by the point of contact, force & length of the swing and the depth of entry.:- The depth of entry should always be commensurate with the point of contact, exit point should be twice the point of contact:- If the point of contact is 2" behind the ball, the club should descend to a point 2" underneath the ball and exit at a point 4" infront of the ball. A greenside sand shot (correctly played) is based on an explosion of sand backing up behind the ball and pushing it out onto the green.

The desired point of contact with an iron club is ball first and then a descent into the ground in order to take a divot. With a greenside bunker shot however, the player needs to contact the sand behind the ball. The appropriate distance behind the ball depends mainly on three things:- 

a) The quality of the sand (dry and fluffy or wet and sticky) 

b) The direction of the wind (never underestimate the effect of wind on the short game shots) 

c) The distance to the hole. The nearer to the ball the point of contact, the further the ball will travel. That is to say, a shot played at full force but contacting 4 inches behind the ball (+ or - for sand quality and wind direction) will travel around 20 yards. The same swing with a contact point around 1" behind the ball will result in the ball traveling around 40 yards. 

The player is tasked with calculating the variables of sand, wind, distance to the hole, preferred force and length of swing etc. in order to determine the appropriate point of contact. Try several shots in the practise bunker using the variables of force/length and point of contact. Starting with a ball travelling 5 yards and increasing each successive shot by 5 yards up to say 40 yards (on the same line) by firstly reducing the point of contact right down to 1\2" in front and secondly increasing swing length and force. The above exercise should quickly show the player a preferred method for increasing distance (usual method is the combination of contact point and force/length) having determined this, repeat the exercise in reverse i.e. reduce each shot by 5 yards on the same line. 

Summary. In order to gain good elevation, essential if a steep bunker face is to be overcome, the player must keep the weight on the right side (85% bias) throughout the swing and should also encourage height by pulling the hands into a high arc immediately after the club has exited the sand. Careful, pull the hands up too soon and a topped shot will result and always remember, don't try and be too clever. The first priority is to make sure you get the ball out and somewhere on the green! 

Situation 2. Fairway bunkers. The three problems facing the player with regard to fairway bunkers are:- Elevation. Direction. Distance. Elevation.

The player has to decide how much elevation is needed, for example most fairway bunkers have a shallow face minimising the need for elevation. In these cases, club selection should be as for normal play i.e. dependent on distance required.

Distance. Distance is largely derived (during fairway bunker play) by the point of contact, force of the swing, the depth of entry and the club used:- Summary Treat fairway bunker shots in two ways:- Pot bunkers, those bunkers with a steep face need to be treated as greenside bunkers, see above. Shallow bunkers are treated exactly the same as for normal fairway shots except. For fairway bunker shots the player should attempt to strike the ball slightly on the "clean" side, that is slightly above the bottom of the ball.  

Wedge Play The rules of golf state that only 14 clubs may be carried by the player during a round of golf. Usually, if the player employs a very similiar swing (and makes good contact) there is a difference of distance between each club of around 15 yards. The player therefore, has to calculate the distance remaining to the hole (factor in variables, like wind & terrain) and based on that calculation select the appropriate club That all works fine until we come down to 80 yards and less to the hole. The player can not afford (14 clubs only) to carry a number 12,13,14,15, iron etc but must adjust using the wedge (usually) to cover a multitude of shots from 80 yards in Like Sand Play there are specific problems facing the player that must be overcome:- Elevation/Spin. Direction. Distance. Elevation.

It is assumed in this section that excessive elevation and spin is not an issue with the wedge shot. That is to say that the standard wedge shot ranging from 80 yards down to 20 yards will deliver sufficient spin and height.

Direction. Direction issues should be addressed in exactly the same way as for normal fairway shots. 

Distance. Distance is derived (good contact taken as a given) by the force of and length of the swing. To adjust distance, change either the length of the swing or the force used, or use a combination of both factors to send the ball diferent distances with the same club. 

Summary Starting with a ball travelling 40 yards (half swing) and increasing each successive shot by 5 yards up to the full distance (on the same line) by increasing force and swing length. The above exercise should quickly show the player a preferred method for increasing/decreasing distance and will give the player a good understanding of the requirements for the full (80 yards) 3\4, half wedge etc. Finally, when practising the different force wedge shots always use the same target line.

Spin & Height No matter how accomplished a player may be, there will be occasions when extra spin or height is demanded. Let's take a look at the issues surrounding spin first:- Spin. We have all marvelled at the great player's ability to spin the ball back on the green 3 feet or so but exactly how is this achieved? First of all, the player has to realise that there are several driving forces with regards to spin. In order to actually spin a ball back on the green then all of the listed elements must be in favour. 

Elements: Greens (shape and firmness) Wind (strength and direction) Lie (fairway, rough, fluffy etc.) Clubs: Loft, Face material, grooves. Ball: Compression, Dimple pattern, Cover material. Player. Angle of Attack, Ball position, Hand action.

So now we can see the forces involved in achieving excessive backspin. As this is an important and complex subject further exploration is required. 

Greens: The greens must be both receptive (ie uphill, not running away) and holding for backspin to have a strong effect. For example it is possible that the player generates good backspin but because of the shape and texture of the greens this is not apparent. 

Wind: Strong backspin can not be produced down a strong wind. Never underestimate the effect of wind on a golf ball. Lie: Excessive backspin can not be generated from a downhill lie or a lie in wet rough. Clubs: Plenty of loft good clean grooves and preferably a newly sand blasted or a copper face. 

Ball: A low compression ball with the appropriate dimple pattern and a soft cover (talk to your supplier about spin rates etc.) 

Player. The angle of attack must be varied. That is fairly steep during the downswing but then shallowed out during impact. To facilitate this, the ball position should be around the centre of the stance. To achieve full back spin you have to get the clubface to impart spin onto the area on the golf ball that is laying on the grass. To achieve this the player must open the clubface during impact. Opening the clubface in this sense means increasing the loft. Try and understand it like this:- Hold the left fist in front (thumb on top) of you about 3 inches from the desk top. Take your open palm of the right hand and descend onto the fist about the same angle as a normal downswing. Aim to contact the little finger knuckle of the left hand and as the right passes below turn the right palm so that it is facing up (knuckles down). That is what you have to make the clubface do during impact. This shot is therefore a special. Use it only in your short game armour and don't try to replicate the action through the rest of the game. 

Always remember that all the above elements have to be in your favour before you can stop the ball quickly which is why only the best players are able to achieve high backspin rates on a regular basis. 

One last look at things:- Get Greg Norman (one of the best backspin players in the world) to hit a molitor golf ball (rock hard) down wind, down hill onto a hard green running away. Greg's ball will run 20 yards at least (most player's ball would run for 40) Now play a balata ball into the wind, uphill onto a soft green that is itself uphill, you will screw that ball back 5 yards Height. The same elements that drive the possibilities of spin are also in evidence with regard to height. However:- Play the ball further forward. Having first got the club under the ball pull the hands as high as possible on the throughswing. Again, there is danger in this shot, so lots of practice and only take the shot on when necessary. 

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