Golf Tips & Quips

It's raining in Phoenix today so I couldn't get out to practice. For the past few weeks, all I have been working on is my chipping and putting. I need to get familiar with my wedges around the greens if I am going to post lower scores on a more consistent basis.

I'm working on trusting my 56 and 60 degree wedges and am finally starting to feel comfortable with these clubs in my hand. My greens in regulation percentage is very poor but I am not missing the greens by much. I am often just off the green, but these are the shots that can make or break a round.

If you are not comfortable with a wedge in hand, chipping around the green can be a nightmare. I've had shots where I'm just off the green and I'll scull the shot and put it 40 feet off the green. Now I'm having to shoot over a bunker or some other hazard which usually ends up being a double bogey or the dreaded "other".

Hitting a fat chip shot is even worse. We have all been there. We're standing over a little chip shot and we hit it about six inches. Nothing is more frustrating and embarrassing. Everyone goes silent. Your playing partners just look the other way and now you have another chip shot of similar length. A disaster hole.

I was practicing yesterday and while everyone else was hacking away, I was on the practice green for two hours(This a picture from another day. I had it all myself yesterday. Just wanted you to see where I practice). I noticed a couple walking towards me and the boyfriend said, "That's a lot of chipping you're doing today." I said, "I'm working on putting it in that "pick it up" range." He just laughed because he knew exactly what I was talking about.  This is when you hit a good shot and to keep up the pace of play, your buddies just say, "Pick it up."

I love hearing those words. Plus I think it's cool. I've said it before, but it takes a certain amount of finesse and style to execute these shots. Everyone remembers Tom Watson's chip shot on the 17th at Pebble Beach, and Tiger's chip shot on the 16th at Augusta. These are the shots that send the crowd into a frenzy. These are the shots that stand out in the minds of golfers.

As I continue to work on my irons and until my G.I.R. percentage improves, getting it in that "pick it up" range will help me to save a lot more pars. When I look at my stats, if I hit the fairway, get on the green in regulation, I make par ninety percent of the time. If I have four or five of theses holes and have the rest be where I am chipping it close, I'll have a good chance of meeting my 2011 goal of breaking 80.

Tomorrow and the rest of the week is supposed to be beautiful, so I'll be back out there. Maybe I'll make a video so you can see what I am working on. Until then I'm stuck indoors watching chipping videos. If you have any good chipping drills that you have been working on, I would love to hear about it. Anything that will help us so that we can hear those three beautiful words. Pick It Up. Have a great round and always hit your target.

First two photos found here.

*This is a drill I have been working on for both chipping and putting. Good luck!!!