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For most recreational players, the shots around the green tend to be the area of the game where they make or break their round. A short, poor game can cost you many shots, while a hard slashing and chipping day can save you from the big numbers on the scorecard.
If you find yourself missing shots around the green, it could be due to two common but glaring mistakes that teachers often see amateurs make – and teacher Christie Longfield is eager to fix them.
“Many amateurs try to use only their hands and not their bodies on shots around the green, or try to make the swing feel like a single unit, where the hands don’t work,” she said. “You have to use your hands. Your hands have to be soft and supple and active, but you still have to use your body as well. So I think that’s the biggest thing: They don’t use their bodies and match them to their hands, or take their hands off them while they’re dead.”
If you are the type who tends to move the ball around the green, this may be your problem.
“The spectrum is wide – players tend to be either inadequate or too much,” said Longfield.
So how do you fix it?
It’s about developing a sense of the clubhead’s weight as it moves through impact, Longfield says, and learning to control it. Relieving tension is key, so your arms and hands are soft, not rigid.
“If you’re very skilled, try thinking of hitting the chips with a putting motion,” said Longfield. “Gradually, your swing can get bigger and bigger until you finally rotate your body.”
Students who do not use their hands at all need to be taught this element of the swing. Longfield says her strategy there is to encourage students to hit their wrists — and nothing else.
“That way, they see the club loft get the ball up in the air,” she said. “From there, you can begin to integrate your elbow, and then the movement will happen naturally without restriction.”
Try Kristi’s advice, and start saving picks around the green today.
Kristi Longfield is the Director of Instruction at Spanish Oaks Golf Club in Austin, Texas. For more advice from the Top 100 GOLF Teachers, click here.