If your scores haven’t been improving this season, then maybe it is time to step up the practice around the greens. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting tips and drills to help you improve your short game.
The short game does not typically require power associated with tee shots, but rather skill to control the distance the ball rolls on the greens. Mastering shots around the green come from motor control: controlling your muscles and nerves and increasing motor control can come from improved fitness.
Unlike your long game, where a large portion of the power generated through the legs and torso, your short game requires fitness from an entirely different set of muscles. The shoulders, arms, wrists and hands initiate pitch shots, so you will want to develop strength and flexibility in these muscles.
On-Course Exercise-
To hit pitch shots that land softly on the green, you need first need to set up correctly to create the correct angle of attack.
1. Set up with a more narrow stance.
2. Lean your weight towards your front leg.
- Do This-Lean your weight towards the target
- Don’t Do This-Lean your weight away from target
3. Ball position should be in the middle of your stance for a normal trajectory shot and played in the back of your stance if you want to keep the ball low.
4. Lean the shaft forward towards the target.
5. As you swing the club back keep the clubface outside your hands so that the club works up not around your body.
(Note: If your clubface moves inside as you swing the club back, you will not be able to strike the ball with a downwards blow to elevate the ball.)
- Do This-Keep the clubface outside the hands on the backswing
- Don’t Do This-Don’t let the clubhead move inside your hands on the backswing
Off-Course Exercise-
Try this exercise to help train youself to set up with more weight on your front leg and to learn to keep the clubhead outside the hands on the backswing.
1. Set up as if you were going to hit a pitch shot, but elevate your back leg on a chair or bench. Doing this will challenge your balance.
2. Using a small hand weight or medicine ball, practice taking small swings as if you were pitching.
3. To keep your balance you will have to keep the medicine ball in front of your body. If you whip the ball around your body, you will lose your balance.
- Balance on your front leg holding a medicine ball
- To keep your balance, you have to keep the medicine ball in front of your body.
Copyright © 2012 KPJgolf, All rights reserved.
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Live Online Lessons
Work on your golf game and get some exercise at the same time. Check out my new Cardiogolf Live On-Line Classes. All you need is a webcam to participate. You can learn golf-specific exercises in the privacy of your own home. The classes are interactive so you can ask questions and get feedback on your technique. The classes are small and affordable.
Work on your golf swing and learn exercises to improve your strength and flexibility specific to golf. Cardiogolf Live
Golf Fitness Workout to Increase Distance and Consistency-Cardiogolf
Cardiogolf is a golf specific workout designed by LPGA Teacher of the Year Karen Palacios-Jansen. Participants learn exercises to promote better swing mechanics, flexibility, strength and balance throughout the golf swing. The routine is a combination of swing drills and golf specific exercises. It accommodates every golfer regardless of gender, age and skill level or fitness level. All you need is a 4 x 4 sq ft space to do the golf swing exercises. If you don’t have a short practice club or enough room to swing a club, you can use a soccer ball or tennis racquet to simulate the golf swing. We will be doing practice swings, but you can do all the exercises without a club as well. I will show you how. We will not actually be hitting balls, but exercises to improve your swing mechanics as well as flexibility and strength.
Click here to sign up and for more information.
Email me at KPJ@swingbladegolf.com for more information.
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