Plan B

Grip issues have been resolved. I'm going with the Vardon grip for most shots and a split grip for putting. Both are working well enough. I'm driving the ball fairly well and my backswing method (connected right triceps) is feeling pretty good.

However, I've decided that I need to work seriously on my short game. I am not chipping well and therefore leaving myself too many five and six footers that should be two or three feet. The fact that I'm also three putting more than I should, partly because of misreads and getting used to the faster greens, is  meaning that I'm throwing away a number of shots per round.

Plan B is that the next round I play will be a lay up round to give myself loft of opportunities to practice my chipping and small pitches. It's that 20 to 40 yard range that is the main problem area, so in the absence of a separate practice session, I need to play a round where I work on this area.

Which club to use is the next issue. I've tried chipping with an 8 iron, rather than a 9, but either way I'm not sure the variation in shots is sufficient, particularly as we have lots of elevated greens. I think I will go to my gap wedge and use it differently (closed face, open face, forward, back, etc.) to develop this area of my game.

Picking a spot to land the ball is a critical element in small chips and pitches, which is then followed by working out how big a swing is required - eg. swing back to 8 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock or whatever. The pace of the greens, the slope and the amount of bounce and run likely also have to be factored into this equation.

One should always swing at the same tempo (i.e. not too hard or fast) for these shots. The Golf Fix guy also says to use the turn of your body to try to get this tempo (or 'smash factor') right, which makes a lot of sense to me. Too many people think they should only use their arms for these little shots.

Finally, it is essential to trust the swing, not worry too much about the lie or about thin or fat contact. As in putting, you have to trust the stroke and that you have the correct arc. There should be no excessive up and down movement; a stable base is essential, as it is in bunker shots - or any shot for that matter.