Short game not so sweet

In golf, the scoring game is definitely the short game. And, unfortunately, this is currently a serious issue for me. The absence of a decent short game is turning excellent rounds into average rounds and average rounds into disasters.

The main issue has been putting and having once been regarded as a good putter I am now almost regarded as a joke. Two to four-footers are nightmarish, at best fifty-fifty propositions. Even eighteen inches seems too far. Basically, I've got the yips with short putts and even my lag putting is terrible.

The cause of my putting woes is not technique, although some say technique can be a cause, and I'm inclined to think it is psychological. I'm getting angry and I'm getting worse.

Most of my practice in golf is actually putting and on the putting green before a round I'm fine. I don't have the yips there, no matter what technique I use. I think what I'm doing on the course is placing too much pressure on myself - trying to make a score. I really should be playing some rounds without scoring - hard to do when the only rounds I have the opportunity to play are with friends in club competitions.

Anyway, I do need to find a way to take pressure off my putting game. One suggestion I've received is to slow down my tempo - and I think that is a good place to start. Another good idea is to make sure I finish the stroke and hold the putter at the finish point, something I have tried before, but might be worth another go. Finally, I intend to adopt a double-overlap Vardon grip to reduce the amount of right-hand domination. The feel is fairly natural, not like some of the other grips that don't feel comfortable and don't work for me, no matter what they are supposed to achieve.

So much for putting. My chipping has been OK, my pitching tolerable, my approach shots acceptable. But these are areas ripe for improvement. More practise would be good, so I'll see what I can do. I have certainly acquired enough (too much?) information in this area of the game.

As for the long game, I'm still using 'connection theory' and hitting the ball reasonably. More width in my takeaway with driver and more emphasis on ball position are things I will be addressing. But it is the short game that for me at the moment is not so sweet.

Cautious optimism

It's good to be confident and optimistic, but much better to be cautious when it comes to golf. Golf has a way of biting back just when you think you have it worked out.

Having said that I am cautiously optimistic that I have found a grip, tempo and swing that will allow me to play golf at a reasonable level for my age. I can't drive the ball three hundred yards or find more than half the greens in regulation, but I can keep the ball in play and give myself plenty of par opportunities.

My problems with hooking have reduced now that I've realised I need to turn aggressively through the shot. It's this combined with my connection theory (upper left arm and chest) that have given me back the consistency and to some extent power that I had lost. Connection is something that many golfers suffering from inconsistency could benefit from - if only they could trust that it works.

I'm now able to virtually take the right-hand side of the course out of play hitting, as I am now, a controlled draw. I find it a more satisfying ball flight than a fade, which for me often used to end up as a straight shot or even a double-cross hook.

But it's not all beer and skittles. My short game, and I mean chipping and lag putting, are still not at a standard I am happy with. Too often I give myself a chance of a chip and putt par only to take three or even four to get down. It ruins any chance of a really good score, turning great into just OK.

Clearly, I need to work on my short game. I think with putting there are some good signs, but I do need to develop and consolidate a chipping strategy - because it is such an important element in the non-professional, green-missing amateur. I've dabbled with wedges and nine irons and not really been able to settle on a method. Something to think about - with cautious optimism.