It’s often the case that when people get around the greens and when they’re playing short game shots, this is where most golfers become the most nervous. It’s incredible how many people will feel comfortable smashing a drive 250 yards over a ravine but really struggle with a chip which is just onto the green. Now I’ve already spoken about how swing thought should be target related and I’ve already spoken about how you can include that into a preshot routine. And it is here around the greens where visualizing shots and having in swing feelings before you hit are absolutely essential.

The benefits of the short game shots is because you’re nearer the target, it is easy to visualize where you want that ball to go. Now I’ve already spoken about the preshot routines, things it should involve, picking out targets and practice swings, getting the feeling of what you want to do. Now with the short game what you also need to be doing is really focusing on the landing point where you want the ball to land and where you want the ball to finish. So your swing thought here as you get down into the short game shot should be solely target related. What do you want to do to get that ball to the target?

It’s amazing how often around the green short game shot relies so much more on feel. Now you will negate the amount of feel that you have and you will take away the amount of feel that you have if you focus on swing techniques. You can get yourself set up in an appropriate manner to hit a certain type of shot but then the conscious mind switches off. Then you are focused on target and that’s where the swing thought comes in. So I’ve got here, I’m just going to hit about a 20-yard, 30-yard pitcher. I’m just going to focus on a slight change in grass color just where there’s slight change on the range; grass color means the other type of grass color on the range.

So I’m going to be focusing on that point. I know where I want to land it and I’m just going to be doing those practice swings exactly the same as I was with the full swing preshot routine, just trying to get a sense of how hard I need to be hitting it to land it upon that point. I’m going to be getting myself lined up. I’m going to be getting myself into a position where the ball position is center, my weight is slightly forward, my hands ahead and that’s all the swing thoughts that I need. I’m going to take one last look at the point on where I want to land the ball and as soon as my eyes drop back to the ball that is where I start my technique. I want to be a lot more reactive to where my target is.

So I’m set up, back at the target, the ball and then just trying to release it. Dow! It’s a full shot. I’m going to have to do the whole thing again or maybe not. So remember when you’re on your short game shots, focus in on target, turn off the conscious mind, looking at the target and as the eyes come back to the ball, start your technique.