This one is pretty simple — let’s combine our chipping and putting practice to see what kind of conversion rate we can produce!
Too often you can see weekend golfers hitting dozens of chips until the green is covered with balls. That doesn’t accomplish the reality of what we face during a round of golf.
Here’s a better way to work on your short game.
Take 10 or 12 balls, use the type of ball you play with, in fact, use a new or a ball that hasn’t been beaten silly. Scatter them into different lies then pick a hole on the practice green and go through those 10-12 balls. Put your wedge or other short-game club down, take your putter and go putt the balls from the point where they came to rest.
Naturally, we all want to one-putt all 10 or 12 but it may take a lot of work to get to that point. Take care of the tap-ins first then proceed out from the hole. If you miss a putt, keep bringing it back and putt it again until you make it. Do this with every ball.
You’ll start to get an idea of your conversion rate from different distances. What we’re shooting for is 80 percent from virtually every spot around the green.
Same with bunker shots. Use 10 balls, then go putt from where your shots finish.
You will end up working on a lot of putts from the distance you’ll leave them during a round of golf.
If you make this part of your practice routine, you’ll get more shots up-and-down when you miss a green — and your scores will come down.
Guaranteed!
