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Short Game Shape Up - JB Goes To Work

Improving ones short game is the best way to lower scores-no doubt about it. JB-have you tried the SCOR short game clubs yet?
 
smgoldstein said:
Improving ones short game is the best way to lower scores-no doubt about it. JB-have you tried the SCOR short game clubs yet?
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Nope. Some great reviews on THP from our readers and I am sure I will get to try some out at the THP Demo Day. We do not have a set here to test out.
 
JB said:
I am, but after speaking with Tadashi today and really knowing my game, I know this is going to be a process, and I am taking my time and making sure I ease back into it. It will have a short term negative effect on my game, but the final outcome will be as good as I was previously I believe.
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This is a great statement! i have accepted the same with my lessons this winter. im taking a step back to take 2 steps forward. my game has plateaued and to get it to the next level this is what i need to do. and although my lessons have stalled a bit (having an issue with my shoulder turn in my backswing for a few weeks) i know i just need to keep working on it till its fixed. Good to see you putting such a effort into your short game. i can't wait to start working on it more again but really concentrating on my swing change right now is taking up most of my golf practice time.
 
Today was about testing myself on a shot that was always one of the best parts of my game to see if it was still there. 75 yards away on a flat surface to a pin in the middle of a green. Again we went with 36 Bridgestone B330-RX golf balls and used 2 different wedges for this task. Cleveland 588 60* wedge and Mizuno JPX 58* wedge. 18 balls with each wedge and the kicker is that 9 of them were played from normal ball position and normal shot and 9 were played back in my stance and lower trajectory shot. The goal was 30 out of 36 inside of 15 feet.

I failed at my test today as I only had 21 of 36 inside of 15 feet. All 36 were on the green, however 15 of them were scattered throughout ranging from 15 feet to about 25 feet. The balls played from normal position faired better than those that I played back in the stance with a lower trajectory. I also learned that both wedges performed quite well at this with the 588 getting 12 inside of 15 feet and the JPX getting 9 inside of 15 feet. I definitely preferred the balance and impact that the 588 made, but that is for a different thread and a different time.

I have about 2 more "tests" to complete this week and then the drills will begin to get me going on the right path.
 
Great stuff JB - looking forward to hearing what drills you will implement to work on the areas for improvement.
 
I know you said you failed at your test, but hitting the green 36/36 times is quite an accomplishment of itself.

As far as the kicker goes, hitting the ball from back in your stance...is that a shot that you better success with in the past?
 
JB said:
Today was about testing myself on a shot that was always one of the best parts of my game to see if it was still there. 75 yards away on a flat surface to a pin in the middle of a green. Again we went with 36 Bridgestone B330-RX golf balls and used 2 different wedges for this task. Cleveland 588 60* wedge and Mizuno JPX 58* wedge. 18 balls with each wedge and the kicker is that 9 of them were played from normal ball position and normal shot and 9 were played back in my stance and lower trajectory shot. The goal was 30 out of 36 inside of 15 feet.

I failed at my test today as I only had 21 of 36 inside of 15 feet. All 36 were on the green, however 15 of them were scattered throughout ranging from 15 feet to about 25 feet. The balls played from normal position faired better than those that I played back in the stance with a lower trajectory. I also learned that both wedges performed quite well at this with the 588 getting 12 inside of 15 feet and the JPX getting 9 inside of 15 feet. I definitely preferred the balance and impact that the 588 made, but that is for a different thread and a different time.

I have about 2 more "tests" to complete this week and then the drills will begin to get me going on the right path.
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Impressive goals JB. I too usually have better results from a more normal postion with my wedges. I would be ecstatic just to get all 36 balls on the green from 75 yards, let alone have a goal of 30 within 15'. I have some work to do! Great job JB.
 
I'd take 100% GIR from that range anyday. 66% within 15ft is really good with the 588, those would be solid birdie opportunities.

Do you feel all this focus on short game may take away from the other parts of your game?
 
lcsmrtn said:
I'd take 100% GIR from that range anyday. 66% within 15ft is really good with the 588, those would be solid birdie opportunities.

Do you feel all this focus on short game may take away from the other parts of your game?
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No, I dont think it will at all really. Its about getting me back to where I was and hopefully this will take me there. We will see in time I guess.
 
Yur putting some 'REAL' test on yurself JB, good on ya !

I live in a different world .... I'd be beside myself with joy :joy::joy: if I could get 10/10 ON THE GREEN !! And if one of them happened to be within 15 feet, OH MY GAWD !! :laughing:
 
JB said:
Today was about testing myself on a shot that was always one of the best parts of my game to see if it was still there. 75 yards away on a flat surface to a pin in the middle of a green. Again we went with 36 Bridgestone B330-RX golf balls and used 2 different wedges for this task. Cleveland 588 60* wedge and Mizuno JPX 58* wedge. 18 balls with each wedge and the kicker is that 9 of them were played from normal ball position and normal shot and 9 were played back in my stance and lower trajectory shot. The goal was 30 out of 36 inside of 15 feet.

I failed at my test today as I only had 21 of 36 inside of 15 feet. All 36 were on the green, however 15 of them were scattered throughout ranging from 15 feet to about 25 feet. The balls played from normal position faired better than those that I played back in the stance with a lower trajectory. I also learned that both wedges performed quite well at this with the 588 getting 12 inside of 15 feet and the JPX getting 9 inside of 15 feet. I definitely preferred the balance and impact that the 588 made, but that is for a different thread and a different time.

I have about 2 more "tests" to complete this week and then the drills will begin to get me going on the right path.
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Wow. That is really impressive. Hope it continues to help and get you back to where you want to be.
 
JB said:
Before my round today, I got to the course early and went to work on testing out where I am with the greenside bunker shots. I had 36 Bridgestone B330-RX golf balls and my Cleveland 588 wedge and my goal was to hit them all as I normally would to a pin that was in the middle of the green from the greenside bunker and a flat lie. The goal was to have all of them inside of 15 feet. Even in my "downturn" of short game, I have always been a pretty good sand player and in some ways its about geography. In my neck of the woods, its just a way of life, there are bunkers everywhere and most greens are surrounded. I truly expected to get 30 at a minimum inside the range and I was very surprised that only 17 of 36 balls landed with in 15 feet. 9 more landed between 15 and 20 feet and the other 10 were off the back of the green or extremely far away.

I found that I was trying a little to hard to assist the ball out and scoop it out rather than my way I have always done it and it led to bad things. This is definitely an area that I will continue to focus on as I continue on this journey. More coming soon.
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Hey JB,
Sounds like you need a Callaway Pro Caddie to keep your short game practice time efficient! (I saw that you saw my post reviewing that product...) Good luck with honing your short game. I love this work too as it's so rewarding to see the ball get close or go in. In greenside chipping practice sessions now I almost expect to hole out a chip at least once per session. The other day it was 3/108 (one to each of 3 different hole locations) with a fourth sitting a ball diameter out from the hole. And out on the course I've had chipping hole outs once every 4-5 rounds. Love this feeling of judging the lie, the trajectory, the roll and getting it close.
 
Anybody who has ever played golf with me knows that there is one thing I am definitely on the golf course....Its Efficient.
 
Yeah there is not a lot of wasted movements with JB
 
Yesterday was a day in which I worked on the more unusual wedge shots. Unusual is not really the correct term, but a shot that is not used all that often in comparison to others. I set up 30 golf balls behind a greenside bunker and had to go over the bunker and land it on a short sided pin. The goal here was to have all the balls on the green with in 15 feet and all of the balls past the pin. I have learned in the past that getting cute with this shot leaves one of two results, either going too far under the ball and leaving it in the bunker or thinning the shot and leaving it skulled off the green. So in working with Amollerud in the past, the goal was always to get it past the pin so that worst case scenario, you are still putting and not giving up other strokes trying to reach the green. It is advice that has worked well for me.

I did the test 2 ways with 15 balls I opened up the Cleveland 588 60* wedge all the way and performed a flop shot and then not opening the club up and working with more of a pitch to go over the bunker and land on the green. I learned that both gave similar results and although I failed my test today, it was not by much.
All balls were in the green, but 8 of them were further than 15 feet away.
28 of 30 balls were past the pin.

When opening up the club head for more of a flop type of shot, the chance of user error was definitely greater if not skilled in the shot in my opinion. The pitch was definitely adequate in getting the ball over the bunker (by using the clubs loft) and settling on the green. While it may be slightly further away from the pin, taking away the big number is a nice thing to have and I may incorporate that in tough areas if I need to.

Overall, I came away pretty happy today and as I complete my tests to see where I am, I have realized where my work will be needed the most and where I should spend the most time. Coming up this week I will begin work on certain segments and will update here accordingly.
 
JB said:
Today was about testing myself on a shot that was always one of the best parts of my game to see if it was still there. 75 yards away on a flat surface to a pin in the middle of a green. Again we went with 36 Bridgestone B330-RX golf balls and used 2 different wedges for this task. Cleveland 588 60* wedge and Mizuno JPX 58* wedge. 18 balls with each wedge and the kicker is that 9 of them were played from normal ball position and normal shot and 9 were played back in my stance and lower trajectory shot. The goal was 30 out of 36 inside of 15 feet.

I failed at my test today as I only had 21 of 36 inside of 15 feet. All 36 were on the green, however 15 of them were scattered throughout ranging from 15 feet to about 25 feet. The balls played from normal position faired better than those that I played back in the stance with a lower trajectory. I also learned that both wedges performed quite well at this with the 588 getting 12 inside of 15 feet and the JPX getting 9 inside of 15 feet. I definitely preferred the balance and impact that the 588 made, but that is for a different thread and a different time.

I have about 2 more "tests" to complete this week and then the drills will begin to get me going on the right path.
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JB, Any chance of some photos or videos to show us stance, ball position-would help me as I work on this too. Thanks.
 
JB said:
Yesterday was a day in which I worked on the more unusual wedge shots. Unusual is not really the correct term, but a shot that is not used all that often in comparison to others. I set up 30 golf balls behind a greenside bunker and had to go over the bunker and land it on a short sided pin. The goal here was to have all the balls on the green with in 15 feet and all of the balls past the pin. I have learned in the past that getting cute with this shot leaves one of two results, either going too far under the ball and leaving it in the bunker or thinning the shot and leaving it skulled off the green. So in working with Amollerud in the past, the goal was always to get it past the pin so that worst case scenario, you are still putting and not giving up other strokes trying to reach the green. It is advice that has worked well for me.

I did the test 2 ways with 15 balls I opened up the Cleveland 588 60* wedge all the way and performed a flop shot and then not opening the club up and working with more of a pitch to go over the bunker and land on the green. I learned that both gave similar results and although I failed my test today, it was not by much.
All balls were in the green, but 8 of them were further than 15 feet away.
28 of 30 balls were past the pin.

When opening up the club head for more of a flop type of shot, the chance of user error was definitely greater if not skilled in the shot in my opinion. The pitch was definitely adequate in getting the ball over the bunker (by using the clubs loft) and settling on the green. While it may be slightly further away from the pin, taking away the big number is a nice thing to have and I may incorporate that in tough areas if I need to.

Overall, I came away pretty happy today and as I complete my tests to see where I am, I have realized where my work will be needed the most and where I should spend the most time. Coming up this week I will begin work on certain segments and will update here accordingly.
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That is great advice in itself, I agree with many on here, I wish I was anywhere near as good in the short game as your are in these benchmark tests before you begin to work on your short game. This is a great thread and keep up the good work JB.
 
DrPatSr said:
JB, Any chance of some photos or videos to show us stance, ball position-would help me as I work on this too. Thanks.
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Im not a teacher, so I am not sure I am the best to take instruction from.
While I will share thoughts on how I am doing things, I am not sure its best to learn from my grip, form, swing or anything else.
We have some great video tips on the home page under THP TV from last year where amollerud shows his techniques on these items and we will have quite a few more coming soon from GolfTEC as well.
 
JB said:
Yesterday was a day in which I worked on the more unusual wedge shots. Unusual is not really the correct term, but a shot that is not used all that often in comparison to others. I set up 30 golf balls behind a greenside bunker and had to go over the bunker and land it on a short sided pin. The goal here was to have all the balls on the green with in 15 feet and all of the balls past the pin. I have learned in the past that getting cute with this shot leaves one of two results, either going too far under the ball and leaving it in the bunker or thinning the shot and leaving it skulled off the green. So in working with Amollerud in the past, the goal was always to get it past the pin so that worst case scenario, you are still putting and not giving up other strokes trying to reach the green. It is advice that has worked well for me.

I did the test 2 ways with 15 balls I opened up the Cleveland 588 60* wedge all the way and performed a flop shot and then not opening the club up and working with more of a pitch to go over the bunker and land on the green. I learned that both gave similar results and although I failed my test today, it was not by much.
All balls were in the green, but 8 of them were further than 15 feet away.
28 of 30 balls were past the pin.

When opening up the club head for more of a flop type of shot, the chance of user error was definitely greater if not skilled in the shot in my opinion. The pitch was definitely adequate in getting the ball over the bunker (by using the clubs loft) and settling on the green. While it may be slightly further away from the pin, taking away the big number is a nice thing to have and I may incorporate that in tough areas if I need to.

Overall, I came away pretty happy today and as I complete my tests to see where I am, I have realized where my work will be needed the most and where I should spend the most time. Coming up this week I will begin work on certain segments and will update here accordingly.
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YMMV on this, but for those shots where you're short sided and have to go over something, I open the face up and take a short backswing (maybe 9:00, 9:30) and then accelerate to a full finish. Usually comes out high and real soft, but it takes some touch work to figure out how hard you have to swing to get it to carry the distance you want. For me it usually goes about 10 yards max with the face wide open.
 
Thanks for sharing your journey and practice regimen, it's a great thread to follow and there's lots of great info to take away from it.
 
That first paragraph in your last update was some great information and may help me a good deal, whether you intended it to or not. Thanks!
 
Great thread! I just finished reading the entire thing and I think this is a great strategy. I employed a similar strategy this past spring/early summer, but mine was more about establishing a short game and repetition than getting back to a good one. I love your strategy and I wish you the best of success. I wish we had your weather! I'm jealous, and would definitely be employing something similar if it wasn't snowy here. Keep up the good work, thanks for the updates.
 
Spent part of today working on my chipping and pitching. 350 balls to be exact and worked on 3 things.

1. Ball placement relative to stance.
2. Stance
3. Weighting on feet.

My goal was to stop keeping my stance so open with my feet so close together after a recent test showed me that I chip a little better by taking my time and making sure ball placement and balance was accurate for me. I got a bucket of 350 balls and sat them down greenside of the chipping green at a local course. The shot was a straight pitch right to 3 different pins over the green. This was less about results and more about feel and balance.

Getting the ball slightly back in my stance
Getting my weighting leaning on my forward foot
Getting my feet aimed at the target

About half way through it clicked for me and it was becoming repetitive. The same click sound over and over was giving me a smile and I felt as though today really helped me break through to a part of my game that has been lacking. I used to feel as though from around the green "up and down" was nearly automatic (obviously it wasnt, but it felt that way) and over the last year, there were struggles that I had never had before.

This was a good start to moving in the right direction and seeing/feeling it click was exactly what I needed.
 
That is great news JB! It is so interesting how the small things matter so much in this game. I often get hung up with results and start to neglect the fundamentals, when I do this is the results just aren't there. For me getting the right set up is more important than anything. I am going to have to take this lesson to heart and get back to the fundamentals with my short game.
 
That's a great update JB and a TON of practice! Happy to hear that you had one of those "aha" moments that put the smile on your face. Just an affirmation that you are tracking to what you want - nice work.


Tappin' from my iPad!
 
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