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If you truly think about it, is the short game really...

Absolutely. A short game determines if I am going to have a good round or not. It is incredbily frustrating to be on 500+ yd Par 5, take 2 shots to get within 75-80 yards of the green and then proceed to need 4 more shots from there to finish the hole.
 
I suppose "short game" is subjective. I believe Pelz does a good job of narrowing it down to what most people would consider a "short" or "scoring" game.

Pelz Golf Institute research has proven that golfers lose almost 80 percent of their shots to par inside of 100 yards from the hole. To that end, our golf school curriculum focuses strictly on what Dave defines as “The Scoring Game,” a combination of the short game (distance wedges, pitching, chipping, sand play) and putting, which comprise 60 to 65 percent of the total number of shots played per round. From three-foot putts to full wedge and long bunker shots, at this truly unique golf school, you’ll learn to properly execute shots from any scoring position.
 
I think the short game is extremely important. In the hierarchy of value, I think it starts from the game and works its way out from there.

1 - Putting
2 - Wedge game
3 - Iron game
4 - wood game
5 - Driver

Pretty unlikely for anyone to score well if they are averaging two putts per hole. Plus, you can miss most shots by 15 feet, but if you're off a putt by an inch you're not going to make it.
 
Next time you play golf, count up the strokes it takes you to get to 100 yards, then count up the strokes it takes you to get it in the hole after you get to 100 yards. I think if you do that you will find out just how important 100 yards and in is.
 
For my game, if I have an awful day with ball striking, but a strong short game, I'm probably going to be near our even over 90. If I have a strong day with driver and irons, but struggle in the short game. I'm probably going to be low to mid 80s.
 
Short game is by far the most important part of the golf game. A sharp short game from 100yd and in will benefit everyone.

Hitting the fairways is over rated on most courses and won't penalize you with today's technology. Now missing said fairway on the wrong side is an issue. This is where driving comes into play. A good driver of the ball can place his or her ball in the correct position off the tee to access the pin. You hit 14 woods off the tee in any given round. You can miss a few and sill shoot a good score.

The iron game to me is a close second to short game. Being able to hit the green from comfortable distances is key. The more greens you hit the more opportunity you have to score.

Now once on the greens you have to be able to putt. If you can't two putt every green you hit, then you need to work on your putting (short game) If you can get up and down on every green you miss, you need to work on your chipping (shirt game) The largest percentage of shots are lost around the green. If you have no short game, you have no way to recover. If you don't have a solid short game you don't know how to score. Having a solid short game allows the rest of you game to be aggressive.
 
Canadan said:
I think the short game is extremely important. In the hierarchy of value, I think it starts from the game and works its way out from there.

1 - Putting
2 - Wedge game
3 - Iron game
4 - wood game
5 - Driver

Pretty unlikely for anyone to score well if they are averaging two putts per hole. Plus, you can miss most shots by 15 feet, but if you're off a putt by an inch you're not going to make it.
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I wouldnt argue your order. but lets take the 15 feet. The longer the shot, the more that 15 foot miss becomes. Miss a short aproach by 15 feet but that same missihit with a long aproach may result in 15 yards and so on. Like i suggested in my open the misshits can be relative to the distance of the shot.

But even we stay at 15 feet just for sake. Miss the rough on ad rive by 15feet into the woods or weeds or water. Miss the green by 15 feet and you may be in the water or a bunker or whatever. So we cant really just say missing any shot by 15 feet is any less important than missing that putt by one inch because it didnt go in. Those other shots cost you just as dearly if not more perhaps.

Different ways to view this stuff.
 
SharkHat said:
If you've ever skulled the ball from one side of the green to the other, and then back again....
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Hey, I resemble that remark. :act-up:

rollin,
I understand the concept of all parts of the game are relevant and interdependant. However, I think the reality is that the short game has the most influence, good or bad, upon your score.

I consider my short game as everything within 125 yards and like Hawk, that includes my putting. I'm happy when I can carry the women's err I mean forward tee on my drive so for me my short game is everything. I think that a perfect example of how a good short game determines your score is Park (LPGA) she has 3 majors in a row and its not because she's a long hitter.
 
The short game is as important as any other part of the game. However, when it comes to range and practice time, it is often neglected.
 
If I have a great putting game and a horrible drive/fairway shot,why wouldn't I hit an 8 iron x 3 on a par 4,one putt for par? or a 200 yd par 3......hit a pitching wedge/gap wedge two times,one putt for par? Definitely short game is the money shot!
 
Tadashi70 said:
Short game is by far the most important part of the golf game. A sharp short game from 100yd and in will benefit everyone.

Hitting the fairways is over rated on most courses and won't penalize you with today's technology. Now missing said fairway on the wrong side is an issue. This is where driving comes into play. A good driver of the ball can place his or her ball in the correct position off the tee to access the pin. You hit 14 woods off the tee in any given round. You can miss a few and sill shoot a good score.

The iron game to me is a close second to short game. Being able to hit the green from comfortable distances is key. The more greens you hit the more opportunity you have to score.

Now once on the greens you have to be able to putt. If you can't two putt every green you hit, then you need to work on your putting (short game) If you can get up and down on every green you miss, you need to work on your chipping (shirt game) The largest percentage of shots are lost around the green. If you have no short game, you have no way to recover. If you don't have a solid short game you don't know how to score. Having a solid short game allows the rest of you game to be aggressive.
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No matter how any of us view this. One thing for sure I think we can all agree is that we must have the ability to play the short game to some dgeree.
 
rollin said:
I wouldnt argue your order. but lets take the 15 feet. The longer the shot, the more that 15 foot miss becomes. Miss a short aproach by 15 feet but that same missihit with a long aproach may result in 15 yards and so on. Like i suggested in my open the misshits can be relative to the distance of the shot.

But even we stay at 15 feet just for sake. Miss the rough on ad rive by 15feet into the woods or weeds or water. Miss the green by 15 feet and you may be in the water or a bunker or whatever. So we cant really just say missing any shot by 15 feet is any less important than missing that putt by one inch because it didnt go in. Those other shots cost you just as dearly if not more perhaps.

Different ways to view this stuff.
Click to expand...

You're right, a missed shot is a missed shot, but your comparison isn't really fairly balanced. Any shot that goes into the woods, weeds, or water will be costly no matter what club you're hitting it there with.

So, let's take a par 4 with a dog leg as an example. Let's be generous with the target and say an "acceptable miss" off the tee is a 30 yard radius instead of feet. Your target is simply to make it to the turn so you have a clear shot at the green. This gives you 30 yards in any direction, 360 degrees of room for error. A little short, long, left or right, the difference between those misses simply means a change in club selection for your second shot.

Now, do you think a 30 yard radius on the approach shot is equally as forgiving?
 
If the long game is off (as mine often is) you spend more time scrambling to get back in the game for par or bogey. If my short game or putting is off, I'm scrambling for bogey or double (or worse)... I consider "short game" to be 150yds. an in based upon my game (8i @ 150yds).
 
I think the short game can be the great equalizer. Having a strong short game can make up for a lack of distance or errant tee shot. For me, short game is all about scrambling and minimizing damage, either self-inflicted or course presented. Here's a couple examples...

Last week I played a long par 4 with trouble everywhere. After a fairway wood short of the fairway crossing creek, the approach shot was going to be 190 yards with bunkers all along the left and OB all along the right. Instead of going for it and risking a blow up, I hit a 7i short of the trouble, chipped to 6 feet and drained my par putt. Solid short game allowed me to be flexible, avoid danger and still get a par.

On another par 4 hole I hit a great drive and then pushed my approach well right with a 9i. My goal was to chip close and save a par. I popped that 60° perfect and the ball found the bottom of the cup. Solid short game (& a lot of luck) and I found myself an unlikely birdie.

I think what makes the short game so important is this, you have no other choice! If the driver is acting up, set it down for the hybrid or 5i. If your putter is acting up, what do you do? Answer: Practice (or buy a new one :D).
 
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TeedUpThoughts said:
If the long game is off (as mine often is) you spend more time scrambling to get back in the game for par or bogey. If my short game or putting is off, I'm scrambling for bogey or double (or worse)... I consider "short game" to be 150yds. an in based upon my game (8i @ 150yds).
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I dont know if there is a definate line for this but i certainly wouldnt consider 150yrds and in a short game. One may call it the mid game but not short IMO.
 
rollin said:
I dont know if there is a definate line for this but i certainly wouldnt consider 150yrds and in a short game. One may call it the mid game but not short IMO.
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I see mid game as 150-200 (7i-4i) and long game as 200+ (hybrid, FW metal, and driver)


On my iPhone T.. T.. Tapatalking away!
 
TheHeez said:
I think what makes the short game so important is this, you have no other choice! If the driver is acting up, set it down for the hybrid or 5i. If your putter is acting up, what do you do? Answer: Practice (or buy a new one :D).
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Great point.
 
SharkHat said:
You're right, a missed shot is a missed shot, but your comparison isn't really fairly balanced. Any shot that goes into the woods, weeds, or water will be costly no matter what club you're hitting it there with.

So, let's take a par 4 with a dog leg as an example. Let's be generous with the target and say an "acceptable miss" off the tee is a 30 yard radius instead of feet. Your target is simply to make it to the turn so you have a clear shot at the green. This gives you 30 yards in any direction, 360 degrees of room for error. A little short, long, left or right, the difference between those misses simply means a change in club selection for your second shot.

Now, do you think a 30 yard radius on the approach shot is equally as forgiving?
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your first sentence could mean the whole point. "any club" meaning the shots can be just as important from anywhere.
But i can understand what your getting at.

But I also think thats a bit much out of the norm scenario with a 30yrd radius. thats 60yrds across. But regardless, also remember the same misshit with shorter clubs will not result in the same distance from the desired target. Misshit a driver at given angle and swing path and then misshit a 7 iron the same way and the distance away from the desired target between the two clubs is going to be huge.
 
For me, short game is 100 yards and in. If you putt 30 times in a round and shoot a 75 you used 40% of your strokes on the green and 30 putts is a great average. Let alone the other shots inside of 100 yards. The biggest change in scoring for me happened when I sharpened up inside of 100 yards. I think it is also the easiest part of your game to improve upon if you dedicate time to it. The return on your time for improvement is much better with short game than long game IMO. Even if you drive it crooked and are able to punch to 85 yards (happens alot to amateurs) if you can stick a wedge and one putt, you have a par. Drive it straight and knock it to 25 feet from 160 (a good result for most of us) and have a poor short game and 3 jack it for your bogey. Plus, knowing that you have a great short game makes you all that much more confident when standing over your iron shots because you know if you short side yourself, you can get up and down. It allows you to take more aggressive lines and confident swings.
 
A perfect example of the difference in a good short game shows up every time I play with my main golf buddy/partner.

The ability to get up and down for par and chip nearly anything to within 2-3 feet is the number one difference between me being a 9 handicap and my golf buddy being a 2 handicap.

I can usually match him or come very close in terms of fairways hit or GIR but never on the up and downs of the short game.
 
I think a lot depends on how smart the player is.

If a player constantly rips tee balls out of bounds, into hazards or into lost ball situations, then he's going to have a high score and his tee game is going to be primarily responsible.

Similarly, if a player constantly tries to hit 3-wood or 3 hybrid into greens with hazards all around, and fails, then his mid-range game is going to be primarily responsible.

However, the key difference here is the smart player can take steps to mitigate these problems. He can hit 3-wood or three iron or even a shorter iron off the tee. He can layup when he has more than a 7-iron in his hand. A player can have an awful tee game and a bad iron game, but if he makes different decisions, he can limit their impact on his score.

But, when you get to the green, the ball has to go in the hole. You can't decide you're gong to play something other than putter. (Well, you could, but not sure it would help). I was on the green the other day in two where it should have been an easy 2-putt and I 4-jacked it. At my skill level, there was no way to play the hole differently that would have helped. Only a correctly executed short-game would have helped.
 
TeedUpThoughts said:
I see mid game as 150-200 (7i-4i) and long game as 200+ (hybrid, FW metal, and driver)


On my iPhone T.. T.. Tapatalking away!
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100 yards and in is considered short game.
 
rollin said:
your first sentence could mean the whole point. "any club" meaning the shots can be just as important from anywhere.
But i can understand what your getting at.

But I also think thats a bit much out of the norm scenario with a 30yrd radius. thats 60yrds across. But regardless, also remember the same misshit with shorter clubs will not result in the same distance from the desired target. Misshit a driver at given angle and swing path and then misshit a 7 iron the same way and the distance away from the desired target between the two clubs is going to be huge.
BTW
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Yes, every stroke on the card counts the same as every other. My point was that the closer you get to the hole, the less room you have for error. That means that the potential for additional strokes is higher.

With driver in hand, it's not hard for me to miss my target by 30 yards in any given direction. In fact, a 30 yard radius would probably be a hard target for me to actually hit. The likelihood that I'll miss to the right is the highest, but that's not really any surprise. Recovering from that miss is easy enough. There's no functional difference between hitting my 3W or 3H.

An approach shot that's offline could be very different. You could be left with a pitch, chip, or a putt. Each of those could have very different outcomes.
 
I would say the short game is absolutely the most important part of MY game, usually I can get up and down a few times during a round. I average five GIR at best but I am close to green most of the time with my approach shot if I can't get the ball in the hole from 40 yards and in my score balloons. Case in point on Sunday I had a typical driving and iron game but used 39 putts which led to one of my worst rounds of the year.
 
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