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Short Game Training 1998
Improve your distance and directional control

by Adrian Davies

Having worked with many professionals from tours all over the world, it is interesting to see how many have incredible touch and creativity around the greens. This has been refined through thousands of hours of practice and years of experience. Many of you simply do not have the time to develop such skills, but I have developed an in-depth training, short game schedule for my professionals which you can do, too. It's simple, easy to do, and will improve your short game touch very quickly.

 

Putting

The following putting training concentrates on three areas of improvement:

1. Trust training - Focuses on touch and the hole (not the mechanics).

2. Successful speed - Develop better judgment of speed on longer putts.

3. Successful series - Become better at seeing the line and holing out from inside 10'.

 

1. Trust Training Item needed: One tee peg This training allows the player to focus on the target (the hole) and the touch of the putting stroke not the mechanics of the stroke. First, find a flat, straight putt of 5'-6'. Place a tee peg 5'-6' from the hole and play your putt from this point (now set up), as though you were just about to make your stroke. Slowly, turn your head toward the hole while steadily focusing your eyes on the back rim of the cup, and make a smooth stroke toward the cup. Trust your putting stroke. This training will intensify the feeling of the putter in your hands. After some practice, you will be surprised at just how successful this training can be!

2. Successful Speed Items needed: Five tee pegs and twelve golf balls This training allows the player to learn speed control on longer putts. Pace out 30', 40', 50', 60', and place a number of balls down at each distance. Place five tees, 2' from the cup, behind the hole in a semi-circle (as illustrated above) and then attempt to hole putts from 30'. When three balls are either holed, or in the semi-circle of tees behind the hole, proceed to the next distance putt, 40'. See if you can get to 60', and how many putts it takes. Again, this gets you to focus at the hole and beyond, and not just somewhere near.

3. Successful Series Items needed: Nine tee pegs and a chalk line (Home Depot) This training allows the player to improve confidence with short putts from inside 10', the birdie and par saving range. Find a straight putt on the putting green of 10' and mark a chalk line along the path into the center of the cup as a visual aid. Then place tees at 2', 3', 4', and so on, up to 10' from the hole. Start putting from the 2' tee, and on holing the putt, move back to 3', etc., to see how far you can get back. Can you then get from 10' back to 2' without missing a single putt?

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Former European Operations Director for The David Leadbetter Golf Academies, Adrian Davies is currently working with tour players from the European, PGA, Nike, LPGA, Asian, Japanese, Australian, South African, and Golden Bear Tours. He can be contacted at 561-470-9253.