I spend a lot of time at the range sending drivers in different directions. Hitting pointless drivers is a time-honored tradition for mediocre players trying to improve, and I’m a firm believer in the tradition.
But I didn’t get a chance to hit any balls on the range yesterday because I spent so much time practicing my putting.
This is a sentence I never thought I would write.
I know placement is an essential part of the game, maybe MOST essential part, but I don’t like to practice it. I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe it’s because I’m not good at it and, as a species, we gravitate towards the things we’re good at because those things make us feel better about ourselves. Or maybe it’s because the setting is too quiet. The golf swing is explosive. The placement stroke is nuanced. It is a body at rest.
But all the nice people on the internet tell me that if I’m going to have any chance of getting scratched, I need to play my short game regularly.
Fortunately, a high school kid in my course introduced me to some easy games that have changed my perspective on short game practice. As a result, I’ve spent more time in the last week practicing putting and slicing than I did last year.
The games this kid showed me are called “Seven” and “21”. “Seven” is straightforward. Pick a random hole on the practice green. Drop a ball for a long lag shot and mark each hole as a par-2. The first player to reach 7 over par loses. i lost The next game, “21”, is a chipping game where each player has two balls and you try to land the balls closest to the hole. The ball closest to the hole scores two points, the second closest scores one and opening it scores three. First player with 21 wins. I barely scored a win against the kid.
Both of these games are played with at least two golfers, but I only do most of my practice sessions during the work week when all my friends contribute to GDP, so I’ve found a few other games that are great for solo play. These little gems are so much fun; they have revolutionized my short game practice.
Four balls
Pick a flat hole on the practice green and place a tee two feet behind the hole. You’re rolling shot after shot, trying to get the ball to land between the hole and the tee. You get three points for the hole out, two points for landing between the hole and the tee. Deduct one point for rolling a ball past the tee and deduct two points for rolling a ball near the hole.
There are many ways you can score this game, but I keep it simple, trying to get to 10 points with as few shots as possible. This is a game that focuses on speed which is probably the weakest link in my placement game. I tend to leave putts drastically short. The more I play this game, the more I’m just rolling my shots past the hole during my rounds. I’m also holding five to 10 feet more during rounds because I’m giving the ball enough speed to have a chance at success.
Five for five
This game combines chopping and placing skills. Take five balls and throw them only from the green to the same spot. Pick a random hole and chop them as close as you can to the target. Then take each ball out. Choose another hole and repeat. You are counting how many times you can get up and down during each round of five attempts. The goal of the game is to see if you can get a perfect five for five. I haven’t yet. Of course, the difficulty increases the farther you start from the hole, but I’ve found great value in taking a wedge or an 8-iron and chipping in just beyond the collar. These types of shots come up often during a round, and getting better at placing those chips closer to the hole can save me a few shots over 18.
When I made myself practice chopping or pasting, I usually pick a random spot and hammer through a bunch of different shots on autopilot. My mind would wander until I got bored and moved on. But adding some simple games to the process forces me to keep score, meaning every shot counts. This encourages me to slow down and reinforce the fundamentals of every shot and putt. When I play these games, I think about my setup during shots. I focus on using my big muscles to power my stroke when I’m hitting. I go through the full pre-round routine, even though I’m just standing alone on the practice green.
The game makes practice more purposeful, and I believe that purposeful practice will lead to better results in the actual game of golf.
