Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.
So you want to improve your short game? Great! Having a reliable set of tools from 50 yards and in is crucial if you want to take your game to the next level. All you need to do now is learn the correct technique and practice the heck out of it.
If you head out to a pro event, you’ll see the best players adhering to this principle religiously. Sure, hitting bombs on the range is fun, but to become one of the best, getting dialed with the scoring clubs is a must.
Having an elite short game not only comes down to having the proper technique, but it also requires you to have great imagination and creativity. And when it comes to those two attributes, there may be no one better in the history of the game than Phil Mickelson.
With a wedge in his hands, Lefty is a wizard. Put him anywhere on the course within 100 yards and there’s a good chance he can get the ball up and down. Aa far as short game goes, there’s no one in the game quite like Mickelson.
If you’re hoping to improve your own short game, listening to Lefty is a good place to start. And in today’s episode of Play Smart, we turn to Mickelson as he explains some of his secrets to short-game success.
Mickelson’s short-game secrets
There are a few must-dos when it comes to chipping, and they all come into play during the setup.
You’ve got to keep your weight forward. This helps keep the leading edge down and helps create solid contact.
Your hands have to be in front of the clubhead. If you get your hands behind the clubhead, it exposes the leading edge and results in thins and chunks.
You’ve got to use your ball position to hit different trajectories. Put it forward in the stance to hit it high and back in the stance to drive it low.
All three of these setup tips come from Lefty himself and when properly implemented will produce proper contact around the greens. In the video above, Mickelson also stresses one more important fundamental for solid chipping, and it comes in the form of shoulder turn.
“Much like in the full swing, if you don’t turn your shoulders, you’re not able to get the club out in front on a good path,” Mickelson says. “The same thing is true in chipping.”
When you do not properly turn, and instead just use your arms and hands, it creates a steep angle of attack and becomes difficult to find the bottom of the swing arc. And when you struggle to find a consistent low point, it’s difficult to create consistently solid contact.
To guard against this, Mickelson likes to focus on using his shoulders to start the swing.
“Even though I’m breaking my wrists and getting my hands ahead, if I can just turn my shoulders as the first move, now it’s very easy to go through and into the finish,” he says. “What this does is decreases the hand action and increases the feel in the hands, which is what we want.”
If you find yourself struggling with inconsistent chipping around the greens, focus on using your shoulders to start your motion. This shoulder help you create a consistent swing arc and will result in nice crisp contact.
Zephyr Melton
Golf.com Editor
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.
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