The Short Game Department the place to save shots...

Article Published in the Northern Times recently

Now that the playing season is underway and the fairways fill with players trying for that elusive low score the importance of an accurate short game cannot be denied as the art of putting chipping and pitching when done well saves many shots in the course of a round. last time I focused on putting and the various lengths golfers have gone to to lower their scores.
The controversy surrounding the long putter and it’s impending ban reminded me of a previous ban imposed  on a revolutionary putter.The putter which became known as the Schenectady Putter was developed by an American gentleman Mr.A.F.Knight of Schentectady NY. a reasonable golfer Mr.Knight recognised that his weakness was his putting and as he searched for a solution he struck upon the idea of moving the shaft to the middle of the blade and so the centre shafted putter arrived.In 1902 he made his first prototype, the odd shape making him the butt of some good natured ribbing from his friends.Karsten Solhiem who invented the now famous PING putter suffered a similar reception when he introduced his revolutionary new idea to the golfing world. Mr Knight progressed to his finished design with an aluminium head slightly mallet shaped and of course the shaft in the centre .The putter was used by the famous American amateur Walter Travis who won three US amateur  Championships  and described it as the best putter he had ever used.During the years 1910 until 1952 the putter was banned by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club because it resembled a centre shafted croquet mallet.

Choice of clubs for various situations in the short game department are highly personal but try to keep it simple with say an eight iron for chipping and for pitching a wedge with fifty two or fifty four degrees of loft.The execution of the shot either in chipping or pitching should concentrate on making sure the hands stay ahead of the club head for as long as possible and try to ensure there is no tension in the right wrist for right handed players and vice versa for  left handers, when chipping try also to keep the club head below the hands, this will give  an action similar to the movement of the hands on a clock moving between eight o clock and four o clock, and ensure a trajectory that will allow the ball to run on landing.A slightly steeper action is required for the pitch and once again try to keep the hands ahead of the  club head for as long as possible.The length od the shot is controlled by the length of the backswing never decelerate on the forward swing the club head must always be travelling at its maximum speed from impact onwards. Most players could improve their short game if they used the following strategy for their short game,simply putt when you can ,when you can’t putt chip and when you can’t chip pitch basically always favouring the lower shot option which can be especially effective on the links and used correctly will work on other courses.