6 Short-Game Solutions For Saving Par

How to get out of the worst greenside jams

By Josh Zander

With Ron Kaspriske

Photos By Joey Terrill

January 2009

If the best players in the world hit only 12 or 13 greens a round in regulation, how many are you hitting? The reality of golf is that you're going to miss a lot of greens. But when you do, there's still a chance to save par if you have a good plan and the confidence to execute it. When I do playing lessons, I've noticed there are six short-game situations that give amateurs the most trouble. Whether it's anxiety or a lack of know-how, amateurs tend to turn pars into double bogeys when they face these shots. With some practice, you can reverse that trend.

< 1. Chipping From The Short Side

When the ball is close to the hole and sitting down in the rough, it's too risky to try to chip it out—there's no room for error—and putting is out of the question. Instead, play a miniature bunker shot so the ball comes out high and lands soft, trickling only a few feet before stopping. One caveat: You have to have the guts to make a half swing from just a few yards off the green.

How To

To hit this little shot, open the face of your sand wedge (left), as you would on a greenside bunker shot, and lower the shaft closer to the ground. When you swing, the goal is to keep the face open and allow the trailing edge of the club to slide through the grass on a shallow angle starting behind the ball. Acceleration is the key.

< 2. Pitching High Over Trouble

Ask amateurs to hit a pitch shot onto a green, and they usually can do it. Then put them behind a bunker, water hazard or any obstacle requiring a carry, and they suddenly try to scoop the ball into the air. That leads to a thin or fat shot that usually ends up in the hazard or over the green. You don't have to be intimidated by this shot. Just set up correctly and let the sand wedge—which is designed to be forgiving when you don't make great contact—do its job.