Golfing For Beginners: Part 4

We have all the seen the fantastically long, but very accurate drives of Tiger Woods. When he hits the ball, it sails through the air and lands smack in the middle of the fairway, some 300 yards away.

The green-eyed monster of envy rises in us as we wonder if we could ever possibly hope to drive like that. Fortunately, long drives are not the be-all-and-end-all of the game of golf.

Enter the short game for without good short game skills, all the long drives are not worth a light.

We call the 'short game' those shots that get you onto the green from roughly a hundred feet away from the hole, no matter whether it's from the fairway, a bunker, the rough or a drop zone. It includes all chips, sand shots and pitches.

This is where you get to use your higher numbered golf clubs, as well as your pitching iron and sand wedge or lob wedge.

Most golf courses have practice areas as well as a driving range. You should spend some time working on hitting the ball onto the green from different distances. Aim for a ten-foot circle in the center of the green at first. Experiment using your wedges, but what works for someone else, might not work for you and your particular swing.

After you have got into the habit of being able to perform this skill consistently, it's time to start practising in a sand bunker. Being able to get the ball out of a bunker can cut your score dramatically.

The way to get out of a bunker is to place your feet firmly in the sand with your left foot turned to point towards the hole. Draw an imaginary 4-inch circle around the ball and try to hit the outer edge of that circle with a short, sharp chip.

Try to take up lots of sand with the ball and swing completely through as you normally would. Don't pull back on your swing at all when or after you have hit the ball. It should spring up gently onto the green and stop dead in its tracks. This doesn't work very well though unless the sand is quite soft and dry. On harder or compacted surfaces, you might need to avoid actually hitting the sand completely.

However, as in every skill in the game of golf, it is only continual practice that will help you to improve your game.