Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
FOR every golfer in the top 100 in the world there are another thousand players who have equally impressive long games; with a driver in hand, you could not separate the two from watching them off the tee.
The difference and the main reason why some golfers achieve more success than others is that from 100 yards in to the hole, the top players are deadly.
Most of the world's top 100 will get the ball from any position from 100 yards including pitching, chipping and bunkers to within six feet of the hole, and their putting is sharp enough to have an extremely good chance of holing it. This would be known in golfing terminology as achieving an 'up & down' one shot and one putt. This means on short holes they make birdies instead of pars and when in trouble bogeys become pars.
I grew up in a very talent-rich environment and played and competed regularly alongside some extremely good golfers, some of whom now play on the European Tour. From a very young age these guys didn't do anything different from the rest of us except they had unbelievable short games, and would spend hours chipping, pitching and putting.
Whatever level of golfer you are, the fastest way to improve would be to dedicate yourself to working on the game from 100 yards to the hole. Chipping and bunker shots are about feel - to get the ball consistently close you need to have enough practice shots in the bank to be able to hit the shot the correct length.
The most valuable but under-practiced shot in the game is a pitch - most golfers don't enjoy an awkward 50-yard shot, because it is neither a chip or a full swing, so what is it? I have seen people try a bit of both! Sadly, no corners can be cut; only the correct sort of practice of hitting shots from 40, 50, 60 and 70 yards in length will allow you to recall the shot to service on the championship course.
We are fortunate at the Royal Golf Club to have the perfect antidote for the short game question. The Wee Monty academy course should not be seen as just another golf course; it is the perfect area to practice 'the game within the game'. It will constantly challenge you to produce shots of varying awkward lengths from under 100 yards to small greens, and help to sharpen your chipping, bunker play and putting in a fun way.
To double the value you can gain from 9 holes on the short course, don't use a tee and try a few shots from each hole and each location - this will give you the preparation you need to tackle those tricky shots out on the championship course.
The two keys to effective practice are add consequence to each shot and make it more difficult than the real game, and the Wee Monty offers both.
