a teacher who has worked with amateurs and tour pros for 30 years, I can tell you that short-game fundamen- tals have evolved quite a bit over time. This is especially true as technology has ad- vanced in ways that make it easy to study and analyse what good players do. I used to have to video the best players and try to spot the commonalities that led to their successes. Now I have the technology to confirm what was previously, to some degree, guesswork. What has become appar- ent is that the techniques, movement patterns and strategies high performers use around the greens are not at all what they’re doing in their long game. In fact, it’s almost the complete op- posite! If you think finesse wedge shots are a mini full swing or that putting comes down to focusing on the length of your stroke, you’re probably not scoring your best – maybe not even close. The first step towards developing a great short game is to change your thinking. Here I’m going to help you throw out the old fundamentals that have proven to be less effective and give you some new ones that will make you danger- ous when you grab a wedge or a putter. I’ll get you mov- ing in the right direction. JAMES SIECKMANN , a Golf Digest 50 Best Teacher in America, has worked with 101 tour pros, including 21 winners. His academy is at Shadow Ridge Country Club in Omaha. AS
DISTANCE WEDGES OLD FUNDAMENTAL: Slow down your arm swing NEW FUNDAMENTAL: Shorten your backswing and rotate through
When I speak of distance wedges, I mean a less-than-full shot into a green that flies lower and is designed to one hop and stop close to the pin. Highly skilled players rarely hit their wedges full – and neither should you. When you go all out, you make contact less predictable, the ball flies too high and accuracy becomes more of a challenge. The key to executing a distance wedge is to make a slower, shorter backswing and use good full-swing body dynamics to deliver the club into the ball. You want a short enough backswing so that you are inclined to get your body shifting and turning into your lead side as you approach the ball. When I’m working with tour pros, the average amount of forward shaft lean at impact is 13 degrees. They produce this with the proper movement of the pelvis and sequencing rather than trying to lean the shaft forward with their hands. Here are two drills to help you copy what the pros do.
94 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2024
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