MIND / FAREWELL M A Genial Genius Dave Pelz was an icon of short-game improvement BY MIKE STACHURA
D ave Pelz may have Been regarded as one of the most important short-game teachers and golf research- ers in the history of the game, but in practical terms, his engaging attitude, his comprehensive knowledge and even his distinctive wide-brimmed hat made him into a kind of golf evangelist, pushing not only the greatest players in the game but millions of average golfers towards a broader commitment to get- ting good in the short game, the fastest way to improve your score. It’s no won- der one of his most popular books was called simply Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible. Pelz died after a lengthy battle with cancer in March at his home in Texas. He was 85. Pelz went to Indiana University on a four-year golf scholarship where he studied physics, and while he had hoped for a pro career, he came face- to-face with the fact that he “kept get- ting beaten by other Big Ten golfers, especially a kid from Ohio State named Nicklaus.” He then spent 14 years as a research scientist at NASA, honing the skills that he would bring to under- standing the simple complexities of the short game. Pelz’s research elevated the importance of the short game with his detailed study showing how nearly 80 percent of the shots lost to par are played within 100 yards of the hole. Pelz’s impact was vast and diverse. He designed golf clubs and training aids; his Putting Tutor with aiming line and marbles remains a tour put- ting green staple. His three-ball putter, a solution for aim and alignment prob- lems based on his research, became the inspiration for Odyssey’s legend- ary 2-Ball putter. He wrote books ( Short
Game Bible, Putt Like the Pros and Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible were all top sellers) and hundreds of articles as a contribu- tor to Golf Magazine for 35 years. He opened a short-game school that taught thousands of players his secrets of the game. He advised tour players from Tom Kite to Phil Mickelson, imbuing them with a sense that everyone else was thinking about the path to great- ness in the wrong way. Indeed, it was Pelz’s suggestion to Kite that led him to add a fourth wedge, setting Kite on a pace that resulted in his major triumph at the 1992 US Open. There’s hardly a tour player anywhere who is not carry- ing four wedges now, and most average golfers increasingly do the same today. But Pelz was advocating it in the 1980s. “I have so many things to say about this incredible man,” Mickelson said in a social-media post. “I owe so much of my success to the many things he taught me, and he lives on as I share those same insights to numerous other golfers.” Pelz’s inquisitiveness was contagious and compelling. He saw things that didn’t make sense initially and then got to their root causes. He thought differently about the putting grip, counterbalancing it by choking down
a full hand’s width or more from the butt. He analysed relentlessly wheth- er players should hit chip shots with the flagstick in or
BIG THINKERS Phil teamed with Pelz in 2003 and won his first major a year later.
out. He discovered late in the day the effect of foot traffic around the hole that caused otherwise sure makes to miss, the so-called Lumpy Donut ef- fect. In a way, his research opened the door for the value of statistically under- standing all aspects of the game, the strokes-gained analytics that has made professional golfers smarter about what leads to success. His mission was a distinctive mix of science and coaching, and he had a genial way of showing his students a smarter approach to enjoy the game more. It was a process focused on im- proving in the area of the game that was the easiest to practice. Pelz came to be known by legions of golfers for his 15- year series on Golf Channel, “The Dave Pelz Scoring Game Show.” As Pelz often said on those episodes, “You can play a lot of good golf if you’ve got a good short game, but remember, practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID CANNON/GETTY IMAGES
22 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2025
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