A Powerful Combination

A Powerful Combination

Beginning short game development while young combined with significant practice dedication is an extremely powerful combination in the game of golf.  Beginning to work on the short game at a young age is very powerful and important in itself.  Dedicating the majority of practice time towards the short game is just as powerful and important.  Unfortunately the majority of golfers undertake the opposite.  Many do not begin working on their short games at young ages and often dedicate a minority amount of practice time towards their short games and putting.

Most wonderful short game players learned the game by focusing on their short games at young ages combined with dedicating extensive practice time towards their short games.  It is truly a special way to learn and develop one’s game, a way to create short game skills which pay dividends for a lifetime.   A list of players who developed their games in this manner is too large to list.  I will say Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods learned the game of golf in this fashion.  Both were infatuated with the short game when young.  Both spent countless amounts of time developing their short games, and still do to this day.  Tiger Woods learned the game from the green backwards to the tee.  Tiger learned the game through learning putting, chipping, and pitching skills before developing full shot skills.  Phil Mickelson learned the game in the exact same manner.  In fact, both players still dedicate enormous amounts of practice time towards their short games.  There are many top professional players on the world tours who wouldn’t be playing them if it wasn’t for their short games.  It is often the short game which separates these players from other top ball strikers.  For many of these players, their short game ability can again be attributed to how they learned the game and how they currently practice.

You might not be young enough to follow the first part of this combination.  You may have already learned the game by focusing mostly on full shots.  This doesn’t mean you can’t still dedicate the majority of your practice time towards working on areas of your short game and putting.  Although it is more difficult for players to develop elite short games when beginning development at older ages, it is not impossible.  However, in order to do so, you need to work extremely hard on the areas of your short game.

I included this in my blog for two reasons.  The first is because I want you to develop your own short game.  The second is because I want this message to help the games of your children or juniors.  I use this approach heavily in my own coaching structures for young junior golfers.  I do so through creating ways for juniors to develop their short games and allow them to enjoy doing so.  Having fun is vital.  A junior has to both want to improve and enjoy it, without being forced.

As far as for yourself, I want you to adapt your practice schedule and improve your short game and putting.  Improving these areas will not only help your game, but will greatly pay dividends in your scoring.  If you do so, you will see some of the greatest improvement in the scores you shoot.  As I stated above, I also want you to use this approach to positively influence young golfers you know.  I promise you one day they will be thankful.

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