Acai Guide

We’ve all the seen the incredibly long yet accurate drives of Tiger Woods. The ball flies through the air and lands in the middle of the fairway, 300 yards away.

It is difficult not to let jealousy rise in us as we wonder if we could ever dare to hope to drive like that. Luckily, long drives are not the crux 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.

It is in this middle stage of the game of golf that you get to use the higher numbered clubs, your pitching iron and sand wedge or lob wedge.

You will find practice areas on most golf courses. You really ought to spend some time practising hitting the ball onto the green from various distances. Try to hit the ball into a ten-foot circle in the centre of the green at first. Experiment using your wedges, but remember that what works well for one person, might not work so well for you because your particular swing is an unknown factor in the equation.

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.

Plant your feet firmly into the sand with your left foot turned toward the hole. Imagine a 4-inch circle around the ball and try to hit the edge of the circle that is furthest away from the ball.

Kick up lots of sand with the ball and swing completely through as normal. Don’t slow down the swing at all when or after you hit the ball. It should jump up onto the green and stop almost dead. This doesn’t work very well though unless the sand is soft and dry. On hard, compacted surfaces, you might need to avoid actually hitting the sand all together.

However, as in all aspects of the game of golf, only practice will help you to improve your score.

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