If only every shot outside of 100 yards was hit stiff, then all we would need to do is putt

but unfortunately that's not the case. In point of fact that's not even close. I would guess that for most golfers the shots hit from say 100 to 125 yards from the hole don't hit the green more than 50% of the time. When they hit the green they are mostly outside of 20 feet from the hole, hence the emphasis on hitting your putts the correct length. so, you might ask, where does the short game begin. It begins when you are planning the shot you are going to hit to the green and it starts from the assumption that you are going to miss the green with your shot. If, for example, you have a 250 yard shot to the green and you have the skill to make such a shot the first question you must ask yourself is "If I miss the green where can I miss the ball that will give me the best opportunity to get the ball in the hole is two more shots?"

If you watched any part of The Open over the weekend you saw a great example of that with the "Road Hole". You have two places you could miss the green, very short or very long anything else brought bogey or worse into play. Nicklaus talked about the 12th at Augusta the same way. He said anytime you saw his ball on the right side of the green he had missed the shot. Hogan used to play the 11th at Augusta to miss the green to the right. He said if he was on that green in two he had pulled his 2nd shot. Tiger before he became mortal almost always missed his shots in the correct place. It's a bit like driving with a seat belt on. You may not have an accident but if you do you are glad you planned ahead.

O.K. I'm tired of beating you about the head. So where do we go from here?

Some rules/ideas about where to miss the green;

1. Where can I miss the green that I can use my putter?

2. Is that place above or below the hole?

3. How steep is the slope if I'm above the hole?

4. If the slope is too steep, then where can I miss below the hole that I can chip the ball?

5. If I can't chip the ball where can I pitch it?

6. If I can't putt, chip or pitch would a better miss be in the sand trap rather than trying to hit a flop shot.

Once you figure out where you want to miss then comes club selection. Let's say you hit a 7 iron from 150 with some degree of success and the flag is 150 from where you stand. The average green is 30 yards from front to back. Let's assume that the best "miss" area for you is just over the green. Assuming there is a 10 yard gap between clubs then you would use your 6 iron. A good strike on the ball gives you a 30 foot putt in your preferred miss area. A little chunky shoot would travel in all probability 135 yards so you still have a 30 foot putt. But you say I want to hit the 7 iron it's the perfect distance and you are correct if you hit it very well but as Hogan said good golf is playing your mistakes. He beat everyone's brains out by planning his mistakes. Next time we will talk about chipping techniques. Take care