Let me start by giving my idea of what shots, I think, fall into the "short game" category. I think it is imperative that each and every golfer have a "GO-TO" distance that they have mastered to the best of their ability. For most of the tour pros, this would generally be a shot in the 85 to 105 yard range (for most pros, either a full lob-wedge or full sand-wedge). If a 5-par can't be reached in two shots and getting as close as possible is NOT THE BEST CHOICE (it often is not), than they will try to hit a lay-up that will get them as close as possible to their bread-and-butter distance/shot. Similarly, if playing a shortish par-4 (one where you would not be trying to drive the green), most pros will hit a tee shot with whatever club leaves them that 85 to 105 yard shot to the green. It is just smart playing of the percentages. If you spend a large amount of practice time mastering this shot, you can't help but shoot better scores. Chances are, your go-to distance might be the same as the tour pros, even if you have to hit a pitching wedge of 9-iron to pull the shot off.
I think we should all try to master a go-to shot and pick a distance we are comfortable with (confidence in making the shot at least 8/9 out of 10 times). My preferred distance is 95 yards and hitting a smooth 56 degree sand-wedge, so for me, my short game entails ANY SHOT FROM 95 YARDS AND IN. A lot of teachers will disagree and say that the short game should be limited to less than full shots and should only consist of chip shots, bunker shots, 10, 20, 30, 40 yard pitches etc... from around the green (normally from around the green - sometimes you need a great short game just to escape a spot of trouble that is nowhere near the green). Please note that the go-to distance I'm referring to is one that can be achieved with a nice solid fairly agressive 3/4 swing... this is not a shot where we want to go ALL OUT and try for the maximum distance with the particular club but you must also guard against using a shot/club that "might" be a little much for the distance... the last thing you want, especially in a pressure situation is giving yourself an excuse to decelerate through the shot - you need to master what I call "controlled aggression". From inside of our favorite distance we have now opened up a proverbial can-of-worms as far as golf goes.
The numbers vary according to who you listen to but it is not out of line to say that at least 70% of your golf shots will be played in this area (hint, hint... do you think you might want to spend a little more practice time from this range than you probably have to date)? This area also includes putting but obviously, I thought it deserved it's own section. THE ONE THING I HAVE CONSISTENTLY PRACTICED SINCE I FIRST TOUCHED A CLUB IS THE ABILITY TO HIT SHOTS TO VARIOUS DISTANCES THAT REQUIRE LESS THAN A FULL SWING - AND I'VE TRAINED MY EYE TO USUALLY GUESS WITHIN A YARD OR SO WHETHER OR NOT I AM 37 YARDS FROM THE GREEN OR 65 OR 17 - WHATEVER THE NUMBER... YOU MUST BE ABLE TO DO THIS ALSO... OR OWN A VERY RELIABLE GPS UNIT.
I can't tell you how many hundreds of times I have set out markers (sticks, flags, head-covers etc...) at 10-yard intervals - starting at 10 yards and going out to 40, 50 or 60. The next time out, I might put them at 15 yard intervals all the way out to 105 yards. I'll normally start out by hitting several balls to each of the markers, in the order they are set out. The next 20 or 30 balls may each be hit to a different marker and in no particular order. There are many theories and tricks that various players/teachers use to help themselves hit the ball a certain distance. I was shocked to read of one very famous instructor, who shall remain nameless, who says that he thinks you should always make about the same length swing but vary your swing speed based on the distance you have... YA GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!! The one ABSOLUTE that we should strive for is playing all of our shots during a particular round - be it a drive or a chip shot - with a consistent tempo and rhythm to our action - how else could any level of consistency ever be achieved? I can accept a SLIGHT degree of latitude here if we are playing on a particularly challenging day weather-wise. Your normal full swing on a calm day, assuming you are a relatively smooth swinger of the club - WELL - on a windy day that calls for a lot of knockdown or punch or trapped kind of shots, may require a little bit more of a staccato action than you are used to BUT JUST SLIGHTLY... you never want to stray too far from your normal tempo and rhythm.
I think the best way to control your distance on less-than-full shots is based on how far back and through you swing the club USING YOUR NORMAL RHYTHM. I picture a large clockface right behind me - my head at 12:00 and the ground between my feet 6:00. From here, I actually use one of two things to help me achieve the proper swing length - 1. the length (or time on the clock) that the clubhead moves OR 2. the length my hands travel as they relate to the clock face or a part of my body. If I swing my hands back to a point where they are about even with, or slightly above my right hip, they will be at about the 9:00 position (the clubhead will be at 10:00 or 11:00) and a normal swing from here with my 55 or 56 sand-wedge will produce a shot that carries about 40/45 yards. When I have shorter shots in the 10 or 15 or 20 yard range, I picture the clubhead traveling back to where it is at ankle-height or knee-height or between the right knee and hip. Obviously, depending on the shot and the situation, different clubs will produce different distances with the same swing and tempo. In the above case (56 degree SW, hands about hip high), my 59 degree lob wedge may only carry 25 yards. You can quickly see that by using a variety of clubs and with a consistent feel for backswing length, you have many variables at your disposal to most easily pull off the shot you wish to make.
This discussion so far has involved "pitching" the ball (more air-time, less ground- time) and the static changes required and swing mechanics are nothing special. I think these shots are more easily played and better controlled when you choke up on the club a few inches. The stance should be considerably narrower for these shots than for longer shots (you don't need/want a lot of "body-involvement") and the ball, although appearing closer to the center of your stance - because of the narrowness of it - is actually not that far back from the left heel. YES, I am one of those that believe there should be very little change in ball position - all the way from the driver down to a chip shot - what REALLY changes is the width of our stance. The worst thing you can do on pitch shots (or chip shots and bunker shots as well) is to allow the club to decelerate. Done correctly, your "finish" on these less-than-full shots will have the clubhead traveling at least as far on the through swing as it did on the backswing (unless hitting a knock-down shot into the wind) - preferably a little further (picture the clock face - 3:00, 2:00, 1:00)... in other words, backswing to 9:00, through swing to 3:00 or even 2:00. Trust me - once you've hit a few hundred shots to various target-distances using this method, it will become almost automatic and you will be glad you put forth the effort.
Once again, I'm realizing that as I build this site, I could spend a lot more time and many more pages on every facet of the game we've touched upon - but, I'm afraid I'll be putting you in the very situation I am trying to get everyone out of - HAVING A MILLION THINGS TO THINK ABOUT. Hopefully, what I am doing is laying a groundwork (that should be easily understood) that you, as a golfer with your own desires and goals, can go with and build upon if necessary. None of this stuff is difficult but it does require MANY SUCCESSFUL AND CAREFULLY PREPARED ITERATIONS to become second nature... in other words, practice smart and with a purpose.
As far as chippng goes (less air-time, more ground-time) - there are 2 general schools of thought. The method I've used for most of my years has been to chip, almost exclusively, with one club - in my case, the 56 degree sand wedge (I think Jack Nicklaus did this also - of course, he didn't miss many greens in his prime). The reasoning is pretty simple - it is much easier to adapt to one club and develop a feel for one club than it is for 3, 4 or 5 clubs. I have also found over the years that there is (at least in my case) a little bit of a built-in 'fudge" factor when going the sand-wedge route - it seems that if I hit the shot perfectly, it comes off the face just right, carries just the right distance and rolls out pretty close to my intended target - if I mishit the shot a little bit (normally - a little on the "thin" side), the ball won't feel as sweet coming off the face and will fly a different distance BUT the "juice" applied to the ball will have it biting a lot quicker and STILL ENDING UP AT OR VERY NEAR MY INTENDED TARGET. That amount of "forgiveness" in golf is almost unheard of but does seem to apply (at least for me) to the one-club chipping method.
As I've gotten older - and hopefully wiser - I realize more and more the benefits of using several different clubs for chipping. If you are playing to a very long/deep green and the pin is way in the back and you somehow mis-hit your approach and end up just short in the front fringe or even 5 or 10 yards short (and putting is not an option), you could easily have a chip shot of well over 100 feet. The one-club method would require a much longer swing than necessary - and a golden touch as well to get the ball within tap-in range. If you chip with a 4 or 5 iron, you are now facing what is basically a long lag-putt (one of my personal strengths) and a much shorter swing as well... I can now use my putting method and think of the yardstick and how many inches of backswing I need to send the ball the required distance, instead of how far back to swing the clubhead or hands.
You will have to practice with various clubs and from various distances (start out with level chip shots) and start to determine your "ratio of carry to roll-out" based on the club being used. In my case, my 56 degree SW will carry 2/3 of the way and roll 1/3 - i.e. on a 60 foot chip, I will try to carry the ball 40 feet and have it roll out the remaining 20 feet. That same 60 foot chip with an 8-iron will require about a 1 to 3 ratio - carry 20 feet and roll out 40 feet. The above mentioned 100 foot chip, if using a 5-iron will yield about a 1 to 5 ratio... 20% air-time, 80% ground-time. Obviously, this shot requires a much shorter swing (implying less need for exact precision) and should act just like a long putt... these are the types of shots, by the way, that you have a better chance of holing since the ball has settled down and is now "rolling" towards the hole and not flying and bouncing all over the place. My only word of caution regarding chipping with the straighter faced clubs (4, 5, 6 irons)... you really need to focus on a consistent tempo and "force of stroke" with these shots (as you must when putting - FEEL, FEEL, FEEL)... a little bit of forcing the shot will probably send the ball an embarassing distance beyond your target - and a too-short, decelerated stroke might leave you with a 40-foot putt on your 100 foot chip shot - now you're facing the prospect of 3-putting and turning a fairly easy 2-shot scenario into 4 shots - this is how scores are made or lost my friends. I guess the best advice is to convince your mind, body and sense of feeling that you are hitting a putt - you are just using a club other than your "normal" putter... believe me, it gets easier the more you practice it.
Bunker shots - As well meaning as a lot of instructors may be - don't believe for a second when they say that the bunker shot is one of the easiest shots in golf. In their defense, they are practicing mass-psychology in trying to take the fear out of this shot for the average golfer based on the fact that the touring pros are so great at it. I would wager that the average touring pro who plays, say, 4 tournaments in a row, will hit more practice bunker shots than the average weekend warrior will hit in 10 years.
Ususally, the only practice your average joe will get is when he finds himself in the beach during the course of a round. Chances are he knows the basic fundamentals... open the stance (note: this does not just mean open your feet) - feet, knees, hips, shoulders - aimed left of your target line or your intended line of flight - open your clubface so the leading edge points at or right of your target, swing along your "body lines" lifting the club fairly steeply with a noticeable cocking of the wrists and swinging down along the lines of your body parts, take a slice of sand out from under the ball - with the club entering the sand an inch or two or three from the ball itself. The pros say that is why the shot is so easy - you don't even have to hit the ball. Well, hitting just the right spot in the sand and, most importantly, with the correct angle of approach, makes this shot a little more difficult than our well-meaning teacher's would have us believe.
The two best ways I know of producing decent results in a practice session are to try one or both of the following. Get yourself a 1 x 3 or 1 x 4 piece of board about 18 inches long. Bury the board in about one half to one inch of sand and set your ball on top of the board (the part of the board closest to the target) and practice hitting shots. If the sand over the board is shallow, you may actually feel the club bottoming out and hitting the board but you should still get a decent result if you entered the sand that one or two inches from the ball. The other method is to take short tees (the kind you'd use on par-threes. Tee the ball up in the sand so the bottom of the ball just rests on the sand like a perfect lie. Make practice shots trying to cut that tee out from under the ball. I find that it helps to use a fairly wide stance, weight slightly favoring the left side, hands slightly ahead of the ball and swinging fairly aggresively through the ball to a fairly high finish. Of course, as with all things GOLF, there are all sorts of permutations to this shot and with a little understanding and effort, you will find yourself consistently getting on the green in one shot and eventually having the confidence that you can get your ball close enough for a one-putt or maybe even holing the shot - and feeling like you stole one from old man Par... it is one of the best feelings in golf, I promise you!
ADDENDUM: Despite using a lot of words in this section, there is still so much left unsaid - and it is on you to explore all of the possibilities open to you. When chipping, experiment with a loose-wristed action and with an arms-only action. Hit shots with an open club face, closed clubface... widen your stance and open your clubface way up and take a very full swing - how high, better yet, how well can you hit/control the infamous lob-shot... it just might some day be a round saver. In the bunkers, practice sidehill lies, downhill, uphill, totally buried and partially buried balls... there is wet, hard-packed sand and there is sand so light and puffy, the wind will blow it around almost like dust (in really fluffy sand like this, you want as much "bounce" on your sand wedge as possible to avoid having the club dig in too deeply on the shot)... most important of all, develop the mindset that practicing the infinite number of short game shots you might face should be fun - make it a game and make a note of what works and what doesn't - and remember that as mechanical as we might WISH to be (more contol), FEEL is still one of the most important, elusive and necessary ingredients to producing better than average golf shots.
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Short Game
