Archive for Short Game Lessons
Improve Conversion Success Using The “Gate Drill”
How To Practice Using The Gate Drill
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Stephen D. Simmons Editor and Publisher – StrategicGolfer Instruction Series |
Our highest priority in short game practice is learning how to convert more up and down attempts. Most golfers use the same method of practice in the short game area. They dump a pile of balls and rapidly work thru the pile hitting a variety of shots to one or multiple targets without any effort at attempting to convert those shots with a putter. How can we measure our success if we do not calculate our conversion percentage? Practice like the pros….learn to convert!
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| Lower Scores = More Conversions | ||
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Your ability to shoot lower scores is dependant upon how well you convert your scoring opportunities. The way you convert more shots is by hitting shots that finish close to the hole. Actually, we want the ball to end up past the hole if it does not go in. We need to be conservatively agressive…meaning, we need to hit crisp shots that get to or beyond the hole with the correct read of the slope and break of the shot. |
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| Start Using The "Gate" For More Success | ||
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The gate drill can be used for any short game scoring shots. Generally the gate drill will be used for shots of less than 30 yards. The gate for a putt is different than a pitch or chip shot. The gate in putting practice is just wide enough to let the ball pass thru the gate without going into the hole. For longer putts of 40+ feet you may have to adjust the gate to be about two cups wider than the hole. You can see in the example below, the gate for putts of 15 feet is 2 inches to either side of the hole and 18 inches deep. The gate is intended to help you get the ball to the hole with a good degree of accuracy. If we miss the hole we want our shots to be just outside the hole and stopping within "gimmie" range. |
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| Gate Drill Scoring (Putting) | ||
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The gate in chipping and pitching practice is 24 inches wide of either side of the hole and 36 inches deep. If we miss the hole we want our shots to be just outside the hole and stopping within "gimmie" range. Statistically most golfers have a fairly high percentage of conversions from less than 3 feet. |
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| The scoring is +1 point for hitting shots that stay in the gate, +3 points for making the shots, and -2 points for missing the gate. The starting goal is to take 10 balls and make 10 points. As you get better you can make things more difficult by picking shots that have break, slope, and grain influencing the outcome. | ||
| The Gate Drill Will Improve Your Conversion Success…Guaranteed ! | ||
Developing A Conversion Mindset
Converting Is Your Priority
Stephen D. Simmons
Editor and Publisher - StrategicGolfer Instruction Series
You are at the short game practice area. You decide to practice chip shots using a 7 iron. You hit the first chip shot and the ball ends up 6 feet short of the hole. After adjustments, you hit the second chip shot and it ends up 6 feet past the hole. Chip shot 3 is close. Then chip shot 4 ends up 5 feet short of the hole. Another adjustment and shots 5 and 6 are within 2 feet feet of the hole. After the sixth ball you move on to other shots.
Question:
"How Effective Is This Form Of Practice?"
Answer: Not as effective as learning how to convert your chip shots in practice. This form of practice is good to learn the basics of a chip shot and trying to develop feel and judgement. While feel and judgement are important in all aspects of golf, your ability to convert shots is much more significant.
The reason is that developing feel and judgement keep you in mechanical mode. In this mode you focus on technique, solid contact, trajectory, distance, and feel. All of these are important to your development as a golfer. In order to develop as a "player" you must take these skills and learn to convert shots into lower scores.
"You Must Practice With A Conversion Mindset"
The conversion mindset is developed by picking very specific targets, hitting a shot, and then attempting the conversion. In the short game skills, a conversion is one putt. This mindset is required for all chip shots, pitch shots, sand shots, and putts.
This practice sets the stage for switching the mind from mechanical mode to trusting mode. Trusting mode could be called scoring mode. The thing that will help you become more consistent in your ability to score is your pre-shot routine. The pre-shot routine is the bridge between mechanics and trust.
Conversions Equal Confidence
You will find that conversion practice will increase your confidence. Conversion practice is equivalent to playing the game for real. You pick targets, go thru your routine, and hit shots with 100% "intent". Intention is the fuel for greatness.
As you convert more shots and get better at these skills your confidence will improve…"it has to". Your mind will remember all of the conversions you made in practice and then you can rely on these memories to help you when you are on the course. Your self talk will become, "I can do this…I’ve done it many times in practice".
Conversion Practice
Conversion practice in the short game area is done by hitting only one shot to each target and then attempting the conversion. You can use the same club to different targets or change clubs as the targets change. Variety will improve your ability to visualize because you will have to see a variety of shots with each club. Keep score when you do this practice. Set goals and then work towards your goal.
Conversion practice on the practice putting green is similar but you are only using your putter. The two ways you can do this practice are to use one ball and hit to one hole location at a time or drop three balls and hit to three different hole locations. It is critical that you go thru your exact routine during this practice. You want to read the grain and slope of the putt. Bridge into your routine and try to make the putt using 100% intention. If you miss the putt then try to make the second putt regardless of it’s length. You don’t get gimmies in tournaments so make everything. When it comes time to make that two footer with the pressure on you will be ready.
Try to incorporate "conversion practice" into every one of your practice sessions even if you only do it for a few minutes. The more conversions you make the lower your scores will be. This type of practice is critical to your development as a "player".
Target Your Way To Lower Scores
Quality Targets Lead To Lower Scores
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Stephen D. Simmons Editor and Publisher - StrategicGolfer Instruction Series |
Would you jump in your car and start driving towards a vacation destination that was 1,000 miles away without knowing whether you were headed north or south, east or west? Of course not!!! Typically most people would take the time to look at a map and develop a game plan for getting from point A to point B as safely and quickly as possible. Why do you suppose most golfers hit tee shots on golf holes without specific targets as part of a game plan to get from the tee into the hole? Why do you suppose that most golfers never practice the art of target selection?
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| You Must Learn Proper Target Selection To Shoot Low Golf Scores | |
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This is a dogleg left par 5 that makes a 45 degree bend to the left at 260 yards off the tee. From the tee it seems that there is a wide landing area. There is a fairway bunker on the right side that would seem out of play. The problem; there is out of bounds on the left side of the hole all the way to the green. The out of bounds characteristic of this hole tends to force you to the right, however, the right hazard pinches in at the landing area so accuracy is paramount. If we frame the hole with safe margins based upon what we know now, this is what we should consider as a safe landing area (green). We want to stay left of the right margin (red) and right of the left margin (white). |
| Good Targets Give The Brain What It Needs To Make Good Swings |
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The key to playing great golf is to play using pictures. You must learn how to create a sense of feel and a design for the intended shape of the ball flight to hit your best golf shots. Great players call it visualization. The brain responds better to pictures than words. Picking targets is critical to giving the brain a sense of what needs to be accomplished. If you were standing on this tee box and thought to yourself, "I’ll aim at the fairway in the direction of the apartments", you are defining an area that is far too large. The smaller the target the better. Small targets are much more specific. You give the brain a very exact area that we are hitting the golf ball to. Typically if you aim at a small target you will have a very good picture of what the shape of the ball flight will be; left to right, right to left, straight, high, or low. |
| Three Good Targets |
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Depending upon the intended ball flight we would pick one of these targets. If we intended to hit a draw we could aim at the corner of the apartment. Unless we don’t have a choice we would prefer to aim at targets that are close to the ideal landing area. In this case if we intend to hit a draw and the ball goes straight we will still be in or close to the landing area. If our preferred ball flight is left to right, the corner of the red roof in the distance would be a good selection. A good straight shot target would be the tree top in the distance. Occasionally you will hear a pro on TV say that he was not committed which led to a bad shot. In many cases it’s because the target and shape of the shot were not pictured. |
| Commit To Playing Your Best Golf. Play With Great Pictures And Targets |
