Improve scores with short shot drills
A
s I recall, I have been writing this monthly article for Lake Martin Living magazine for about 16 or 17 years. It’s been fun for me, as I do like writing, but it has also been helpful in improving my team’s golf game. This article makes me use my imagination and be more perceptive of what’s going on in the world of golf and within our area. Coaching the Central Alabama Community College Trojan golf team has allowed me to also share things I do to help develop my players; and then, express them in an article the a month or two later. This month, I want to tell you about a revelation I had with the team after reviewing recent tournament statistics and subsequently creating a practice program to help improve our scoring. Our golf team, like most college teams, utilize a company called Golfstat. This is an official statistics organization that records scores and results of college golf tournaments for the men and women in all associations and divisions. After each tournament, I receive a statistical breakdown of how all players and teams, in their respective tournaments, played the par 3s, 4s, 5s, eagles, birdies, bogeys and double bogeys. It also keeps up with each player’s ranking in our region, district and nationally within our association and division, as well as how each player stands nationally in scoring average. After our last two tournaments, the Calhoun Spring 14 Lake Martin Living
Invitational and our Conference Championship (both of which we won), I noticed that we were a little behind in scoring birdies on par 5s. I’ve been watching this statistic for the whole year, and the Golfstat report confirmed my thoughts. We were not very good at short wedge shots. We were very good in greens in regulation but lacked getting the ball close on short wedge shots to capitalize on more birdies. At practice a couple weeks ago, I divided the team in two groups and had them compete from 25 yards and 35 yards. They attempted to land their wedge pitch shots inside a 6-foot diameter circle. If they hit within the circle they earned a point; if their pitch landed on the green – no points. If the they missed the green (which usually came from a mis-hit), they lost a point. I planned to play this game up to 11, thinking we would wrap it up fairly quickly. Well, that didn’t happen.
