Fortunately, golf isn’t defined only by long drives. These long drives are worthless without a skillful golf short game. “Short game” are shots that can move us to the green with pitches, sand shots and chips from around one hundred feet away; from a bunker, a drop zone, a rough or the fairway. Lob wedges, sand wedges and pitching irons are used here, in addition to the high numbered clubs.

In addition to the driving range, golf courses often feature practice areas. Practice getting your ball to the green from different locations. To start out, imagine a ten-foot diameter on the green to aim for. The wedges that you use might work for your individual swing, and not someone else’s, so experiment. Once you find some consistency with this, move on to sand traps.

You can cut down your score by quickly getting your ball out of a sand trap. With your left foot facing the hole, firmly plans your feet in the sand. Envision an imaginary 4-inch circle surrounding the ball, and aim for the opposite edge of this circle. Use a full swing, moving sand with the ball, and try not to slow down even after you’ve struck the ball. If the sand is hard, you should avoid hitting the surface; this technique only works with powdery, soft sand.

Practicing golf, short game, drives, swing etc, will only mean improvement and a great sense of accomplishment whne seeing the gains on your scorecard .

No matter how far you can drive a ball, even the masters know that it all comes down to how many strokes it takes to put that ball in the hole. It you can’t putt accurately, long drives - even good ones - don’t mean much.

Although picking out the right putter is important, it’s even more important to use a putter consistently. I know everything about my putter, the familiarity of its weight and how it plays is integral to my game - and has been for fifteen years.

For most of us, we might drive a ball 18 times in a game, but to know how much we putt, you’d have to double that number. As such, shouldn’t we practice putting twice as much as we practice

driving? Practice at home on your carpet if you can’t get out to the green on a regular basis.

And remember, if the ball doesn’t have enough power behind it, it won’t make it into the hole. Study the course and the path you want your ball to take; does the course slant? Is the course going up or down hill?

Standing with your feet spread, balanced well, line up your putt. Keep your hands, arms and shoulders still calm; imagine yourself as a bobble head that moves only below your chest. Keep your head aligned with the ball. Pull the club back with your hands, wrists, arms and shoulder steady, moving from your chest. Hit the ball and follow through with your stroke.

Remember the lessons you learn from each putt you make.