Top 25 Golf Pro Lesson; Short Game

[dschultz6072]

very good tips. tom watson talked about clearing the left hip with an open stance for these chip shots. i hear he's pretty good around the green.

i think these videos are a wonderful idea where a would-be student could gain confidence in an instructor before even meeting him. after all, there's instructors who can teach but not play, play but not teach, can't play nor teach, and finally the elite few who can play as well as teach. i think these free videos undoubtedly give you business.

[carmelo22155]

I am 35 years old, I have been Playing from the age 10 years. Very experienced golfer, 6 handicap on any course. I do feel like I have a solid swing BUT I using your tips for short game. Would like to be 0 Handicap one day. My putting stinks

[clemshaw]

@carmelo22155 You definitely have to check out Geoff Mangum's new putting video he did with Steve Elkington; his website is called puttingzone; it is very good...Shawn

[steveizzle]

can't believe you are giving all this information away for free. thank you.

[emperor91108]

great for pitching. it show how to use shoulders and other mechanics

[myscooter17]

when your chipping, do you use your putting grip or your regular grip? thanks

[TheBusiness55]

Don't seem to break the wrists very quickly...

[clemshaw]

Hi there,

This is Matt Blois, one of Shawn's Teaching Professionals from the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre.

Shawn is demonstrating the natural swinging of his arm club unit where the wrists hinge due to gravity and not manipulation. Have a look at "golf pro lesson How to feel the Short swing" to get a feel for how the body and arms work on pitch shots. Hope that helps!

-Matt

[cockywatchman1976]

Shawn,

Reading Dave Peltz's short game bible he insists that chips like this are played with the ball opposite the back ankle-or even behind this. I must admit I find this helps me get a consistent downward blow. Any reason why you don't do this or any thoughts on this???

Cheers

Matt

[clemshaw]

Hey Matt;

Thanks for the comment;

When you brace against the left side at address, this brings the centre of the rack of the shoulders (sternum notch) slightly forward of the ball where all you need to do is let the arm-club unit fall through where it will automatically collect the ball then the ground; if the ball is too far back in the stance, it would require a MANIPULATION to find the ball properly and this would interrupt the natural flow of momentum in the swing; Shawn

[clemshaw]

I just uploaded a video that will help further; "golf pro lesson take a better divot" Shawn

[cockywatchman1976]

Excellent-Ill check it out.

Im working through your Dvd-very methodically-its very helpful.

I'd love you to post a video specifically aimed at the Over The Top move-the round house shoulder move starting the swing and causing a steep downswing plane-thats what Im trying to change. I know the stone skipping is what I need to focus on! A video where you actually work with some midhandicappers doing

[cockywatchman1976]

changes and drills would be good.

Its the only criticism I could give you-you rarely show work with pupils. It would be great to see you working with an over the top player and solving his problem.

I think you are guilty of making golf look very easy! For most of us its tough trying to undo many years of bad technique and muscle memory!

[clemshaw]

@cockywatchman1976 You can now see a nice series with Peter! "golf pro lesson with Peter part 1 through 9! Thanks for the suggestion!

Shawn

[cockywatchman1976]

@clemshaw Ive been checking that out-nice one!!!!

[bluejfk]

I have heard that you have to open your stance but never an explanation as to why other than to counter an open club face. This is the first time I have ever heard that you open your stand to preset the open hips at impact.

WOW!! The clouds have parted and I now see it. Brilliant.

[eeemwong]

@bluejfk

My God, this is the worst short game video I have ever seen. He played the simple chip shot like a full swing! For little chihp shots, the lower body should be quiet and let the gravity to do the job. His method is so mechanical and no feel! You don't need to open the hip to hit a bloody simple chip shot. Better learn from Denis Pugh's video. Search 'Golf short game chipping'.

[clemshaw]

@eeemwong Dude; when a baseball pitcher tosses a ball to first base, he uses only his arm? When you bowl, just the arm? When you punch too? Learn how the human body works first and then come see me with your answer; this is the main reason why people chilly dip their chips; for those of you who want to know more (cause I doubt you are ready for that) please see my "golf pro lesson how to coordinate arm motion with body turn" and "golf pro lesson how to feel the short swing" Shawn

[manvesh97]

@eeemwong sooo? he's better than u...

[eeemwong]

@manvesh97 Don't want to disrepsect clemshaw. The most consistent golf shot is to have min. movement. A little open hip, weight on left, club in front of the ball will help. He magnifies all these 5 times. You don't set up like a pitching shot. Just stand slight taller, ball closer to body, 1 ball back from centre, so club is auto ahead of ball(he deloft the club 20 degree, my god), grip lightly,take away the club with your shoulder and gently turn through with min. movement. How easy can it be?

[clemshaw]

@eeemwong What a magnificent way of spreading the fear in golf; this is the king of fear mongering that runs rampant in this game and absolutely handcuffs poor unsuspecting golfers who are looking at improving their level of fun. The human body on planet earth; learn how their both work and then learn how they co-exist; then learn golf. You will come to the same conclusions as me. What you gave here in your comment is a couple of good nuggets coated with a solid dose of trying too hard.

[eeemwong]

@clemshaw Phil Michelson said on his DVD, who ever taught you to hit chip shot with a shallow swing & attacking point, decelerating club head, go and find other help. You are classic here, 3 ft take away, 2 ft follow through. 20 degree deloft with a sand wedge. I would hit a better chip shot using a 9 iron, putting grip and stroke. And do I need to learn how the human body works before I can start playing golf? Do I and Phil Michelson have different human body than you?

[clemshaw]

@eeemwong I can see that you are an expert in the matter, please carry on!

[7magicgolf]

best clip on youtube, this helps sooooooo much,  thanks

[skwon11]

great shawn. i notice your ball position is still center vs. further back. any reason why or need to position it further back?

[jipsyman87]

hi shawn, thanks for all your great videos, i've managed to drop into single figures from around 18 just by watching them. i noticed for the chip shots, you maintain the lower case y but i was wondering when / if i should cock the wrists for slightly longer shots (perhaps 20 yards)

[nuthinnbutnet13]

hey shawn the last couple of rounds i have played i have noticed my pitch shots going way too far i seem to be following your technique but i just cant seem to judge the right momentum on a fast green. if there are any suggestions you have i would llove to hear them

[atman714]

Hi Shawn, love your vids. What age would you start a child playing golf? I have a 3 year old that shows interest, but I want to avoid discouraging him with too much complication too early. What would you recommend? Any specific drills, games or other things? I want to keep it simple and fun.

[clemshaw]

Great question and tremendous insight already; mini golf is great as well as the big plastic golf kits they sell; it makes golf seem big and fun for them; no concern for technique here until age 7; they will simply imitate dad and follow your lead in any of the games you want to throw at them; ages 7 to 12 is another story...Shawn

[atman714]

Thanks ! Any harm in having him actually hitting golf balls? I just bought a junior set (putter, 7 iron, driver) made for 3-5 year olds. I plan to just let him have fun hitting the ball (with a baseball grip) without "teaching" anything. I figure he'll watch my swing (and vids of good players sometimes) and let it all sink in without any complicated ideas to impede his natural instincts. Anthing wrong about this ? Thanks, and keep up the good work. I really appreciate your efforts!

[captainschroeder]

good job...

[lancersandiego]

tnx Shaw it helps me a lot on my short game :-) more power to you

[jwsmith000]

Hi Shawn,  what type of club should be used for chipping off tight or loose lies? Should you use a low or high bounce club? I find I duff a lot of chip shots when I have a tight lie. I also find that when the conditions are wet I tend to duff shots also. It's almost like I hit down behind the ball and the ball either comes out thin or ball rides up the club face and ends up going half the distance that I wanted.

[clemshaw]

Hey JW;

Make sure your head is behind the ball even on chip shots; also use less bounce with a slightly open club face and feel a nice skip across the turf using momentum and not any pushing...see "Golf Pro Lesson chip yips" and "Golf Pro Lesson ball bearings and sockets" to fine tune...Shawn

[jwsmith000]

For chipping, my preference has always been a lob wedge. Would a LW with 4 degrees of bounce be a good choice for a chipping club? Or should I be using a PW?

[shuetwo]

dude thnks

helped alot

[schalch08]

shawn.. your videos are GREAT! :] im thirteen, gotta pretty nice swing for my age.. but i have trouble with concistency..is there any certain tip, method, or drill that you can tell me to help? thanks shawn! (KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK)!

[csk619]

Make sure your shoulders are in line with the target

[Jamesivob]

Shawn,

I push the ball when pitching with this method. I'm sure I'm aligned correctly. It feels like I have to hit at the ball to get through it and to try to square the club. Any suggestions? I have the video and I think its great. Thanks. Jimivob

[clemshaw]

Hey James; Thanks for the question!

See the "Golf Pro Lesson Chip Yips" and the "Golf Pro Lesson Ball Bearings and Sockets" videos; the will help you get your chip swing on plane; also the "golf pro lesson Nike Heavy Gloves" part 1 and 2 are a great help...Shawn

[smurkillerbbc]

As your feet are at an angle to the direction the ball will travel, as you said to "pre clear" your hips, do you take your swing straight back or along the angle of your feet?

[clemshaw]

See the answers above for the videos that will help answer this question; Thanks for the question! Shawn

[raina873]

Love Golf? go to my channel! i have a BACKYARD GOLF COURSE! watch my golf skillz 3 video, comment rate and subscribe to me! new videos coming soon! my backyard is all short game

[wang1433]

Hi Shawn a couple questions

1. What do you think about clearing your hip (like you did for full swing)for chipping on the back swing?

2. Is it better to maintain no wrist hinge at all?

3. For short pitch shots, does the shoulder start first instead of the hip too?

[clemshaw]

Have a look at the following videos:

"Golf Pro Lesson chip yips", "Golf Pro lesson ball bearings and sockets", "golf pro lesson the beginnings of spin"; you will see that it depends on the kind of shot you want to hit;

Shawn

[jamesreidy13]

i love you

[rlslick99]

Love you videos,very instructive..I just wish you woulds mention which clubs you are using for your drills....great work and thanks again

[clemshaw]

Sure; I always use either a sand wedge or lob wedge around our greens because they are pretty small; I will go to a gap and pitching wedge when I play a course with much larger greens; here I am using a sand wedge...Shawn

[belladowner]

Excellent!!! Just like my view of this was exactly 2/3 of 100,000 of this pitching / short game video :)

[casualguy47]

hi Shawn,

one question...I notice you don't choke down on the club while chipping...I was told this gives you more stability...is it better to choke down to bottom of grip or use standard grip? thanks your tips are very informative and well explained.

[clemshaw]

Hey casualguy! Thanks for the question!

I do not want to do anything to dull my sense and feel of the momentum in my swing however long or short it is; gripping down on it will only give you a false sense of control...have a look at my "golf pro lesson ball bearings and sockets" video for more on this;

Shawn

[ozthe3rd]

This is a great tip. My pitch shot killed me the other day while I was playing!!

[dickin585]

Good stuff.

[XlburrowsX]

Your full swing makes it look like you slice the ball bcos on your downswing your hands are open.

[clemshaw]

To hit a straight shot, you need to have a slightly open face at impact with the club squaring THROUGH THE BALL; have a look at my "golf Pro Lesson Be a Solid Ball Striker" and "Tilted Spiral part 3" videos and they will be very revealing to you; I play a natural 1/2 yard draw by the way...:) Shawn

[XlburrowsX]

are you a PGA professional?

[jarboe413]

what club did you use in this first half of this video?

[clemshaw]

My sand wedge...

[v37kxj]

do you have any tips concerning backspin? i cant tell you how many times i've hit what i think is a great approach shot or chip only to have the ball roll well off the green beacause it had no stopping power. is it just my swing or is there something i can do specifically to get more spin?

[clemshaw]

I just filmed something today to that effect...

Should be up by mid week...Shawn

[KimboSliceJr]

u need to learn to take a divot and pinch the ball against the ground and to many golfer let their club grooves fall into disaray, clean them after every shot and it helps alot

[excetly]

use a pro v1

[princessk7]

Shawn,

A lot of the books I read say you should break the wrists straight away when pitching. I am finding I am blading shots this way. What do you recommend?

Jim in Irelamd.

[clemshaw]

Hey Jim;

The wrists will hinge on their own when you let them; to force them to hinge is a manipulation that leads to resistance of momentum and trouble; you still want to feel a nice width to the arms...see the "swing plane" video where you see me doing the perpetual motion drill with 3 different lengths of clubs and work in that way with the longer pitch...You can also look at the CUT LOB FLOP SHOT video I have...Shawn

[monatorelojero]

Thanks a lot from argentina. 5 or 6 strokes of every round I do are because of mistakes in the chipping and short pitching. I´ll try it and see if i can lower my scores. I´ve seen almost all of your videos and I can really tell you love your work. Thanks again.

MC

[clemshaw]

You are welcome MC;

Have a look at the "chip Yips" video as well; it is a continuation of this one;

Shawn

[bukemdano24]

Dave Pelz says "dead hands" and "weak" grip. Leadbetter on the other hand says "strong" grip.  I am not sure what to go with as I don't notice a difference either way. Thanks

[murphyz40]

strong grip and dead hands aren't opposites

[bukemdano24]

okay... I am confused with pitching and chipping grip here.. let me put it another way. Leadbetter says the strong grip (V of thumb and forefinger pointing way to the right) Now, Pelz says to have a weak grip ( V's of thumb and forefinger pointing exactly vertical up and down) Not sure which is right.. thanks

[clemshaw]

Hey Man, thanks for the comment! Amazing how complicated some people make this game huh?

The grip should be exactly the same as in your full swing for the standard chip , pitch and bump and run...keep things simple and consistent which is important in this game...the very short chip you want to use your putting grip; another video to help with technique and feel is the "Chip Yips" video which also has the downhill Chip shot.

Shawn

[bukemdano24]

Yes, its very amazing how complicated things can get...lol I guess you really have to trust that person giving instruction knows what he/she are talking about. I thinks its awesome you are a scratch golfer both left and right handed... Amazing... I know you know what you are talking about :) Thanks a ton for all the help and videos....

[petsnowflake]

A strong grip promotes excessive wrist cock and hand rotation through impact, which is not good in the short game. You should adopt a neutral grip with your full swing and also apply that to your short game. Tiger Woods says one grip for all shots is key.

[bagger290]

Way to much to think about

[tkamil]

Hey Shawn, big fan. I've always struggled with consistent chipping until I saw this video. I've been practicing it for the past 2 weeks and it has done wonders for lowering my scores! Thanks again!

[gmonkey808]

great lesson thanks

[giorgelm]

This tips really work!!

Amazing improvement in my score!!

Thanks Shawn!!

[Scampern]

Hi again Shawn. I had problem slicing the ball with the pitch shot when I move my ball back in my stance and weight forward.

I added a stronger grip and the problem went away. Is this wrong or should I just continue what Im doing?

As long as my momentum is not interupted as you say this method works for me but one get so insecure with all the different pro`s saying different things..

But all in all the pitch shot is a pretty "personal" shot isn`t it?

[clemshaw]

Yes; what you describe sounds very good!

Keep it up and make it your own; once you have the guide lines the rest belongs to the individual! Shawn

[rhino2694]

sorry i forgot to say this question is when pitching

[clemshaw]

Stance slightly open in the feet; which means left foot slightly back from the target line; but the shoulders are square to the target line...Shawn

[rhino2694]

should i have my feet at the target or slightly left?

[Acetoxy]

Quite good, as I am a beginner. But, it would be nice if you could could overdub the sound. In other words: Mute the original sound/noice and record a clean voice over.

Again, thanks for taking the time to learn us beginners the joy of golf!

[clemshaw]

Yes I know! I will be re-doing it with my new system which includes a Blue tooth Mic!

Thanks for the comment!  Shawn

[Acetoxy]

Looking forward to the overdub version (that I mentined). But why use a Blue Tooth mic? You can can get some very high quality microphones at a low cost and connect directly to the rec-inn at your soundcard or mixer. Why wireless, when overdubbing?

At the cource, I FULLY understand that you want a wireless mic-connection to the audio input on your video recorder. Just remember to go for good quality micro noise canselling mics for direct/remote recordings.

[clemshaw]

Thanks very much; I wanted to re-do the whole video anyways in better light too; have you noticed the quality of my latest vids from about 3 months ago?

You will see some on my website at shawnclementgolf dot com in the "You Tube Shawn" Page and the blog page...

[gasworkzboy]

hi shawn i struggle to get distance with my wedges wat do u rekon the problem is

[clemshaw]

Check the lofts first; then go to my website at shawnclementgolf dot com and look at the "Contact and Spin" and "Pronation and Supination" videos to make sure you are coming into impact without adding loft to the clubs;

Thanks for your comment! Shawn

[gojipoj]

Hi shawn, I was wondering what club do you recomment when you are chipping, PW OR SW or even 9 Iron. Thanx

[gojipoj]

I notice on most of your videos, which are fantastic by the way, that when you are addressing the ball the left hand is always infront of the right just before the left leg. Is that how it's meant to be held , i'm a little confused. Thanx

[greenacreshayfarms]

You are a natural teacher. Because of your lessons I have shaved 10 pts off my game . I am feeling like smiling Bob on those male enhancment comericals.

Thanks

[wuolfer]

Your tips are all great man. Much better than all the coaches here in NZ. They are all money conscious here. Well, like all the one i had..

[clemshaw]

Glad I could be of service! :)

Shawn

[amzsong]

When I always chip, the ball rolls all the way. How can I prevent this?

[clemshaw]

Club face should be slightly open and the sole of the club should skip the ground starting at the ball and staying on the turf for a good 6 inches beyond that...maintain the lower case "y" throughout! Shawn

[GUNman3893]

that was a pretty good shot Shawn

[pecky1234]

if my stance is open, do i want to swing along the line of my feet, or do i swing along the line of the target? ben hogan talks about playin his wedges and short irons with an open stance. does this mean that i should open the face with my grip and swind along mt feet, or just swing along the target line and just allow the left hip to clear? gr8 vid btw

[clemshaw]

The open stance is to pre clear the hips, but the shoulders stay square; therefore keeping the path towards the target;

Shawn

[trob2034]

awesome explanation of the short game.....i am going to try to close my stance and brace on left leg for shorter shots.....thx for the tip

[pattyheno]

You should be on the Golf Channel.

As your better than most instructors on it.

My only comment was Alan looked a bit Flippy on the Pitch shots and the club head appears to be passing his hands before impact.

Great Explanation though.

[cbmurdock]

Very clear, well-explained advice. Great.

[fataloptimist]

Great advice. One thing lacking in my game is this! Thank you!

[NeedaSwing]

great info - thanks!

[itubeutude]

Nice looking course

[Dumbo2088]

Nail it right on - shoulder turn and slight hip movement. Excellent~!

[zaphod2]

love it