Week 8: How your short game can save you shots

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When chipping, your weight should not be spread out 50/50 on each foot. You need to have your weight favoring your front foot to encourage a descending blow into the ball.

As with good putting, a solid short game can save you strokes every round you play. It just takes solid fundamentals and good imagination. To get to this point, however, takes a lot of creative practice in every situation. So, before you can start improving your short game, start with the basics.

Keep your weight forward

When chipping, your weight should not be spread out 50/50 on each foot. You need to have your weight favoring your front foot to encourage a descending blow into the ball. Couple this with a mid-to-back ball position, and this will help impart more backspin and limit the amount of grass between your club and the ball -- which will improve your consistency.

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Don't flip your wrists

The one secret to solid chipping involves a stable trailing wrist. A good way to get into the proper position is to imagine holding a club in your trailing hand and then rotate your wrist so your palm faces the ground (you should see wrinkles on your bent back wrist). This position is only possible if your club is leaning forward and beating your clubface to the impact position.

Looking down, after you've addressed the ball, your hands should start ahead of the clubface. This should continue throughout the entire motion and follow-through.

Keep it moving

Often, deceleration is the main cause of a bad short game. It will produce poor results and ruin your confidence. You must vary the distance your shot travels by fiddling with the length of your backswing, not by changing your swing tempo.

Acceleration and tempo ensure that you will follow through, your club will not get trapped in the grass, you have rhythm and consistency, your distance control is consistent and your contact will be more solid.

Now that you understand the fundamentals, try putting them into practice with the following drills that you can work on, in order to further develop and improve your short game.

• Drill No. 1: Hide the tee

Start by holding a tee in the top of your grip. As you make practice swings, try to hide the tee behind your lead forearm so that it's no longer visible. If you break down with your lead wrist, the handle will line up with your rear arm, and the tee will be visible between your arms. Hit chips and pitches, checking your finish to achieve a flat lead wrist and a bent rear wrist.

• Drill No. 2: Stork drill

Try hitting chips, pitches and sand shots with your rear foot off the ground and up on your toe for balance. This places most of your weight on your front leg to give you a descending angle of attack, which is essential for solid contact. This is a great short game drill because most players hang back in an attempt to lift the ball in the air.

If you're struggling with your short game due to knee pain, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. If you are living with OA, various treatments do exist, such as ORTHOVISC®, which provides up to six months of knee pain relief. Made from ultra-pure natural hyaluronan, which is found in healthy joints, ORTHOVISC® is injected into the knee joint where it acts to replace your natural joint fluid, to help cushion, protect, and lubricate your knee.

Talk to your doctor to see if ORTHOVISC® is right for you.

Or visit our Web site at www.orthovisc.com for more information on how to maintain your knee health to help you keep playing the game you love.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

ORTHOVISC® is for patients who do not get adequate pain relief from simple pain relievers like acetaminophen or from exercise and physical therapy. ORTHOVISC® is not for use in people with known allergy to hyaluronate preparations, to gram bacterial proteins, with infections or skin diseases in the area of the injection site or joint. Common side effects include joint pain, back pain, headaches and pain or redness at the injection site.

This is a paid placement by DePuy Mitek, Inc. The opinions expressed below are those of DePuy Mitek, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the PGA TOUR.