Short Game · Drill
Spend 20 Minutes on Scrambling Before You Play
Part of our short game programs. Build a program with it
Short on practice time? Put it into your short game. You'll miss plenty of greens. Getting up and down more often saves strokes fast. Before your round, take 20 minutes around the practice green. Drop three balls, each in a different spot: a light lie in the rough, a thick, grabby lie, and a bare, tight one. Play each one like it counts. Try to get it up and down.
The drill
- Set aside 20 minutes before you tee off.
- Drop one ball in light rough.
- Drop one in thick grass.
- Drop one on bare ground.
- Play each to get up and down.
Why it works
Most golfers miss several greens a round, so recovery shots decide many holes. Each lie changes how the club meets the ball: light rough lets the face reach the ball, thick grass grabs the hosel and slows the face, and bare ground leaves no cushion under the ball. Playing all three before you tee off teaches you to read the lie first and choose the shot to match it.
Common mistakes
- You use the same swing and club for every lie.Read the lie first, then pick the club and shot that suit it, such as a steeper swing with more loft from thick grass.
- You hit the shot casually because it is only practice.Pick a target, pick a landing spot, and play each ball once as if it counts on the course.
- You drop all three balls in easy spots near the green.Place each ball in a clearly different lie and move to a new spot each time so you cannot repeat the same shot.
How you'll know it's working
- You get the ball onto the green and close enough to hole out in one putt from most of the three lies.
- On the bare lie you strike the ball first with a clean contact, not a thin skull or a fat chunk.
- From thick grass the ball comes out with a consistent height and does not stay in the rough.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Drop the balls close to the green with a wide, flat target and use the same club for each lie.
Harder: Drop the balls on awkward slopes or on the short side of the hole, and keep score by counting how many of the three you get up and down.
Common questions
How long should I warm up my short game before a round?
Twenty minutes is enough to cover chips from a few different lies. Spend the time on varied shots rather than repeating one.
How can I get up and down more often?
Read the lie before you choose the club, and aim for a safe landing spot that lets the ball roll toward the hole. Practising from rough, thick grass, and bare lies prepares you for what you will face on the course.
