best ways to improve game

Ok i am an 8 handicap but most of my handicap comes from a few things, getting in trouble off the tee. missing 2 and 3 foot putts or leaving short chips 6 to 10 feet away. do you have any drills that would help me improve my game. And when i miss off the tee shot its generally super sporadic i either snap hook or slice a ton (its a mental issue) i can hit 100s of good drives at the range with a perfect amount of draw.

Im somewhat in the same situation as you. I am a 7 handicap. Im about a C+ to B- off the tee but like you, I also have a problem with leaving those chips short. The way I have decided to address this is two fold...greenside chipping and putting from about 5-15 feet. I think there is potential for me to pick up 2 strokes per round by improving in these areas. For now, Ive decided to go with my 52* wedge exclusively for chip and run from greenside. To me, it just makes it much easier to try to have one club\shot that I can hit with confidence. Plus its easier to practice.

According to aim point golf, the most important stat is Greens in regulation. I would recommend working on your swing, then chipping, then putting.

Here's a tip that helps me with my chipping around the greens. An old timer told me once to be more aggressive on my chip shots, "you might as well be 10 feet past the hole as 10 feet short." Now when i practice my chipping I find it easier to zero in on the pin by first pitching the ball past the hole and then easing off the swing until i can roll it right up to the cup. I use this drill for putting practice as well. I always go back to this drill and think of that "aggressive" advice when my chipping gets out of whack.

Keep honest stats, putts, up and downs, fairways, greens. That means hitting it on the fringe is not a green. Take a look at this link i think you will enjoy it.


http://www.aimpointgolf.com/whatdoesittake.html

Yes hitting more GIR is important. But he is not a PGA professional and will miss far more greens than a PGA a pro. He will need to get up and down more often, and need to lag putt to within 2'-3' more often when on the GIR. Do keep accurate stats.

You can improve your short game faster than your full swing, and 60% of your strokes will come from inside 100 yards. A PGA tour player once said "you can't practice your short game too much"

Rule of thumb: 2 to 1 short game to full swing.

Become effective in the "red zone"

You can work on your swing with your pro...practice it on your own...but practice and improve your short game to save 2+ strokes per round. Talk with your swing coach and make sure your putting, chipping, and pitching techniques are sound..then practice, practice, practice.

You might review your play and see if your course management needs improvement.

From your post It also sounds like you need to work on your "mental game" There are a lot of good books on that...Dr Morris Pickens has an easy to understand system (Learn to Win One Shot at a Time). He works with current NCAA Champions Augusta State as well as Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, and Stewart Cinks.

[url="http://drmolearntowin.com/"]http://drmolearntowin.com/[/url]

An English friend of mine taught me this, and it has improved my short game to unimaginable degrees. When you get inside 80 yards, or whatever yardage is short enough that you no longer have a full swing, you are not trying to HIT the ball anymore. As in, you are not trying to get distance and height out of the shot. You are trying to put it close to the hole. So, when inside this distance, swing as smoothly as possible, and vary the length of your swing for the distance required. I went from averaging 20 feet inside 100 yards to averaging 10 feet inside 100 yards in a DAY using this information.

[quote name='Eternal_Envoy' date='04 July 2010 - 03:52 PM' timestamp='1278273162' post='2554492']
An English friend of mine taught me this, and it has improved my short game to unimaginable degrees. When you get inside 80 yards, or whatever yardage is short enough that you no longer have a full swing, you are not trying to HIT the ball anymore. As in, you are not trying to get distance and height out of the shot. You are trying to put it close to the hole. So, when inside this distance, swing as smoothly as possible, and vary the length of your swing for the distance required. I went from averaging 20 feet inside 100 yards to averaging 10 feet inside 100 yards in a DAY using this information.
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im going to go play a round with this in mind now. that sounds like it could be helpful.

[quote name='Bryant' date='05 July 2010 - 10:34 AM' timestamp='1278340457' post='2555489']


im going to go play a round with this in mind now. that sounds like it could be helpful.
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Just make sure you accelerate. Remember, there is a difference between acceleration and 'hit'.
I hope it works for you.

i always try to make more putts

Game inside 100 yards. Getting off the tee always helps