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I have been spending a lot of time practicing chipping because it's a particular weakness in my game. But I am finding it hard to quantify/measure objectively if I am improving. The one method I use regularly is to chip 10 balls to a flag and score all balls holed as 1 point, balls within 3 feet as 2 points, btw 3-6 feet as 2.5 points and everything farther away as 3 - and then summing for an overall score (sadly, from 20 yards I am generally in the 25-30 points range). Does anyone have other/better ideas for producing measurable estimates of short game accuracy?

As the core part of my daily practice routine, I play the game 21. To play 21, I just choose nine shots inside 70 yards--three easy, three medium, and three har. Play each ball into the hole and count your total strokes. Try to score 21 or lower. I've been working for about three months now to design a procedure to optimally choose the nine shots to hit each day. I compiled the result into a short, 36-page workbook containing 99 games of 21 (that's 99x9=881 shots to hit). While I designed the workbook for my own use, I also put it on Leanpub.com for others. You can get it for free. The URL is leanpub.com/99gamesof21. I play 21 often. Even on busy days, I usually get out to the course for 20 minutes and play a single game of 21. Why? First, it helps me maintain my performance skills, such as visualization and decision-making. Second, it forces me to rehearse shots that I encounter on the course (i) often enough to affect my score but (ii) too rarely to maintain my skills. Examples include short pitches from the heavy rough, long bunker shots, and lag putts from the fringe. Coach James Sieckman recommends that tour players play 21 twice per week during competitive weeks and every day during non-competitive weeks. See his book *Your Short Game Solution* for the details. But what's the right mixture of shots? How many should be close to the green? How many should you hit from the rough, fairway, fringe, and sand? What's an "easy" shot? What's a "hard" shot? To answer these questions, I reviewed data from Sieckmann, Mark Broadie's Every Shot Counts, and Shotlink data from the PGA Tour. I developed, tested, and refined a procedure to systematically compose a series of games that honors the following principles: - Each game should feature nine shots of varying... 1. difficulty, from one (easiest, e.g., putt from the fringe) to nine (hardest, e.g., 40-yard bunker), 2. distance (from 70 yards to the edge of the green), and 3. lie (fringe, fairway, different types of rough, and sand). - Shots should occur in roughly the same frequency that good players would encounter them during an actual round of golf. - Subsequent shots should be as varied as possible (e.g., a 10-yard pitch from light rough should not follow a 12-yard pitch from the fairway). I used the procedure to compose 99 games. This book contains those games: leanpub.com/99gamesof21. It's a golfer's crossword puzzle. Have fun! --Carly (Long-time luker, first-time poster.)

Full shots on wedges...solid, good flight, soft landing. Greenside chips...solid, good distance control, Up & Down City. Strong putter stroke on these. Anything in-between... bladed low and 45 degrees to the left (I'm a lefty) and scrambling to save bogey or worse. What gives?!

As we look to our first weekend of back to back 60 degree weather, I am eager to get out of the city and sharpen up my short game a bit. Went to play Bethpage, and my chipping was atrocious, and the turf mats at Chelsea Piers or any of the simulator places are so forgiving I don't really get the help I need. Whether it's in Jersey or NY, I'd love to be able to find a place (public, semi-private, anything accessible for a non-member) where I can access some decent short range facilities. I'm not opposed to paying for access to a facility, but want it to be a decent place to sharpen up my short game. Does anything along those lines exist around here?