The a little game in golf is often the key to lowering your score without completely changing your swing.
Many amateur golfers spend hours on the driving range, while shots played around the green have a direct impact on the scorecard.
If you're looking to improve your approach shots, control your distance better, and sink more putts, this guide provides simple, concrete, and applicable tips for your next round. The focus here is clearly informational, with a strong practical emphasis: understanding what the short game is, how to work on it, and identifying the right decisions on the course.
The goal is not to complicate your technique, but to help you gain consistency, confidence and efficiency on the shots that really matter.
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effective training to improve your short game and save shots.
PW, SW or 9 iron: choose the right club around the green.
The short game in golf (approaches, chips, pitches, bunker shots) and putting are the two areas that most quickly lower a scorecard… because they come up again and again over 18 holes. Many amateurs spend hours with their driver, then lose 4 to 8 strokes around the green with double faults (a missed approach shot followed by a 3-putt). The good news: with a simple method, you can quickly gain consistency and confidence.
Take a ball, a wedge (PW/SW) and your putter.
This mini-ritual "starts up" the sensations useful before a game, and gives you an objective reference point.
Over 18 holes, you play a lot of shots within 50 meters: approaches, shots from the outside, chips… and then putts. However, for amateurs, big losses rarely come from a slightly short drive, but rather from these scenarios:
By working on your short game and putting, you eliminate these "double errors." As a result, even if your long game is average, your score becomes stable.
Before thinking about technique, change your mental target: don't aim for "the hole" on every approach, aim for an area which leaves you with an easy putt.
This principle lowers the pressure, simplifies your choices, and increases your ascent/descent rate.
In most short game situations:
The idea: reduce the variables to repeat a constant contact (and therefore a more reliable dosage).
A very common mistake: instinctively shooting the SW, even when you have 10 meters of green in front of you. The more you can play low and rolled, The more you do, the greater your chances of success.
Quick reference points:
Choose a landing point (one square meter). Then imagine the roll. This forces you to play intentionally, and it makes your mistakes more "readable" (too long / too short, rather than "I missed").
This is the most profitable shot for the majority of amateurs: little air, lots of rolling, less risk.
When to play it: as soon as you have floor space.
Objective : Leave a playable putt, don't make a highlight.
Pitch is used to carry further, overcome an obstacle, or stop faster. It requires more precision: work 3 amplitudes with a "reference" wedge (short / medium / long). This allows you to create reference distances that are actually useful on the course.
In a greenside bunker, you're looking to get the club past in the sand Before the ball, and to complete your movement (don't slow down at impact). Conviction counts as much as the "purity" of the movement.
If you can only train a little, keep it short but focused (the brain learns best with a rule of the game and a score).
Golden rule: a single ball. You recreate the pressure of the course and learn to decide quickly.
To complement your training, you can also incorporate the "routine" logic of your dedicated page: Golf training routine and further develop your putting skills here: Practicing putting.
Depending on your main problem, choose your next focus (and keep it for 14 days):
Tip: If your priority is to improve the reliability of your short putts and roll, this internal resource complements the approach well: Putting golf: exercises & routine.
The short game encompasses shots played close to the green: chipping (low ball), pitching (higher ball), bunker shots, and sometimes a putt from off the green. The goal is to leave an easy putt through the right shot selection and power.
A chip makes little flight and a lot of roll: it's the most reliable when you have space on the ground. A pitch makes more flight and less roll: useful for clearing an obstacle or stopping faster. In practice: chip whenever possible, pitch when necessary.
Choose the club that simplifies the shot. When the green is clear, a 9-iron or pitching wedge is often more effective than a sand wedge (low ball, predictable roll). Take a wedge (sandwich/long wedge) if you need to get airborne (obstacle, rough, very close pin).
Priority: speed (distance). On long putts, aim for "within 1 meter" around the hole rather than "in." Only then, adjust the line. Two levers: reading routine + length control over 6–12 meters.
"1m circle" exercise: 6 putts from 1m, target 5/6. Then 6 to 8 putts from 8-12m, target 6/8 in a 1m circle. You train confidence on short shots and distance control on long shots.
Spend more time on scoring than on the full swing. For example, over 45–60 minutes: 20 minutes on the short game, 15 minutes on putting, and the rest on the long game. It's a simple ratio that quickly shows up on your scorecard.
Yes, if your putter forces you to compensate (alignment, length, lie/loft, face). A fitting can stabilize your launch direction, roll quality, and consistency over 1–2 meters. It's not magic: it primarily enhances a routine and stroke control you've already developed.
The short game and putting are the smartest shortcut to lowering your score: they require less power, less technical overhaul, and offer immediate gains. Simplify your choices (lower shots when possible), aim for a landing zone, play to leave a comfortable putt, and practice short shots with a measurable goal.
If you apply the 12-minute routine for 3 to 4 weeks, your card will reward you… often before your full swing even transforms.
Patrice, Alicia and Adrien have the human qualities and multiple skills to ensure safety, quality and, above all, conviviality during your visit to the The Belvédère Annecy Golf Course, in Saint Martin de Bellevue.
Always available to provide you with reliable solutions
