Short Game
The short game is all shots played around and on the green — putting, chipping, pitching, and bunker play — and typically accounts for 60–65% of strokes in an average round.
Because most golfers take the majority of their shots within 50 yards of the green, improving the short game yields the fastest scoring improvement per practice hour. A player who chips to within five feet consistently nearly eliminates bogeys from those situations, regardless of whether the iron shot was perfect. Short game practice is notably less glamorous than hitting driver but statistically more impactful on scores, making it the area most underinvested by recreational golfers.
Example
A player who drives it 300 yards but three-putts twice per round and chunks a chip every hole may score the same as a 200-yard hitter with a solid short game.
Related terms
- PuttingPutting is rolling the ball along the ground toward the hole using a flat-faced club (putter). It accounts for roughly 40% of strokes in a typical round, making it the most impactful single skill in scoring.
- ChippingChipping is a short shot played from just off the green — a small swing that gets the ball rolling on the green quickly, using the putting surface to carry it to the hole.
- PitchingPitching is a mid-range short-game shot that carries the ball most of the way to the target with a descending blow and controlled spin, typically from 30–100 yards.
- Bunker ShotA bunker shot (sand shot) is played from a sand trap. Rather than striking the ball first, the club enters the sand behind the ball and the splash of sand carries it out.
Related guides & benchmarks
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