Golf is a game that obviously is based on getting the lowest score possible and there are several aspects to the game of golf that can either lower your score or increase your score pretty quickly. You need to get off the tee box with your driver or three wood you give yourself an opportunity to score well. You also need to make some putt to stay away from the dreaded three putts.

One of the most important aspects of golf that people typically do not spend a lot of time practicing and can lower your score the quickest is the short game around the greens. If you have a good short game you can hit the ball close enough to the pin so that you take three putt out of the picture. If you get a bad drive as long as you don't go out of bounds you generally can recover and get a good score. If you get within 50 yards of the whole and it takes you four strokes to get the ball to the cup just think about how many strokes you just gave away.

Short Game Tips-Number 1 Chip Whenever Possible

When you are close to the green the best thing to do is to chip the ball onto the green and let it run out to the hole. When you are chipping you have a lot more distance control and than when you are pitching the ball. When you are pitching the ball several things can happen such as it checking up, releasing, or spinning back and this limits your ability to control the distance. If you chip the ball that you can pick a spot on the green and chip to that spot and let the ball roll out to the hole. Chippin gives you the best chance to control your distance

Short Game Tip-Number 2 Don't Try to Be Phil Mickelson

Everybody loves to hit the shots that you see on TV that are made by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, but the fact is they are professional golfers and they practice those shots a lot. If you try a shot that you have not practiced and not mastered you can end up putting yourself in a worse situation that if you hit a shot that you have practiced and feel comfortable with. When you have a shot that is close to the great assess a situation and honestly ask yourself what you feel most comfortable doing. You may not get the ball 3 feet within the hole but if you can put it on the green you give yourself an opportunity to make a putt. If you try a shot that you are not comfortable with and mishit it your score can get ugly fast.

Short Game Tip- Number 3 Grip Down on the Golf Club

When you find yourself close to the green, grip down on the club a little bit this gives you more control over the club head. If you hold the club like you normally would with a shot it is a little bit tougher to control a club head and it may lead to a shot that is off-line. It is almost like when you are playing baseball and you want to make contact with the ball and you are not concerned about power you choke up on the handle so you can control the bat.

The short game is one of the most overlooked parts of the game to the amateur that is one part of the game that could drastically improve your score. Practice your short game and you will see your score drop and follow these three tips when you are out playing a round of golf.