Mastering the Short Game: How to Dramatically Improve Your Golf Scoring Inside 100 Yards

If you want to lower your scores without changing your swing or buying new clubs, focus on this one skill: your short game.

It’s not flashy. You won’t win longest drive contests with it. But golfers who consistently shoot lower scores—from scratch players to weekend warriors—have one thing in common: they’re deadly from inside 100 yards.

Let’s break down what the short game really is, why it matters more than you think, and how to practice it in a way that transforms your entire round.

Why the Short Game Is the Great Equalizer

The short game includes all shots from about 100 yards in—wedges, chips, pitches, bunker shots, and putting. While long drives might get you close to the green, it’s your short game that finishes the job.

Here’s why it’s so powerful:

• More than 60% of shots in a typical round happen inside 100 yards.
• Improving short game touch saves strokes quickly. A decent chip that leaves you with a 2-foot putt beats a long lag putt from the fringe any day.
• Short game skill can compensate for off days off the tee. You can miss fairways and still save par.

In other words, becoming great from 100 yards and in gives you more opportunities to score and recover.

The Most Important Short Game Skills

Focusing on just one area of the short game is often the most effective way to improve. Here’s a breakdown of the major elements, and then we’ll dive deeper into one for today: chipping.

• Chipping – Low-running shots just off the green, using a controlled motion.
• Pitching – Higher, softer shots that fly further and stop quicker.
• Bunker play – Shots out of greenside sand traps.
• Putting – The final touch to finish the hole, often underestimated in practice routines.

Let’s zero in on chipping—the fastest way to reduce strokes for most golfers.

Chipping: The Underrated Stroke Saver

Chipping can turn bogeys into pars and doubles into bogeys. It’s simple, repeatable, and doesn’t require huge swing mechanics or speed. Yet many golfers struggle with it because they overcomplicate it.

Here’s how to chip more like a pro.

1. Simplify Your Setup

A great chip shot starts with a great setup:

• Narrow stance – Your feet should be close together (6–10 inches apart).
• Weight forward – Lean slightly onto your front foot (about 70%).
• Ball back in your stance – Just behind center for crisp contact.
• Hands ahead – Create a small forward shaft lean to encourage a downward strike.

This setup helps eliminate chunking and thin shots by promoting a descending blow.

2. Choose the Right Club for the Job

One of the biggest mistakes amateurs make is using their lob wedge for every chip. Try this instead:

• Use a pitching wedge or 9-iron for low runners.
• Use a sand wedge when you need more height and spin.
• Use a 7- or 8-iron for bump-and-run chips.

The key: get the ball on the ground and rolling like a putt as soon as possible. Less airtime = more control.

3. Think “Putt with a Lofted Club”

Avoid using wrists or trying to "lift" the ball. A good chip shot is just a slightly bigger putting stroke:

• Shoulders do the work.
• Quiet hands.
• Smooth tempo.

You’re not trying to create spin or height—just solid contact and consistent roll.

4. Practice Like You Play

Don’t just drop 30 balls beside a green and hit the same shot. Try this routine:

• Drop 5 balls around the green at different lies—tight, fluffy, uphill, downhill.
• Choose different targets—some close, some far.
• Use different clubs and commit to one shot at a time.
• Try to “up-and-down” each one, just like in a real round.

This forces you to think, adjust, and focus under pressure—just like you would on the course.

5. Learn to Read the Green Early

Even when you’re not putting, the green matters. Visualize the ball’s path once it lands. How much will it release? Is it downhill? Will it break left or right?

Thinking like a putter during chips can help you consistently land the ball in the right spot for an easy tap-in.

Bonus Tip: Track Your Chips

During your rounds, track two stats:

• Up-and-down percentage (how often you chip and one-putt).
• Proximity to the hole (how close you leave your chips).

Improving these—even just by a few feet—can drop several strokes from your scorecard.

Final Thoughts: Small Game, Big Results

You don’t need a gym membership or a swing coach to improve your short game. You just need time, intention, and the willingness to practice smart. Chipping is low-risk, low-effort, and massively high-reward.

So next time you have 30 minutes to practice, skip the driver and grab a wedge. Your future self—holding a scorecard with a few more pars and a lot fewer three-putts—will thank you.