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Golf on Cape Cod  - Instruction

Mastering the Short Game:
The “Five W’s” and “Bearly-On” Approach

By NICHOLAS SMITH & SUE KAFFENBURGH
Photos by George Peet

Golf on Cape Cod magazine met with Sue Kaffenburgh, PGA/LPGA teaching professional, at the Hyannis Golf Club to discuss what all golfers, both high and low handicappers, need to focus on. That’s right...the ever-present short game is still No. 1. How many shots around the green could YOU eliminate?

With all the latest equipment enhancements – the big-headed drivers, the shafts with perfect swing speed, and the super-duper extended flight golf balls – golfers are having an easier time getting to the green. But, once near the green, there are few equipment enhancements that make the short game easier. No matter how far we’re able to hit the ball, the short shot (5 to15 yards from the green) will always count the same on the scorecard as the 250-yard drive.

Are you committed to lowering your score this year? Then prepare accordingly! Here are some tips from Sue on how to make your short game better...

SUE KAFFENBURGH

PGA/LPGA Teaching Professional

Age: Who knows!

Family Status: Married. Husband - Fred Thimme; Daughter- Kristina, age 4

Club Affiliation: Hyannis Golf Club, Rte. 132, Hyannis, MA

Years as Pro / Years at Hyannis Golf Club: 26/17

Sue’s Four Focus Areas to Maximize Golf Improvement:
1) Short game, short game, short game!
2) Practice drills for more distance (posture and core muscle strengthening)
3) Mental preparation: visualizing and simplifying a plan for every shot
4) Clubs checked and fitted to you by a golf professional

Awards/ Achievements:
• Sports Illustrated hailed Sue as “one of the game’s
Top 20 Teachers.”
• Cape Cod PGA Teacher of the Year, 1997
• Northeast LPGA Teacher of the Year, 1998
• New England PGA Teacher of the Year, 2000
• Golf for Women, Top 50 Teachers, 2001
• Golf Digest Top 400 Teachers, 2001
• Finalist, National PGA Teacher of the Year, 2000, 2001, and 2002
• Top 10 Finalist, Golf Magazine’s $50,000 “Tip of the Year” Contest, 2002

Sue’s Biggest Achievement:
The recognition I have received from my peers in the PGA and the LPGA is nice but, above all else, I value the success of my students. I pride myself on being a seeker of cutting-edge information. When my students “get it” and can hit a shot they never had before, that’s when I feel I’ve accomplished something – it’s terrific. I love bringing golf success to people!

Learn How to Effectively Evaluate The Short Shot

A critical, yet overlooked, aspect of the short game is figuring out how exactly to hit the ball: How high should it go? Where should it land? How far should it roll? And finally, which club matches the plan?
All too often, golfers approach the 5- to 15-yard shot with mechanical questions (i.e., Where are my hands? How far back should I extend my backswing? Where are my feet? Where should I position the ball in my stance?) Memorizing these mechanical questions will not help! While some of these questions can be useful on the practice green, on the course, they divert our attention from our objective—getting the ball close to the pin.
We need a flight-of-the-ball plan. Sue recommends the Five W’s approach.

Who: You and your imagination. Every short shot demands a thorough investigation. Visualize each and every short shot before rehearsing with a club - otherwise, what exactly are you practicing?

What: What club would best clear the obstacles and run the appropriate distance?

Where: Where does the ball need to land on the green?

When: Use this approach from 5 to 15 yards from green.

Why: Creating a plan of action reduces error because it demands you become interactive with your target.

1) Air Time is Error Time.

When possible, choose a low trajectory. The higher the trajectory, the longer the ball is in the air and the more mistakes are made. Clear what you have to and land the ball about a yardstick onto the green. (Image A)

2) The ball rolls farther than you think
A common mistake is landing the ball too close to the pin. Land the ball “bearly on” and pick an iron that has the correct amount of roll to reach the hole. (Image B)

3) Use a putting grip and a putting stroke within 5 yards of the green.
No wrists when you putt? Same here. Playing the ball off your back foot leaves little room for error. Keep your eyes directly over the ball (yes, that close) and hold the club almost vertical so the heel of the club is off the ground. (Image C) Experiment with all your irons here.

4) Simple logic: Play the ball off the toe of the club.
Do away with another common mistake – the fat flub. The fat flub usually happens because the heel of the club digs into the grass too early, causing the clubhead to lose
momentum. By playing the ball off the toe of the club, you eliminate the fat flub heel-in-the-grass possibility. (Image D)

5) Keep your same thinking, but adjust your address position for shots farther away (5-15 yards).
As you get farther from the green, allow the club’s edge to sit down on the ground. Move the ball position forward in your stance, use a regular grip, and still think putting stroke...with a little more umphf! Wedges and sand
wedges will be your choice here. (Image E)

Before implementing the “Five W’s” and the “Bearly-On” approach on the golf course, you must go to the practice green. At the practice green, you’ll learn what each club does to the ball – air time vs. roll, etc. It won’t take long before you can predict how far each club flies and rolls.

Step #1: (Where and Why) Leave the golf clubs in the bag and place two “bears” (or head covers, if bears aren’t handy) 3 feet on the green. (Image F) Stand 5 yards from the green and toss a few balls underhand between the “bears”. (Image G) Pay particular attention to how far the ball rolls once it lands. Feel the energy it takes. This energy will translate exactly into how much energy you’ll use to hit the ball with a club. Repeat this tossing at 10 and 15 yards from the green.

Step #2: (What) Now get your irons from your bag and start from 5 yards. If the hole is way back on the green, you’ll need a lot of roll time, choose a 6 or 7 iron. Need less roll? Pick a 9 or wedge. Again, your aim (literally) is to strike the ball so it lands at the 3 ft. markers and rolls the rest of the way. Note: Hit the ball with the same amount of energy regardless of which club you pick and you will notice that each club (sand wedge through 6 iron, for example) will roll one more body length than the next. That means you’ll hit all your chips with the same umphf!

Step #3: (Who and When) It’s up to you to use your brain for mindful calculations – not mindless memorization! Stand by the practice green and look at several holes, one at a time, to consider when you would choose your 6 iron, 7, 8, 9 or wedges.

Final Thoughts

OK, so there you have it. Sue’s short game wisdom will undoubtedly be shaving the strokes off the scorecard. Have questions? Sue can be reached at susiepga@comcast.net Thanks Sue. See you on the golf course.