The U.S. Open is known as being the most challenging test in golf. Birdies come at a premium, and par is a good score on just about every hole. If you like watching the pros squirm, the U.S. Open is the tournament for you.
With par being a good score, having a tidy short game becomes all the more important. Without many birdie opportunities on the course, avoiding dropped shots is crucial. And since you’re bound to miss some greens, being able to get up-and-down is all the more important.
When it comes to saving par after a missed green, there may be no one better than Patrick Reed. The former Masters champ may not drive the ball like his competitors, but he makes up for that deficiency with a short game that rivals the best in the world. If you’re looking to model your short game off someone, Reed is an excellent choice.
Next time you head out to practice, why not take a page out of Reed’s book and practice like he does? In a recent social media post, he shared one of his favorite drills for promoting solid contact with his wedges. Check it out below.
Reed’s ‘best’ chipping drill
One of the keys for consistent and solid contact around the greens is using your big muscles — shoulders and torso — to turn through the ball. Far too often, recreational players only use their arms and wrists when around the greens, and it leads to inconsistent contact and poor shots.
To reinforce using the big muscles, Reed likes to lean on one of his favorite drills. The setup for it is simple: he grabs a towel and stretches it across his chest, pinning it underneath each of his arms. Then, he makes a chipping or pitching motion, making sure he turns through contact.
“It allows my body to move and keeps the club out in front,” Reed says. “A lot of people, when they get chipping, they don’t move their shoulders and it gets kind of armsy. And it’s hard to control angle of attack. Hard to control how hard you hit it.”
With the towel pinned underneath his arms, Reed has to use his shoulders and body to turn through contact. Then all he has to do is make a “putting stroke” to create solid contact with his wedge.
“The only way you’re gonna control flight and spin is by making solid contact every time and hitting the ball first before [the] ground,” he says. “The key is solid contact.”
If you’re someone who struggles with solid contact around the greens, give this drill a shot. If it’s good enough for one of the best wedge players in the world, it’s sure to give your short game a boost.
