Phil Mickelson: Nail these 3 things for a more consistent short game

You can drive the ball a million ways. Same goes when you putt. But when it comes to pitching and chipping, there are three hard and fast rules you can’t ignore. 

All of them help you manage the position of the leading edge so you don’t flub it or hit the shot thin. Nail the “Big 3” on short-game shots and watch as your skills improve around the greens.

1. Setup

Set up with the majority of your weight over your front foot and keep it there. If your weight moves back, the club will come up and you’ll skull it. 

2. Hands

Keep your hands ahead of the clubhead. You can do this by aligning your hands and club even at address and adding hinge in your backswing, or preset your hands ahead of the club at address so you don’t have to rely on hinge at all. 

3. Commit

Make the decision to either hit the shot high or low. There’s really no middle ground in the short game, in my opinion. Use a narrow stance, and, if you want to hit the shot lower and let it run, play the ball back in your stance. If you’re looking for height, play the ball up. Easy.