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BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — If you’re into golf instruction, you could do worse than be a fly on the wall at GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers Summit, an annual gathering of the game’s most respected coaches that this week was conducted at Cabot Citrus Farms, about an hour’s drive north of Tampa.

I, for one, absorbed all kinds of wisdom in the two days I was onsite, including but not limited to: why chipping is more difficult today than it was a generation ago (new grasses, tighter lies, etc.); the importance of hand and grip strength in generating power (it matters!); and the problem too many amateurs unwittingly have with their putter shafts (too long).

But there’s one tip that most stuck with me: How to play a short-sided bunker shot from a downhill lie. If you’re like me, this shot keeps you up night; if it’s not the scariest shot in golf, it’s right up there. No matter where I position the ball or what club I use or what kind of contact I make, I never seem to be to get the necessary loft to launch the ball high and softly or enough spin to stop it quickly. The most common result: a soul-crushing blade into the bunker face.

Enter Parker McLachlin, a former Tour winner who, in his post-playing days, has rebranded himself “the Short Game Chef.” (Check out his stuff here.) For about 45 minutes Tuesday, McLachlin stood in the depths of a cavernous greenside bunker at Citrus Farms as more than 100 of his fellow teachers and other assorted attendees peered down at him as Romans did on their entertainment in the Colosseum. McLachlin dished all kinds of smart nuggets about how to master bunker shots, including the importance of proper club selection, but I leaned in hardest when another teacher asked McLachlin for his thoughts on how to play bunker shots off….yep, downhill lies.

Off a downslope, McLachlin explained, the ball naturally wants to come out low and fast, but you can counter these forces of nature in your setup. Start by fully opening the face on your highest lofted wedge, then setting your hands low to create even more effective loft. You’ll also want to slightly slide back your trail foot to give yourself room to swing the club around you.

Every part of your being is going to want to “help” the ball up, but, McLachlin said, it’s essential that you resist this urge. In fact, instead of tilting your right shoulder below your left as you would in a driver setup — a mistake I have been guilty of making — you’ll want to do the inverse so that your shoulder plane is parallel with the downslope.

“That’s counterintuitive, because we want to hit it high, and every time we want to hit it high, we want to look like this,” McLachlin said as he lowered his trail shoulder. “But again, I’m going to get all my loft at setup, clubface, handle position.”

The Chef’s final ingredient for executing one of golf’s hardest shots: trust. As in, trusting that your technique and tools will do their jobs. Fully commit, then go.

McLachlin then put his words into action.

From what was a horrid line on a downslope at the back of the bunker, the coach settled in and, as he had been doing throughout his session, dazzled his audience by making a hard shot look easy.   

I can’t wait to try the technique for myself.

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The post 1 move that’s ‘non-negotiable’ in putting, according to short game specialist  appeared first on Golf.

The post 1 move that’s ‘non-negotiable’ in putting, according to short game specialist  appeared first on Golf.

Players, Parker McLaughlin says, can have different putting grips. 

They can have different putting postures. 

But all should have this one putting thing in common, he believes. He calls it a “non-negotiable.”

Their eye placement. 

McLaughlin, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher to Watch, was talking on a recently posted video to his Instagram page — which you can watch in full here or immediately below — and setup is arguably as important in putting as your stroke, your speed or your line. Should you start poorly, you’ll likely finish poorly, and McLaughlin is hoping players’ eye placement is 20/20, so to speak. 

It should start, he said, “on the ball or slightly inside of the ball at address.”

“Across the board on the PGA Tour, on the LPGA tour, this is where all the best players in the world are,” McLaughlin said in the video. “They don’t have — sometimes their eye placement outside of the ball here or sometimes way inside of the ball. It’s always slightly inside or right on top of the ball.”

In the video, McLaughlin also offered a way to test a player’s eye placement. 

Take your setup, grab a ball, hold it near your eyes and drop it, then check to see where it lands. 

“That’s a great feedback,” he said. 

Let’s keep the eye conversation going. Last year, GOLF.com wrote an article headlined “The mysterious phenomenon of eye dominance (and how it messes with your swing!),” and you can read that story by clicking here or by scrolling below. 

***

The fundamentals might be mundane, but when you nail them, it can make golf a whole lot easier. There are countless things that can go wrong in the golf swing, so it’s vital to take care of the variables that are easy to control.

Aim and alignment are two vital parts of the swing that are so simple they’re easy to ignore. But when they get off just a touch, it can have a huge impact on your swing.

Alignment seems like it would be an easy thing to fix when it goes awry. You just need to aim yourself better, right? Yes and no. Making slight adjustments is the way to nail this fundamental, but there’s a little-known element to alignment that very few golfers even know about.

How eye dominance affects alignment 

Everyone has a dominant hand, but did you know we all have a dominant eye, too? Not only that, but the eye has a huge impact on your ability to align yourself when standing over the ball.

When setting up to the ball, most players will try to look at the target with their dominant eye. But when your dominant eye is on the same side as your dominant hand, it can cause some alignment issues.

In the video above, the coach from the Titleist Performance Institute explains that when you are right-handed and also right-eyed, you will often turn your body toward the target when looking at the target to aim. This is because your nose is between your dominant eye and the target, so you need to turn your head to see past it.

“They have to turn their body to look at the lines,” the coach says. “And that aligns it weird and we see all kinds of alignment issues.”

This phenomenon gives a huge advantage to players who are cross dominant, meaning their dominant eye is opposite their dominant hand. When this is the case, they do not have to turn their body to look at the target and thus have an easier time aligning themselves at address.

“The way you can look at the target through your peripheral vision can help,” he says.

If you’re a player that struggles with alignment, it might be worth checking to see which eye is your dominant one. If you are dominant on the same side, there’s a good chance that it’s impacting your alignment ability.

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The post This clever 15-minute warm-up routine will dial in your short game appeared first on Golf.

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When it comes to dialing in the short game, there’s no other way to improve than to practice, practice, practice!

Unfortunately, when you walk up and down the driving range, there’s probably few amateur golfers actually putting in any work with their wedges, and most would rather hit a bunch of balls with their driver, woods, or irons.

Don’t get me wrong, those clubs are important — every club in your bag is — but if you’re trying to score lower and not just hit the ball better, focusing on the short game is the way to go.

Short Game

And a man who knows a little bit about sticky wedge shots is GOLF Teacher to Watch Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, who works with players of all abilities to hone their touch around the greens.

As someone who has taken a couple of lessons from McLachlin, I’ve witnessed his magic firsthand. He doesn’t just make you think differently about an upcoming wedge shot, but he simplifies the process, too, allowing you to stay free and use your natural athleticism. Great results often follow immediately.

Use this short game warm-up before your next round

Although practicing the short game might not be as fun as trying to bomb drives, if you understand how to actually organize your practice, it can be both enjoyable and effective.

To help, McLachlin shared an easy 15-minute warm-up routine that every player should add into their daily plan.

As the video above shows, he simply hits five balls from 15 yards off the green, targeting different flags on the practice green to help dial in both his touch and distance control.

Short Game

After completing those five shots, McLachlin then moves back just 30 feet (to 25 yards), hitting five more balls. As you can probably see in the video, he’s really focusing on extending his backswing and follow through, and making sure his tempo is consistent each time.

When he’s done from that distance, McLachlin works on tighter lies, focusing on downhill greenside shots, ensuring he makes good contact and gets a feel for how the balls rolls once it lands on the green. These are often tricky types of shots — and can be round-wreckers without good practice and technique — so this is a key area for many mid-handicappers to save strokes from.

Finally, he moves to a higher, spinnier flop shot over a bunker, hitting five shots from this area. This allows him to open the face up, engage the bounce, and use the necessary speed to get some spin on the ball.

Put it all together and you’ve got a fun, challenging, and efficient short game warm-up that’s sure to improve your touch with the wedges. So ditch the driver and perfect your skills around the green the next time you’re at the practice range.

To see more short game tips from Parker McLachlin, head over to his website.

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The post ‘Sweep, not steep’: Short game guru says it’s the key to grooving wedge shots appeared first on Golf.

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Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, has helped numerous PGA and LPGA players excel in the short game, and offers his pro-level tips for players of all abilities. SIGN UP HERE!

The best golfers can hit a clunky pitch from the fairway yet still produce a good trajectory, lots of spin and great distance control. How can that be? It’s because skilled short-game players understand how to use the club’s bounce to mitigate even an obvious dropkick.

Around the greens, bounce is a savvy player’s insurance policy. The trick to taking advantage of it is to avoid coming into the ball too steep. It’s been proven that if you trace a wider swing arc, your probability of success on a pitch shot goes up.

Picture the bounce on your wedges as the bottom of a surfboard: If you come in at the correct angle, it helps the club skim across the turf. As it skims, it allows you to contact the ball on grooves two to five, which, due to the way wedges are designed, is where you’ll generate the most spin.

So even if you hit the ground before you hit the ball, if you’re wider than you are steep, you’ll still get the results you’re looking for.

Dear Chef, why are wedge grooves so important to short-shot success? — Jeff D.

Whether you’re hitting a full wedge or a 10-yard chip, you’ll need a heavy dose of spin. Getting it is most often dictated by the quality of your grooves. It’s critical to keep them fresh and clean. Even the slightest amount of moisture or debris will dramatically curtail spin. Clean freak or not, you’ve got to take better care of your gear. (I’ve also seen studies that show spin rates decline significantly after using the same wedge for 150 rounds, FYI.)

Another interesting thing to note is that if you’re someone who loves to practice bunker shots, your wedges—and grooves—will deteriorate faster because of all the sandblasting. That’s why you’ll see some Tour pros practice sand shots with a wedge identical to the one they game for training only. Excessive? Not when spinning is the difference in winning.

Looking for the best short game advice around? Click here to get your Short Game Chef membership!

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The post Parker McLachlin shares key to good putting — and it has nothing to do with your stroke appeared first on Golf.

The post Parker McLachlin shares key to good putting — and it has nothing to do with your stroke appeared first on Golf.

Parker McLachlin has played 164 tournaments on the PGA Tour, finishing in the top 10 four times and notching one win at the 2008 Legends-Reno Tahoe Open.

The 44-year-old played his last PGA Tour event at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open, and in recent years, has been establishing himself as an instructor, building a sizable following online, where he goes by the handle “Short Game Chef.” McLachlin has an audience of 150,000 on Instagram alone, and fans can also access McLachlin’s tips in GOLF Magazine.

On this week’s episode of Subpar, McLachlin shared some tips with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, covering topics like conquering the yips and the best way to pick wedges to suit your game. He also provided some useful guidance for the greens, sharing his keys to putting, which was one of his strengths as a pro.

“My putting stats were really good,” he said. “I was always a great putter, but I always did it through my set up and my routine. I never really thought about my stroke. So when people feel like they’re in a good spot with their putting stroke, they come to me and I get them in a good set up and a good routine, and they start making putts.”

Stoltz noted that McLachlin had an impressive streak of three-putt avoidance during his Tour years.

“Yeah, it was a good stretch,” McLachlin agreed. “350-something holes without three-putting, which is like 20 rounds in a row on tour. But yeah, I didn’t three-putt very often.

News

“I always made everything inside of six feet and my lag putting was pretty good because again, I didn’t think about my stroke that much,” he continued. “I dove so deep into routine and how my routine would get me into a flow state. I did the same thing shooting free throws with basketball. It was like, I would bounce, set, go.”

According to McLachlin, keeping that consistent routine intact was the only thing he focused on, making his stroke very natural.

“That’s why Jordan [Spieth], on those inside five-footers, he looks at the hole,” McLachlin said. “It’s like, point and shoot.”

For more instruction insight from McLaghlin, including his work with Tour players like Scottie Scheffler, check out the full episode below.

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There’s no better time to kickoff the new year than with a Short Game Chef membership! So take the next step towards mastering your game by using the code GOLF15 for 15% off! CLICK HERE!

After joining GOLF early last year, my first video assignment was meeting some guy named Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, who I knew very little about but was immediately intrigued by after seeing some of his online videos. Upon chatting with him via Zoom prior to meeting in person, the guy just seemed real, which isn’t always the case when working with someone new.

McLachlin had a relaxed vibe about him, with a quiet (but polite) confidence that I related with. And when the two of us met in Arizona last March, it sort of just felt like we had been buddies for years, talking about golf glory and failures, comparing March Madness picks for the NCAA Tournament, and him dishing out some parental advice for me and my wife.

Short Game

Not to get all sentimental here, but McLachlin has grown to be a great friend since — and it doesn’t hurt that he’s able to help me shave strokes off my scorecard on the golf course either.

We had the chance to spend a couple days together in Seattle in August last year, with the Short Game Chef giving me a few lessons — with him also stealing my money when I (stupidly) bet him on a closest-to-the-hole challenge on a par 3.

During our time together, he opened up about his golf journey, but also who he is when he’s not on the course giving tips on hitting crispy wedge shots. So take a look at the video above and get to know the real Parker McLachlin who I’ve been lucky enough to call a friend over the past 12 months.

Don’t forget to use GOLF15 for 15% off a Short Game Chef membership! Click here to join.

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The post Better navigate par-4s with course management tips from a Tour player appeared first on Golf.

The post Better navigate par-4s with course management tips from a Tour player appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a new GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.

With the holidays here, there’s no better time to gift your favorite golfer a Short Game Chef membership. Take the next step toward mastering your game by using the code GOLF15 for 15% off! CLICK HERE!

On most 18-hole golf courses, more than half the holes are typically par-4s, which means there’s no escaping ’em.

And sure, every so often you’ll get a straightforward par-4 with a wide fairway and no hazards. But plenty of par-4s will test your entire game, forcing you to navigate narrow landing areas off the tee, work your way around doglegs to the right or left and dodge trees, water, and bunkers — all before you get to the green.

Instruction

As someone who bleeds too many shots everywhere, par-4s included, I was lucky enough to get a lesson from Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, who, in addition to being a short game maestro, has also won a PGA Tour event in his career.

In the video above, McLachlin helps me navigate a par-4 hole at Tacoma Country & Golf Club, and shares some of his wisdom on how to plan better with improved course management. Check it out to see how you can play better, too!

McLachlin’s tips to better navigate par-4s

From the moment we meet on the tee box, McLachlin jokes about how he’s notorious for showing up late to a tee time, giving him very little time to warm up. While that’s not his suggested way of doing things, it often happens to players who struggle with balancing golf life with actual life. So he says using a weighted club to “shock the nervous system” is a great way to loosen up. Something like TheStack (available here) is a good recommendation.

After hitting our tee shots, McLachlin reminds me that it’s important to celebrate success, given that golf is so hard. This is a great way to reinforce positivity and help build your confidence.

As we made our way down the hole, we come across a dilemma: a 50-60-foot tree that was protecting our approach shot into the green from about 130 yards out.

This is where McLachlin’s expertise came into play — and course management becomes so important.

For a player of his caliber, sailing a shot over the tree and onto the green is a piece of cake. He’s practiced this shot, he knows his club of choice, and he has the confidence to stick it on the green.

But for an amateur like myself, it’s either choosing the hero shot route — and trying to impress McLachlin with a higher-risk play — or being smarter by eliminating the tree altogether.

I chose the latter.

“At the end of the day, the golfer’s got to be most comfortable with that decision,” McLachlin tells me. “So analyze what’s going on, figure out things like the yardage, wind, shape, trajectory; all that stuff, and then [internally] check what feels best.”

McLachlin then reminds me why course management is so crucial for amateur players like myself (who’s trying to break 80 for the first time), in order to reach their goals.

Instruction

“This course management thing, it’s going to be really big for you as you start getting your technique better with the full swing, the short game, and your putting,” he says.

“How do you manage your emotions? What are you thinking about? All of that stuff takes you from the mid-to-high 80s to the high 70s. That’s important.”

Armed with better knowledge and the proper mindset, McLachlin and I continue on to finish the par-4, with him providing instruction on chipping and putting. So make sure to watch the full video above to see more tips from the Short Game Chef.

Don’t forget to use GOLF15 for 15% off a Short Game Chef membership! Click here to join.

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The post I challenged a Tour pro on a tricky par-3. Here’s how it went appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a new GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.

With the holidays here, there’s no better time to gift your favorite golfer a Short Game Chef membership. Take the next step toward mastering your game by using the code GOLF15 for 15% off! CLICK HERE!

On a soggy morning just outside Seattle, I found myself standing on a tee box of a par-3 hole at Tacoma Country & Golf Club with Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, who was spending the day with me to give me some lessons.

While McLachlin is best-known for his prowess around the greens — seriously, you should see the saucy shots this GOLF Teacher to Watch hits with a wedge in his hands — on this day, he and I would be playing a few holes against one another.

Never one to turn down a challenge, even if it is against a one-time Tour winner who currently teaches other pros his secret recipe in the short game, I was up for the task… or so I thought.

As the Chef and I analyzed the shot in front of us, I instantly knew what I definitely wanted to avoid: The water on the left and the bunkers behind the green.

Confident in my own ability, I didn’t just think a closest-to-the-pin challenge was enough. So instead, I decided to bet McLachlin a cool $20, believing I truly had the chops to stick my shot within a few feet of the hole.

Then reality set in.

McLachlin, ever the gentleman, allowed me to hit first. Of course, this was all part of his master plan to psyche me out, as this put the pressure on me to perform and gave him the chance to observe my result.

Short Game

It’s similar to a football team playing defense first in overtime, giving them the opportunity to determine how aggressive or how conservative they need to be once it’s their turn with the ball.

Turns out McLachlin wasn’t being polite, he was just being smart.

Another element of surprise was that we both grabbed our 8-irons on this par-3 from about 150 yards.

Naturally, I second-guessed myself and nearly reconsidered the decision — after all, was I really going to use the same club as a pro?

“Wait, you have your 8-iron, too?” I asked. “Maybe I should club up to a 7 to make sure I don’t leave it short.”

“Or maybe it’s just me messing with you,” McLachlin slyly quipped.

OK, now I was officially in my own head, beginning to doubt myself before even addressing the ball. Not really a good place to be — especially with $20 on the line.

I took a few practice swings and felt good; it was go time!

As the video above shows, I completely chunked my shot, sending it into one of the two places I knew I definitely wanted to avoid; the water.

With absolutely no pressure on him, McLachlin confidently took his shot next, landing it safely on the green and leaving it about 18 feet from the pin.

Lesson learned — never bet against a Tour pro who makes a legitimate living playing golf.

But as an aside, when the cameras were off and there wasn’t any pressure, I did decide to hit another tee shot using my 8-iron again. You already know what happens next: I stuck it on the green, leaving it about 18 feet from the pin.

So, technically, I matched McLachlin’s shot… it just technically didn’t count.

As we discussed a better way to play this par-3 hole, McLachlin provided some tips to help me perform my best, which you can check out below.

3 tips to better navigate par-3s, per Parker McLachlin

I’m currently a mid-handicapper, so McLachlin reminds me that mastering par-3s like this is pivotal on my quest to shave more strokes and break 80 for the first time.

“There’s a good chance that, if you don’t hit the right shot here, you’re making double [bogey] really quick,” he tells me.

While a par-3 can be fun because they’re shorter holes that allow players to be aggressive, you must have a game plan — so McLachlin talked me through three things to think about prior to hitting your shot.

After giving his tips, the final thing McLachlin reminds me of prior to hitting the shot turned out to be the most important — I just didn’t execute on it.

“We’ve got to make sure that you make good contact with this, just to make sure you get this thing over the water and somewhere on green grass,” he said.

Instruction

Sadly, I didn’t make the contact I needed to, resulting in the chunked shot that sent my ball into the water. It was disappointing (and embarrassing), but it was a good reminder of how hard golf can be.

Still, thanks to the lesson from McLachlin, I now have a blueprint for playing par-3s moving forward. Once I confidently choose my club, stay aggressive, and understand my shot tendencies, I just need to make sure the contact is there in order to hit more greens in regulation.

So maybe next time I’ll go double or nothing with the Short Game Chef and win some money back. Knowing some of his secrets will surely come in handy.

Don’t forget to use GOLF15 for 15% off a Short Game Chef membership! Click here to join.

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The post Short game myths that are costing you strokes, according to an expert appeared first on Golf.

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Black Friday is here and there’s no better time to get an annual Short Game Chef membership. Take the next step toward mastering your game around the green with this limited-time offer – over $100 off an annual site membership! CLICK HERE!

Parker McLachlin is a PGA Tour winner-turned short-game coach who has become one of the most respected minds in the space. McLachlin — aka The Short Game Chef — has a coaching style that’s based on debunking myths. 

Below, McLachlin offers up some myths about the short game that are costing you strokes — and tips on how to fix them. (You can learn more about McLachlin’s journey here.)

You can get a bonus three short game myths by watching the video below (seven in total!), or scroll down to see four ways that McLachlin is modernizing shots around the green.

1. Greenside bunker blast

Myth: For a standard bunker shot, aim way open and swing along your toe line. This — supposedly — opens the face and deflects the ball toward the target. It doesn’t work this way. 

Myth buster: Set up more square, stand a little farther away from the ball and set your hands lower. Then, swing toward the target, making your shot more of a full release than a drag.

2. Plugged bunker lie

Myth: Get really wide with your stance and close the face, so you have it “hooded” with the toe portion of the club turned in. All you’ve done with this setup is force yourself to make an aggressive — if not violent — swing. 

Myth buster: In reality, you can stand a little closer to the ball, and your feet don’t have to be that far apart. The main thing? Set the face open. Hinge up the club and get really steep coming down, entering the sand just behind the ball.

3. Pitches and chips

Myth: Lean toward the target with your weight forward, play the ball back and angle the shaft with your hands ahead of the ball. Um, can you say too steep? 

Myth buster: You want to produce a shallow angle of attack on standard pitches and chips, and you do that by setting up with the shaft more neutral and the ball played more off your front heel. Keep your weight neutral as well. Combining this setup with a wider — not steeper — backswing gives you the shallow approach you need to nip the ball off the turf.

4. Shot from the rough

Myth: Play the ball back with your hands way forward and “chop” straight down to catch the back of the ball. 

Myth buster: Embrace the grass! Instead of worrying so much about producing the cleanest contact possible, accept the fact that grass will indeed get between your clubface and the back of the ball and plan for it. Spend a practice session getting comfy with leaving the face open, positioning the ball farther up in your stance and keeping the shaft neutral (i.e., not leaning). You’ll sweep instead of chop, and, instead of coming out low and screaming, the ball will fly high and soft.

Use GOLF15 for 15% off a Short Game Chef membership! Click here to join.

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The post Want a better short game? This is the shot you need to perfect appeared first on Golf.

The post Want a better short game? This is the shot you need to perfect appeared first on Golf.

Every amateur golfer wishes they had a Tour-level short game. Greenside bunker shot? Easy money. One-hop-and-stop from 30 yards? Put me down for a stress-free par.

In reality, the short game takes time to perfect, and most golfers don’t have enough hours in the day to focus on one area of their game.

So what’s the best plan of attack if you want to improve your wedge game but don’t have the time to work on every shot? During a recent interview on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, short-game instructor Parker McLachlin pointed to shots from 30 to 70 yards as an area of deficiency for many amateur golfers.

“Shots from 30 to 70 yards is a really awkward yardage range for most of my amateurs,” McLachlin said. “So having a stock shot for 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 — that’s really important. Understanding and owning your trajectory, and understanding and owning your landing spot.”

Save for the pitching wedge, most of the scoring tools in your bag rarely see full shots. Perfecting a half or three-quarter shot takes time to “own” not only the flight and feel but something else that usually eludes most amateurs.

“Being able to know this ball is going to fly 30 yards, that’s one of the biggest things with amateurs,” he continued. “Most will step over a 30-yard shot and carry it 45 or hit it 15. That discrepancy costs them shots all the time.”

Instead of banging full wedge shots with every club in the bag, zero in on one or two wedges that can consistently execute half or three-quarter shots from 30 to 70 yards. That could be a gap wedge or sand wedge for some golfers; others might prefer a lob wedge.

Whatever club(s) you land on, spend at least 15 to 20 minutes during each range session making consistent contact and hitting your number. An easy way to do this at the range is to hit a ball — or place one if the range is quiet — to each yardage you want to work on and then see how many balls you can get within 5-7 feet of the “target.” (A hula-hoop can also act as a suitable target if your course doesn’t mind you throwing one out there.)

The goal is to ingrain a feeling for each of these yardages so there’s little to no guesswork involved when you stand over the shot. If you can gain some semblance of confidence on wedge shots from 30 to 70 yards, McLachlin believes you’ll instantly shed strokes off your handicap. Now get to work perfecting those tweener wedge shots.

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