Doug Ford was one of the first of the old pros I saw during my first full year on tour, in 1963. To this day he's the best chipper I've ever seen. One thing Doug did was get the ball onto the green and rolling right away, keeping it as low as possible. He never hit his chips higher than was absolutely necessary.
I'm much better off the tee. I'm not a great putter. I do not have a good short game.
I need to improve my shorter stuff with my irons, from 100 to 175 yards. If I can hit a few more greens with those clubs and tighten up the proximity to the hole, that would help a lot.
I never wanted to play the short game.
I'm becoming a more complete player. I have more shots. I can rely more on my putting, rely on my short game.
I'm trying to be a complete player and have every shot in the game.
I love to hit my little five- to 10-yard cut, and that's what I try to do. And I think that's kind of been my game.
I've got a lot more control with my wedges.
You drive for show but putt for dough.
Brushing up on your short game at the practice area is fine and good, but taking it with you to the golf course - when your score is really on the line - is another story.
I remember the reason why did I start my golf. We had a four day game I was playing for Trinidad against the Leeward Islands. They had in their ranks Winston Benjamin, Curtly Ambrose and Kenneth Benjamin. To add to it, the track was a green top. The four day game lasted two days, so I had two days to play golf.
The game itself, I think, plays into the strength of my game, which has always been tee to green, hitting the ball consistently in play and managing my game. Putting has always been the one thing that's been a bit more erratic.
Where I fall down is my short game. I don't practice enough, and when I have to take a half swing from 50 yards out, that's trouble.
I'm really good at mini-golf. You know, maybe not big person golf, but little person golf.
Putting allows the touchy golfer two to four opportunities to blow a gasket in the short space of two to forty feet.
The Twenty20 is itself a banal game, a crude game, but it works, so I hope Twenty20 commentary works.
Some players like to change clubs around the green to hit high or low shots. I play all of my short-game shots with my 54-degree sand wedge and change my ball position to hit it higher or lower. I think it's easier to learn one club than four.
I like to address all parts of my game, but I'm really concentrating a lot of time with my coach, David Whelan, on my short game and on the greens.
I'm hitting it better than last year. The putting is getting close now, too.
The story of the week is you have got to putt well to win the Masters and I haven't putted well.
My short game's not that good. It just becomes a matter of getting that weight moving.
I'd say 230 yards off the tee is my average. Short game is a strength. I don't three-putt often. Actually, I'd say my mental game is probably the best. I'm very good at staying positive and focused on my game.
I have worked hard to improve my consistency in my driving, irons, short game, and putting.
Let me tell you what's fun in golf - low scores. The manufacturers have tricked people into believing that distance is everything. There is no place on the scorecard that says you need to hit it 350 yards.
For years, I never thought I needed a short game. Finally I just decided to do something about it. I needed to get up and down from tough spots on the par-5s for my birdies. So I went to Phil [Rogers]. He's the best. For the last couple weeks, Phil has been staying at my house and we've been practicing in the evening.
