The short game does not typically require power associated with tee shots, but rather skill to control the distance the ball rolls on the greens. Mastering shots around the green come from motor control: controlling your muscles and nerves and increasing motor control can come from improved fitness.

Unlike your long game, where a large portion of the power generated through the legs and torso, your short game requires fitness from an entirely different set of muscles. The shoulders, arms, wrists and hands initiate pitch shots, so you will want to develop strength and flexibility in these muscles.

By simply refining your chipping and pitching technique, you can improve your feel around the greens.

Here is the technique:

1. Narrow stance to stabilize lower body. You don’t want a lot of weight shift on the backswing. Think of a pitch as a one axis swing.

2. Open your stance, but keep your shoulders square, you still want to hit the inside of the ball.

3. Lean the shaft forward towards the target at address position.

4. Wrist Action is Key…The club must work up, so you need to hinge your wrists as you start the backswing.

5. Even though this is no weight shift on backswing you need a little on the downswing and follow-through. You need to rotate your body.

6. Hands ahead at impact.

7. Your backswing and downswing will not necessarily be the same length.

8. Experiment with the ball position and clubface angle-try different ball positions and open and close the face for different trajectories.