The best golf tip I ever received. Courtesy of Manny G.

As on ongoing effort to improve, I will be asking low handicappers for the best golf tip they ever received. This first tip comes from a scoring artist, Manny G. He is not the longest hitter, but he is a magician around the green.

Manny says to learn to hit a ten yard shot consistently. His reasoning is that you need to learn how to control the golf ball, and a ten yard shot is a lot easier to control than a two-hundred and fifty yard drive. Practice until you can hit 8 out of 10 shots within 15 percent of the distance covered, in this case within a yard and a half for a ten yard shot. Once you can do that, move up to twenty yards, and so on, and so on until you get to the full swing.

Manny says that is where lower golf scores come from, the short game. Even at the pro level, the guys who win golf tournaments are getting up and down when they miss the green. Almost everyone can get somewhere within 100 yards of the green in regulation. If you can get up and down, or even get on the green and two-putt, you’ll be making more pars, and nothing worse than bogey.

Notice the setup in the picture above. Two great positions are demonstrated. The hands are well ahead of the ball, and the ball is well back in the stance. Here is a great video for hitting short chips.

So give it a try and let us know if this tip helped to lower you scores.

The Ropeit is perfect for practicing the swing that is required to hit a 30 to 100 yard pitch shot. You won’t get to see the ball fly completely, but you can tell if you hit it solid, and on the intended line. It is great for working on the proper mechanics for your longer pitches, right in your own back yard. Check out the Ropeit here. Manny would approve.