Practicing My Short Game With My Hickory Sticks
Today, I practiced my short game for about an hour. It was very rewarding and I found out a few things about my hickory clubs. It is not really profound, but it is something I needed to determine before my tournament next week. I did determine what clubs to use when and how they respond to contact. Interestingly, I noticed that my hickory sticks need cleaning and I am all over that requirement. In the meantime, I found out other things that will be valuable moving forward.
The first thing I found out was that my ball does not fly that high when chipping. I will play lots of bump and run shots. The good thing is I have three options per shot. The first is with a wedge like club. It has lots of loft and lets the ball land softly and roll out more than a modern wedge would normally.
My second shot is my jigger. It replaces my 7 iron for longer bump and run shots that required something that moves the ball a bit faster than with the above wedge. The jigger, if the scenario dictates, will be my club of choice during the round.
Lastly is my mashie. It reacts in between the wedge and jigger. It can produce a soft shot and still allow for a longer release. It is my in between club that offers something I can control
Practice with the above clubs is very important because my GIR is usually low when playing hickory sticks. I know it should not be so, however that is the reality of my game and I am preparing for it.
Lastly, I spent a good amount of time playing putting game. I set out up four tees in a line three feet apart. I started putting from the first tee (3 feet). When I made the putt, I moved back to the second tee. If I made the putt I moved back to the third tee. If I missed at the second tee, I would move back to the first tee. This up and back movement helps me focus on making solid contact and hitting the ball past the hole. Just in case you are wondering, I did make it to the last tee and sunk that putt. It was a good day for putting.
I am working on my hickory game in preparation for the upcoming championship. I will be back out on Friday working on distances from 150 yards, 125 yards, 100 yards and 75 yards. I plan of figuring out which club is best from which distance. I am looking forward to playing on Friday and putting in some focused practice time.
