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Currently the Singapore Golf Association National Coach, PGA Professional Matt Ballard is renowned for his short game expertise. In 2017 he helped to prepare Adam Scott for The Masters where he finished tied for ninth. Here he shares the challenge posed by Augusta National’s green complexes and the drills he used to sharpen Scott’s short game.
To the right of the par-4 11th. Over the back of both the par-5 13th and 15th holes.
At some stage over the course of 72 holes the winner of The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club will be required to display some short-game wizardry that keeps their name at the top of the leaderboard.
The back of 15 is the perfect example of players having to control their spin and trajectory to land their ball in the section of the green that gives them the best chance to get up-and-down.
If you miss at the back-left of 13 you have to chip it up from that little valley and stop it on the top tier. I’ve seen players chip in and others chip it off the other side and almost into Rae’s Creek.
They’re the holes and shots that I like watching because the best players in the world have to fly it into the right portion of the green and control their spin.
Whether I am coaching club golfers, elite amateurs or helping professionals, my starting point is to make sure the player understands the low point in their swing and that they can hit it on a consistent basis.
I’m a big advocate of players understanding how to hit the ground and where to hit the ground. A lot of golfers try and achieve ball-first contact but in my mind that’s where a lot of issues come in.
Putting the ball back in your stance and pushing your hands forward are the two biggest mistakes that I see amateurs make. It leads to hitting the ground with the leading edge and effectively negates using the sole of the club and the trailing edge.
I like to have the ball more forward, have the shaft more neutral at address and the face slightly open. That set-up change alone will help a fair portion of amateurs who struggle with their chipping.
Back in 2017 I worked with Scotty on a short-game training plan for the shots he would need at Augusta.
One drill that I had him do was to chip from a spot off the green and using the same club land the ball in three different segments – just on the green, six-feet on and 12-feet on – and still have his ball stop next to the pin.
By varying his landing zones Scotty had to control both the energy of the ball, flight of the ball and subsequent spin to get the ball as close to the hole as possible.
A slight variation on that is to put a club on the green and play three different shots to get the ball close to the hole; one where the ball bounces twice before going over the club, then once and then have the ball carry the club on the full (below).
Golf is a sport in which we are constantly trying to control where the ball stops but few players give due consideration to – particularly in shots into the green – creating a predictable first bounce.
Being really specific about where the ball lands on the green is really important because that is how we create the most predictable first bounce possible.
When players survey the green before playing a chip shot or a pitch shot they are looking for the flat spot and if they land the ball in a certain position whether it will kick left, right or go forward. Do I want the ball to kick forward? Do I want it to check?
The complexities of greens such as those at Augusta and Royal Melbourne are such that you might want to fly the ball onto a different tier to get a certain kick so that it then can release down to the hole. Sometimes it can be like trying to land your golf ball on a frying pan in a certain spot to get the desired first bounce but if you can control that first bounce then ultimately the player can predict where their ball is likely to stop.
Your ability to control spin is paramount coming into the green because if you mis-hit your chip and it comes out with no spin, it will kick forward, roll and can get away on you very quickly.
When the margins for error are so tight it can make even good chippers look stupid but the ones who have good control with clean contact and can land their ball in the right sections will look like geniuses.
And quite possibly leave with a green jacket.
