{"id":4942,"date":"2026-07-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/short-game-golf\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T21:42:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:42:49","slug":"short-game-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/en\/short-game-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"Short Game in Golf: Tips to Shave Off Strokes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>short game in golf<\/strong> is everything that happens within 100 metres of the green: the approach, the chip, the pitch, the bunker shot and the putt. And it is, by a wide margin, <strong>the part of the course where most strokes are won or lost<\/strong>. A good share of the shots in a round are played within 100 metres of the green, and almost none of them get practised: most of us spend our practice on the driver.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re near Barcelona on a golf trip and want to score better this season, this is where to start. Here are the tips that actually work, and where to put them into practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The essentials in 20 seconds:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What it is<\/strong>: every shot within 100 metres of the green (approach, chip, pitch, bunker and putt)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: it&#8217;s where you play the most shots in a row, so every good one goes straight onto your card<\/li>\n<li><strong>The golden rule<\/strong>: always choose the simplest shot; the less the ball flies, the less can go wrong<\/li>\n<li><strong>Where to practise<\/strong>: La Roca Golf (30 minutes from Barcelona) splits the short game into dedicated areas at its Training Centre<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why the short game decides your scorecard<\/h2>\n<p>Think about it: you hit the drive once per hole, at most. But around the green you can play two, three or four shots in a row. <strong>Every stroke you save there goes straight onto the card<\/strong>, with no need to hit it further or change your swing.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a less obvious reason too: <strong>the short game doesn&#8217;t depend on strength or age<\/strong>. It&#8217;s feel, simple technique and hours of well-directed practice. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s the fastest way to <a href=\"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/en\/what-is-golf-handicap\/\">lower your handicap<\/a> at any level, and the most rewarding when you&#8217;re starting out.<\/p>\n<h2>The tips that work<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Player working on the short game in the approach area at La Roca Golf\" src=\"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/juego-corto-golf-approach-la-roca-2.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>1. Always choose the simplest shot<\/h3>\n<p>Golden rule around the green: <strong>putt before chip, chip before pitch, pitch before flop<\/strong>. The less time the ball spends in the air, the fewer things can go wrong. If you can putt from off the green, putt. Pride doesn&#8217;t cut strokes; a rolling ball does.<\/p>\n<h3>2. On the approach, distance is king<\/h3>\n<p>Most missed approaches don&#8217;t go left or right: they come up short or run long. <strong>Distance is controlled by the length of your backswing, not by how hard you hit<\/strong>: the further back you take the club, the further the ball flies, at the same tempo. Practise the same shot at 20, 30 and 40 metres and you&#8217;ll watch the &#8220;almosts&#8221; turn into comfortable putts.<\/p>\n<h3>3. On the chip, weight forward and quiet hands<\/h3>\n<p>Set up with your weight on the front foot, the ball back in your stance and your hands ahead of the ball. From there, the move is a shoulder pendulum, no wrists. <strong>It&#8217;s the most reliable shot in golf once you stop trying to &#8220;help&#8221; the ball up<\/strong>: the club&#8217;s loft already does that.<\/p>\n<h3>4. In the bunker, hit the sand (not the ball)<\/h3>\n<p>The bunker shot is the only one where you don&#8217;t strike the ball: <strong>you hit the sand about 4 to 5 centimetres behind the ball, and the sand lifts the ball out<\/strong>. Open the face of the sand wedge, accelerate through and finish the swing. The classic mistake is decelerating out of fear, and that fear disappears by practising in a real bunker, not on the fairway.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Read the green for the chip too<\/h3>\n<p>The break that affects your putt affects your chip just the same once the ball lands and rolls. <strong>Before every short shot, read the green as if you were about to putt<\/strong>: it will change your landing spot and, with it, the result.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Practise with a target, not at random<\/h3>\n<p>Hitting 50 balls in a row to the same spot is fun but teaches little. <strong>Turn every session into a game<\/strong>: 10 balls at three different distances, score how many you leave within two metres, try to beat your record. That gentle pressure is what saves you out on the course.<\/p>\n<h2>Where to practise all of it (properly)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Player chipping onto the putting green at La Roca Golf, the heart of the short game\" src=\"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/juego-corto-golf-chip-green-la-roca-2.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Every tip above has one requirement: somewhere to practise each shot in real conditions. At <strong>La Roca Golf<\/strong>, 30 minutes from Barcelona, <strong>the Training Centre spreads the short game across dedicated areas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Short Game Zone<\/strong>: over 10,000 m\u00b2 of real playing turf, with 3 natural green platforms and shots of up to 100 metres. All mown like a fairway, to work the approach as you would on the course.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Approach Area<\/strong>: an elevated green with a bunker and several pin positions, for shots of up to 30 metres from fairway and rough.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rolled Chip<\/strong>: a flat 40-metre setting made exactly for tip number 3.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Putting Green<\/strong>: 1,000 m\u00b2 with slopes from 5\u00ba to 15\u00ba and putts of over 50 metres.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And if you&#8217;d rather speed things up with professional help, La Roca Academy&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/en\/golf-lessons-barcelona\/\">golf lessons in Barcelona<\/a> work the short game from the very first session, including if you&#8217;re just starting out with a <a href=\"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/en\/beginner-golf-course\/\">beginner course<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions about the short game<\/h2>\n<h3>What exactly is the short game in golf?<\/h3>\n<p>Every shot played within about 100 metres of the green: approach, pitch, chip, bunker shot and putt. <strong>It&#8217;s the phase of the game that most influences your final score<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>How much time should I spend on the short game?<\/h3>\n<p>A simple benchmark: half your practice time. If you train two hours a week, one for the short game and putting already makes a difference within a few weeks.<\/p>\n<h3>Chip or pitch: which do I pick?<\/h3>\n<p>The chip (a low ball that rolls) whenever there&#8217;s no obstacle between you and the pin. The pitch (a higher ball) only when you need to carry something or stop the ball quickly. When in doubt, the lower shot.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I practise the short game without being a club member?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. La Roca Golf&#8217;s Training Centre is open to everyone: you can come and practise the short game even if you&#8217;ve never played a full course.<\/p>\n<h2>Start shaving off strokes at La Roca Golf<\/h2>\n<p>The short game is the fastest, cheapest improvement in golf: it costs no strength, no new technique, just well-directed practice somewhere you can repeat every shot.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want to work on your short game where it really counts? Check options and availability on the <a href=\"https:\/\/larocagolf.com\/en\/services-and-rates\/\">services and rates page<\/a> or drop by the Training Centre at La Roca Golf, 30 minutes from Barcelona.<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/content><\/p>\n<p><em>Content reviewed by La Roca Golf Academy.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The short game in golf decides your scorecard. Practical chip, approach, bunker and putting tips, and where to practise them near Barcelona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[167],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf-technique"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Short Game in Golf: Tips to Shave Off Strokes - La Roca Golf<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The short game in golf decides your scorecard. 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