Since 70% of all golf shots occur from 100 yards in, it pays to work on the short game. Yet, most of us, when we practice, prefer to indiscriminately bang out long irons and woods, because we think it is more fun. The fact is that with a better short game, we would lower our scores dramatically.

Former NASA physicist Dave Pelz, that jolly old giant regularly seen on The Golf Channel and in the pages of Golf Magazine, has one-day clinics nationwide and three day schools (at some of the country's top luxury resorts) to teach golfers everything they need to know to improve their short games, including how to practice more effectively. And most importantly, a Pelz clinic makes working on the short game a lot of fun.

In May 2002, I took my sickly short game to a one-day Dave Pelz short game Clinic at Waverly Woods Golf Club outside Baltimore to be rehabbed. The experience was very enjoyable and educational. In addition to proven techniques of all facets of the short game from putting to bunker play to chipping and 100-yard wedge shots, I learned tips on how to practice using feedback mechanisms. Relying on feedback is essential to prevent grooving faulty mechanics.

Pelz, a stickler for detail and scientific precision, employs an outstanding staff of instructors who bring that same dedication to their teaching. The Waverly clinic had three instructors headed by John McCartin, who is based at the Pelz School's Boca Raton, Fla., location. The 5:1 teacher-student ratio guaranteed ample personal attention, and each instructor also made himself available for extra help during the breaks.

The clinic was well organized, beginning at 9 am and ending promptly at 4 pm. Our three groups of five rotated precisely through the different shots, with each shot getting equal time and attention. The morning was devoted to chipping, pitching and short (up to 80 yards) wedge shots, while the afternoon focused on putting. The morning and afternoon sessions opened with a brief "classroom" session during which McCartin presented the Pelz method using charts for visual emphasis. These same displays and techniques are in a booklet which each student received at the end of the day.

While all elements of the clinic were helpful, I was particularly enthusiastic about the session on putting which included ball striking, green reading and an indoor session devoted to proper fitting and set up. Each of these breakout sessions incorporated feedback techniques and teaching aids such as putting clips which attach to the putter face and force you to hit perfectly square putts or otherwise send your ball off in crazy directions. We also practiced keeping the direction line on the putter head directly Over a straight string laid out on the floor. This feedback allowed me to see that what I thought was a square position through impact was anything but.

Pelz has dozens of teaching aids and several books, but McCartin said, "We are not here to sell you stuff." That was refreshing, and so was the clinic. For more information on the Dave Pelz short game programs, call 800-833-7370 or go to www.pelzgolf.com.  

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Contact him at 301-229-1977 or at sftspike@aol.com."