Feb. 25, 2008 -- It's the same story over and over week after week on the PGA Tour - the player that makes the putts and pitches the best wins. I bet you thought I was going to say Tiger wins again is the same story. Well that is true also but it is because he makes more "big" putts than anyone.

Tiger Woods knows his putter is a key component of his 63 PGA Tour wins. (WireImage.com)

Of course everyone loves to talk about how long Tiger and all of these guys hit the ball and it is impressive to say the least. But it is putting followed by wedge play that wins tournaments on every level of play, from the PGA Tour to your Saturday match with your buddies at home. It is true that there is nothing more fun than hitting the ball a long way and I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. There is a good reason the range at my home club, Mystery Valley Golf Club, is full of golfers hitting drivers while the practice putting green and short game area is almost empty. It's because hitting the long ball is fun! But the idea in the series of articles is what we can learn from watching the PGA Tour each week. And in watching all of these matches what stood out was putting and wedge play.

If you are looking to shoot lower scores in 2008 I would suggest this guideline -- if you shoot 95 or higher on average focus on improving your golf swing so you can count on putting the ball in play more often and avoid high numbers. But if you can shoot lower than 95 on average you can already put the ball in play and to lower you score you need to get the ball in the hole quicker from around the green.

Let's look at putting first. What do I see in great putters that I don't see in not so great putters? Great putters use all of the time they can to gather information on the next putt they are facing (reading the putt). Tiger looks at all putts except for the very shortest from all sides every time. On Tour the players do this (looking from all sides) once it is their turn to play but if you do that at home no one is going to want to play with you. You can start this looking from all sides before it is you turn to play while other players are putting or while you are walking up to the green. Looking from all sides gives you more input into the computer (your brain) so it would make sense that you would get more consistent results. Great putters also don't rush. They walk around the green at a nice slow pace and they don't putt until they are ready. This looking from all sides and taking your time gives you a chance to really make up you mind on the line and pace of the putt and then commit to it. Being uncommitted is a leading reason for missed putts.

I have also noticed that great putters are very quiet and still over a putt. Watch Tiger the next time he is on TV. He looks settled over his putts. He is not twitching around and his moves are slow and smooth, like he wants his putting stroke to be. If you approach the green and your putt quickly and move about in a jerky motion, then it makes sense you're going to get a quick and jerky stroke. I think it is a good idea to not only emulate a great player's stroke or swing but to copy all of his habits -- because they are part of what makes him a great player. I'm not going into putting stroke mechanics here. That has been covered a million times before. I'll just say decide on a putting style and a putter and stick with it.

Pitching is the second most important shot in golf after putting and it is what most golfers are worst at. It is hard because it you're trying to hit the ball into the air but at the same time you're not hitting the ball very hard like a full shot. 99% of the golfers I look at are trying to scoop the ball into the air when they pitch. That is what the loft on the club is for and why I think you should learn to pitch and chip with your most lofted club. My most lofted wedge is 58 degrees and I use it for all pitch shots and chip shots. To pitch well, this is what must happen - at impact you must strike the ball first and then the turf with a slightly descending blow with the shaft leaning forward. In fact this is what you must do on all shots where the ball is sitting on the ground and why practicing your pitching is a great way to work on your full swing. How much forward lean you have on the shaft at impact will determine the trajectory of the shot and is why you can hit all of the pitch and chip shots you need with one club, your most lofted wedge. Notice how all of those shots you see Tiger and Phil hit around the green hit, bounce and then grab? It is because of a proper impact.

Now as for this scooping problem all of you have. It is most likely because you are swinging your arms too far back in relation to how far the club head is traveling in the back swing. Because of this your hands have too far to travel back to impact and in the slower pitching swing this gives the club head time to pick up momentum and pass the hands prior to impact resulting in the scoop. Here is the proper technique for pitching and it will improve your pitches with just a couple of hours of practice. The set up is with a narrow stance and just slightly open, have the club face square to the target. Have the ball positioned in the middle of your stance. Swing the club head away from the ball but keep your hands in front of your body. The hands should only travel about a foot in the back swing when the club head is past waist high. Now on the down swing turn your upper body toward the target and hold off the wrist. You should feel wristy on the back swing and no wrist on the down swing. I call this SET, TURN and HOLD. SET the wrist going back, TURN your upper body to the target coming through impact, and HOLD off the club head in the finish. This is how tour players hit those crisp little pitch shots with just the right amount of spin. After you get down the basic SET, TURN and HOLD then work on controlling the trajectory of your pitches by how much forward lean you have on the shaft at impact.

I'm going to try to commit to including some putting and pitching in every lesson I give in 2008 and work more on my own putting and pitching than my full swing for a change. Will you join me in making 2008 the short game year? Up and down in two in 2008!

John Crumbley is a Certified PGA Professional and the PGA Director of Golf at Mystery Valley Golf Club in Lithonia, Ga. John is a two-time winner of the Growth of the Game Award from the Georgia PGA Section and last year served as the Rules expert for PGA.com's "Ask the PGA Experts."